"Hah..." Sarie took a deep breath, struggling to calm the frantic pounding of her heart.
Meanwhile, her mind raced, processing the Rear Admiral's sudden appearance and his cryptic words.
Then, connecting his arrival with the kingdom's most recent crisis, she reached an answer.
"You're here about those six merchant ships!"
The visitor was naturally Lancelot, who made no attempt to conceal his purpose.
He nodded. "Correct."
Hearing this, Sarie couldn't help but feel elated.
She knew the one who had seized those merchant ships was Stelly's adoptive father, Outlock III.
This powerful Marine before her stood in direct opposition to Stelly and Outlock.
For her, this was an extremely advantageous, heaven-sent opportunity.
Immediately brimming with a desperate, excited hope, she declared, "As long as you support me in ascending the throne of the Goa Kingdom, I will immediately order the release of those cargo ships."
Lancelot laughed, a short, cold sound.
"Help you? You gain a throne, while I merely get a shipment released? You drive quite the hard bargain, Princess."
Sarie wasn't angered by this response—instead, her excitement grew.
If Lancelot found the terms insufficient, it meant he was genuinely considering helping her claim the throne.
"As long as you help me ascend the throne," she said, her voice firm, "and avenge my father and brothers, you can name any condition!"
Lancelot held up one finger. "First, release my fleet."
Sarie nodded: "Of course!"
Lancelot held up a second finger.
"Second, from now on, my merchant fleet must have unimpeded, tax-free passage throughout the entire Goa Kingdom."
"No problem!"
Lancelot held up a third finger. "Third, all maritime cargo transport within the Goa Kingdom will henceforth be handled exclusively by my merchant fleet."
"Ah, this..." Sarie showed a moment of hesitation.
Though her political acumen wasn't as sharp as her father's or brothers', as a royal princess, she was no fool.
She immediately understood the staggering implications behind this condition.
It meant handing over the entire economic lifeline of the Goa Kingdom to the man before her.
"Hah..." Sarie took another deep breath, weighing her pride and her kingdom's future against her own survival and desire for vengeance.
Finally, she nodded in agreement.
"As for the fourth condition..." Lancelot said, his voice dropping slightly.
At this point, his gaze swept brazenly over Sarie's body, lingering on her curves, which were accentuated by her mourning dress.
"You..."
As a married woman, Sarie understood perfectly well what it meant when a man looked at a woman with such hungry, possessive eyes.
Her brow furrowed slightly, a flash of indignation rising.
But then, just as quickly, it relaxed.
She realized... this way, she and he would share an unbreakable, intimate bond.
This actually worked to her advantage.
Most importantly, the tall, powerful, and handsome man before her was far more remarkable than the sniveling, treacherous Stelly.
Such a man was worthy of a woman entrusting her life to.
Most crucially, Stelly had murdered her entire family and stolen her kingdom.
Giving him a metaphorical "warm hat" wasn't excessive, was it? At this moment, she even felt a dark thrill of vengeful pleasure.
So, under Lancelot's burning gaze, she didn't retreat but instead met it head-on.
"How interesting..."
Seeing her unflinching, understanding gaze, Lancelot couldn't help but laugh.
Then he grew even more delighted, because Sarie Nantokanette, ever the pragmatist, very understandingly knelt down.
"Wow..."
Lancelot felt every pore on his body opening up in appreciation.
Now he finally understood why so many people in his past life had admired the historical figure Cao Cao.
Because married women not only understood everything, but they also knew how to handle affairs and were, in many ways, far more open-minded.
Truly masters of all eighteen martial arts.
'Hate the Cao bandit, understand the Cao bandit, become the Cao bandit, surpass the Cao bandit...'
...
An hour later, Sarie's eyes were vacant, her legs still trembling as she leaned against the wall for support.
Only now did she truly understand what a real man was.
Compared to Lancelot, Stelly was completely worthless, utterly useless...
Without personal experience, one could never comprehend the vast, staggering difference between three minutes and one hour.
When she finally came to her senses, Lancelot was already fully dressed, his Rear Admiral's cloak settled perfectly on his shoulders.
"I can't reveal myself officially just yet," he said, his voice all business. "My direct involvement would be considered interference in a kingdom's internal affairs. This is something the World Government, the Navy, and other kingdoms do not permit."
"So," he instructed, "first thing tomorrow morning, you must seize the opportunity to contact every Navy branch you can reach via Den Den Mushi. Tell them what's happened. Have them come to protect you, the rightful heir, and eliminate the rebels attempting to seize the throne."
Sarie, still shaky, asked, "Will they agree?"
Lancelot laughed. "Whether they agree or not is unimportant. What matters is that their refusal... will give me a legitimate reason to appear in the Kingdom of Goa and 'restore order,' helping you reclaim your throne."
Sarie's eyes lit up, understanding the political maneuver.
"Alright!"
.....
Time flew by, and the next day, Sarie Nantokanette found an opportunity to frantically contact various Navy branches using the royal Den Den Mushi.
The three Commodore-led branches were the first to receive the calls.
However, all three refused, citing the Navy's strict policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of kingdoms.
Not just them—every other Navy branch she reached responded the same way.
"Bang... Bang... Bang!"
Unexpectedly, Stelly soon got wind of it and came to her door, pounding on it furiously.
"Bastard..." Sarie Nantokanette couldn't help but curse under her breath.
It was worth noting that she hadn't cursed when rejected by the Navy branches earlier.
But now she couldn't hold back, because Stelly had discovered her actions so quickly.
There was only one possibility: some of the Navy branches she had just contacted had already been bribed by, or were in league with, Stelly.
She now felt immensely grateful that she had given herself to Lancelot the previous night.
"Bang... Bang... Sarie, open this door!"
Seeing that she wouldn't open it, Stelly's furious roar came from outside.
"If you don't open up, I'll have my men break it in!"
"Break in? How do you plan to do that?"
At that moment, Lancelot's calm voice echoed from down the hall.
He appeared not far from Stelly, slowly walking toward him.
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Stelly was first stunned, then turned to look in the direction of the voice.
He saw Lancelot approaching...
"A... Marine?" Stelly's face paled drastically, and his pupils contracted to pinpricks.
"Bastard..." Stelly cursed, then turned and snarled viciously at the door hiding Sarie Nantokanette.
"You actually did contact the Navy? You shouldn't have done that... because it will only make your future days a living hell!"
He then scoffed at Lancelot. "And what's one Marine soldier? Just kill him... Do you really think he can save you? As expected, you're still so foolish!"
As he spoke, Stelly shot a glance at the full squad of royal soldiers beside him.
Understanding his meaning, the soldiers raised their guns one by one, all aiming at Lancelot.
Stelly waved his hand. "Go to hell! Who asked you to meddle..."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Before his words fully left his mouth, he swung his arm sharply as if issuing an irrevocable command.
Immediately, the well-trained soldiers beside him pulled the triggers of their weapons without hesitation.
In an instant, deafening gunshots erupted one after another, echoing thunderously through the palace corridor.
Countless bullets whistled toward Lancelot like a storm.
The bullets were dense, weaving a deadly curtain of fire.
And at that moment, Lancelot was trapped in this relatively narrow corridor with limited space, with almost nowhere to escape.
---------
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