Chapter 654: Material Decides the Heart
Chapter 654: Material Decides the Heart
Hearing Sagel's words, Lily briefly explained the geographical location of the Hylar Kingdom and how the Pirates had been bogged down in a war there for three months.
"Compared to our forces, their soldiers are more disciplined and follow orders better. Most importantly, Hawkins says that each of them can use Haki."
"Wait, Haki? Even the commoners?"
Sagel had been increasingly puzzled by what he heard—luring enemies deeper, surrounding and rescuing, night raids, burning supplies. The tactics were surprising.
The commander was actually using guerrilla warfare!
In the vast seas where strength determined everything, such a person was quite rare.
But Sagel didn't take it too seriously, because even the most brilliant command tactics were useless against a true powerhouse.
However, Lily's last statement caught his attention.
"Yes, many of them, influenced by a woman named Shevire, have even commoners who can manifest Haki in battle. The amount is small, but with so many, it's troublesome. In the end, we won the battle, but we suffered losses", Lily said.
"Power Holders? They can awaken the willpower in ordinary people, much like one of the officers in the Revolutionary Army", Sagel mused.
There were many abilities that could do similar things, either through a hierarchy or different abilities with similar effects. It was normal for a Devil Fruit to have the power to awaken willpower.
But what Sagel was more concerned about was something else.
"Skilled in command, adept at guerrilla tactics, not a noble, and commoners at the forefront. Hah, Haki leaking out, yet not promptly dealing with the restrictive nobles. They're asking for death."
Sagel laughed. "But this talent is quite suitable. With command skills and likely good at administration, we need someone like this to support you. Just Seymour isn't enough."
Lily was a versatile talent, skilled in both command and administration, but her subordinates lacked such talents, especially in command. Now, they had found a promising candidate, and it would be best to persuade them to join.
"Hawkins thinks the same. Through divination, he believes that if we pretend to fail and retreat, there's a 99% chance the enemy will fall into internal strife. This would be a good opportunity to persuade this guerrilla commander to join us."
"Fail? Does that mean I won't be a war criminal? How did Old Hawkins come up with such an unreliable plan? There are many ways to win, and he chooses the one that tarnishes our reputation the most."
Sagel moved his fishing rod, bringing the hook closer to a school of fish. Just as the hook moved, the fish scattered and dove into the depths, disappearing from the surface.
Sagel threw the rod aside, adding another legend to the Ohara Homeland's golden rod. He said into the microphone, "Prepare the boat."
"Sagel? Do you really need to be there? I can handle it", Lily hesitated.
"You have too much to manage. Stay put. I'm idle anyway, so I'll just go fishing in a different spot. Since it's the intersection of three routes, affected by the magnetic field, there should be plenty of good fish to catch."
"Yes, I understand. I'll prepare the boat."
"Thanks."
Sagel handed the microphone to Perona and smiled, "You're idle too, come with me. Bring Bella later. With Lily gone, we can't do without someone to serve us."
"I can do it, Master Sagel."
Perona pouted, "I often make tea for Lord Moria."
"Are you talking about hot chocolate-flavored tea, or tea-flavored hot chocolate?"
Sagel waved his hand, "I'm not much into sweets. I prefer wine over tea. You should focus on your bagel sandwiches."
Hogback and Perona on Moria's side were both homebodies. Hogback, though a doctor, preferred his laboratory for surgical research, while Perona spent her days in the castle torturing her Kumashi.
While she claimed to be taking care of her old father, she drank nothing but cocoa and ate nothing but bagels.
If Moria kept this up, he'd end up with diabetes.
"Whatever, sweets are delicious and can heal the soul!" Perona huffed.
"Alright, alright. You can share with Letty when she's free."
Sagel stepped off a cliff, sending up a cloud of dust as he soared up. A dark cloud appeared beneath him, carrying him toward the capital.
"Wait for me."
Perona floated upward lightly, slowly drifting toward the location of the royal city.
...
Hylar Kingdom.
Inside a manor in a town that had yet to be discovered by the Worldslider Pirates.
"I disagree!"
With her long golden hair tied up in a neat ponytail and clad in knight's armor, Shevire slammed her hand on the table, her eyes blazing as she looked at the middle-aged man seated on a high-backed chair, wearing a crown.
The man's eyes widened in surprise at Shevire's sudden outburst, and his face darkened.
Two knights in noble attire standing beside him immediately gripped the hilts of their swords, one of them shouting, "Shevire! How dare you overstep your bounds!"
"Forgive me, King Melvin!"
Shevire regained her composure, placing a hand on her chest and bowing. "I was speaking from a strategic standpoint, with no intention of disrespect. You are the king of this nation, and we are your subjects, but we are not slaves. We gather under your banner for the sake of the country, as you said before the war began."
"Of course."
A flash of malice crossed Melvin's eyes, and he forced a smile. "Relax, Shevire. You are my subject, and one of the primary leaders I selected to fight the Worldslider Pirates. You can speak your mind."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I cannot accept the idea of retreating and giving up half our territory. If we abandon those lands, the people living there will fully turn to the Worldsliders. We will lose our support and supplies, leading to a slow and painful death", Shevire said gravely.
"Enough!"
One of the nobles standing nearby roared, "Shevire, it's because of your strategy that Sir Mick was betrayed and executed by the Worldslider Pirates after reaching a village! You suggested relying on the commoners, and look what happened!"
Another noble chimed in, "Exactly! We have to distribute large amounts of supplies to those commoners. They are under our rule, so why should we bribe them? Can't we get things done without bribing them? What kind of people are we if we do that?"
"Duke Datch! Duke Mika! You can't look at it that way!"
