New World, the Kingdom of Daimonte.
On the throne sat an old man. The prominent age spots on his face seemed to indicate that he was no longer young.
However, his face was filled with tension.
Because Shayna was standing right in front of him, holding an invitation in her hand.
“This is our invitation to observe the ceremony. All the kings within our territory have received this invitation. Please attend on time two days from now.”
“Two days? That’s far too rushed. Even just preparing would take at least a day—”
“It’s fine. You don’t need to worry about the journey. We’ve already arranged everything. You only need to depart on time.
Our people will come to pick you up in one day.”
After explaining everything clearly, Shayna had no intention of staying. She refused the other party’s attempt to keep her, then turned and walked toward the palace exit.
“I still have more invitations to deliver. King Ramposa, you’re a smart man. You should understand what the invitation in your hand means.”
With that, Shayna transformed into a black shadow and soared into the sky. She still had invitations for several nearby kingdoms to deliver.
Normally, a trivial task like delivering invitations wouldn’t fall to her. The fact that she personally handled it was a sign of how much importance was placed on this operation. Besides her, Zeraora was also acting as a messenger.
This was the first time the Divine Blessing Ritual was being made public—a ceremony personally presided over by Arceus, carrying extraordinary significance for his creations and followers.
Moreover, the scent of war had already begun to spread. Rather than attending a ceremony, it was more like choosing sides. Refusing the invitation would lead to very serious consequences.
No one wanted an unstable factor behind them in times of war. If they had the ability, they would naturally secure their rear first.
In high-speed mode, Shayna flew extremely fast, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
“Is that woman delivering invitations or issuing orders? She doesn’t show even the slightest respect for royalty.”
Behind Ramposa, a tall man said indignantly. From his appearance, he resembled Ramposa by about eighty percent, but was more robust.
He was Ramposa’s eldest son, the First Prince of the Kingdom of Daimonte, Andore.
What he said was true. Shayna had no reverence for worldly royal authority. While she did not rudely trample on their dignity during her delivery, she also showed none of the fear ordinary people had toward royalty, treating them simply as ordinary individuals.
To use a somewhat inappropriate comparison, her attitude was already much better than how she had treated Queen back then. However, in the eyes of some royalty, this was still highly disrespectful.
“Brother, put away that ill-timed arrogance of yours. Why do you think she should respect us? I think this attitude is already quite good.
At least she didn’t treat us like the people of the World Government do, barking orders at us as if we were slaves.”
“Can the World Government and pirates be compared?”
“What’s the difference? In the past, we relied on the protection of the World Government. Now we rely on the protection of that pirate flag. Either way, we pay for our safety, and the situation has actually been better these past few years.”
On the other side of Ramposa’s throne, a rounder man refuted Andore’s words. He was the third prince of the Kingdom of Daimonte, Buarion. Compared to his elder brother, Buarion saw the situation more clearly.
And this was also the source of Ramposa’s headache. The eldest son was the rightful heir, but not suited to be king. The youngest son, though younger, was more intelligent. This had caused the nobles within the country to split into two factions.
The aging of his face was also largely due to this struggle. After all, not having a suitable successor was a deeply troubling matter.
“If it weren’t for those pirates, we wouldn’t have been removed by the World Government! They broke our monopoly!”
This kingdom had once been one of the World Government’s affiliated nations, though it did not have the right to participate in the Levely. As time went on, because they couldn’t afford to pay the Heavenly Tribute, they were expelled by the World Government.
From that moment on, this country became entangled with the Beasts Pirates, as their financial collapse was inseparably linked to them.
The specialty of the Kingdom of Daimonte is diamonds. At its peak, many nobles from various countries took pride in having jewelry set with diamonds from this nation.
After all, the technological development across different islands is highly uneven, and synthetic diamonds are not a common product on the seas.
But with the appearance of Diancie, all of this was shattered.
Although the Kingdom of Daimonte possesses abundant diamond veins within its territory, they ultimately have to be mined by people, and what kind of raw diamonds are obtained depends entirely on luck.
Obtaining a diamond large enough and suitable for polishing is not easy, and they cannot guarantee such finds every year.
Diancie is different. No matter how large a diamond is desired, she can create it out of thin air—shape optional, color optional, and she can even directly craft diamond crowns.
After the jewelry business of the Beasts Fruits began to expand, the Kingdom of Daimonte quickly fell into a disadvantage in market competition.
To change this situation, they tried to resist—for example, by declaring to the world that flawed natural diamonds were of higher quality, but it was useless. Diancie could replicate identical flaws in just a few seconds.
“So what? We’re the losers in this competition; no one can avoid that. What matters is ensuring the continued existence of the kingdom and the royal family. Besides, the current situation is Father’s decision. Are you questioning Father?”
“Father, that’s not what I meant!”
With just a few words, Buarion set a trap for Andore. Due to poor overseas sales that year, they failed to gather enough Heavenly Tribute and were mercilessly removed by the World Government.
At that time, Ramposa made his decision. He did not resent the impact of the Beasts Pirates’ competition. Instead, he used the still-existing jewelry sales channels and the skilled royal craftsmen as leverage to reach an agreement with Tesoro.
