"To ensure your absolute safety and prevent any further accidents,"
another CP0 member added,
"Marine Headquarters has dispatched Vice Admiral Doberman to lead an elite fleet to the Sabaody Archipelago port. They will escort you back to the kingdom for the entire journey."
After bringing Tesoro under his banner, Ronan had indeed considered becoming King of the Lulusia Kingdom.
After all, he had already promised to give Tesoro strong backing.
But this kingship came a little too fast.
Ronan had absolutely never imagined he would be inheriting the throne within just a few years.
He was only eight years old right now.
Letting an eight-year-old sit on the throne as king…
That sounded more than a little unreliable.
Yet, what the World Government needed at this moment was a stable member nation.
With no other heirs left, Ronan was being shoved to the forefront by the World Government.
Thinking of this, Ronan felt genuinely helpless.
The Lulusia Kingdom wasn't that big, and its population wasn't that large either—
but just the thought of dealing with all kinds of state business already gave him a headache.
So much for lying flat.
Ronan fell silent for a moment, then looked at the CP0 member before him and said,
"I understand. Since it's an order from the World Government, I'll comply."
Hearing Ronan agree, the CP0 members quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
They had been worried Ronan might refuse.
This was a die-hard order from the World Government.
If Ronan had rejected it, there was no way they could actually drag him back to the Lulusia Kingdom by force—
Beth and Alicia standing right there were not mere decorations.
Fortunately, Ronan had chosen to agree in the end.
"Then, please make your preparations as soon as possible. Vice Admiral Doberman's fleet will set sail in two hours."
Having said that, the CP0 member gave a slight bow, turned, and walked away, disappearing at the end of the corridor.
The door clicked shut, and quiet returned to the room.
Ronan looked toward Beth and Alicia.
"Get ready. We're going home."
Only, this time going back would be anything but easy.
That royal palace that had never once given Ronan a sense of warmth—
he was now going to return there as its master.
He couldn't help but find that a little ironic.
Two hours later, at the port of the Sabaody Archipelago—
Marine Vice Admiral Doberman stood on the bridge of his flagship, a hideous scar running across his cheek.
Seeing Ronan's group boarding, he spoke up,
"Ronan-sama, the fleet is ready. We can set sail at any time to escort you back to the Lulusia Kingdom."
Ronan gave a faint nod and then stepped onto the Marine warship.
At the same time, the news of Ronan becoming king of the Lulusia Kingdom at the age of eight spread across the entire world with the latest newspapers.
Ronan once again became the center of global public opinion.
A few days later, Ronan returned to the royal palace.
The ministers who had never thought much of him before all rushed forward as soon as he stepped off the warship, eager to leave a good impression on their new king.
Ronan, however, paid them little mind.
For the time being, he still needed these people to help him handle the internal affairs of the kingdom.
He did have some ideas carried over from his previous life that he wanted to implement, but he also understood that the road had to be walked one step at a time.
Many things could only be done slowly.
A week after his return to the palace, Ronan personally signed a special decree, stamped with the royal seal of the Lulusia Kingdom.
Through official documents and a paid front-page slot in the World Economy News Paper, it spread quickly throughout the entire Lulusia Kingdom and even the surrounding seas.
Its general content was this:
Anyone who believed they had ability and did not have any major criminal atrocities on their record could come to the Lulusia Kingdom.
Once their abilities were confirmed through examination, Ronan would grant them a chance—and a position—to put their talents to use.
The moment this decree was issued, it was like a stone thrown into the sea that stirred up a thousand-layered wave.
First, it caused an enormous uproar inside the Lulusia Kingdom itself.
Among the common people, word spread quickly, and excitement ran high.
This meant that those at the very bottom now had a genuine hope of changing their fates through their own abilities.
The nobility, however, exploded in an uproar of a very different kind, whispering among themselves and resisting in secret.
"What is His Majesty trying to do? Break traditions that have lasted for a thousand years?"
"No restrictions on birth, no distinction between noble and lowborn? How is that supposed to work?"
"And granting them status on top of that? Where does that leave our interests?!"
At that moment, they all felt that letting an eight-year-old child become king was unbelievably irresponsible.
However, their dissatisfaction and protests were feeble in the face of absolute strength.
No one dared openly question the new king's command—
especially under the oppressive gazes of Beth and Alicia.
Very soon, the news spread to every country along the Grand Line and even across the Four Seas.
Through the papers, people in the kingdoms of the East Blue, West Blue, North Blue, and South Blue all learned of this decree and began to talk.
Many saw an opportunity.
Even though they were skeptical of a new king who was only eight years old, the contents of the decree—combined with the overwhelming might that had slain the Golden Lion—tempted quite a few hearts.
Ronan stood on the highest terrace of the royal palace, gazing down at the palace complex below.
Of course he knew exactly what kind of shock his decree would cause.
He had never expected that, just because of this decree, powerful individuals from all over would immediately flock to join him.
In Ronan's plans, this was nothing more than giving the common people a chance to move upward.
He believed that in just a few short years, the lowest strata of this kingdom would undergo earth-shaking change.
Holy Land Mary Geoise, deep within Pangaea Castle—
at the pinnacle of power.
In a spacious office, five elderly men in black suits with different hairstyles—
the highest rulers of the World Government, the Gorosei—
were each dealing with documents from all over the world.
The bald elder cradling a cursed blade glanced at today's paper and said faintly,
"That brat from Lulusia… does like to stir things up."
The Gorosei with golden long hair and a pair of upturned mustaches gave a cold snort.
"Just grandstanding. What does an eight-year-old child know? This is nothing but a kid playing house."
He had clearly already read Ronan's decree in the paper.
"No restrictions on birth, no distinction between noble and commoner…?"
The elder with a head of white curls and a thick, fluffy beard shook his head and said nothing more.
Lastly, the Gorosei wearing a black flat hat, with a scar on his left cheek, spoke slowly.
"As long as he pays the Heavenly Tribute on time and doesn't openly defy the World Government's rule, he can cause whatever trouble he wants.
A tiny kingdom in the first half of the Grand Line isn't going to make any real waves."
His words, to a large extent, represented the shared stance of the Gorosei.
In their eyes, the Lulusia Kingdom was nothing more than a small, insignificant member nation on the fringes of the Grand Line.
Even with two fairly strong guards, it wasn't worth mentioning.
(End of Chapter)
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