Chapter 1121: Do You Keep a Journal?
Chapter 1121: Do You Keep a Journal?
As Edmund spoke, Kuro happened to take his first sip of wine. Smacking his lips, he met Edmund's hopeful gaze and said,
"This wine's actually pretty good."
Edmund smiled. "You still haven't answered my question, Golden Lion."
"Ah? What'd you say?" Kuro took another sip, swirling the wine in his glass. "Seriously, this vintage really is exceptional - almost as good as my private stash. Makes sense. King's King for a reason - loaded as hell."
As a high-ranking Navy officer and influential business magnate, Kuro naturally collected taxes and wielded power. With his resources, he'd tasted every rare vintage imaginable. Yet even he hadn't tried this particular wine before.
Then again, this was King they were talking about - equally wealthy and powerful. With citizens living under such heavy exploitation, obtaining rare luxuries was practically guaranteed.
"Though if you want it, I've got plenty more in storage. Just have your steward send a batch to my warship later."
Edmund's smile deepened. "So Golden Lion Admiral isn't fond of my question?"
"Question? Questions are for educated folks to answer. I'm just an old illiterate who never set foot in a school. How would I know how to respond?" Kuro shrugged.
In this world, formal education didn't exist. Literacy required hiring private tutors or self-teaching through sheer determination. Divine gifts weren't exactly standard practice.
Kuro's own literacy skills came purely from relentless childhood effort - begging others to teach him reading, while his deeper comprehension abilities came from memories of his past life.
He'd wager half the Navy couldn't do more than recognize basic characters. Which explained why he preferred using Klah - it was simply more convenient for those who struggled with written language.
Even basic literacy made you a strategist in the eyes of true illiterates.
"Such an esteemed Golden Lion Admiral, nemesis of the Old Era, yet you find me fascinating. Funny thing - I never studied under scholars either. Their stuffy teachings and insistence on journal-writing always disgusted me. I'm King - why would I need to keep a journal?"
"Right? Why the hell would anyone write journals?" Kuro nodded.
"Do you keep one?" Edmund asked.
"Nah. Can't read or write. How about you?"
"Same here. Journals never contain honest thoughts anyway."
"Exactly! Who writes truth in journals? Just curse everything out loud instead!" Kuro laughed.
"Right? Decent people don't keep journals."
"Can anyone who writes journals be decent?"
They exchanged smirks. In unison, they declared, "Despicable."
Edmund raised his glass in a toast with Kuro, then suddenly pulled a parchment from his coat. With a flick of his fingers, the document smoothly slid across the table toward Kuro.
"I greatly admire you, so I've decided to offer some benefits. Here - this document formalizes it. I'll annually allocate 100,000,000 Beri to your Navy, plus an additional 30,000,000 Beri directly to you personally. Not much, but every bit helps. What do you say - sign on?"
He produced a pen from his coat and pushed it toward Kuro.
"Can't read or write."
Even as he said it, Kuro's eyes instinctively scanned the parchment. His smile froze.
The document confirmed exactly what Edmund claimed - 100,000,000 Beri annual Navy funding and a personal 30,000,000 Beri bonus. But with conditions. In plain black and white: Lucius Kro must offer service to Doveridge Edmund when required.
Service?
What kind of service?
Where did this contract come from?
"Did all that alcohol finally rot your brain? How dare you propose something so absurd?" Kuro snapped.
"You just claimed you can't read or write", Edmund smiled.
The room fell silent.
Kuro looked up at Edmund's smirking face, eyes glinting with mockery and cunning. Grinding his teeth, he growled, "Playing games? What the hell did you summon me here for?"
Edmund slowly rose, his grin widening. "As I said, I genuinely admire you, Lucius Kro. Which is why I'm inviting you to abandon the Navy for something far more thrilling and glorious. The money will still come - I'll personally give you 100,000,000 Beri upfront. Just become my servant."
"F* you!"
Kuro stood and stormed toward the exit. "Get that Agreement's 100,000,000 Beri payment to the Old Man when I'm gone!"
He wanted only the previously agreed-upon 100,000,000 Beri appearance fee.
But as the words left his mouth, Edmund's eyes flashed with sharp light. Before he could finish his next sentence, a wisp of black energy slashed through the air, severing his head from his body in an instant. Blood erupted from his neck, spraying high into the air before his skull clattered to the ground.
"F*ing language-based ability trap!"
Kuro wasn't foolish. The moment he spoke, his instincts screamed danger. Combined with Edmund's unfinished words, it was clearly a linguistic trap.
He'd encountered such users before - like that Reverse-Reverse Devil Fruit ability that could manipulate life and death through language.
His own words had apparently triggered some hidden condition. Otherwise, his Observation Haki wouldn't have warned him of danger.
Time to act.
So what if he was King? If he could be killed, he'd be killed!
"You've got nerves, plotting against an Admiral!" Kuro glared at the wide-eyed skull, his voice filled with contempt. "But with just your cheap abilities, you think you could outspeed my blade?"
Against treacherous abilities, raw strength was the straight path.
In the open, all schemes crumbled.
Especially with no witnesses in this sealed room. How dare he attempt this?
With a flick of his Autumn Water blade, Kuro flung the blood off his sword and sheathed it, rubbing his brow bridge in frustration. "This complicates things. Even if he plotted against the Old Man, killing him here leaves me without defense. Everyone knows he summoned me. Now his head's cleanly severed... Obviously my doing. How to handle this?"
This wasn't like East Blue, where he'd gathered clear evidence first. This time, there was nothing. Killing a King would spark outrage from member states.
(End of Chapter)
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