Every year, when he issued decrees aimed at improving the lives of the people of Dressrosa, this man would always step forward, leading a group of nobles in opposition, making his decrees impossible to implement.
Ditet's special status made the King hesitate to take action, leaving him feeling utterly stifled.
Now that Ditet was dead, as long as he could find a way to purge those incompetent nobles, he would leave his son a Dressrosa truly led by the Riku family.
King Riku looked at his son with great expectation. "In the future, you must govern Dressrosa well!"
"I will, Father!" Although he didn't fully grasp the deeper meaning behind his father's words, Prince Riku promised firmly.
"That Devil Fruit... it was well worth the price!" King Riku sighed with genuine emotion.
"Since it was worth it, then you shouldn't mind parting with another Devil Fruit." Charlotte Linlin's massive figure descended from the sky, appearing beside the two men.
"Who's there!"
"Get away from King Riku!"
The guards clearing the rubble quickly dropped what they were doing and dutifully shouted a warning at Charlotte Linlin.
"So beautiful!"
"A goddess!"
However, lacking any real mental fortitude, they were instantly captivated upon seeing Charlotte Linlin's stunning face.
Only King Riku and his son, who were too close to Charlotte Linlin and too short to see her full appearance, remained unaffected.
"Who are you? What do you want?" King Riku looked up, trying to see the newcomer's face, but all he could see were two towering peaks.
Nevertheless, as a king of a nation in the New World, he had already roughly guessed her identity.
A woman of such height with those iconic blue Dragon Wings on her back—there could be no one else but the Dragon Swordsman of the Rocks Pirates, Charlotte Linlin.
Charlotte Linlin, who similarly couldn't see her "hostages" from her height, said calmly:
"I'm a pirate. What do you think I'm here for?"
It wasn't that she had some strange habit; it was simply that the rubble in this area had been cleared away, making it a good spot to land. Standing next to King Riku also served to prevent the guards from taking any drastic actions.
"Sigh... I understand." The current King Riku let out a soft sigh, pulled a fruit with strange patterns from his robes, and tossed it to Charlotte Linlin.
Charlotte Linlin caught it with one hand. Seeing how cooperative King Riku was, she was quite surprised.
"I won't take your things for nothing, so..."
Charlotte Linlin paused, realizing she had nothing on her person to offer in exchange.
There were plenty of treasures in her Mirror Space, but she would have to transform into her black swan form to access them.
She didn't want the World Government to find out that she had consumed multiple Devil Fruits.
But simply taking it wasn't her style. Yet, leaving it behind wasn't an option either; her Pirate Crew needed Devil Fruits.
Just like her goal of going to Fish-Man Island to find some Fish-Man sailors, it was something she had to do for the sake of those she considered her comrades.
After a moment's thought, Charlotte Linlin said:
"How about this: I, Charlotte Linlin, will owe you a favor. If you ever run into trouble, just come to me, and I will help you resolve it."
King Riku gave a bitter smile. Knowing he was in no position to refuse, he could only agree. "Very well, Lady Linlin. I accept this deal."
"Until we meet again, then." With a light flap of her blue Dragon Wings, Charlotte Linlin soared into the sky and vanished into the twilight.
"Father, is such a promise truly worth anything?" Prince Riku looked at his father, puzzled.
Charlotte Linlin's polite conduct made him wonder if they could actually ask for her help in the future. After all, the New World was full of dangers.
King Riku warned his son with heavy heart, "Regardless of whether it's useful, we can never seek help from a pirate!"
"Setting aside the fact that these greedy pirates might take even more from us, the most important thing is that we are an Affiliated Nation of the World Government. We must never seek help from pirates!"
King Riku sighed and continued his advice, "My son, you must train hard and become strong. Otherwise, in the New World, Dressrosa will eventually become nothing more than a plaything for pirates to bully at will."
"Yes, Father!"
...
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!