"The Kingdom of Flevance!"
The lookout's shout made Dalmatian pause.
Unlike most Marines, who knew nothing about Flevance, Dalmatian was a Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters and had access to many highly classified matters. Naturally, he knew what had happened in the Kingdom of Flevance.
It was a kingdom the World Government had ordered sealed off several years ago.
Aside from the royal family, no one else was permitted to leave the country.
Of course, that was only one reason. The other reason Dalmatian was so familiar with this country was that the captain of the Thunder God Pirates, that man called Thunder God Enel, had recently been stirring up chaos across the seas. The ship's doctor of the pirate crew he belonged to, the Sky Pirates, Killmonger Ayala, and the Swordsman of the Wind, Killmonger Erik, had both been born in Flevance.
"Slow down and wait for their ship to come closer..."
In that instant, Dalmatian made his decision.
But the moment he gave the order, many of the sailors on the warship went pale.
The red-haired woman asked the comrade beside her in confusion,
"Why does everyone suddenly look so scared...?"
The soldier beside her looked at her in disbelief.
"Bell-mère, you don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Flevance. I heard a terrible contagious disease broke out in that country. Once you catch it, you're dead. There's no cure... Because of that, the World Government has already sealed the country off..."
The Marine's words instantly made the faces of the other Marines who had not known what was happening change as well. Bell-mère also turned pale.
Now everyone was truly frightened.
Seeing this, Dalmatian barked angrily,
"Idiots! If the World Government allowed them to attend the World Conference, do you really think they're infected? Slow down!"
"Yes, sir!"
Under Dalmatian's orders, the warship slowly reduced speed. The Goa Kingdom's ship beside them also slowed down, but its deck was already empty. The cabin doors and windows were locked tight, clearly out of fear of infection.
A little while later, the ship behind them slowly drew closer.
Although Dalmatian had already made the situation clear, when the white ship from Flevance approached, the Marines on deck still instinctively leaned back, keeping their mouths and noses shut, as though breathing the same air would infect them.
As the ship came nearer, everyone could finally see what was happening on its deck.
The first thing they saw was a group of guards dressed head to toe in silver armor, gleaming brilliantly beneath the sunlight.
Protected by those guards stood a short, plump man with blond hair, wearing a pure white formal suit trimmed in gold. In a ridiculous voice, he called out toward the warship,
"Yoho... What a surprise. To think I'd run into a Marine warship here. May I ask which Vice Admiral of the Marines this is?"
Dalmatian stepped forward.
"I am Vice Admiral Dalmatian of Marine Headquarters. Philock VII, I remember Vice Admiral Poto was supposed to be escorting you. Why have you appeared here alone?"
"Yoho... There was nothing I could do. Vice Admiral Poto seems terribly afraid of us, so he's behind us now, together with the ships from the Kingdom of Stilly..."
Dalmatian understood at once.
Vice Admiral Poto's fear was probably just an excuse.
The real reason was most likely the Kingdom of Stilly.
While Flevance's rich Amber Lead mines had brought it endless wealth, they had also drawn the greed of many nations. In the past, no one dared provoke Flevance because of its powerful national strength. But after the epidemic broke out, things changed...
The Kingdom of Stilly was one of the first nations to go to war with Flevance.
And Philock VII's next words confirmed Dalmatian's guess.
"So, Vice Admiral Dalmatian, would you mind if we followed your warship?"
At that moment, although the Marines around him were clearly against it, Dalmatian still nodded.
"That's fine. But you can only follow behind us."
"Thank you very much!"
"Resume course. Head for Alabasta!"
At that moment, curses were already ringing out from the Goa Kingdom's ship not far away.
After that, the warship continued sailing toward the Kingdom of Alabasta. Around dawn the next day, they finally arrived at Alabasta's port, where a ship was already waiting.
Inside the tightly sealed cabin of the Goa Kingdom's ship, Outlook II and his queen peered through a gap at King Nafirutali of the Kingdom of Alabasta on the ship not far away, their eyes filled with envy.
After all, the royal family of the Goa Kingdom had sacrificed who knew how much to become Celestial Dragons. Yet the very thing they valued so highly had been casually discarded by the Kingdom of Alabasta.
"Damn it... If only our Goa Kingdom could replace the Kingdom of Alabasta as descendants of those Twenty Nations..."
Not far away, on the deck of the ship, Nafirutali Cobra, the king of the Kingdom of Alabasta, naturally had no idea someone was already cursing them. However, as he looked at the empty Goa Kingdom ship in the distance, curiosity showed on his face.
Dalmatian treated Cobra with far more respect.
Among the World Government's more than one hundred member nations, Cobra was one of the few kings who could be called wise and enlightened.
Dalmatian pointed to the other ship following behind them and explained,
"King Nafirutali, that is a ship from the Kingdom of Flevance... Due to certain special circumstances, they are traveling with us..."
Cobra understood at once. Instead, the two guards behind him grew tense.
Cobra raised a hand to steady them.
"Don't worry. It's fine, Gaka, Peru."
Then he turned to Dalmatian with a smile and said,
"Well then, Vice Admiral Dalmatian, let's depart. I hope I can make it back in time for my child's birth!"
"Oh!"
Dalmatian's eyes lit up, and he smiled as well.
"Congratulations, King Nafirutali. In that case, let's set out at once! Raise anchor! Move out!"
Led by the warship, the three ships representing three nations sped toward the Mary Geoise Holy Land.