Chapter 100: It’s About Time To Consider A Consort!
Pirate Supernova, this is a new term that has appeared no more than five years ago, a derivative of the Pirate Era.
It refers to those pirates who, before entering the second half of the Grand Line, the New World, regardless of age or background, as long as their bounty has already exceeded 100 million Beli while in Paradise, will be honored with the title of Pirate Supernova on the Newspaper.
Fire Fist—Portgas D. Ace, was last year’s Pirate Supernova.
This year, “Pirate Noble Son,” “Rommel’s Sickle Weasel,” “White Horse Cavendish”······ this captain of the Beautiful Pirates made a splendid debut in the New World with a bounty of 280 million, and due to his outstanding facial features and appearance, a large group of fanatic female fans appeared. Less than a week after entering the New World, he became the darling of the news newspapers.
At the same time,
the Pirate Guerilla Squad also set their sights on this extremely high-profile Supernova.
Letting Fire Fist escape left Zephyr deeply regretful and annoyed, so when he noticed this year’s Pirate Supernova who came out hot ahead of schedule, with intelligence support provided by the Eckmond Kingdom, the Pirate Guerilla Squad began their hunting operation against White Horse Cavendish.
However, White Horse Cavendish was lucky. With tip-offs from his fans, he luckily avoided Zephyr’s personal pursuit, fought a detachment of the Pirate Guerilla Squad, sank three warships, and gained overwhelming publicity on the Newspaper, which infuriated Zephyr so much that he smashed another desk with a slap.
————
Eckmond Kingdom, small study.
His Majesty Berville had gathered his son and the ministers for a meeting. This was the kingdom’s rule: at the end of each month, all ministers were summoned to the study for a meeting to handle accumulated major issues or tricky troubles. Even if there were no major events, they could have tea together, chat, and cultivate the relationship between king and ministers.
“White Horse Cavendish······ Kurosel, is this person related to you?”
His Majesty the King flipped through the meeting outline in his hand and found the name that had frequently appeared on the Newspaper recently. He had some impression of this person, mainly because the intelligence mentioned those extremely familiar gorgeous swordsmanship techniques like “Beautiful Sword·Bluebird, Beautiful Sword·Swan Lake, Beautiful Sword·Moon World”······ these sword techniques were Kurosel’s usual ones.
He looked at [Beautiful Sword] Kurosel sitting on the right side of the long table, one of the Eckmond Kingdom’s two pillars of the state.
“I don’t know him.”
Kurosel, whose handsome features resembled an ancient art sculpture, shook his head in denial. “However, I guess he is probably a disciple of one of my fellow disciples. This time coming to the New World, he might be here to challenge me.”
“······ Ah! It’s for [Beautiful Sword]?” His Majesty the King recalled a long-sealed memory and clapped his hands excitedly.
“?”
Elus was baffled.
He had an impression of this White Horse Cavendish guy, but hadn’t paid much attention to him. Although the man had some fame, he was ultimately just an unremarkable ripple in this Pirate Era, not comparable to a True Chosen One like Fire Fist at all.
His attention at today’s meeting was entirely on how to host the guests from the Ryugu Kingdom, and he hadn’t paid much attention to other matters.
“El, you don’t know······”
Berville enthusiastically explained the reasons on behalf of Kurosel.
The swordsmanship lineage inherited by Kurosel had a very long history. From the first generation founder making a name for himself until now, their branch of swordsmanship already had over five hundred years of history. What was passed down was not only those gorgeous and dangerous sword techniques, but also the title of [Beautiful Sword] and some special rules.
For example, their branch’s swordsmanship was only taught to males with outstanding appearances; women and ugly men were not allowed to enter the gate.
Also, by rule, the name of [Beautiful Sword] could only be borne by the strongest. Kurosel had defeated his teacher, the previous generation’s [Beautiful Sword], in a one-on-one duel witnessed by Berville when he was still a prince, and also suppressed several senior fellow disciples and all his fellow disciples and brothers, inheriting the title of [Beautiful Sword] for this generation.
“This White Horse Cavendish is probably a disciple produced by one of Kurosel’s fellow disciples. This time, he might really be here to challenge Kurosel for the title of Beautiful Sword.” Berville stroked his beard, thought for a moment, then looked at his own pillar of the state and asked: “Should we help this White Horse a bit?”
