Chapter 26: Aokiji Visits the Drum Kingdom!

The world was a vast expanse of white, as snowflakes danced incessantly in the biting wind. Under the adornment of the snow, the entire island looked as if it had been covered in a layer of pure white carpet.

The mountain ranges formed by those snow-capped peaks made the eight towering, cloud-piercing summits appear incredibly magnificent. This was the Drum Kingdom, one of the affiliated nations under the World Government.

It was a quintessential winter island located in the first half of the Grand Line.

Despite the swirling snowflakes, this was actually relatively rare good weather for this country; at least the wind was somewhat gentle today.

At the pier, the current King, Arnold—a man with purple hair wearing a white fur hat and thick winter clothing—glanced at the armed soldiers on guard duty and continuously gave instructions to the officials behind him.

"Is everything ready? The World Government's visiting ship will arrive in half an hour. There must be no mistakes!"

The official bowed repeatedly and answered hurriedly.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. There will be absolutely no accidents on the way from here to the main peak. Those carnivorous Lapins have been lured five kilometers away with raw meat; they certainly won't be back for several hours. The cable car is also ready and has been checked many times. There are no issues."

"Hmm, what about those two boys? Why haven't they come yet?" King Arnold asked with some displeasure.

"That is... First Prince Mushuru and Second Prince Walpo felt it was too cold outside. After all, the two princes are only five or six years old this year; they are indeed quite small," the official replied with difficulty.

"Cold?"

King Arnold sneered. "They were playing snowball fights outside the castle just fine when it was much colder than this. Who are they fooling? They just find waiting here too boring. Forget it, leave them be!"

He had originally intended to bring his two sons to welcome the guests, hoping to make a good impression on Minister Malvani, who was visiting this time.

This man was a Minister of the World Government's Administration Department!

"Your Majesty, why did this Minister suddenly decide to visit our country?" The official looked out at the unobstructed sea, where the snow-dusted ocean looked quite poetic, with confusion in his eyes.

"I don't know either; the notice didn't say. However, I suspect it has something to do with this year's Reverie. Beyond that, I truly cannot think of anything else worthy of a high Minister's personal visit."

As King Arnold spoke, he waited patiently on the spot.

Sure enough, the World Government's visiting ship was very punctual. Thirty minutes later, escorted by two Marine warships on either side, it slowly sailed into the port of the Drum Kingdom.

Soon, a middle-aged man with white hair, dressed in a suit and a thick black leather coat and standing over two meters tall, stepped off his ship, followed by a Marine officer who appeared to be about three meters tall.

Simultaneously, several spirited and robust Marines from the Headquarters dispersed, taking over the security of the entire port in an instant.

"Hahaha, welcome, welcome! It is a great honor to host Minister Malvani's visit in our country. I must host you properly this time!"

King Arnold walked over with great laughter and enthusiasm. As he shook hands, Minister Malvani smiled and said, "I am also acting under orders from the higher-ups. Because the matter is somewhat complex and of high importance, I have come personally."

"Oh? Could you reveal what the matter is?"

King Arnold's heart trembled. If it involved the World Government and was "complex" and "important," it didn't sound like good news at all.

"Haha, it is good news. The Drum Kingdom has struck quite lucky this time. It is mainly because your reputation as a great medical nation is very prominent overseas."

After saying this, Minister Malvani introduced the tall Marine officer beside him.

"This is the newly appointed candidate for Marine Admiral, Vice Admiral Kuzan, also known by the title 'Aokiji.' He has also come with a very important mission. He isn't just here to escort me; I am not entitled to such high-level protection."

"Hello, King Arnold. I look forward to your guidance," Kuzan said, bowing with a serious expression.

"An Admiral candidate? The one with the top-tier Logia Ice-Ice Fruit ability!" King Arnold was stunned. This made him feel even more uneasy and worried.

Having been a king of an affiliated nation for so many years and having attended so many Reveries, he had some insight. With the strength of this Vice Admiral Aokiji, even his entire royal guard combined wouldn't be a match for him, would they?

"Arara~ That is indeed me. Speaking of which, this country is quite nice. Especially the climate and the wind here; they are just comfortably perfect. I think I've already taken a liking to this place."

Enjoying the cold wind and falling snow, Kuzan gazed at the continuous snow-capped mountain ranges and the eight exaggerated, drum-like peaks of the highlands. It was said that each of those eight peaks was five thousand meters high.

However, the moment he thought about the orders he had received this time, looking at those peaks made him feel somewhat weary and helpless.

"Hehehe, you will certainly love the climate of our Drum Kingdom. If you don't mind, you are welcome to stay for a few more days!"

King Arnold maintained his enthusiasm, thinking to himself that at least with this man present, he wouldn't have to worry about pirates during the visit.

Lately, for some unknown reason, the number of pirates attempting to raid the island had increased, causing a sharp rise in casualties among the royal guard.

"Then I shall take you up on that. I really do need to stay for a few days this time," Kuzan nodded.

Hearing this, King Arnold's head was filled with more questions, but he did not press further. He quickly led the two men to the snow-river carriage that had been prepared.

About an hour later, the entire party passed through the town under the gaze of a large number of citizens and arrived at a snowy mountain peak, where a magnificent, large cable car was already stationed.

"Since the royal castle is located at the top of the main peak, we need to take this cable car up. Rest assured, the entire process is very safe and stable, and you can enjoy the scenery of the snow kingdom along the way!"

As King Arnold introduced the surroundings, he led Minister Malvani and Vice Admiral Kuzan into the cable car. Five minutes later, the car started, sliding along the straight cables toward the high, snowy peaks.

"The height from the ground to the summit is five thousand meters. While this cable car is decent, there must be deficiencies in terms of load capacity and efficiency, right?" Minister Malvani said softly, looking at the scenery outside the window.

"Yes. There are only two aerial ropeways connecting the ground to the main peak, so only two cable cars can be used at a time. Each car can carry a maximum of twenty people. This means that when a large amount of supplies needs to be transported, it takes far too long. If we encounter a blizzard, we even have to stop temporarily," King Arnold sighed.

"Hehe, Vice Admiral Aokiji is here this time specifically to help you solve this problem. The Drum Kingdom is truly going to have to thank the World Government this time!"

After saying this, Minister Malvani looked at Kuzan and asked with a smile, "Well? Having seen the environment for yourself, can you solve it?"

"A height of five thousand meters is a bit difficult. I can't do it in one go with my current state; it will probably take about ten days?" Kuzan felt quite mentally exhausted.

King Arnold was completely bewildered by the conversation between the two. At that moment, Minister Malvani pointed toward the other drum-shaped peaks surrounding the main peak.

"Your Majesty, how does your country utilize those other peaks? Are there buildings on them?"

"No, those are all empty. Our kingdom doesn't have that many citizens," King Arnold shook his head.

In fact, it was because the successive generations of the royal family did not want the commoners living at the same altitude as them—a practice somewhat reminiscent of the World Nobles in Mary Geoise.

"Is that so? Then that's good. That's wonderful!" Minister Malvani clapped his hands happily.