In the end, the Kingdom of Daimonte raised the flag of the Beasts Pirates, gaining new protection and establishing new trade agreements.
Although they lost their status as a World Government–affiliated nation, their standing in the New World was not affected. In fact, their national economy improved.
However, there were still some nobles who longed for the days under the World Government. Being an affiliated nation sounded far better than being under pirate protection.
“That’s enough. What’s done is done, stop arguing. Andore, the goal of a nation is profit. Our interests haven’t been harmed; we’ve merely changed identities. Under those circumstances, this was the best solution I could think of.
If we were like Elbaf and could protect ourselves, we wouldn’t need to consider such things. But we don’t have such strength. Accepting protection is far better than becoming a lawless land.
Aside from how it sounds, we haven’t lost anything. We’ve even earned back everything we lost in that trade war.”
Ramposa was still the king. Since he had spoken, the princes could not continue arguing.
“So, what do you think of this invitation?”
“Then we’ll go. They’ve already pushed this onto us, can we even refuse?”
“I agree with Brother, but I think we should take this more seriously. Lady Shayna said all kings received the invitation, which means that all nations under the protection of the Beasts Pirates will likely attend.
This is something that has never happened before. Perhaps they intend to redraw the sphere of influence. The total size of the cake doesn’t change, and the tool for dividing it is in the hands of the Beasts Pirates.
If others gain more, we will get less. We should seize this opportunity to secure greater benefits. Only then can it aid the kingdom’s development.”
Andore was merely arrogant, not foolish enough to think he could contend with the Beasts Pirates. In his view, simply being able to participate as royalty was already good enough, and there was no need to worry about other matters.
Buarion, on the other hand, placed himself in a lower position, believing that under the current national circumstances, they should take a more proactive approach.
“We’ve accepted their protection, but we’ve also paid for it. Is there really a need to lower ourselves so much?
I think they’ll ultimately lose to the World Government. Now that the treasury is full again, if we were to reapply to join the World Government…”
“Brother, it seems I overestimated your intelligence. Why do you think the World Government would value someone who humbles himself and begs to join them?
And we were completely defeated by mere commercial competition. Do you really think we can withstand their retaliation?
They may follow rules in how they act, but they are pirates. You’re not unaware of how pirates deal with traitors, are you?
Or do you think the World Government would move Marine Headquarters right to our doorstep just to protect us?”
Buarion fired off a barrage of questions at Andore. This time, even Ramposa did not stop him. He knew his eldest son still held lingering attachment to the World Government, but for a government that had actively removed their nation, he had no intention of shamelessly trying to rejoin.
“That’s enough. We’re definitely going, and we’ll go properly. Vaiself, do you have anything to say?”
“Father, I think my elder and younger brother have already said plenty. If I must add something, I believe we should pay more attention to the movements of other kingdoms.
Our decision cannot influence the Beasts Pirates, but the actions of other kingdoms can affect us. We don’t need to be overly flattering; being more cooperative than others is enough.
At the same time, we should prepare for the worst.”
Blonde-haired and blue-eyed, the second princess of the Kingdom of Daimonte, Vaiself, offered her opinion when asked by Ramposa, which happened to align with his own thinking.
“Vaiself, make your preparations as well. You’ll accompany me when the time comes.
Andore, Buarion, you will each be responsible for a portion of the government affairs, just as before.”
“Yes, Father.” x3
After giving a bow, Vaiself went to prepare for the journey. King Ramposa left together with his daughter, intending to give her some instructions along the way.
With the king gone, Andore and Buarion held different thoughts.
Andore felt relieved that Ramposa had not taken him along. He had an instinctive fear of the pirates’ stronghold and had no desire to set foot there.
Buarion, on the other hand, was frustrated that he had not been chosen. He believed that the Beasts Pirates had absolute control over the nations under them, and if he could gain their favor, his chances of inheriting the throne would greatly increase.
At this moment, Ramposa was speaking frankly with his daughter.
“Vaiself, only you are the most suitable to go with me. You should understand me, right?”
“Yes, Father, I understand. In the worst case, we might not be able to return, so you must leave an heir in the country. If you bring my elder brother, he may very well cause unforeseen trouble for us in Wano Country.
If you bring my younger brother, then if anything happens, the kingdom ruled by my elder brother would likely collapse quickly. If both of them are left behind, they can keep each other in check before your return. And if something happens to us, my elder brother is no match for my younger brother.
Going alone might appear as if we don’t value their invitation enough, so I am the most suitable choice.”
“Vaiself… if you were a boy… no, that’s not it. Even if you had been born two years earlier, I would have directly handed the throne to you. Unfortunately, that’s not possible now…”
Ramposa was truly troubled. If not for his eldest son, he would have already crowned a queen. His daughter, whether in shrewdness or foresight, was an excellent candidate for the throne.
But he still had two sons, each with their own supporters, and the younger one was no less capable. That made things very difficult for him.
“Father, you know I don’t care about such things. Please take care of your rest, this ceremony is the most important matter at hand.”
At a fork within the palace, Vaiself and Ramposa parted ways. However, Ramposa did not notice that a strange glint had flashed through the eyes of the daughter he had always trusted.
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