Don’t think that Kurosel’s lineage fought endlessly for the title of Beautiful Sword, but precisely because of this, generation after generation, their branch had swordsmen dominating the sea, and the battles for Beautiful Sword were not death matches. The relationships between Kurosel and his fellow disciples back then were not bad.
When Berville was wandering the sea back then, he had gone through a lot to win over Kurosel, who was about the same age as him, which led to having such a pillar of the state today. At that time, he also befriended Kurosel’s fellow disciples and brothers; even the previous generation’s Beautiful Sword was now running a restaurant in Capital Arabica.
So he asked this question.
“If he can escape to the kingdom’s territory, let him come see me.” Kurosel did not reject His Majesty the King’s kindness, but also did not overly favor this nephew he had never met.
“El, leave this matter to you. Once that White Horse enters the border, contact that Admiral Excellency and tell him not to pursue relentlessly.”
Berville turned his head and immediately assigned the task to Elus.
The one currently pursuing this White Horse Cavendish at sea was the former Navy Admiral ‘Black Arm’ Zephyr. This man was lured by Elus to come to the New World to fight pirates. The Eckmond Kingdom had always been providing aid from supplies to intelligence in various aspects to this former admiral, to clear the trash on the sea and protect the tranquility of sea routes.
And the liaison work with Zephyr was basically handled single-handedly by Elus, so it was more appropriate for Elus to handle this matter.
“Mm! Leave it to me!”
Elus did not refuse.
He really didn’t know that Kurosel and this White Horse Cavendish had such a connection. If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have sent White Horse’s intelligence to Zephyr. If Cavendish really entered Eckmond’s territory, convincing Zephyr to let go would probably take some effort!
Of course, given Kurosel’s many years of loyal service to the Eckmond Kingdom, this bit of face had to be given. His swordsmanship was also taught by Kurosel’s teacher, the previous generation Beautiful Sword who now ran a restaurant in the capital, so Cavendish was his nephew too.
The Cavendish interlude was turned over.
Next, the next topic was brought up.
“Cough cough!”
Berville cleared his throat. He looked at the outline in his hand and said gravely: “Next······ is the guests from the Ryugu Kingdom.” As he spoke, he glanced at his eldest son sitting on the left hand side. The secret alliance with the Ryugu Kingdom was something Elus had orchestrated.
“Prince Hoshigaki Kisame of the Ryugu Kingdom and Princess Shirahoshi have already landed on Black Swan Island and met with Molkin (Foreign Minister). They are now heading to Arabica. Let’s discuss how to host these two distinguished guests.”
Berville lit a cigar and started smoking, signaling the ministers to speak freely.
However,
For a moment, no one spoke. Instead, some smoke lovers imitated Berville and began puffing clouds. These ministers were all Berville’s true confidants, once his aides-de-camp, loyal to him. So in situations without outsiders, the bold ones were very relaxed, and Berville never minded such small things.
Of course, there were also ministers who were naturally rigorous, glaring at the smoke lovers beside them but ultimately saying nothing, instead turning their gazes to Elus, clearly waiting for Elus to speak first. After all, the secret alliance with the Ryugu Kingdom was something His Highness the Prince had arranged, so naturally they should hear His Highness the Prince’s opinion first.
“Since it’s a secret alliance, there’s no need for a grand reception. Don’t go through the main port; pick them up from the military port.” Elus stated straightforwardly.
“Won’t this be a bit neglectful?”
The one raising the objection was Finance Minister Graco. “I heard that Prince Hoshigaki Kisame is the confirmed successor to the next king of the Ryugu Kingdom. If the welcome is too modest, won’t it cause dissatisfaction from Prince Hoshigaki Kisame?”
“No.”
Elus denied it categorically. “Prince Hoshigaki Kisame is a smart person and won’t change his attitude because of the scale of the reception. Moreover, Mr. Graco, now it’s not that we need to worry about displeasing the Ryugu Kingdom, but that the Ryugu Kingdom needs to worry about our feelings toward Fish-Men.”
