After a brief moment of silence, the entire Kingdom of Zephir erupted like a fire suddenly ignited.
"Hey! Did you hear? His Highness the Prince is becoming our King!"
"Really?! That's wonderful! With a new king, our kingdom will surely regain its former glory!"
"That's right! His Highness defeated the Gambino Family—what do we have left to fear?"
"Your Highness, we fully support you!"
"Still calling him 'Your Highness'? From now on it should be His Majesty the King!"
The voices of the citizens rose like a tide.
Not only did they have no objections to Arthur becoming king—
They supported him wholeheartedly.
Perhaps a day earlier their reactions wouldn't have been so strong.
But now that the Gambino Family had been completely destroyed, their enthusiasm felt only natural.
As the sole surviving royal of the Zephir Kingdom, Arthur had personally eliminated the Gambino threat and removed a massive danger from the nation.
Combined with his status as prince—
There was no reason for the citizens to oppose him.
Thus, everything progressed far more smoothly than anyone had expected.
Two hours later.
The citizens gathered joyfully in the central plaza before the royal palace.
Excited discussions surged through the crowd like roaring waves.
When Arthur stepped onto the high platform at the front of the plaza—
The crowd fell silent as if struck by lightning.
Then a thunderous wave of cheers exploded.
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!"
Their voices roared with fanatical passion.
The energy seemed powerful enough to ignite the entire kingdom.
On the platform, Arthur stood dressed in a magnificent white ceremonial robe trimmed with gold.
A confident smile rested on his lips.
At that moment he realized something—
Rather than feeling uncomfortable under the gaze of countless people…
He actually enjoyed it.
He slowly raised his hand.
Instantly, the roaring cheers stopped, as if seized by an invisible hand.
Standing behind him, Stanley was deeply shaken by the sight.
Such absolute devotion from the people—
Even the previous kings had never possessed such influence.
Then Arthur spoke.
His voice was clear and steady.
"My people!"
He looked calmly across the entire plaza before continuing loudly:
"I, Zephir Arthur, Prince of the Kingdom of Zephir and your soon-to-be King, wish to say a few words before the coronation begins."
The crowd held its breath.
Every citizen stared at him with burning eyes, as if trying to carve every word into memory.
"In this world," Arthur declared, his voice echoing across the plaza, "there has never been an absolute distinction between the strong and the weak."
"There is only one eternal truth."
"The law of survival of the fittest!"
"Why has the Kingdom of Zephir fallen into such hardship?"
"Why are we powerless against pirates and criminal forces?"
"Why do enemies swarm us the moment we lose the protection of the Marines?"
"Why has the World Government ruled the seas for eight hundred years without challenge?"
"Is it because we are too weak?"
"Or because the World Government is too powerful?"
"No!"
His thunderous denial echoed through the Den Den Mushi loudspeaker, reaching every citizen.
Even Stanley behind him felt himself drawn into Arthur's momentum.
"The Kingdom of Zephir is not in crisis because it is weak."
"It is because it lacked a true leader!"
"No one stands at the top from the beginning—not you, not me, not even the World Government."
"Not even those so-called gods!"
"But the long vacancy of the Throne of Heaven is about to end!"
From this moment forward—
"I will stand at the summit!"
"The destruction of the Gambino Family is merely the prologue."
"Bear witness, my beloved people!"
"The Kingdom of Zephir will rise to become the strongest nation in this world!"
Arthur inhaled deeply.
His gaze swept across every face in the plaza.
Then, in a tone filled with unquestionable authority, he spoke his final declaration.
"Our path forward—"
"Will have no enemies standing before us."
Silence fell.
The entire plaza froze.
Everyone was stunned by the sheer boldness of Arthur's declaration.
Even Stanley stood there dumbfounded.
He had never imagined Arthur would utter such words.
The ambition to raise Zephir Kingdom to the summit of the world.
The ambition to stand above all others—
Even like a god.
Stanley shuddered and finally snapped back to his senses.
Looking at Arthur's tall figure, he finally understood his vision.
He immediately turned to an elderly man beside him.
"Quick! Now's the moment!"
"Announce His Majesty's coronation!"
"Ah… yes, yes."
The elderly man stepped forward.
His eyes showed a hint of admiration as he looked at Arthur.
Then he raised his voice and declared:
"As the elder of the Zephir Kingdom Scholarly Council, I hereby announce—"
"From this moment onward, Zephir Arthur shall ascend the throne as the King of the Kingdom of Zephir!"
The moment his words ended—
The crowd exploded.
"OOOOOOH!!!"
"Your Majesty!!!"
"Long live the King! Long live the Kingdom of Zephir!!!"
The cheers surged into the sky.
Every citizen was swept into a frenzy of celebration.
And amidst the deafening roar of the crowd—
A series of cold mechanical notifications echoed quietly in Arthur's mind.
"Ding! Host status upgraded! Current status: King!"
"Ding! Nation Level System activated! National Prestige System unlocked!"
"Ding! Current nation level: Third-Tier Kingdom. Upgrade conditions not yet met. Legion Lottery will unlock after upgrading to a Second-Tier Kingdom."
"Ding! Current National Prestige Level: Level 1 → Level 2."
"Reward granted: One Exclusive Lottery Draw."
"Host, would you like to perform the draw now?"
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