Pirates, Start with the vampire fruit and rescue the empress

Dressrosa Palace.

Sephiroth, led by Scarlet, came to an ordinary restaurant. Chen She inside was very simple, with a round table, a few chairs, and a wine cabinet.

On the round table, there are six dishes, braised sea cucumber, grilled fish, stir-fried carrots with cauliflower, steamed shrimp, roast beef, and steamed crab.

At the edge of the round table, three people were already seated, Violet, King Riku, and Princess Elise.

The princess has burgundy waist-length hair. Time has left a few wrinkles on her face, making her half-elf, but she is still considered a beauty, elegant and dignified, and very temperamental.

Scarlett took Sephiroth’s wrist and came to the princess. She introduced her and said:

“Queen Mother, this is the Sephiroth I told you about.”

“Oh! What a nice young man!

I have heard from my daughter and husband about your matter. Thank you very much for your help. ”

Princess Elise was very enthusiastic. She pulled Sephiroth to the seat next to her and sat down for a while.

Elise smiled and asked while putting food on his plate:

“I don’t know…when do you plan to marry my daughter?”

Hearing this, Sephiroth scratched his head in embarrassment and said evasively:

“Ahem!…Well…I think there’s no need to be too anxious about this matter. I want to develop my career first!”

“Not bad! Not bad! Young people put their career first…”

After hearing this, Princess Elise was not angry at all, she still had a very happy smile on her face.

Because Sephiroth once saved her husband, daughter, and the Kingdom of Dressrosa, out of gratitude, the princess basically looked at him with satisfaction…

King Liku put a sea cucumber on his dinner plate with a dinner tong. Then something came to his mind, and he subconsciously asked:

“Sephiroth, count the time, shouldn’t you be in the military academy now?”

“Uh! Yes, but after the last mission, instructor Zefa gave us a holiday.

So, I used my devil fruit powers and rushed to Dressrosa…”

“That’s it!”

King Liku looked at the silver-haired boy and then at his daughter. He had no doubts.

As if remembering something, Violet tilted her head and said curiously:

“Brother Sephiroth, let me tell you…

When you rescued us in the square in front of the palace, why did I suddenly faint…?”

“Uh! What about this?… It’s a secret!”

Sephiroth smiled and gave a casual explanation without giving a specific explanation.

“Oh~!”

The black-haired girl pursed her lips. Although she was a little dissatisfied, she did not continue to ask further.

King Liku watched his eldest daughter picking up food for the silver-haired boy. He couldn’t help but sigh and sigh:

“My daughter will be entrusted to you from now on. You must not let her down!”

Before Sephiroth could reply, Scarlett said first:

“Father, don’t worry!

Sephiroth is very kind to me, and he just gave me a devil fruit to eat, which gave me the ability to control rocks…”

“I just said it casually, alas! It’s true that women are not allowed to stay in college… Hahaha!”

King Riku laughed and shook his head, but did not continue to warn Sephiroth.

In his opinion, the silver-haired boy is willing to give something as valuable as the Devil Fruit to his eldest daughter, which proves that the other party’s intentions are definitely not fake…

After this dinner, the five of them got along very harmoniously, and no one deliberately embarrassed the young man.

…

Sephiroth saw King Riku put down his chopsticks and pick up a napkin to wipe the corners of his mouth. Apparently he had eaten and drank enough.

So, he tentatively asked:

“Can I discuss something with you alone?”

Hearing this, King Liku glanced at Sephiroth in surprise:

“Do we have to talk alone?”

“So be it!”

“Okay, then come with me to the main hall!”

King Riku nodded, stood up from his chair very simply, and led Sephiroth out of the restaurant.

…………

Dressrosa Palace, in the spacious meeting hall.

After King Liku transferred the guards stationed in the hall, he did not sit on the throne that symbolized power. Instead, he casually found a step below the throne and sat down.

King Riku looked at Sephiroth standing in front of him, and he said with a little doubt:

“What exactly do you want to talk to me about?”

“Well, I built a company.

I want it to be built in Dressrosa

. And expand other businesses…”

“Oh!? What kind of business does your company do…?” King Liku said with great interest.

“The umbrella company I established is now mainly engaged in the arms business, and is also involved in some entertainment industries. It is also planning to open the medical industry in the future…”

“Umbrella Corporation…Arms!?”

Upon hearing these two words, King Liku frowned slightly, and there was subconscious resistance in his heart.

