Chapter 27: World Government Medical Development Cooperation Countries!

Returning to the royal castle atop the main peak, King Donquixote sat unhesitatingly upon the throne made of white iron, looking down upon Minister Malvani and Vice Admiral Kuzan standing below.

From this moment on, the formal negotiations between the member nation and the World Government officially commenced.

The previous reception and the politeness shown upon arrival were merely private etiquette and hospitality, intended to show full respect to the guests; but now, the King had to display the aura befitting his station.

"So, can you two tell me exactly what business brings you to my Drum Kingdom?"

Throughout the journey, the Administrative Minister and the Admiral candidate had been speaking in riddles, their words vague and cryptic, which had long piqued the King's curiosity.

"Your Majesty, King Donquixote, I have come by order of the Administration Council to discuss the matter of designating the Drum Kingdom as a 'World Government Medical Development Cooperation Nation'."

As he spoke, Minister Malvani took a white scroll with gold trim from his robes and said, "This is the cooperation agreement. If you agree, you need only sign it."

At the same time, the official from before stepped forward, took the scroll, and presented it to the King on the dais. The King took it, unrolled it, and began to read.

As he read, a look of sudden joy flashed in his eyes.

This was truly a great opportunity!

The scroll stated that being a "World Government Medical Development Cooperation Nation" meant the World Government would advocate for, support, and encourage medical research and development within the Drum Kingdom.

Starting from next year, as long as the Drum Kingdom's medical development passed the Administration Council's audit, the annual amount of Heavenly Tribute would be reduced by a certain percentage, up to fifty percent at most.

Simultaneously, the World Government and the Drum Kingdom would jointly establish a medical school, specifically responsible for the collection, organization, and in-depth research of global medicine, with the requirement that it serve the World Government free of charge.

Of course, "free of charge" merely meant that the medical school could not charge fees when its services were required by the World Government; in reality, the bulk of the school's funding would be covered by the World Government, with the Drum Kingdom covering the remainder.

Furthermore, it designated the 117-year-old Dr. Kureha as the first dean of the medical school.

This point made King Donquixote's eyelids twitch. To be fair, whether in terms of medical skill or seniority, Dr. Kureha was indeed the preeminent figure in the Drum Kingdom's medical community, but her personality was far too eccentric.

To be honest, having her serve as dean gave off a rather unreliable impression...

He continued reading.

The World Government hoped that the medical school led by Dr. Kureha could establish a rigorous physician promotion system to standardize doctors worldwide. In the future, if doctors wished to advance their professional rank, they would need to come to the Drum Kingdom to undergo assessment.

This point made the King's eyes shine.

He wasn't stupid.

This was essentially turning the Drum Kingdom into the center of world medicine!

"Quick! Send someone to invite Dr. Kureha over immediately! Tell her the World Government is looking for her, and it is a matter of great importance!" the King hurriedly commanded the official below.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The official hurried out of the castle hall.

Just then, Minister Malvani of the Administration Department spoke again.

"I assume you have seen the matter regarding the establishment of the medical school. Previously, I asked about the other Drum Mountains; my hope is to build the medical school upon one of those peaks. What do you think?"

"This..."

King Donquixote felt a bit of a headache. To be honest, he didn't particularly want to do this. Otherwise, wouldn't commoners be able to reach heights equal to the royalty at will in the future?

But the Minister had put it that way, and he truly had no suitable reason to object, not to mention his strong desire for the medical school to be built.

Ultimately, he gritted his teeth and nodded. "Fine, no problem. In a few days, I will have people set up aerial ropeways and cable cars on the mountain to the left!"

"Hehe, regarding this matter, the World Government also has a certain plan in place." Minister Malvani was very pleased that everything was going smoothly and was in a delightful mood.

"Vice Admiral Aokiji will find a way to solve the transportation difficulties."

"Oh?"

King Donquixote looked in surprise at the overly tall Admiral candidate. He saw Kuzan stroking his chin, speaking thoughtfully.

"When I came in just now, I took a look at the surrounding Drum Mountains and noticed that the distances between them are not very far. I believe we can use ice bridges to connect them all, allowing free passage between the peaks."

"What? Connect all eight Drum Mountains together?!"

King Donquixote stood up in shock, expressing extreme pleasant surprise. This way, the seven previously idle Drum Mountains could all be utilized, which was equivalent to increasing the kingdom's land area.

"Yes. In fact, I highly recommend that your nation migrate the citizens from below to up here. The towns are located too low, right at the base of the snowy mountain range; it would be too dangerous if an avalanche were to occur," Kuzan suggested sincerely.

The population of the Drum Kingdom was not large. Even if one Drum Mountain was used for the medical school, the remaining six were more than enough to accommodate all the citizens.

"This..."

King Donquixote was conflicted again. It was one thing to let doctors be "equals" to him, but why even bring the lowest commoners up?

As for avalanches, he truly didn't care. Avalanches did occur occasionally in the country, but hadn't the citizens below lived just fine all these years?

But just like before, Kuzan's reasoning was very sound, and he had no suitable reason to refuse—especially considering the other party's identity as a future Marine Admiral!

If they were ever attacked by an overly powerful pirate, they would have to rely on him to come and help.

"Vice Admiral Aokiji, even if we are to migrate the citizens up, it won't be an easy task. Relying solely on the transport efficiency of cable cars, it would take years to complete this," King Donquixote attempted to struggle.

"Yes, while the cable cars cannot be abandoned, they cannot remain the primary mode of transport in the future. Therefore, for most of the upcoming time, I will construct a staircase connecting the ground to the main peak."

"Since the height is a full five thousand meters, every thousand meters will require a relatively spacious platform for people to rest. Arara... no matter how you look at it, this is a massive project~"

Kuzan let out a helpless sigh. Ever since he had created that thick and useful ice battlefield for Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp, it seemed he had been targeted by the World Government.

Now he had become a construction crew—well, a one-man construction crew.

But he also knew that this was a great thing for the citizens of the Drum Kingdom; it was a task that could truly be called "Justice," worthy of the word he carried on his back.

Therefore, he didn't actually feel much resentment; instead, he felt somewhat happy and expectant, and his impression of the World Government had improved significantly.

It would just be tiring for a few days, after all, his Ice-Ice Fruit had not yet awakened.