As soon as those words were spoken, the air in the council chamber seemed to solidify.
The guards standing around the great hall turned pale, even holding their breath.
This meant that the Lulusia Kingdom would no longer be under the protection of the World Government.
The Marines would no longer be obligated to shield it from pirate attacks.
They all knew, at least vaguely, how the World Government treated non-member nations.
To say they did not regard the people of non-member nations as human was no exaggeration.
They would even invade these countries and sell their people off as slaves.
"The Gorosei-sama hope His Majesty understands," the CP0 agent said, voice laced with threat,
"that the authority of the World Government cannot be challenged.
No individual, no matter how great their strength, is allowed to stand above the rules laid down by the World Government.
Maintaining the balance and order of the seas is the foremost duty of the World Government and the Marines."
These words were a naked warning.
The World Government was clearly stating:
We know that, at Ronan's side, there are monsters capable of killing Shiki and fighting Mihawk to a draw.
But we possess forces equal to, or even greater than, those.
Do not think you can rely on brute strength to defy the rules.
Ronan remained silent. He did not take CP0's threat to heart at all; instead, he focused his attention inward, onto the panel in his mind.
Holder: Ronan
Quest Points: 450
Abilities:
Armament Haki (Mastery; 1200 points to upgrade to Perfect)
Physical Arts (Skilled; 700 points to upgrade to Mastery)
Observation Haki (Skilled; 700 points to upgrade to Mastery)
Special Skill: Lucky Roulette (1000 points per spin)
Quest: Refuse to pay Heavenly Tribute to the World Government and go two years without paying Heavenly Tribute.
(Compulsory quest. Duration: two years. Reward on completion: 600 Quest Points, 1 Lucky Roulette spin. Failure penalty: -1200 Quest Points. Remaining time: ten days.)
Over the past two years, Ronan had triggered various quests one way or another, raising his Haki to Mastery and Skilled levels respectively.
But most important of all was this compulsory quest he had accepted two years ago.
In truth, with or without this compulsory quest, Ronan would not have continued paying Heavenly Tribute anyway.
After all, a tribute of tens of billions of Berries each time was an enormous burden on the entire kingdom.
The morals he carried from his previous life would not allow him to become the kind of king who squeezed the commoners dry.
Since he had come to this world and become the king of the Lulusia Kingdom, he would rule it his own way.
At worst, they would secede from the World Government.
With Beth and the others sitting in the kingdom, in the first half of the Grand Line there simply wasn't a pirate with the guts to attack this country.
As for whether the World Government would make a move against the Lulusia Kingdom, Ronan worried even less.
At worst, they would fight once.
If they lost, he would just go seek out the Revolutionary Army.
Ronan clearly remembered that Dragon had once been very intent on inviting him.
Once he grew strong enough, he would strike back.
With the help of the panel, as long as he was given enough time, even Imu, the being behind the Gorosei, was nothing for Ronan to fear.
Seeing Ronan remain silent, the CP0 agents did not press him. The entire hall fell into a brief, heavy quiet.
After a while, Ronan raised his head and looked at the three CP0 agents standing before him.
A carefree smile appeared on his face.
"The Lulusia Kingdom refuses to pay Heavenly Tribute."
Ronan's clear declaration echoed through the council chamber, and the three CP0 agents froze.
The leader's pupils shrank violently beneath his mask. For a moment, he even doubted his own hearing.
The other party had refused so cleanly, so decisively, without leaving any room at all!
This was no longer mere provocation.
This was outright war.
A public, blatant affront to the World Government's eight hundred years of authority.
After a short, dead silence, a towering fury erupted from the CP0 agent like a tangible pressure, and the temperature in the council chamber seemed to plummet.
He took a step forward, voice icy, squeezing out each word:
"Your Majesty Ronan… do you understand what you are saying?
You should be well aware of what it means to refuse to pay Heavenly Tribute."
His words were an undisguised threat.
However, Ronan had no interest in continuing to argue with him.
He had already accepted the worst possible outcome in his heart.
"My word is the will of the Lulusia Kingdom. It will not change."
The attendants present all went pale at Ronan's words, fear filling their faces.
In that moment, panic surged in their hearts.
Ronan naturally noticed this as well, but he did not care.
The only thing he needed to do next was to quickly calm the worries of the common people.
Still, with the battle records of Teresa and Beth backing them, the people of the Lulusia Kingdom had grown increasingly confident over these past two years.
Under Ronan's rule, the kingdom had already become the strongest nation in the surrounding seas.
Ronan's calm attitude made the CP0 agents feel a deep sense of humiliation at being slighted.
They did not dare to spit out any more harsh words.
The boy before them was, after all, just a child.
And now that he had so indifferently declared he did not care about the status of a member nation, the leader of CP0 worried that, if he provoked Ronan any further, he might very well lose his own life right here.
The three CP0 agents did not linger in the slightest.
They left the council chamber and departed from the Lulusia Kingdom.
They had to report this news at once, with the greatest possible speed, to those five lords deep within Pangaea Castle who held the reins of the world.
Watching CP0 leave, Ronan also understood that his own plans had to be accelerated.
He now needed even more power.
No matter whether the World Government chose to strike at him in the future or not, Ronan had to prepare thoroughly for the worst.
Ronan immediately used a Den Den Mushi to contact Tesoro in the North Blue and told him his plan.
Upon receiving Ronan's orders, Tesoro began carrying them out at once.
Meanwhile, after leaving the royal palace, CP0 immediately reported Ronan's attitude to the Gorosei.
"He… how dare he?!"
In the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, deep within Pangaea Castle's council hall, Topman—one of the Gorosei—slammed his palm down on the low table beside him.
His chest rose and fell, clearly showing how unsettled he was.
"A tiny kingdom from the first half of the Grand Line! An eleven-year-old brat!
And he… he dares to so openly refuse an order from the World Government?!
Who does he think he is?!"
Nusjuro, cradling the First Generation Kitetsu in his arms, spoke in a voice as cold as ice:
"Letting him delay payment for two years was already leniency beyond the law.
Now, instead of being grateful, he dares to outright refuse…
This is the most blatant challenge to eight hundred years of order."
"It's because of those women at his side that he's grown so bold, isn't it?" Shepherd sneered.
"Killing Shiki, fighting Mihawk to a standstill… they do have some ability.
But do they really think that with just that bit of strength, they can shake the foundations of the World Government?
Naive. Laughable."
(End of Chapter)
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