"Wang Zhi, don't you dare!!"
An aged yet vigorous voice rang out; a hale and hearty old man was sitting against the prison wall, his gaze fixed intently on Wang Zhi.
"The Luster Ore is the lifeline of our nation! I will never hand it over to you!!"
"Hand it over to you? I didn't ask you for that, King Hariza; I merely want an eighty percent share of the ore your country mines!"
Wang Zhi stated calmly.
Hearing this, Hariza shot up in anger and roared loudly:
"What difference is there between you taking an eighty percent share and taking the entire mine?!"
"If I really agreed to your request, how would our people survive?"
"I tell you, impossible!!"
"As long as I live another day, you won't take a single piece of Luster Ore from the Cia Kingdom!!"
Luster Ore was a type of mineral produced in the Cia Kingdom.
Its status was comparable to that of the Treasure Tree Adam in the world of trees.
If the Treasure Tree Adam was the best material for building ships, then Luster Ore was the best material for crafting weapons.
Many weapons gained greater power due to the addition of Luster Ore.
And precisely because it possessed Luster Ore mines, the Cia Kingdom belonged to the relatively wealthy class among all nations in the world.
But for that very reason, they had been targeted by Wang Zhi.
If Hachinosu could obtain a large quantity of Luster Ore, its overall strength could definitely be elevated by a tier.
On the other side, hearing Hariza's words, Wang Zhi's expression also turned cold, and a piercing cold gleam flickered in his eyes as he looked at Hariza.
"King Hariza, my patience is limited!"
"If you continue to be stubbornly obstinate, I can't guarantee what unpleasant things I might do!"
"Heh~"
Hariza revealed a smile, one tinged with disdain.
His gaze locked straight onto Wang Zhi as he spoke:
"Isn't it just death? Just death?"
"Do you think I'm afraid?!"
"You may not be afraid, but can you be sure your queen and your son are equally unafraid? Are you sure you want to give up their lives for the Luster Ore mine?"
Wang Zhi said with a sinister sneer.
"So what?!"
"I am the King of the Cia Kingdom; king first, then husband, then father!"
"Use the livelihood of all our kingdom's subjects to barter for our lives? That is absolutely something I cannot do!!"
"If we truly die by your hand, it only means such a calamity was fated for us!"
"If I die, the Cia Kingdom can install a new king; the kingdom may experience some turmoil, but it won't shake its foundations!"
"If the Luster Ore mine is lost, that would be a devastating blow to our kingdom; it would inevitably head toward ruin sooner or later!"
"I can clearly distinguish which is more important!"
"So, whatever you intended to say, you can keep it all to yourself. No matter what you say, I will not hand over the Luster Ore mine!!"
"You!!"
Wang Zhi's gaze sharpened; a terrifying aura burst forth from him, blasting Hariza back against the wall.
"Cough!! Cough, cough, cough…"
Hariza, an old king with no strength to wield a weapon, crashed from the impact and fell to his knees, coughing incessantly.
If he hadn't regularly exercised and avoided indulging in pleasure, that single blow might have sent him to meet his father, who had died many years ago.
"I'll give you three more days, think it over carefully!"
"If, when I return three days from now, you still give the same answer, then I'll send you all down below!"
"Hmph!!"
With a cold snort, Wang Zhi flicked his sleeve and departed, leaving only the sound of Hariza's coughing echoing in the cell.
Yet even so, Hariza's gaze remained unwaveringly resolute.
He absolutely would not hand over the Luster Ore mine!!!
---
On the other side, Marineford.
Driven by everyone's competitive spirit, the speed at which they packed their things was as fast as it could possibly be.
In less than a quarter of an hour, everyone had completed the entire process of running home, packing up, and then dashing to the port.
Of course, Kyle was already waiting for them on the ship.
How could a group of mere mortals compare to his lightning?
Before long, a warship departed from Marineford's port, sailing towards the Red Line.
There were many ways to enter the New World, two of which were relatively conventional.
One was traversing through the holy land of Mary Geoise, and the other was passing through Fish-Man Island to dive into the deep sea.
They were Marines now, an official force.
Naturally, they would adopt the first method.
However, this method had a drawback: they had to abandon the ship. But this wasn't an issue for Kyle and the others.
Once the vessel was docked below the Red Line, someone would come to sail it away.
Marineford and the Red Line were not far apart, so it wasn't long before the warship arrived at Red Port, at the base of the Red Line.
There were three ways to ascend from the base of the Red Line to the holy land of Mary Geoise.
The first was the lift elevator, the primary mode of transport for kings of various countries attending the Reverie to travel to Mary Geoise.
However, this elevator did not go all the way to the very summit of the Red Line. After arriving at a designated point, one still had to walk up a flight of stairs flanked by giant statues, then pass through a gate to truly enter the holy land of Mary Geoise.
This method was a formal passage facility open to important figures compliant with World Government rules.
The second was taking a bubble cable car to the peak of the Red Line. The bubble cable car could adapt to the Red Line's elevation difference, carrying people from the base to the summit area where Mary Geoise was located.
The last was a human-powered moving walkway, similar to a flat automatic pedestrian walkway in reality, operating on a principle akin to an elevator, serving as an auxiliary mobility aid to help people reach the Mary Geoise area.
But, steeped in irony, Mary Geoise, the most luxurious place in the world, relied on slave labor to drive these seemingly convenient moving walkways.
For Kyle and his group, the natural choice was to take the bubble cable car, the method most Marines heading to the New World for missions adopted.
It could reach the top of the Red Line directly; convenient and fast.
"Oh ho ho!!"
Looking at the bubble cable car not far away, Luffy's eyes instantly turned into starry sparkles.
He pointed at the bubble cable car, turned around, and excitedly asked Kyle:
"Kyle, are we going up on that thing?"
"Yeah!"
Kyle nodded.
The others looked at the bubble cable car with equal wonder; it was their first time seeing such a thing either.
Actually, it was Kyle's first time seeing it in reality too, but since he had seen it in the anime, he didn't find it particularly novel.
He hadn't never been to the New World these past few years, but the problem was, he had always gone alone. When it was just him, he could fly over himself; why would he need to ride this thing?
Suddenly, Luffy pointed to another side and shouted:
"Hey, there are other people here too!!"
---
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