In the capital of the Rubuniru Kingdom, located in Merluse Port, one of the most prosperous transportation hubs in the North Blue. This small island, covering an area of about 30 square kilometers, is famous for producing perfume, mead, and cigarettes.
Every year, the number of merchant ships traveling to and from Merluse Port to trade goods is more than ten times that of neighboring countries.
Because of this, the Rubuniru Kingdom was able to have enough tax revenue to pay the expensive Heavenly Tribute to the World Government, becoming one of the first kingdoms in the North Blue to join the World Government.
But even so, the Rubuniru Kingdom did not stand out in the North Blue. What truly made this kingdom's name known to the world was the world-famous adventure story of Mont Blanc Noland.
The adventure story of Noland was a series of exciting adventures personally recorded by Mont Blanc Noland, the most famous explorer of the Rubuniru Kingdom, during his voyages around the world four hundred years ago.
Although Noland was executed four hundred years ago for failing to prove the existence of the City of Gold to the king at the time, his adventure stories were still preserved by his descendants and spread all over the world by merchants traveling to and from Merluse Port, becoming the most famous children's book in the world.
Many people were inspired by his strong adventurous spirit to go to sea and explore this colorful world, which led to the discovery of many forgotten ancient kingdoms. The funny thing is, Noland himself was branded as a big liar in the Rubuniru Kingdom.
At this moment, in the heart of Merluse Port, in a royal palace surrounded by high walls, King Sid XVII of the Rubuniru Kingdom, an elderly bald man, was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back at the entrance of the main hall, his face full of worry.
"Your Majesty, are you tired? Do you want to go to the bedroom to rest first?"
The queen standing next to him saw this and walked up with a concerned look, speaking softly in Sid's ear.
Sid's heart fluttered at her soft and gentle voice. He felt a rush of blood to his lower abdomen and felt hot all over.
Sid looked down and saw a sweet-looking young girl with a pair of fluffy cat ears on her head. Her body was wrapped in a thin veil, and her soft skin was vaguely visible beneath it. She was looking at him obediently and sweetly.
The cat-girl's gentle and charming temperament immediately made Sid lose his self-control. He immediately threw his worries to the back of his mind and, panting heavily, pressed his seventh queen, a Mink tribe girl he had bought at a high price from a slave trader, to the ground.
He didn't care that he was at the entrance of the main hall, surrounded by guards. The guards in armor and holding spears were used to it. Their eyes lit up, and they licked their lips, watching greedily.
Being stared at by so many pairs of eyes, Sid XVII became even more excited.
Until a burly man with a chestnut head in armor rushed in, ignoring the guards' attempts to stop him. He was so startled that he trembled all over, his body convulsing, and he almost couldn't get up from his beloved concubine.
Seeing the person who suddenly rushed in front of him, Sid was so angry he was half-dead. Without even putting on his pants, he pointed at the person's nose and cursed.
"Clyde! Who told you to barge into the palace without my permission? Do you want to be executed at Merluse Port like your ancestor Noland? It was a huge mistake to promote you to be the kingdom's great general!"
The burly man with the chestnut head named Clyde was spat on by him, but there was not much panic on his stone-like, square face. It was obvious that Clyde was very calm. However, if one looked closely at his eyes, they would find that his eyes were full of disappointment and sorrow when he looked at Sid.
The cat-girl lying on the floor with her body sprawled out was like a piece of rotten meat in his eyes, with no attraction at all.
Facing Sid's questioning, Clyde said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, according to the news from the patrol boat I arranged in the outer sea, the Germa's Warship fleet has crossed the high seas and is heading toward the kingdom..."
Clyde had not finished his sentence when Sid's eyes widened. His face turned pale with a "whoosh" sound, and he screamed, "What did you say? The Germa army has already attacked? How dare they? How can they do this? We are all member countries of the World Government!"
"When they forced us to give up the thirteen trade routes of Merluse Port last time, the result of today was already determined. The Germa evil army is always insatiable. This is clearly written in the World Economic Journal's serial stories. I have already warned you that as long as you choose to back down, they will definitely push for more." Clyde bowed his head.
He was tall, about two and a half meters tall, with a strong back and a muscular build. He was a descendant of Mont Blanc Noland and the head of the Mont Blanc family. In fact, Clyde was Cricket's cousin.
Originally, as a descendant of Noland who deceived Sid XVII's ancestor four hundred years ago, Clyde should not have become the general of this kingdom. However, his personal strength was too great. He was the first warrior of the Rubuniru Kingdom. Not only did he perfectly inherit the talent of his ancestor Noland, but he was also calm and extremely loyal to the kingdom, working hard without complaint.
For such an obedient subject, although Sid was very unhappy with Clyde's straightforwardness, he still appointed him as the kingdom's great general, responsible for the security of the royal palace.
Sid was a little panicked when he heard this. "Then what should we do?"
