The banquet was a pleasant one.
Rosse sat at the head seat, with Gion to his left and Scarlett to his right.
King Riku and his wife sat below Scarlett, while Zephyr and Kaido sat opposite them.
The only ones qualified to take part in the banquet were just these few.
"Saint Rosse, try our Dressrosa specialties. These are vegetables grown by the Tontatta tribe, and you can only taste them here in Dressrosa."
King Riku warmly introduced. In his heart, he still disliked seeing Scarlett together with Rosse, but in Rosse's presence, he didn't dare say anything further.
"Is that so? Then I'll have to give them a proper try."
Rosse smiled as he picked up a piece of vegetable salad that looked like purple cabbage, placing it in his mouth and slowly savoring it.
As for the taste, it was similar to the purple cabbage he had eaten before, but much sweeter with an unusual flavor. Even made into something as simple as salad, it was quite a fine dish.
In the world of pirates, food ingredients weren't ranked, but they did have different levels of rarity.
Fruits and vegetables > rare exotic beasts > livestock > Sea Kings > ordinary fish.
In short, fruits and vegetables were far rarer than meat.
Of course, this classification only existed among the nobility. In terms of increasing strength, meat was far more effective than fruits or vegetables.
Only Devil Fruits had a stronger allure for the powerful than meat.
"The taste is indeed good. The Tontatta are truly capable. I heard they are a dwarf race and particularly close to your clan?", Rosse asked casually.
"That's right, our relationship with them is very good. We often exchange gifts, and they also give us some of the plants they grow," Scarlett nodded as she explained beside him.
She had personally visited the Tontatta, gotten to know many of their people, and even their chief. She could talk to them directly even without going through her father the King.
So Scarlett added eagerly, "Rosse-nee, if you'd like to meet them, I can help guide you."
"No need. The World Conference is near. We'll only stay in Dressrosa for one night, and tomorrow we'll leave for the Holy Land. But you can tell them, if they're willing, I can grant them a listening seat at the World Conference," Rosse said unhurriedly.
He had always been willing to extend kindness toward races of value.
The Tontatta were born planters, said to be able to grow any plant.
They lived on Green Bit, an island not even a tenth the size of Dressrosa.
For such a talented race to remain confined there was truly a waste.
The Red Line was where they could truly shine.
He needed the Tontatta to help with farming, and also to improve various crop seeds. The Tontatta themselves loved planting. It was a win-win on both sides.
"A listening seat at the World Conference?"
King Riku looked at Rosse in shock, fully aware of how valuable such a seat was.
Currently, there were nearly 200 member nations of the World Government, but only the top 50 ranked ones were qualified to participate in the World Conference.
In the 800 years since the Government's founding, this rule had never been broken.
This year, Fishman Island had just been established as a kingdom, and it too had the right to participate. But one, it inherited Ryugu Kingdom's seat, and two, it was powerful, established in the New World, and could certainly gain recognition.
But the Tontatta were merely an ordinary race, with fewer than ten thousand people in total. For Rosse to offer them such a privilege, how could King Riku not be shocked?
Still, this was Government business, and King Riku wisely refrained from saying much.
The Tontatta had been close with the Riku clan for generations. For Dressrosa, this could also be a great boon.
"I'll definitely tell them. Gancho will certainly agree to this."
Scarlett didn't think too deeply, only felt purely happy.
After all, she had already made up her mind to leave with Rosse and the others tomorrow.
As Dressrosa's crown princess, she naturally had the right to use this opportunity to go to the Holy Land, only without the qualification to join the Conference itself.
But even just seeing the Holy Land was far better than staying in Dressrosa.
"Good. If they need anything, they can tell me in advance," Rosse nodded slightly.
Before going anywhere, he had the habit of researching local customs.
After all, he had watched the story long ago. His memory wasn't vague, but many details weren't clear anymore, he only remembered the main events.
When looking into the Tontatta before coming here, he recalled a rather interesting piece of information.
This race had held a grudge against the Donquixote family since 900 years ago. Even though the Donquixote had left Dressrosa, the Tontatta seemed to still remember, though they no longer had the chance for revenge.
In the original script, they would have to wait until Doflamingo seized Dressrosa to take their revenge.
But as things stood now, Doflamingo likely had little interest in Dressrosa, and with his interference, would probably never come at all.
"No problem!"
Scarlett nodded firmly, feeling that Rosse was truly a good man.
Not only was he letting the Tontatta attend the World Conference, but he even told them to come to him if they needed help. That was simply wonderful.
As for the people Rosse had killed, or the terrible things he had done, Scarlett didn't care in the slightest.
Rosse had his reasons for killing whoever he did.
Whether it was Golden Lion, Kozuki Oden, Rayleigh, or the Red Count, there wasn't one who didn't deserve it.
And as for Ohara, studying forbidden history was just asking for death. Fishman Island too, daring to attack Rosse was already courting death.
They treated Rosse like that, and Rosse still spared the civilians. Scarlett felt he was already good enough.
Unlike the rumors she had heard in the New World, massacres of whole crews in one go. Even Kyros and King Riku had both once slain over a thousand people each.
With both Rosse and Dressrosa showing friendliness toward one another, this night's banquet could truly be said to be enjoyed by hosts and guests alike.
The only one uncomfortable wasn't King Riku, who had resigned himself to turning a blind eye, but Kaido, who felt utterly out of place in such an environment.
In his view, both Rosse and King Riku were disgustingly fake.
Especially Rosse, clearly so powerful, yet disguising himself as some refined man, blending in with the sheep.
Kaido had no respect for such an attitude.
A dragon could never mix with ants.
When Orochi groveled before him, Kaido never lowered himself.
Even when attending a banquet, it was always Orochi holding it in Kaido's style, never the other way around.
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