For the next few days, unlike the chaotic Solbe Kingdom outside, the church where Kael lived continued as if nothing had happened, reliving its former peaceful days.
The only difference was that Ivan, who used to go out to fight every day, had now calmed down. He stayed in the church daily and occasionally helped Kuma care for the elderly who came for treatment.
No one spoke about what happened that night, and their relationships remained the same.
But that silence lasted only until today.
Today, a Marine warship arrived at the port.
A large number of Marine soldiers and a Marine officer with the rank of Rear Admiral quickly disembarked from the warship.
The nobles and ministers of the Solbe Kingdom had been waiting there for some time, and upon seeing the Marine Rear Admiral, they immediately surrounded him.
One minister cautiously approached the Rear Admiral and said:
"You must be Rear Admiral Babs of this base, we've been expecting you!"
The Rear Admiral named Babs nodded and saluted. Then, without looking at the minister again, he turned his eyes toward the warship.
Following Babs's gaze, they saw a man with slicked-back hair and a black-gray striped coat descending from the ship with two men in suits walking arrogantly behind him.
The faces of the Marines on both sides carried strange expressions, and their heads were lowered. It was clear they didn't want to offend these men.
A look of disgust briefly appeared in Rear Admiral Babs's eyes, but he quickly composed himself. He slightly bowed forward and said respectfully:
"Mr. Spandine, we've arrived at the Solbe Kingdom."
Spandine ignored Babs. He glanced sideways at the man in a suit next to him. The man immediately understood, expertly took out a cigar and placed it in Spandine's mouth, then lit it with a lighter.
Spandine took a deep drag from the cigar, first looked contemptuously at the ministers in front of him, then at the nearby town, and blew out a thick cloud of smoke.
"So this is the Solbe Kingdom? I suppose it can be called a country. No wonder they send so little gold every year. Heh, tui!"
A mouthful of thick phlegm landed on the collar of a nobleman and dripped to the ground. Yet this noble, who was used to flaunting his power, didn't even dare to fart in protest.
These ministers and nobles weren't fools. From Spandine's arrogant behavior and his previous words, they had a vague idea of his identity. He was a member of the World Government!
The minister who had just been flattering Rear Admiral Babs quickly shifted his attention. He bent his body like a shrimp and bowed before Spandine, asking in a flattering tone:
"Forgive my ignorance, sir may I ask who you are?"
Spandine's nose remained tilted high with arrogance. The man in the suit beside him stepped forward and scolded:
"Why are you so close? You're not worthy of knowing the identity of the lord. Just stand there!"
The minister flinched, immediately stepped back, and said in a panic:
"I sincerely apologize for offending you, sir. Please don't be angry!"
Spandine impatiently waved his hand and said:
"Alright, alright, I heard your king is missing. Let Babs handle the bigger matters. I'm here on an important mission!"
The minister bowed several more times. Watching this pitiful display, Babs asked:
"Can you tell me about the current situation? Do you have any idea what happened to King Beckley?"
Whether it was Rear Admiral Babs from the Marines or Spandine from the World Government even if he were a minister, neither was someone he could afford to offend.
So he immediately answered:
"His Majesty the King was fine, but he suddenly disappeared one night. We suspect this incident is related to someone named Kael! He's not very strong, but he has a strange ability. Most importantly, he doesn't follow any laws and is extremely dangerous!"
Babs nodded slightly after hearing the minister's explanation and thought to himself:
"A strange ability? A Devil Fruit power? No wonder..."
A Devil Fruit is a rare item, especially in such a remote and small country. Even a slightly powerful ability user would be more than ordinary people could handle.
Babs was about to ask more about Kael, but suddenly Spandine's expression changed, and the cigar fell from his mouth.
He leapt over the two suited men, grabbed the minister by the collar, and shouted with foam at his mouth:
"Who did you just say? Say it again!"
Covered in spit, the minister answered honestly:
"Ka... Kael, King Beckley must have been taken by him!"
"SMACK!"
A sharp slapping sound rang out, and in front of everyone, Spandine struck the minister hard, sending him crashing to the ground. If Babs's leg hadn't blocked him, he would've rolled even further.
Babs frowned and said with displeasure:
"Mr. Spandine, although you are a representative of the World Government, don't you think your behavior is a bit excessive? After all, the Solbe Region is one of the participating nations. You can't just strike a minister without cause."
Spandine took several deep breaths. His muscles ached from the slap he wasn't skilled in combat at all.
After calming down a bit, he pointed at the trembling minister at Babs's feet and cursed:
"Damn it! I don't care what kind of virtues he has! How dare he refer to that person by name? I just..."
As he said this, Spandine pulled out his pistol and pointed it at the minister, ready to shoot. One of the suited men beside him immediately stopped him:
"Lord Spandine, don't kill him yet we still need to learn what he knows about the Lord's words!"
His words worked. The furious Spandine lowered his pistol and ordered the two suited men to drag the minister away like a dead dog.
This time, Babs did not rise to defend the minister. He fell into silence. It seemed that this incident was not as simple as he had thought.
Not long ago, he received a mission from Fleet Admiral Sengoku to investigate the king's disappearance. But just before departure, Spandine suddenly appeared and offered to go to the Solbe Kingdom together.
Babs initially wanted to report to Sengoku, but Spandine produced a document bearing the World Government's seal, leaving him no chance to inform Sengoku.
Even though he wasn't pleased with the document, Babs had no choice but to allow Spandine aboard.
Spandine never revealed his true objective, and Babs didn't bother to ask. He thought they would go about their respective business once they arrived in the Solbe Kingdom. But now, it seemed the two missions were intertwined.
The real key point was the young man the minister had mentioned Kael.