He had also heard about the name of the Umbrella Company recently. It was a well-known arms dealer in the underground world…

Unexpectedly, that company was actually founded by the young man in front of him, and King Liku could not help but be a little surprised.

It was difficult for him to combine the other party’s identity as a military academy student with his identity as an arms dealer in the underground world…

King Riku considered Sephiroth’s kindness to him, so he couldn’t just turn his back on him.

So, he could only think carefully and said:

“Other industries are easy to negotiate, but…

I don’t want you to expand the arms business in the Kingdom of Dressrosa! ”

“Why?”

“Sephiroth, I have been advocating against war.

Therefore, I don’t want the Kingdom of Dressrosa to be involved in the arms business…”

“King Liku, opposing war is not inconsistent with doing arms business.”

“…”

Hearing this, King Riku suddenly had an expression on his face like “You’re kidding me” and stared at him with his eyes.

“Maintaining peace also requires the support of armed forces, just like the last pirate invasion.

If the navy hadn’t appeared in time to help the Kingdom of Dressrosa resist the pirates, and relied solely on the Kingdom’s army, what do you think King Riku would have done with this country? ”

“…”

“Now is the era of great pirates, the situation will only become more and more chaotic, and pirate invasions will gradually become normal.

The navy can save the Kingdom of Dressrosa once, twice… but they can never be so timely!

Do you have to wait until your country is ruined and your family is destroyed to wake up? ”

The words of the silver-haired boy were like a sharp arrow, piercing directly into the heart of King Riku, making him clearly recall the scene when he was threatened by the pirates that night…

“But…arms will only bring war after all…”

“Then why do you need to equip your royal army with swords and firearms?”

Hearing this, King Liku subconsciously said:

“Of course it is to protect the citizens and protect this country…”

but……

His voice became smaller and smaller, and he seemed to realize something…

“Weapons themselves are not right or wrong, nor do they cause war…

Wrong, only those who use them to start wars!

In this turbulent era, weapons can be used to wage war or to protect one’s own life and the lives of others, it just depends on how the user uses them. ”

“Besides, I can assure you that after my company settles in the Kingdom of Dressrosa, it will also drive the economy of the entire country, allowing your citizens to gradually escape poverty and achieve a better standard of living, without having to live below the food and clothing line. Struggling up and down…

By then, the Kingdom of Dressrosa will have strong military strength and a wealthy living standard… Isn’t this good? ”

At this moment, facing the silver-haired boy’s sophistry, King Liku’s heart was already shaken…

Sephiroth’s rhetorical question reminded him of the last time he was kidnapped by pirates. His daughter and country were placed on the balance of choice, and the pirates asked him to choose one of the two.

At that time, his heart was in agony and painful!

Therefore, he once regretted that if his country’s army was stronger, perhaps this would not be the case…

Sephiroth’s words were like the devil’s whisper, tempting him to move towards the dark abyss. He knew that this was wrong, but there was still an emotion in his heart that was ready to move.

However……

A person’s long-held beliefs are not so easily defeated.

Now that King Riku was approaching the edge of the cliff, he still felt a burst of resistance in his heart, and subconsciously wanted to retreat…

After being silent for a long time, he didn’t know how to make a decision, so he could only say evasively:

“But the arms business is very involved and can easily attract the attention of other forces!

If you are not careful, the Kingdom of Dressrosa will be destroyed…”

“If King Riku is willing to allow my company to settle in and develop in the Kingdom of Dressrosa, then I will have a way to solve this problem…”

“…”

Silent, still silent, King Riku raised his head and stared deeply at Sephiroth, hesitating in his heart.

Suddenly!

Scarlett’s body rose from the rocky ground

On the surface, it slowly floated up, as if the rock was holding her up.

Looking at her father’s hesitant expression, the pink-haired girl said firmly:

“Father! Just promise Sephiroth!

I trust his decision!”

Driven by curiosity, and also to try out the power of the Stone Fruit, the girl had long been secretly hiding under the rocky floor of the hall, eavesdropping on the conversation between the two.

“But…this…?”

“Father, do you want your daughter to encounter that kind of thing again?”

Hearing his daughter’s question, King Riku suddenly felt a sense of guilt in his heart, which instantly shattered the hesitation in his heart and made him step into the dark abyss.

“Alas!…Okay! I agree.” King Riku sighed.