To build a country, three basic elements are required: territory, people, and government.
Territory was the easiest problem to solve. Elegia had already become part of history. At that moment, the island beneath Luffy's feet truly belonged to him.
Besides territory, there also needed to be an institution capable of governing and managing society.
And finally, people.
A country is made of people. A nation without citizens means nothing.
"C-Creating a country...?"
Usopp stared at Luffy in complete shock.
Suddenly, they were going to stop being pirates and found a nation from scratch?
"Yohohoho! Building a new country? That sounds wonderful!"
Brook elegantly took a sip of coffee and said nostalgically:
"Long ago, I was the leader of the royal guard of a certain kingdom in the West Blue. If you require my assistance, please give your orders, Luffy."
Realizing that Luffy had no intention of kicking anyone out, Chopper finally sighed in relief.
"But Luffy… what exactly do you need to build a country?"
Simply declaring it wasn't enough for a nation to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
Robin maintained a charming smile, clearly interested.
While the entire world was in chaos over the birth of the new Pirate King, the Pirate King himself wanted to establish a nation?
Luffy had never mentioned anything like this to her before.
Zoro, on the other hand, looked completely lost. He had no idea how to found a country, what preparations were necessary, or what needed to be done.
If it was about fighting or cutting someone down, that was fine. But thinking about something this complicated was a completely different story.
"So what's the new country going to be called? Straw Hat Kingdom?" he asked.
The moment those words left his mouth, laughter exploded throughout the banquet hall.
Everyone burst out laughing at Zoro's suggestion.
The swordsman blushed slightly.
"What? The name's important, isn't it?"
"The name is important, but 'Straw Hat Kingdom' is way too ridiculous." Sanji looked at him with disdain. "But considering the seaweed growing on your head, that's probably the limit of your intelligence."
"What did you say, curly-brow?!"
"Was anything I said wrong, marimo?!"
"Then you come up with something! What should the country be called?!"
Sanji seriously thought about it for a few seconds before declaring:
"I got it! Let's call it… Kingdom of Girls! The nation's highest law will be allowing men into women's baths!"
"You seriously can't think about anything besides women?" Franky held his forehead, completely speechless.
As one of the core crew members, he felt deeply embarrassed.
Kaya covered her mouth as she laughed softly.
As expected of Mr. Sanji.
Bartolomeo, Luffy's greatest fan, immediately raised his hand.
"Lord Luffy! I propose Kingdom of the Sun! No… Kingdom of the Sun God!"
Law, from the Fourth Division, merely shook his head silently.
Were these people really reliable?
"Straw Hat, why not Kingdom of Elegia?"
"No, no. Elegia already perished. Besides, the former king, Mr. Gordon, is here. That could create confusion."
"Then ask Mr. Gordon himself! He used to be a king. He can definitely think of a good name!"
"Yes! Please!"
The members of the First Division all turned toward Gordon one after another.
Gordon was completely speechless.
He had merely inherited the throne from his father; he had never been a founding king. How was he supposed to help a new nation choose a name?
Even so, faced with everyone's enthusiasm, he was ultimately forced to think of a few suggestions.
And so, the topic of the banquet quickly shifted from "how to build a country" to "what this group of lunatics should call their new nation."
Luffy was utterly speechless.
How exactly was he supposed to build a country with this bunch of idiots?
"Hahahahaha!"
Garp roared with laughter while watching the entire scene like it was some kind of performance.
Only then did he finally speak:
"Instead of the country's name, the real problem is the people. You'll also need military forces, finances, laws, diplomacy, culture, and much more. Building a country from scratch is extremely difficult! Do you really think this is just some kind of game?"
The banquet hall finally became a little quieter.
Nami's eyes sparkled.
"Grandpa Garp, then what should we do? Please give us some guidance!"
"Hahahaha! I have no idea either!"
Garp picked his nose while shamelessly laughing.
Zephyr smiled faintly.
"Don't look at us old men. Whatever you youngsters want to do, do it fearlessly. Nobody is born knowing everything. Just learn through failure. When problems appear, think about them… and solve them."
Sengoku remained silent for a moment before finally speaking:
"People without a sense of belonging cannot build a nation."
In his opinion, the entire thing was ridiculous.
But he could no longer remain silent.
Luffy smiled lightly.
"Mr. Sengoku, then do you have any suggestions?"
"Instead of asking me, why not ask your father-in-law… or your father?" Sengoku shook his head. "I don't want to get involved in this kind of mess."
Hearing that, Luffy slowly turned toward Vivi.
Immediately, everyone's gazes also fell upon the princess.
Now that they thought about it, they had been together for so long that they had almost forgotten Cobra was the king of Alabasta.
"W-What is it?"
Vivi's face instantly turned red.
Luffy smiled.
"Vivi, you've been away from home for quite a while. I think it's time for you to return to Alabasta. Your father probably misses you a lot."
Building a country required talented people in many fields.
Naturally, he intended to "borrow" King Cobra.
The moment Luffy mentioned her father, Vivi froze slightly.
In truth, it hadn't really been that long. Altogether, it had only been a few months.
Even so… it felt like an eternity had passed.
She missed her father too.
Vivi quickly nodded.
"Luffy… when are we going back?"