At these words, Finance Minister Graco immediately laughed. “That’s perfect; saving money is good. Building that Sea Train really costs money.” He started complaining. Although the Eckmond Kingdom was rich, there were now more places to spend money.
Especially the construction of the Sea Train,
The storms and waves of the New World were incomparable to Paradise. Of course, the Sea Train could withstand attacks from massive tsunamis like those of the Water Gods, so there was no worry of frequent damage, but the unpredictable and ferocious natural disasters greatly extended the project completion time, causing costs to continuously rise.
“We’ll talk about the Sea Train later.”
The Lord Seal Minister Defreg, sitting opposite Elus, preemptively interrupted the tangent and kept the topic on hosting the Ryugu Kingdom. “Your Highness Elus, I see the document says the Ryugu Kingdom’s envoy is coming to Eckmond to observe and learn. What exactly do they want to do?”
“It depends on the preferences of Prince Hoshigaki Kisame and Princess Shirahoshi! If they want to go to the army, arrange for the army; if they want to go to the government, let them intern there. If they want to study at school, let them go. Just try not to let the news leak out. Give them fake identities, say they are friends or juniors of Instructor Jinbe.”
Jinbe was currently in the Eckmond Kingdom.
Back then, he tracked Fire Fist to solve this trouble for the Whitebeard Pirates, but unexpectedly stumbled and became Fire Fist’s stepping stone. Fortunately, Fire Fist was ultimately defeated by Whitebeard and even became the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
This lifted the big stone from his heart. After staying with the Whitebeard Pirates for a few days, he bid farewell and came to the Eckmond Kingdom again. He still remembered how Elus hired him as the chief instructor of Fish-Man Karate in the Holy Land Marie Geoise and protected his safe departure. Plus, with the secret alliance between the Ryugu Kingdom and the Eckmond Kingdom, to leave a good image for Fish-Men here.
So he came here, found Elus, and truly obtained the position of chief instructor of Fish-Man Karate. He was now teaching Fish-Man Karate in the military.
The name was Fish-Man Karate, but humans could learn it too. Except for some moves that required utilizing Mermaid talents which couldn’t be learned, Jinbe taught all other moves without reservation.
This wasn’t betraying his race either; there were human apprentices in the Fish-Man Karate dojos on Fish-Man Island.
“Jinbe? With him around, those Fish-Men shouldn’t cause any trouble.”
“Indeed! If it’s Jinbe······ no problem.”
“Let’s do it this way!”
All the ministers showed supportive attitudes. Mentioning Jinbe, each one showed trust. This Sea Knight, who seemed carefree, was truly good at making friends, unbeatable in interactions with his righteousness and sincerity, making it impossible for anyone to feel malice toward him.
Elus was also happy to relax seeing this.
No need to waste breath convincing these ministers.
“By the way, I heard that Fish-Man Princess is an extremely beautiful Mermaid, said to be comparable to that ‘Pirate Empress.’ Is it true?” Suddenly, someone brought up the Fish-Man Princess that everyone had overlooked.
The one speaking was Justice Minister and Chief Justice Harold.
Hearing this most rigid and strict partner say such words, all the ministers present widened their eyes in shock, looking incredulously at this stone man who avoided women, wondering if this guy who walked without fault had taken the wrong medicine today?
Berville was so surprised that his cigar fell on the table.
He hurriedly dealt with the cigar, coughed lightly, “That, Harold, I heard that Mermaid Princess is only eleven or twelve years old, too young····· and she is ultimately a princess of the Ryugu Kingdom.”
“Eleven or twelve? The age is a bit young.”
This Chief Justice nodded seriously. Before Berville could relax, he continued: “But I think it’s perfect to examine her in advance.”
“Eh? Harold, did you not wake up today······”
Navy Minister Bamond Foy reached out and patted his old comrade’s shoulder.
“What are you saying?” Harold glared at Foy, then turned to look at Berville and Elus, saying loudly: “Your Highness Elus is already twenty-one this year; it’s about time to consider candidates for the queen. This Mermaid Princess is a bit young, but in a couple of years, she’ll grow up.”
“Of course, it’s not that we must choose this Mermaid Princess; other suitable targets can also be examined.”
