As Gion was about to voice her suspicion regarding the bullet holes, Raleigh moved.
He didn't argue or explain.
Instead, he simply reached out and took her right hand in his.
He gave it a gentle squeeze, blinking at her with a reassuring, almost mischievous look that seemed to say, 'Trust me. Let it go.'
Gion froze, her cheeks flushing slightly.
The sudden contact short-circuited her train of thought, successfully diverting her attention from the Donquixote-manufactured ballistics evidence.
They walked through the battered gates and into the palace interior.
If the outside showed signs of war, the inside was a testament to obscene wealth.
The decorations were exceptionally lavish, bordering on gaudy.
Even worldly-wise veterans like Gion and Tokikake, who had seen the wonders of the Grand Line, couldn't help but stop and stare, their mouths hanging slightly open.
"Look at that!" Tokikake gasped, pointing a trembling finger. "Are those East Blue Millennium Pearls embedded in the columns? And that... that has to be South Blue Giant Red Coral! That piece alone is worth a battleship!"
"Incredible," Gion whispered, temporarily forgetting the bullet holes. "The craftsmanship is ancient."
The two kept exclaiming like country bumpkins who'd never seen such luxury.
Meanwhile, the actual bumpkins—Raleigh and Borsalino—didn't recognize any of these specific treasures.
To them, it was just "shiny stuff."
Borsalino yawned, unimpressed. "Ooooooh. Tacky."
Walking into the spacious throne room, they found the "King" of the Eryoku Kingdom already waiting.
Raleigh paused, his nose twitching slightly.
Beneath the heavy perfume of incense and fresh flowers, he could still smell it—the faint, metallic scent of human blood lingering on the cold marble floor tiles.
'Momonga was thorough,' Raleigh thought with a sense of relief. 'He purged the nobles right here. Good. Less paperwork.'
The former King, Edward III, had arrived in full regalia, though he had notably discarded the heavy Crown of the Monarch.
Now dressed in the attire of a high-ranking noble, he stood in the middle of the grand hall, conversing with Admiral Sengoku.
Beside him stood his loyal guard and friend, Grover, who looked relieved to still have a head on his shoulders.
"Lord Edward," Sengoku said, his voice booming with authority. "What has happened to you? Don't be afraid. The Marines are here now. Everything will return to normal. We can reinstate you immediately."
Edward III waved his hands frantically.
He didn't take the offer seriously.
In fact, he looked terrified of the idea.
He adjusted his cravat nervously and said, "It's fine! Really, Admiral Sengoku! I just feel... I've been sitting on that hard throne for too long. My back kills me. I want to pursue a freer way of life! Painting, perhaps? Or poetry? No one forced me into this. It is the will of the people!"
Sengoku narrowed his eyes but nodded slowly. "Mhmm. Alright. If that is your wish. But remember, if you encounter any problems, you can always contact the Marines."
He gestured to the side.
"From now on, all matters concerning the North Blue Marine—and the protection of this kingdom—will be handled by Acting Commander Raleigh."
Sengoku added, "You've probably seen the newspapers. He is the same Rear admiral Raleigh who killed the World Destroyer, Byrnndi World."
Edward III looked at Raleigh with awe and fear.
"The Hero! Yes! We are in good hands!"
Sengoku didn't pay much attention to the small talk.
Politics bored him.
After exchanging a few casual words, he moved aside to the buffet table.
Raleigh, however, had long since slipped away. He was already at the food-laden table, eating heartily.
"Master, what took you so long?"
While Raleigh was chewing, a handsome young boy slid into the chair beside him.
The boy casually reached over, stabbed a large, juicy steak from Raleigh's plate with a fork, and dropped it onto his own.
With a chicken drumstick hanging from his mouth, Raleigh glanced sideways at Miles.
It had to be said, young people in the One Piece world grew up fast.
In less than half a year, Miles had transformed from a scrawny, bullied little kid into a somewhat dashing young man.
His muscles were defined, and he carried himself with a dangerous confidence.
"Where's Betty?" Raleigh asked, swallowing the chicken meat in one gulp.
He reached for a grilled fish to replace his stolen steak.
"Mmm," Miles mumbled around a mouthful of beef. "When you arrived today, people from the World Government happened to show up too. So, Betty went to receive the officials. She's playing the 'Queen' role right now."
Raleigh paused, his fork hovering over the fish.
"Has everything been handled? No problems with the 'narrative'?"
Miles swallowed, wiped his lips with a silk napkin, and grinned.