As she spoke, she discreetly glanced at Nami and the other girls.
If her father helped them, founding the country would certainly become much easier, right?
And when that happened…
Luffy would become a king.
Then… would they become queens?
What would the wedding be like?
Just imagining the future already made Vivi's mind fill with countless happy scenes.
"We'll go once the banquet ends."
Luffy thought for a moment before answering.
At that instant—
Pururururu… Pururururu…
The Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
The moment the call connected, Johnny's desperate voice echoed from the other side:
"Aniki!"
"What happened in Dressrosa?"
The instant he heard the call, Luffy immediately realized where the problem was coming from.
"Yes! The Navy fleet is heading toward Dressrosa! Right now, they're being blocked by Sea Kings in the open sea, but that won't last long!"
Johnny answered quickly.
The Sea Kings out in the ocean were gigantic monsters summoned by Shirahoshi. Each one was comparable in size to Laboon, and there were at least two hundred of them.
"Really? So this is about dealing with Doflamingo?"
Luffy raised an eyebrow but quickly shook his head.
No.
This was merely intimidation in response to the revelation of the world's true history.
The target wasn't Doflamingo.
Although Doflamingo had requested protection before, the World Government wouldn't mobilize an entire fleet just to deal with him. If they wanted to eliminate him, they would send assassins directly — perhaps even the Holy Knights.
So the real target was Dressrosa itself.
"We still don't know for sure! It's a World Government Buster Call! They want to erase Dressrosa from the map!"
"I understand. I'll be there soon."
After ending the call, Luffy stood up.
"Continue the dinner. I'll go deal with a small problem."
"Luffy…"
Robin called out involuntarily, clearly nervous.
The words Buster Call instantly brought back memories of Ohara.
"Nothing's going to happen. Dressrosa carries my flag. If the World Government wants to destroy it, then I won't allow it."
Luffy smiled calmly.
"It'll be fine."
After saying that, he calmly left the banquet hall.
Garp, Zephyr, and Sengoku exchanged heavy looks.
Especially Sengoku.
His expression had become extremely grim.
As Luffy exited the hall and walked outside the castle, Monet quickly followed after him.
"Lord Luffy… can you take me with you?"
Luffy looked at her.
"You're worried?"
"Yes."
Monet admitted honestly.
Luffy smiled.
"I like honest people. If you're worried, then come with me."
As he spoke, he wrapped an arm around Monet's waist and instantly flew into the sky.
Shortly afterward, they arrived at the Merry.
In the next moment, the ship crossed the space-time channel and instantly appeared at Dressrosa's harbor.
The instant they arrived, they heard the deafening roar of cannons.
Luffy immediately expanded his Observation Haki and located the Navy fleet.
To the southwest, about ten kilometers offshore, a group of Sea Kings was being bombarded by warships.
The fleet consisted of ten battleships.
The Buster Call formation included at least five Headquarters Vice Admirals and more than ten Rear Admirals.
But this operation was clearly different.
The person leading the mission possessed an overwhelming presence.
No… merely calling him "powerful" wasn't enough.
Luffy narrowed his eyes.
"When we attacked Mariejois… was this the guy there that night?"
He finally remembered.
"Kong…"
The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
The former Fleet Admiral before Sengoku, promoted more than ten years ago.
"Lord Luffy!"
"I'm going to meet those Marines."
Luffy let out a low laugh before ascending into the skies and flying directly toward the Buster Call fleet.
At the same time—
The Marine fleet continued bombarding the Sea Kings.
The firepower of ten warships relentlessly rained down upon the sea monsters, firing shells without concern for ammunition consumption. Even creatures that gigantic were being reduced to bloody masses.
"Master Kong! These Sea Kings are only blocking our advance! They aren't even retaliating!"
A Rear Admiral quickly reported.
"But if we continue bombarding them like this, we might enrage them! There are too many!"
Kong stood at the bow of the flagship with his arms crossed.
His eyes remained fixed on the distant Sea Kings.
Something was wrong.
One or two creatures would have been understandable.
But an entire group of that size?
That immediately reminded him of Poseidon — one of the Ancient Weapons.
According to the World Government's records, Poseidon possessed the power to control Sea Kings.
The last time Fujitora visited Dressrosa to investigate the coup, he had reported Sea Kings appearing near the coast.
At the time, Kong hadn't thought much of it.
But now, personally leading the operation, he finally realized the severity of the situation.
"Prepare the seastone bombs! Blow all these Sea Kings apart!"
He gave the order coldly.
"Huh? We're really using those? That could even affect our own fle—"
"Stop talking nonsense and carry out the ord— huh?!"
Suddenly, Kong's expression drastically changed.
A figure appeared above the fleet almost instantly.
Too fast.
What was that speed?
Kong raised his head in disbelief.
The person standing in the heavens was one of the Four Emperors—
No.
Now he should be called…
The Pirate King.
"Straw Hat…"
Kong's heart sank.
Impossible.
This man should have been deep within the New World.
Then why had he appeared so quickly near the entrance of the Grand Line?
In the sky, Luffy calmly observed the fleet below.
Then he slowly spoke:
"To actually invade my territory…"
"What gave you worms so much confidence?"
(End of Chapter)