"Marquis Bashar, why are you so utterly opposed to allying with the Marines?"
Cross watched Duke Attawa and Marquis Mankervis argue for a moment, then turned his gaze to the First Consul, who hadn't intervened, and asked in a low voice.
"Oh~ Didn't the higher-ups of the World Government tell you before you Marines arrived?" Marquis Bashar smiled at Cross, speaking in a flat tone, "But it's normal, after all, it's a scandal that's detrimental to the World Government's image. Why would they tell you?"
"Scandal?!"
"Indeed, it involves His Majesty Doma I from several hundred years ago!"
Facing Cross's confusion, Marquis Bashar nodded and slowly recounted the events of that year.
It turned out that five hundred years ago, the royal family of the Bion Kingdom wasn't the Doma family, and the Bion Kingdom itself was still a World Government affiliate. However, the then-royal family of the Bion Kingdom was incredibly cruel, frequently performing human sacrifices and blood rituals. They even treated people as prey, engaging in brutal hunting activities, completely disregarding the common people of the country. Not only that, but many nobles of the Bion Kingdom also suffered persecution and slaughter at the hands of the royal family members, simply for the sake of plundering their family assets.
Later, the majority of the Bion Kingdom's nobles and commoners, unable to endure it any longer, resolutely rebelled.
Seeing the unfavorable situation, the then-royal family immediately sought help from the World Government. The World Government then dispatched CP agents and a two-thousand-man Marine fleet specifically to suppress the rebels, killing over a hundred thousand people and almost extinguishing the Bion Kingdom's rebel army.
Fortunately, the ancestor of the Doma family, Doma Reddings (Doma I), emerged, helping the rebel army repel the CP agents and Marine fleet sent by the World Government, annihilating the former royal family, and establishing a new Bion Kingdom.
From then on, the new Bion Kingdom withdrew from the World Government's affiliated nations and has ever since hated and held hostility towards the World Government and the Marines.
"I see!"
After hearing the story, Cross couldn't help but show a bitter smile, finally understanding why the people of the Bion Kingdom were so hostile towards him.
Abetting evil, killing over a hundred thousand commoners and nobles—such deep-seated hatred. If not for the Bion Kingdom's limited strength, they would probably have attacked Marine Headquarters, Marineford, and Mariejois for revenge.
"At least half of the nobles present here had ancestors who died under the Marines' blades," Marquis Bashar sighed. "So, give up, Captain, the Bion Kingdom will not ally with you!"
Cross was silent. It took him a long while to say hoarsely, "Please give the Marines a chance. This time, dealing with the Roberts Legion will be the Marines' compensation to the Bion Kingdom. We will definitely do our utmost to protect the Bion Kingdom..."
"I'm sorry, the ancestors of the Lierda family were also killed by the Marines!" Marquis Bashar interrupted Cross in a low voice, then, with a normal expression, raised his champagne glass to Cross, drank it down, and turned to leave.
Cross's face was grim. For the first time, he realized his strength was utterly useless. He wasn't a saint, wholeheartedly devoted to good and self-sacrifice, nor was he a villain who acted without limits. He was just an ordinary person with normal morals. To use force to threaten others into cooperating with their 'father's murderers'—he didn't have the audacity for such a thing.
"Alright, I'm too lazy to keep repeating these hundreds of times!"
At this moment, Marquis Mankervis, who was arguing with Duke Attawa, suddenly waved his hand, glaring fiercely at Cross, and loudly declared, "In short, as long as I'm here, you can forget about allying with the Marines!"
"Mankervis, Attawa-nii is still your elder brother! Your words are far too audacious!" Countess Shanna's expression showed displeasure as she scolded him in a delicate voice.
"Shanna, the brothers are talking. It's not a woman's place to interrupt!" Marquis Mankervis retorted impolitely.
"Shut up! I'm your elder sister! Don't call me by my name!" Countess Shanna's pretty face flushed with anger, and she couldn't help but curse, "You're seven years younger than me, brat! Stop acting like an adult. You're not worthy!"
"Hehehe~ Just wait until I get the throne. I'll make you call me 'Aniki' obediently in bed!" Marquis Mankervis grinned menacingly, his eyes greedily appraising Countess Shana's exquisite figure. "Believe me, that day will come soon!"
Having said his piece, he turned and left without hesitation, leaving behind a trembling Countess Shanna and Duke Attawa, as well as many nobles and merchants watching the show.
Even Cross was startled by Mankervis's words. He hadn't expected this guy, who called himself an elder brother, to actually be a younger brother, and to also covet his own sister's beauty. It was truly a bit disgusting!
"Was that show entertaining?"
Suddenly, three crisp, childlike voices sounded in his ear.
Cross turned to see a cute, blonde, blue-eyed girl standing beside him. She was about 1.7 meters tall, exquisitely beautiful like a little angel, dressed in a red Lolita-style long dress, white openwork stockings, and black high heels, holding a red umbrella.
"Who are you?" Cross frowned, asking in a low voice.
"Tch! So boring!" The loli girl pouted her rosy lips, her expression discontented. "Kids nowadays, so highly vigilant!"
No sooner had she spoken than she raised the red umbrella in her hand, thrusting it like a sharp sword directly at Cross's chest.
"Nani?!"
Cross only felt a faint sense of danger from the girl, but he hadn't expected her to attack directly in front of such a large crowd. He reacted too slowly and was instantly stabbed in the chest by the lightning-fast red umbrella.
Thud—
Rumble—
Cross flew backward without resistance, like a black shadow, instantly traversing over ten meters, slamming heavily into the wall of the castle's grand hall. Immense force erupted, and the thick wall shattered with a crash.
Cross's body directly burst through the wall, flying into another room, kicking up a surging air current and pervasive dust.
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"What happened?!"
"Did pirates break in?!"
"There's an assassin!"
"..."
Immediately, piercing screams abruptly erupted. Almost everyone in the hall descended into chaos, panicked shouts rising and falling, almost shattering eardrums.
"What are you doing?!" Duke Attawa's expression was horrified as he practically roared at the loli girl in front of him.
"Sorry, for the sake of the Bion Kingdom, I cannot allow you to cooperate with the Marines!" The loli girl nonchalantly twirled the red umbrella in her hand, answering carelessly.
"Nonsense!" Duke Attawa's face turned crimson, and he cursed furiously, "You're not even from the Bion Kingdom! What business is it of yours whether I ally with the Marines?! Siren, you're just an assassin I hired! Have you forgotten your place?!"
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