"We must act immediately, gather the army, and protect the capital. Please give the order, Your Majesty, and allow me to lead the Royal Guard to mobilize the cannons and prepare for war."
"No!"
Clyde's words were interrupted by Sid.
"The evil army is so powerful that our Rubuniru Kingdom can't possibly fight them! Do you still want to prepare for war with them? If we anger them, we will be destroyed!" Sid scrambled to pull up his pants, twirling the beard on his chin as he walked back and forth. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he said, "How about we give them some money to send them away? Isn't that what they want?"
Clyde's eyes dimmed. "Your Majesty, we don't have the money."
Sid frowned. "Why don't we have money? Haven't we already started collecting the Heavenly Tribute ahead of time this year? I remember that the national treasury has already prepared 2 billion Beri..."
"Your Majesty! That's the Heavenly Tribute! It can't be touched!" Clyde said anxiously, "Once the Heavenly Tribute is not paid in full, our kingdom will be kicked out of the member countries by the World Government. At that time, the Germa Kingdom will be even more unscrupulous in their aggression against us, and we will have no one to turn to, because the World Government doesn't care about non-affiliated countries."
"This won't work, and that won't work, so what do you want me to do?"
Sid was so angry that he kicked Clyde's calf. He originally wanted to vent his anger. But after he kicked, it was he himself who cried out in pain. Sid felt as if he had kicked a piece of iron. He cried out in pain, fell to the ground, and hugged his foot, groaning nonstop.
A guard immediately went to call a doctor.
The cat-girl queen next to him also crawled over and got close to Sid. "Your Majesty, are you okay?"
Slap!
Sid slapped the cat-girl hard on the face. Her cheek was red and swollen, and blood flowed from her mouth and nose. Her body flew back a few meters.
"Don't bother me! If you bother me again, I'll sell you to the pleasure district!"
Hearing Sid's shrill roar, the cat-girl trembled in fear. She curled up on the floor and desperately covered her mouth, not daring to make another sound.
"Idiot! Idiot!" Sid sat on the ground and shouted like a madman, completely unlike a king.
After a while of venting, he got up again, rushed to Clyde, grabbed his pants, and said hopefully, "Clyde! You are the kingdom's first warrior, don't you have the confidence to defeat the Germa army?"
Clyde shook his head bitterly. "No, Your Majesty. Even if I can defeat a hundred, or a thousand, Germa clone soldiers, I can't stop the Germa army's advance. The evil army's equipment is far more advanced than ours, their firepower is fierce and sufficient, their soldiers are not afraid of death, and the members of the Vinsmoke family have high-tech combat suits that allow them to fly and swim in the sea. In the North Blue, no one can stop their attack except the Donquixote Family. And the Donquixote Family left the North Blue for the New World more than ten years ago."
Sid let go of Clyde's pants, his expression deranged and his smile wretched. His lips trembled. "Then is our Rubuniru Kingdom finished? Am I going to be a king who loses his country?"
"No, there is still a glimmer of hope."
"What hope?"
Clyde said sternly, "Your Majesty, immediately contact the World Government and have them come forward to stop Germa's actions. As a member country that has also paid the Heavenly Tribute, we are entitled to the World Government's mediation services if there is a conflict between allies."
Sid's eyes lit up, and a look of joy appeared on his face. He said in surprise, "That's right! That's it. I'll contact the World Government now and have them stop the Germa Kingdom from invading us."
He immediately had someone bring a Den Den Mushi and started dialing the contact number for the World Government. However, the Den Den Mushi's dialing sound continued for more than ten minutes, but no one on the World Government's side answered.
"What's going on? Why isn't anyone answering?" Sid's face was full of shock.
As a member country's king, he had the right to directly contact the World Government. Although he didn't directly talk to the Five Elders, his call would be received by officials of the CP organization as soon as possible and would be ranked according to urgency and handed over to higher officials for handling.
Normally, when the kingdom was attacked by pirates and needed the Marines to help, he would make a call, and the World Government would arrange for the Marines from various branches in the North Blue to come.
But now, he couldn't get through to the Den Den Mushi.
Clyde's face changed slightly, and he thought of a possibility. He took out a Den Den Mushi from his armor and casually dialed a subordinate guard's number.
"Purupuru..."
The Den Den Mushi rang for a while, but no one answered.
"This is bad! Your Majesty! The capital's communication has been cut off, and the Den Den Mushi can't be dialed out. It must be Germa! They are determined to attack us!"
"Ah?" Sid was so frightened that his face turned ashen.
"I'll go and gather the Royal Guard to meet the enemy, Your Majesty. Have someone block the city and stay in the palace. Don't come out!"
Clyde turned and left. His tall figure disappeared from Sid's sight in a few steps. Sid stood in the hall in a daze for a long time before he came to his senses. His face changed drastically, and he rushed out of the palace.
"Come back! Clyde! I won't allow you to go out and fight on your own! Do you want Germa to destroy us?"
End of Chapter)
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