Not long after, Ryuen, who sensed something had changed downstairs, quickly came down.
The moment he appeared, the once noisy hall instantly went quiet. Everyone's eyes turned toward him, which made Ryuen frown slightly.
He slowly walked over to Nami and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
Nami nodded slightly and pointed toward Angela. "That Princess Angela hopes that once she takes the throne, she can raise our flag in her country."
"That's right!" Angela quickly added, stepping up beside Ryuen with a hopeful and pleading look in her eyes. "Ryuen-senpai, we'll strictly follow all of New World's rules and pay the protection fees on time! Please say yes!"
Those eyes, full of desperation and hope, were deeply etched in Ryuen's mind.
From the moment Angela first mentioned wanting to raise the Dream Exploration Group's flag in the Kingdom of Magiatsuka, to now, asking Ryuen face to face—
Enough time had passed for the citizens of Magiatsuka to finally react.
"Um…"
"Princess Angela, why should we raise the Dream Exploration Group's flag? Isn't our kingdom a member of the World Government?"
"Yeah, Princess, won't the World Government punish us if we do this?"
"And... even though the Dream Exploration Group has a good reputation, they've now been labeled as pirates by the World Government, and there's a bounty on every single one of them…"
"Princess, all the Marines at the base left today—do you know why?"
...
The people of Magiatsuka, seeing a chance, started asking all the questions that had been building up inside them.
Hearing their words,
Angela, along with Witt and the other former royal guards, looked visibly angry again.
Angela took a deep breath to calm herself before speaking. "Citizens…"
Right then,
Kanara, standing nearby, gently grabbed Angela's arm and shook her head. "Princess Angela, now isn't the time to go public."
Seeing this, the citizens of Magiatsuka looked even more anxious and confused.
Angela realized that Kanara was right—this wasn't the right moment—so she changed her words: "Everyone, please be patient for just two more days. I promise I'll give you a proper explanation."
"But right now, if we want to protect our country, we need someone to stand behind us."
Angela's eyes were firm, though her voice carried both helplessness and frustration.
Kanara looked at her and opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, stayed silent.
She knew that this situation wasn't just caused by outside pressure. The Revolutionary Army had made mistakes too.
They had been overconfident, thinking they could keep Angela's identity hidden, but in the end, the World Government still found out.
Worse, their connection to Angela was now exposed, putting them at a huge disadvantage.
Angela knew clearly: the Kingdom of Magiatsuka could no longer be part of the World Government. In other words, from now on, their country would face danger from both pirates and the Marines.
After all, this was the New World—everything was complicated here, and the Revolutionary Army's power in this region was weak. They simply couldn't protect the Kingdom of Magiatsuka.
Thinking about this, Angela couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
She once thought she could change the fate of her country and help her people escape suffering. But reality was cruel, and now she had to face this painful choice.
No matter what, she couldn't give up. She had to find a way forward for her country and her people...
And the Dream Exploration Group was the best option!
Even though she was still young, everything she had gone through taught her a lot. She had to grab this one and only chance!
Ryuen looked at Angela with a calm expression.
No one knew what he was thinking.
"Ryuen-senpai, please say yes to the Princess," Witt said, getting nervous seeing that Ryuen was still silent. "Don't worry, we'll pay the protection fees by the same standards the World Government uses!"
"Yeah, Ryuen-senpai, look at how young the Princess is—please show us some mercy and help the Kingdom of Magiatsuka!"
"Ryuen-senpai, we're willing to become part of the Dream Exploration Group!"
"Please say yes!"
"Senior Ryuen, we're willing to be the first country to fly your Dream Exploration Group's flag!"
...
Inside the hall, several citizens of the Magiatsuka Kingdom began speaking up. Although they still didn't know why Princess Angela insisted on raising the Dream Exploration Group's flag—
They didn't want to know.
All they knew was one thing: they believed in Princess Angela.
Just like how they once believed in the Garfield royal family.
"Blub blub blub~"
...
Just as everyone was waiting for Ryuen's response, a sudden "blub blub blub" sound came from him, breaking the tense atmosphere.
All eyes turned to Ryuen.
He looked down and pulled out a Den Den Mushi that wouldn't stop ringing.
And the face on the Den Den Mushi—was Vice Admiral Tsuru?
Ryuen's mind turned quickly. He immediately understood why she was contacting him.
He answered right away: "Vice Admiral Tsuru, that was fast~"
"Looks like your Dream Team already knows what's going on. I'm calling you on behalf of the Marines. We'd like to ask that you don't make this public just yet. We know you won't agree so easily, so I've already set out for the Magiatsuka Kingdom. We'll talk in person when I arrive," Tsuru's voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
Ryuen's lips curled into a slight smile. "Fine. I believe the World Government will give us a deal we're satisfied with."
"Good. That's it, then."
*Click*
Tsuru ended the call right after.
"Uh…"
"Senior Ryuen, just now…" Angela looked at him, clearly worried.
"Hehehe~"
"Let's go upstairs and talk. There are things that aren't suited to be discussed in public." Ryuen turned around with a cheerful tone and spoke to everyone.
"Ah—okay!" Angela was stunned for a second, then quickly replied.
Right after that, the three Revolutionary Army squad leaders, Witt, Angela, and the others followed the Dream Team members upstairs to the floor they had reserved.
"The Magiatsuka Kingdom wants to fly our flag? Sure, no problem. We won't ask for any protection fees. All we need is for you to help us put on a little show." After everyone sat down, Ryuen finally gave his answer.
"Really?!"
"That's great, Senior Ryuen! Just tell us what to do—we'll go along with anything!" Angela jumped up excitedly.
Witt was also clearly thrilled.
---
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