boyutpedia Page 57
Page 57
Chapter 75: Have you tried your best all these years?
Scarlett is only a sixteen-year-old girl, but she exudes elegance and poise in both her dress and demeanor.
It's hard to imagine that someone like that would give up her princess status for love.
King Riku became somewhat nervous upon seeing Black's gaze.
Everyone knew the Celestial Dragons' reputation, so they quickly tried to divert Black's attention:
“Lord Black, I salute you.”
As he spoke, he raised his glass.
Blake also took a casual sip and chatted with him about the situation in Dressrosa:
"As I traveled along the way, I discovered that your country is not wealthy."
"You could even say...somewhat poor?"
King Riku nodded somewhat ashamedly and said:
"Yes, the Kingdom of Dressrosa has a large population, and after deducting the share of Heavenly Gold each year, there is not much money left."
Blake chuckled:
"You seem to have some dissatisfaction with the Heavenly Gold system?"
"Don't dare."
King Riku hurriedly denied it:
“I can understand the necessity of the Heavenly Gold.”
"Whether it's government spending or naval expenses, it all costs a lot of money."
“Since it is an expense to protect us, the member states, then it is only right that we pay for it.”
"only……"
He glanced at Blake cautiously:
"It would be better if we could reduce the share a bit."
"Ha ha……"
Blake shook his head and chuckled:
"I can't make that decision."
Changing the subject, Blake continued:
“There are indeed some problems with collecting “heavenly gold” based on population size.
"I had heard before that the king of the South Sea Kingdom of Solbe divided his country in two in order to reduce the amount of Heavenly Gold."
"This has actually affected the interests of world governments."
King Riku largely agreed with Black's words:
"Yes, it would be great if the amount of heavenly gold could be determined according to income."
Blake shook his head:
"Don't complain about the rules for collecting Heavenly Gold."
"If it's really as you say, then the amount of celestial gold that 90% of countries hand over will decrease."
"By then, if everyone is like you in Dressrosa, relying entirely on the natural growth of wealth, will you still be able to collect the gold from the sky?"
"So don't think there's anything wrong with this kind of collection; you still need to reflect on yourself."
"Have any policies been introduced to stimulate the economy over the years?"
King Riku looked completely bewildered.
He may have been a kind king, but he was definitely not a qualified one.
However, it's understandable that they want people in this world to design the most basic economic policies.
That's a bit too much to ask.
Dressrosa's location is quite special; it can almost be considered an essential route to the New World.
Those who enter the New World from the Grand Line are not only pirates, but also merchant ships, nobles, and tourists from all over the world.
King Riku never intended to develop industries such as ports, docks, freight, tourism, services, shipbuilding, or even casinos.
The only ways he could think of to make the country rich were internal exploitation and external plunder.
Unfortunately, he was unwilling to do either of those things.
In terms of developing the nation, even without toy factories and illegal businesses, Doflamingo would be far better than King Riku.
At least they know how to make money.
However, Blake didn't explain that much to the other party.
First, we're not familiar with each other; second, we're not a good match.
He changed the subject:
"Was that your daughter just now?"
King Riku immediately tensed up:
“Yes, Lord Black, that is my eldest daughter, Scarlett.”
"Not bad, very classy."
Blake first offered a compliment, then seemingly casually remarked:
"Let her board my ship when I leave."
King Riku hesitated for a moment, a troubled look on his face.
Black looked at him, his eyes sharpening, his tone carrying the arrogance and unquestionable authority characteristic of Celestial Dragons:
"you are not willing?"
"No no!"
King Riku hurriedly denied it:
“But… Lord Black, my daughter is still young and may offend you because she is not familiar with the rules.”
Blake clapped his hands and laughed:
"Look, isn't this a coincidence?"
"The Holy Land has female slaves specifically responsible for teaching discipline."
"No matter how unruly someone is, once they've been in there for a few days, they'll immediately become well-behaved when they come out."
King Riku was sweating profusely.
From Blake's words, he could imagine the torment Scarlett would suffer once she was sent to the Holy Land.
King Riku was still trying to find a way to refuse, but Black was already getting impatient.
"On the day I leave, I want to see her on my ship."
"do you understand?"
"I understand! I understand!"
King Riku hurriedly nodded; in any case, he could only agree for now.
After a banquet in which both host and guests enjoyed themselves, King Riku ceded his palace.
Blake accepted all comers and moved in without hesitation.
The situation he mentioned earlier does exist, and many Celestial Dragons have indeed done so.
Even the maids who originally worked at Black Manor had received professional training.
However, once Scarlett boarded the ship, she became one of their own.
Even if Scarlett has a princess complex, she can't possibly be more mischievous than Perona, right?
Just as Black was leading Stella and Mandy into sleep, King Riku was wide awake.
He called Scarlett into his study, hesitating as to how to begin.
Scarlett was clever; she noticed her father's hesitation and spoke up:
"Father, what happened? Did that Celestial Dragon make some unreasonable demands?"
King Riku nodded, looking troubled.
“That Celestial Dragon… he… he said he wants you to join his ship.”
Scarlett's face turned pale, and she began to stagger.
She wasn't some ignorant commoner.
As a princess, she knew very well what kind of people the Celestial Dragons were.
After a long silence, Scarlett managed a forced smile:
"That's not bad either. Being able to stay by the side of the Creator's descendant might allow me to absorb some of his divinity."
When King Riku saw his daughter's appearance, he felt a pang of pain in his heart.
Just then, the door was suddenly kicked open, and a tall figure rushed in, shouting at King Riku:
"No! Absolutely not! We absolutely cannot let the princess board the Celestial Dragons' ship!"
The newcomer was dressed in Spartan armor, had a samurai-style haircut, and a fierce expression on his face.
At first glance, he does resemble Kozuki Oden somewhat.
It was Cyrus, the army commander of the Kingdom of Dressrosa.
Although they are called army commanders, the islands in this world are generally far apart.
Apart from a few countries that are too close together, or islands like Pionbino and the land of endless war that have not formed a unified government.
The vast majority of member states do not easily start wars with each other.
Therefore, Cyrus's position as army captain was actually closer to that of the royal guard captain.
Chapter 76 Wouldn't that make him a minor villain?
In fact, privileges don't only exist among the Celestial Dragons in this world.
For the common people of each member state, the Celestial Dragons are too far removed from them; the royal families of their respective countries are the real mountain weighing on their heads.
Cyrus was originally sent to the Dressrosa Colosseum for murder and resisting arrest.
As a result of his outstanding achievements, he actually became a hero in Dressrosa and was even invited by King Riku to join the royal army.
King Riku even disguised himself as a gladiator and personally entered the arena to fight Cyrus once; the two had a very good personal relationship.
Upon seeing that it was Cyrus, King Riku sighed helplessly:
"You heard everything..."
"But this is an order from the Celestial Dragons, and I can't do anything about it."
Cyrus roared at King Riku:
"Scarlett must not be allowed to become a Celestial Dragon's slave under any circumstances!"
He turned his gaze to Scarlett, whose nearly three-meter height created a sense of oppression in the small study.
"Your Highness, let me take you away from here."
"The ocean is so vast, the world government might not be able to find you."
"Those Celestial Dragons are simply..."
"Stop talking!"
Scarlett took a few steps back, somewhat frightened, but still interrupted Cyrus: