Chapter 248: A Cordial Negotiation
Chapter 248: A Cordial Negotiation
"If there's no objection, that settles it."
Kuro leaned back, arrogantly holding a cigar between his teeth. "The seas around Moe Island and the shipping lanes to and from it must remain free of warfare. Of course, if you'd rather take a detour and keep fighting, I don't mind. I'm Navy— not some Kingdom minister who needs to keep track of every little squabble."
"That's easy to say, but Kuro..."
Sa Luor paused to collect his thoughts. "I'll accept your claim that this is a Marine Base, but the Kingdom's higher-ups might not agree. After all, you don't even have an actual base here. Just declaring it a base isn't exactly convincing, is it?"
"That's right!"
Enoch, still twitching from his earlier injuries, shot to his feet and slammed his hands on the table. "You call this a Marine Base? Where's the official decree? Where's the base itself? A single Warship doesn't prove anything! Can you stop all of our Kingdom's strength? What about those armed merchants who can turn pirate at any moment? Or the outright evil pirates already lurking out there!"
"Whether I can stop them or not is Navy's problem. As for the base—"
Kuro rose from his seat and strode outside. "Who said there's no base? Come look for yourselves."
Stepping into the open, he pointed toward the empty hillside of the upper district with exaggerated seriousness.
"My child too... Lord Poropa conscripted them, and I never saw them again! Where is this peace we were promised?!"
Before he finished speaking, Kuro raised his hand.
Enoch yelped and instantly ducked behind Sa Luor, clutching his head.
"What's the matter? I'm not going to hit you", Kuro scoffed, his five fingers tightening into a fist. "I say it exists, and it exists!"
Boom!
The floating ruins above them crashed down onto the hillside, rearranging themselves mid-fall into a fortress-like Marine Base. As they settled, a massive lion's head hung above the gate, flanked by two stone lion statues. At the highest point, the Navy's peace symbol—a soaring seagull—gleamed in the sunlight.
"There. See? It's here now."
Kuro smirked and turned to his subordinate without a hint of self-awareness. "Write a report later. Say that I've reached a cordial agreement with nobles from both the Jerman Kingdom and Sukunai Kingdom to designate Moe Island as a Navy base. Let the higher-ups hammer out the details."
He stressed the words "cordial" and "agreement" with exaggerated emphasis.
Sa Luor: "...".
Enoch: "...".
Since when had this been cordial?!
"I'll report this to the World Government!"
Enoch glared at Kuro one last time before storming off with his men.
Fighting was impossible now. With Navy's overwhelming pressure, the island would remain untouched. Staying any longer was pointless.
"I'll take my leave too. Your superiors will deal with your recklessness—this kind of behavior won't be tolerated by the World Government."
Sa Luor turned to leave, then hesitated, watching Enoch depart. He lowered his voice. "To be honest... I'm grateful. Neither the Jerman nor Sukunai Kingdoms truly want war anymore, but tradition binds us. We can't change it. If you can truly broker peace between our nations, it would be a great blessing. But if not... you'd better succeed. No one wants to waste lives needlessly."
With that, he too disappeared.
The fleets of both nations sailed into the Grand Line, one after the other.
Only after they vanished did the island's residents dare to emerge.
Trembling elders stared after the departed ships, tears streaming down their faces. "Why? Why are they here? Is Moe Island doomed to war again?"
Twenty years of peace had made the younger generation forget the island's past horrors—bodies littering the streets, fields left fallow, pirates and slave-trading merchants ruling the chaos.
Flames. Charcoal. Corpses. The memories haunted their minds like a living nightmare they never wanted to relive.
"Why is this happening!"
An elderly man roared, shaking his fists. "I gave them everything! My son! My daughter! They promised peace in return! Why do the Kingdom fleets come now? What was it all for?! If they were coming anyway, give me back my children!!!"
"My child too... Poropa Officer conscripted them, and I never saw them again! Where is this peace we were promised?!"
Cries erupted among the elders. Middle-aged women clutched each other, sobbing quietly. Their children, their husbands—all taken by Poropa's conscription, never to return.
They had endured the pain, made the sacrifices, all for peace. But if peace was gone, what meaning did their suffering have?
The crowd grew restless, faces twisted with grief and fury.
Kuro exhaled slowly, a trail of smoke curling from his lips. His hand tightened around the Autumn Waterhilt, the blade's scabbard hissing faintly as he drew it just enough to reveal a sliver of steel.
Whoosh!
A Killing Intent solidified into a tangible force, crushing down on everyone's nerves. The sudden, overwhelming pressure silenced the crowd instantly.
"Listen well."
Kuro sheathed Autumn Water with a crisp metallic clang. "Poropa, your Lord, died in an accident—fell off a cliff, his body swept away by sea water. No trace remains. That means no more 'sacrifices' to him. Navy takes over from now on. From this moment, this becomes a Marine Base."
"This place will be more peaceful than ever. You'll pay your taxes, and that's all. We will Protect your safety!"
"Poropa Officer is dead?"
"Navy will Protect our safety?!"
"Does this mean we won't have to give up our people anymore...?"
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some faces brightened, others wore wary expressions.
Joy at escaping Poropa's conscription warred with worry over whether Navy could maintain order.
"Is it true? Did Bonaparte Poropa really die?"
An elderly man stepped forward, trembling as he repeated, "That man... no, that midget—did he really die?"
Kuro nodded. The old man clutched his chest, stomped his feet, and danced in circles before collapsing into sobs, hiding his face in his hands.
He was the one who had lost both son and daughter to Poropa's conscription.
"Navy Officer", he lifted his tear-streaked face. "Can you truly Protect our safety?"
Kuro swept his gaze over the crowd, reading the worry and fear in their eyes. Slowly, he answered:
"I swear it on Navy's Honor. Nothing will happen to you."
(End of Chapter)
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