"Nothing to worry about. Momonga-san and Bell-mère-san have already taken care of the loose ends. Besides," Miles leaned in, "this plan doesn't need to be perfect. As long as the original King acknowledges it, and the money keeps flowing... that's enough."
Raleigh nodded, satisfied.
His plan to steal the kingdom wasn't something he had from the very beginning.
Originally, he just wanted to gradually control the kingdom's production through Marine pressure.
But after encountering Dragon's, Raleigh ran some mental simulations.
He realized he could have it all.
Whether Belo Betty would be recognized as the legitimate Queen of Eryoku depended on two key points.
Point One: Recognition from the local power structure.
The King, terrified and wanting a way out, agreed.
The nobles, greedy and stupid, were a liability.
To prevent them from causing trouble or secretly reporting to Mary Geoise, Raleigh had Momonga eliminate them.
Dead men sign no petitions.
And the best part? They had Dragon's revolutionary army as the prime scapegoat for the massacre.
Point Two: Recognition from the World Government.
As luck would have it, the visitors today were the same corrupt officials who had previously delivered the "military funds" (bribe) to Raleigh.
They cared about their own careers more than the truth.
Upon learning that the "New Queen" and the Marines had jointly persuaded the rebel army to stand down, they automatically assumed Belo Betty was the savior.
Especially after discovering that the events in Eryoku were actually unknown to the Holy Land—because the CP agents were dead—they decided to seal the matter completely.
In their view, the narrative Raleigh constructed was perfect:
'The greedy Nobles led the miners in a rebellion to overthrow the King. They stormed the palace. But they were ultimately suppressed by the charismatic Princess Belo Betty in alliance with the Marines. In the end, the rebelling miners were persuaded to return to work, while the traitorous nobles were executed.'
This narrative seemed reasonable.
It was clean.
Even if presented to the Five Elders in Holy Land Mary Geoise, they would not doubt it.
They would merely conclude that the former King was too foolish to rule and that the new Queen was competent.
For the World Nobles, all that mattered was that Eryoku Kingdom continued to pay the Heavenly Tribute and supply ample coal and steel resources.
As long as the gold flowed and the steel arrived, they didn't care if a dog sat on the throne.
[Scheming while eating: Slacking Points +200]
"By the way, Master," Miles asked, looking at Raleigh with hope in his eyes. "Can I stay here?"
Raleigh chewed his fish thoughtfully.
Over the next two years, it was likely that nothing major would happen in the North Blue.
The stage was set
. He had no pressing matters to attend to until the Great Pirate Era kicked off.
"It would be fine," Raleigh decided. "Betty needs muscle she can trust."
"Very well," Raleigh said. "I'll arrange for you to be stationed here as a Marine Commander. You can keep Betty company. Just don't slack off too much."
"Yes!" Miles cheered. "Oh, and Momonga-san said he's waiting for you on the balcony upstairs. He seemed... moody."
Hearing this, Raleigh nodded.
He ruffled Miles's hair, messing up the boy's styling, and left the dining table.
Gion, who had originally been following Sengoku around the room, saw Raleigh leaving the venue alone.
He was heading toward the grand staircase.
Almost as if possessed by curiosity—or something else—she excused herself and quietly followed in his footsteps.
...
The kingdom's balcony shared the same architectural style as the buildings below—spacious, ornate, and screaming of wealth.
It was adorned with a variety of rare and exotic plants that rustled in the night wind.
Leaning against the marble railing was Momonga.
He had removed his heavy Marine coat and was staring out at the city lights, the cool breeze ruffling his mohawk.
Raleigh walked out, the sound of his boots soft on the stone.
He casually sat on a bench opposite Momonga.
Without a word, he handed Momonga a bottle of expensive rum he had swiped from the banquet.
Then, he pulled a silver cigar case from his inner pocket, took one out, and tossed another to his friend.
Click.
Momonga produced an exquisite lighter.
He lit Raleigh's cigar first, the flame illuminating their faces for a brief second, and then lit his own.
The two exchanged a knowing smile, the kind only shared by men who have buried bodies together.
They deeply exhaled plumes of blue smoke into the night air.
"That was good work, Momonga," Raleigh said softly. "It was clean."
"It was messy," Momonga corrected, staring at the glowing ember of his cigar. "But necessary."
Raleigh leaned back, looking up at the stars.
"Momonga," he said, his tone shifting to business. "Don't return to the East Blue. Screw the orders. I'll handle Headquarters."
He looked at his friend.
"Right now, I need you here in the Eryoku Kingdom. I need you to stabilize the situation."
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