Hathaway placed her hand on the hilt of her sword. She didn't believe Rosen would speak without reason; since he asked, there must be some basis.
This single sentence put Robin and the others on alert, even Rayleigh felt deeply surprised.
"What if I am?" Issho didn't rush to defend himself, instead asking in return. Was there something wrong with the Marines?
"Would you uphold your own sense of justice?" Rosen waved his hand, signaling Hathaway and the others not to be too tense. After all, regardless of whether Issho was a Marine or not, he wasn't exactly a deceitful person.
"A person should live for what they believe in their heart." Issho was surprised by Rosen's question. He had thought the other might treat him as a formidable enemy, or even try to capture him on the spot, which wouldn't have been impossible.
After all, for pirates, the Marines were mortal enemies.
"Could I ask you, Mr. Issho, to protect this kingdom?" Rosen thought for a moment. Issho's personal principles were very clear; it seemed unlikely he would set sail with them as a pirate. Otherwise, their crew would become incredibly powerful.
They might even be able to contend with the Four Emperors as soon as they entered the New World.
But that wasn't realistic. Issho had his own convictions. He was currently guarding this kingdom because it had earned his recognition, but pirates had not.
Even if he recognized Rosen as a person, it didn't mean he was willing to become a pirate, as he aspired to join the Marines, whom he believed could maintain order on the seas.
"It is my duty, so I naturally won't refuse. However, I cannot guarantee the future. Whether I will remain as the kingdom's guardian or become a Marine, for now, I will do everything I need to do."
"Haha, don't be so serious. Brother Issho was originally aiming to become an Admiral at Marine Headquarters, but King Xia intercepted him halfway. I can guarantee he's definitely not a Marine right now." Rayleigh began to smooth things over.
"Marine Admiral?!" Robin, Daz Bones, and the others were startled. They had heard before that he had stopped skilled Marines.
But aiming for Admiral? If this man wasn't arrogant, then he must be exceptionally powerful, confident enough to believe he could hold that position.
Hearing this, Rosen now had a baseline. So Issho really had been kept here before the World Military Draft. Xia had truly found a gem.
"I was being cautious, I apologize for the offense." Rosen was also very straightforward.
"No matter. However, there are some things I'm quite interested in. According to what you said…" Afterwards, Issho asked a few more questions about the new laws, and Rosen answered them one by one, engaging in mutual discussion.
To Rosen's surprise, Issho analyzed matters of people's livelihood very deeply. Unlike Rosen's idealistic approach, Issho's methods were refined from the current era through practical experience.
This gave Rosen sudden realizations on many issues, and he subsequently raised several questions in succession, seeking Issho's opinion.
Issho was also deeply shocked by Rosen's many imaginative ideas. He found it hard to imagine a pirate proposing things that were even more insightful than a king who had governed for years.
Rayleigh listened quietly. Seeing this, the others also found places to chat amongst themselves. Various refreshments and fine wine were brought out. Xia looked at the harmonious tea party, feeling quite satisfied.
This was the first time she had revealed her true identity in front of others. Without Rosen, she would likely be dead by now, fighting for control of the AKS Chamber of Commerce, let alone becoming the ruler of a kingdom.
The difference was immense. However, being queen didn't bring Xia great satisfaction because she knew that if her captain wished, he could easily conquer several such kingdoms.
Moreover, their goal was to create a whole new world—an ideal unlike World's, which focused primarily on destroying the Marines to create a new world. Theirs started from the very foundation of humanity, implementing laws one by one.
There were many ignorant and arrogant people in the world who dreamed of changing or creating their own new world, but they often lacked a detailed direction. Most only knew how to fight, believing that if they could defeat the Marines, they would be invincible.
Furthermore, they showed no mercy when plundering or massacring civilians.
Xia categorized such ideals as delusional desires.
Only by truly implementing change in people's livelihoods could the world be genuinely transformed. She looked forward to the day when the entire world would become like the Andia Kingdom.
"Report! A Marine fleet has approached the Andia coast. They request an audience with His Majesty the King. Should we let them through, or attack?" A royal guard entered and reported.
Xia frowned. She hadn't expected the Marine fleet to return so quickly. It seemed they had discovered something; otherwise, they should have continued pursuing the Dawn Pirates.
It was unlikely they knew the Dawn Pirates would double back.
Xia instinctively looked at Rosen.
"Their timing suggests ill intent. Letting them in would mean abandoning our defensive advantage. Refusing entry would imply Andia has something to hide. But since they're already suspicious, we can't let them in. However, we can't fully reveal our intentions either, since we're not sure how much they know."
"Xia, turn them away using the excuse that the kingdom is in lockdown due to internal pirate disturbances and the theft of national treasures, making it inconvenient to receive guests. See how they react. If they attack forcefully, then there's no room for reconciliation—prepare for war. If they don't attack but try probing infiltration, then it's not yet time to show our hand." Rosen thought for a moment before instructing.
"Understood."
"Mr. Rayleigh, aside from war, are there other feasible ways to protect the Andia Kingdom?" After giving instructions, Rosen looked at Rayleigh.
This question made Issho realize that this pirate was different from others, because he also believed war was not the only means, but the last resort.
"You're actually focusing on the wrong point. Even in cases of national rebellion, without orders from the World Government, Marine Headquarters typically won't order an attack on its own. Regarding matters involving member nations, Marine Headquarters' authority isn't as high as you think. These are usually directly managed by the World Government. So, the World Government's stance is what truly determines everything." Rayleigh stated calmly.
In reality, the Marines were primarily responsible for maintaining sea peace and capturing pirates. When it came to incidents at the national level, the World Government's attitude dictated the Marines' actions.
"The process from the Marines to the World Government takes time. Of course, that's assuming Vice Admiral Garp doesn't act impulsively; otherwise, there's no process. However, as long as the kingdom isn't being enslaved by pirates, Vice Admiral Garp generally won't intervene unless necessary. So you probably still have time. Think of a way to divert the World Government's attention. Even if they know Andia Kingdom is connected to you, make it so they don't have the forces or time to deal with you. After all, they probably aren't sure you're the one behind Andia Kingdom. There are many countries in grey areas in this world. As long as certain things haven't been exposed, there's still room for reconciliation." Rayleigh shook his wine jug, suggesting.
Rosen and the others fell silent. Rayleigh clearly knew more about the World Government's inner workings than anyone present, so his advice was more valuable than anyone else's.
"If that's the case, it's simple. But once exposed, we'll have to hurry to the New World. Otherwise, I'm afraid the World Government will go berserk. Their control in the New World isn't as strong."
"Oh? You're that confident? Generally speaking, even ordinary national-level incidents aren't necessarily enough to attract the attention of high-ranking World Government officials." Rayleigh was surprised.
(End of Chapter)