Shevire countered, "You know the reputation of the Worldslider Pirates. They target the nobles, not the commoners. Before, our lives were ordinary, but now, the Worldsliders rule over them, giving them wages and food. If we don't provide supplies, they will turn even faster!"
"What you're saying is just an isolated incident! Sir Mick's fate is indeed tragic, but we have more victories to show for it. Only when the people stand with us do we have a chance of winning!"
"You have a chance of winning? We're going broke!"
The noble on the left, Duke Datch, shouted, "Shevire, you should be on our side! The massive supply of resources is our money! You won't let us increase taxes, and if this continues, the Worldslider Pirates might not be the ones to drag this out, but you will drag us to ruin!"
"This is a necessary sacrifice, my lords", Shevire said calmly. "Only if we all bear the loss together can we drive the Worldsliders out."
"Then why shouldn't you bear the loss? You are a Power Holder, with the ability of the Heart Drum Fruit. Can't you use your power to make people cooperate unconditionally with us?" Duke Mika demanded.
Shevire pursed her lips. "My lords, the Heart Drum Fruit's power is about the heart. If their hearts aren't with us, no amount of encouragement will help. No matter how many slogans we shout, if there's no material connection, it's just empty clouds, easily blown away."
"That's your problem, Shevire. You work for us, and this power comes from us. You need to think about us, not the commoners."
"They are not commoners!"
The two nobles glared at Shevire, about to continue, but she raised an eyebrow and looked at them. "They are our people, acknowledged by the king himself. They are our people, not commoners. Please don't say such hurtful things!"
"You—"
Just as they were about to shout back, the door opened halfway, and a man with short, slightly curly black hair and a beard, dressed in civilian clothes but looking like a knight, stepped in, holding a long spear and staring coldly at the two nobles.
"Heinrich! Who gave you permission to enter! And you don’t even bow—do you have any respect for the king!" Duke Mika shouted.
Heinrich glanced coldly at the two men, his gaze sweeping past Melvin, who looked somewhat awkward, before giving him a slight bow. Then, he bowed deeply to Shevire.
"Your Holiness, there’s an emergency."
"Understood."
Shevire nodded and bowed to the three men. "I apologize, but I need to handle this matter. Everything for Hylar. I cannot accept your proposal. Your Majesty, please try to reason with them. I will take my leave now."
With that, she quickly walked out of the room.
As she left, Heinrich gave them another cold look. Once she was far enough away, he said coldly, "We are citizens of Hylar, not peasants."
The door slammed shut.
"Rude!" Duke Mika exclaimed angrily.
"Too humiliating! King Melvin, we can’t do this!"
Duke Datch shouted, "If we keep this up, they’ll empty our warehouses, and next, they’ll come for yours! Will Hylar still be ours at that point?"
The king was the highest noble in the land. Whatever the other nobles had, the king had the best.
They were an unaligned kingdom, a typical feudal state, where the king granted lands to nobles, who in turn paid taxes to the king, along with the taxes from the king’s personal territories. The nobles, of course, collected taxes from the people within their own lands.
When the Worldsliders first attacked, they killed Melvin’s father, the old king.
If not for the Worldsliders being so terrifying, Melvin might have been grateful to these pirates for hastening his ascension to the throne.
However, they had come to destroy them completely. In desperation, Melvin called for a national mobilization to resist the Worldsliders, while he himself prepared to flee.
Unexpectedly, Shevire appeared and managed to stall the Worldsliders, preventing them from completely occupying the kingdom.
But now, the issue was the immense cost.
The war had drained the private treasuries of the nobles. Initially, they could share the burden with the common people, but as the war expanded, Shevire ordered the exemption of taxes for the commoners and even used their supplies for the war effort.
She claimed it was to prevent rebellion among the commoners.
Those people were born to be ruled; what rebellion could they possibly cause?
Moreover, in such a short time, that village girl had gained considerable influence. If this continued, even if they won, it wouldn’t be a victory for the nobles.
"King Melvin, you’ve seen it—Shevire’s village girl has people who no longer respect us. It’s no longer a question of whether we continue fighting. If we keep this up, will you still be king?"
Duke Mika said, "We should abandon support. If Shevire has the ability, let her handle it. If she fails or dies, Your Majesty can use her ideas. Even if you provide some supplies, the credit will be yours."
"Exactly, I have an idea."
Duke Datch’s lips curled into a sinister smile. "We can use our own people to lure Shevire into the Worldsliders’ camp. Since she’s respected by the people, her death will enrage them. We can use this to rally them and force the Worldsliders to retreat!"
"Yes! Even if we fail, at least we’ll retain our wealth. Other kingdoms have already failed, and it won’t matter if we do too. King Melvin, it’s time to make a decision!" Duke Mika called out.
The Worldsliders were notorious, and from the start, they hadn’t expected to win. They had planned for a retreat. They knew that some had successfully escaped; as long as they fled far enough, the Worldsliders wouldn’t pursue them. The worst that could happen was they wouldn’t return.
As long as they didn’t encounter the legendary swordswoman who slaughtered nobles, they would survive.
Following their plan, the only ones who would suffer would be the peasants. What did the lives of peasants matter to them? Dead or alive, it was better if they all perished, leaving only ruins for the Worldsliders.
Want to rule?
Rule over a wasteland!
Melvin lowered his head, his eyes dark as he pondered for a moment, then nodded emphatically. "Very well, but before we proceed, you two should send someone to contact the Worldsliders. Ask if there’s any chance of surrender. We can offer Shevire in exchange for our safety. If we can negotiate terms, that would be ideal!"
(End of Chapter)
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