Chapter 20: Family Banquet In The Royal Palace
“Dressrosa······Land of Love, Passion, and Toys······To actually choose such a place, what ghost idea is Umit that old guy plotting? Is it related to Joker? Or······Beasts?”
“However, it shouldn’t be related to Beasts. Umit and Beasts have no friendship.”
Among the four Pirate Emperors, the one Umit cozied up to is BIG·MOM. Every time BIG·MOM holds a Tea Party, he attends.
Speaking of which, all these magnates of the Dark World are closer to this mad Emperor BIG·MOM, maintaining a respectful distance from the other three Pirate Emperors. This isn’t because everyone has something wrong with their heads and insists on crowding around a mad Emperor who even kills his own son when he goes crazy.
In fact,
it’s not that they have something wrong with their heads, but that they have no choice.
Among the four Pirate Emperors, Whitebeard and Red-Haired honestly don’t really deserve the title of ‘Pirate.’ They never do burning, killing, looting, or plundering. Their biggest crime is just collecting protection fees from their territory. These two Pirate Emperors with their own bottom lines cannot accommodate the filth of the Dark World. Many shady businesses the World Government might not even bother with, but these two Pirate Emperors will meddle if they’re in the mood.
Excluding these two, the remaining BIG·MOM and Beasts—well, strictly speaking, both are choices with something wrong in the head.
But no choice, who told them they have no options!
Finally, Beasts, who likes to stir up trouble single-handedly, was also excluded from the options by the magnates of the Dark World. One by one, they could only reluctantly grovel at the feet of this mad Emperor BIG·MOM to avoid the gaze of the other three Emperors.
“El, next month, are you really planning to go?”
“Of course, they specifically named and invited me. If I don’t go, wouldn’t that be very impolite?”
“You, I say!”
His Majesty the King of Eckmond Kingdom helplessly stretched out his finger and pointed at Elus from afar.
“That’s the deep current Umit. Do you think it’s something like that Ghost Sword or Black Beast, things that can’t be put on the table? That old thing Umit is notoriously shameless. For interests, no matter how dirty or despicable the matter, he can do it. And······Don’t think that just because he hasn’t made waves in recent years, anyone who dares to underestimate him doesn’t end up well.”
This is the garden of the Royal Palace.
After defeating the fleet of Amento Kingdom, reclaiming the Toothed Whale Sea Area, and dispatching aides-de-camp to strike at Umit’s subordinate forces, Elus led the fleet back, returning to the capital Arabica of the kingdom, back to the Royal Palace.
Today is a fine day with gentle breeze and clear skies, not a cloud in sight.
Plus the good news of Elus’s triumphant return, after a grand banquet benefiting the entire city’s people, a small family banquet was held in the Royal Palace.
It’s called a family banquet, but the Sokachio Family doesn’t have many people in the Royal Palace.
Not counting the clan members on the Red Line, just on Bikahi Island, there are only Elus’s parents, younger brother, and younger sister—adding up to just five people. It really can only be described as ‘small.’
“Father, rest assured. Let me put it this way: as long as it’s not monsters on the level of the Four Emperors, Three Admirals, or Hawk Eyes, your son really isn’t afraid of anyone giving me a hard time.” Elus grabbed a big red apple from the fruit plate and took a fierce bite.
This is the tradition of the Sokachio Family—never using titles like ‘Father King’ that seem distant. Father, mother, Dad, Mom, brother, sister······In this evil land of the New World, if even family can’t be close, that would be too desolate.
“El, be careful not to flash your tongue when bragging.”
Berville had a bit of a headache. This son is good at everything, just sometimes confident to the point of arrogance—no, it should be said this is completely arrogance, right?
“I’d like to see how big a wind it takes to flash my tongue.”
Elus, munching on the apple, continued to bicker with his father.
Berville glared at his unfilial son, huffily grabbed a pear and gnawed on it sullenly. It wasn’t that he as a father lacked authority; it was just that his son was too outstanding. Though there was a bit of arrogance, there were really no other flaws. He couldn’t just scold unreasonably without reason, right?
He is a father who lectures with reason, not some dictator.
“Father, Dressrosa, this place······any advice?” As a filial son, Elus proactively helped his old man out of the awkward spot, even though it was this same filial son who had contradicted Berville earlier.
“Dressrosa, huh!”
Berville chewed on the pear flesh.
“The royal family there was originally the Riku Clan. Five years ago, Joker appeared in Dressrosa, the Riku Clan fell from the throne, and the Donquixote Family became the new kings of Dressrosa. Though your grandfather once said Dressrosa was originally the Donquixote Family’s country······Of course, that history has no meaning.
Now Dressrosa is Joker’s territory. That guy Joker is a Seven Warlord under the King, an intermediary in the Dark World, and himself one of the magnates of the Dark World, controlling the arms business in the New World. Arms are super profitable, even more so than our family’s coffee beans······In short, that guy has connections in both black and white markets, and his personality is quite perverted too. Better not to provoke if possible—that’s what your grandfather told me.”
Saying that, Berville took another bite of the pear and glanced over sideways.
“If you go······I have nothing much to say. After all, kid, now besides the Four Emperors and Three Admirals, there’s no one you take seriously.”
“I’m telling the truth!”
Elus emphasized.
“It’s exactly because I know you’re telling the truth that I won’t stop you, or I’d have locked you up long ago!” Berville glared at this unfilial son again, tossing the pear pit into the trash can. “When do you plan to set off? And, El, are you really planning to take out Umit?”
“Of course. If I don’t take him out, how do I inherit his legacy?”
Elus reached out to hug his rushing-over younger brother, tossing him into the air like a ball, then catching him, repeating the process, making the six-year-old giggle nonstop.
“Umit’s Shipping Company? Ah! Indeed very tempting! Say······El, how about I abdicate now? Just in time while I can still move, go play in Paradise and the Four Seas. Otherwise, if I go to the Red Line later, there probably won’t be any chance.”
“Don’t joke, Your Majesty. Once you’re king, you can’t just run around playing freely, right? Besides, you were already thirty when you ascended the throne. You should at least do it for another ten or twenty years.”
Elus firmly rejected his father’s unreliable suggestion with super resolute attitude. Being king······where’s the freedom of a prince? And now the newspaper just gave him the nickname [Black Prince]. If he ascends, wouldn’t it become [Black King]?
Not very······pleasant-sounding!
Better to go straight to [Black Emperor] later—that’s cooler!
“······Tch!”
Berville smacked his lips regretfully.
What he said earlier was sincere.
Though in his youth, as a prince, he had a period of wild days, his range was limited to the New World, with no chance to see the sights of Paradise and the Four Seas. If possible, he really wanted to go see Paradise and the Four Seas.
“Right, when exactly do you plan to set off?”
“In a couple more days! It’s just the beginning of the month anyway, no need to rush. If I go too early and accidentally fight Joker first, I’m afraid Umit that guy will laugh himself to death.” Elus stopped the game with his brother, set down his somewhat dizzy younger brother, and watched the little guy stagger on the path like he was drunk.
“······”
Berville rolled his eyes. “You still planning to annex Joker’s arms business too?”
“No plans for that yet. We’ll talk after taking over Umit’s Shipping Company! Compared to the arms business, I’m more interested in Joker’s Seven Warlord under the King status······Father, how about I get a Seven Warlord under the King title too?”
“Seven Warlord under the King? What for? Our family doesn’t do pirate business anyway? And we’re already a World Government Member Nation—no need to pull that tiger skin, right?” Berville looked at this son who always loved stirring things up with a headache.
“Isn’t it to take over Umit’s Shipping Company? Compared to our family’s reputation, don’t you think the Seven Warlord under the King title is more useful?”
Elus rubbed his chin, thinking it over and finding this sudden idea more and more feasible. “After all, there are so many World Government Member Nations, but only seven Seven Warlords under the King. Rarity makes value. If we can really get that tiger skin, our family’s business might even expand to Paradise.”
“You think pretty, but do you think the World Government is that easy to fool? Even if your grandfather worked for the World Government, it wouldn’t help—he has no power to grant you a Seven Warlord title. Besides, the current Seven Warlords under the King are already full; where’s the spot for you to squeeze in?”
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Worst case······take out one Seven Warlord to free up a spot, right?”
Elus said casually.
“······Joker is out. He has a very close relationship with Beasts. I don’t know how he hooked up with Beasts, but best not to probe. If you really draw that undying monster, our family might have to migrate to the Red Line to scrape by.”
“I’ve said it already: right now I’m only planning to deal with Umit. Before fully taking over Umit’s forces, I don’t plan to touch more.”
“That’s for the best. You can’t get fat in one bite. No need to rush things that can be done slowly.”
