Clean Hands and Righteous Bearing

"How did I, a people's entrepreneur, suddenly become the second-in-command of the Goa Kingdom?"

While uttering these poignant words, Marjo's body was receiving services from Vivienne and the others.

Specifically, with Vivi's help, Ma Qiao is trying to fit his body into a Gothic-style regent's robe.

Looking at the decaying young man in the full-length mirror, Ma Qiao thought that if he added a specially styled beard and carried a Civilization stick, he would at least have the air of Nasan in his prime.

yue~

"Take it off! Take it all off!"

"Why would a grown man wear white stockings and high heels?!"

"Have these nobles' heads been slammed in a door? That's not how you add attack speed with white stockings!"

Under Vivi's regretful gaze, Ma Qiao discarded the aristocratic attire she had carefully prepared and changed into his favorite casual clothes.

"Uncle, you're on your way to help your relative manage a kingdom, how can you dress so casually?"

While discreetly stuffing the white silk stockings that Ma Qiao had worn into her beloved little bag, Vivi earnestly advised:

"I've heard that the Goa Kingdom is a Civilization and powerful nation renowned for its exemplary aristocratic etiquette. If you don't pay attention to your appearance, it will be difficult for you to integrate into the local aristocratic circles. And if you can't integrate into the aristocratic circles, how can you talk about governing the country?"

"Oh? Vivi, you sound very familiar with aristocratic circles and how to govern a country! What do you do for a living?" Ma Qiao asked with a smile.

"Well..."

Vivi stammered, "I'm an agent of Baroque Works, just like you! We're partners, and I'm even playing the role of your fiancée..."

Ma Qiao laughed and said, "But Baroque Works is undergoing bankruptcy liquidation and mergers and reorganizations. Are you still planning to stay in the organization?"

"As long as... as long as the company continues to pay my salary and allowances... I can keep working..."

Vivi blushed and spoke in a barely audible voice.

Don't worry!

Ma Qiao gently pulled Vivi into his arms, stroking her sky-blue hair with his hand:

"I'm the most loyal employee of Baroque Works! As long as I'm not bankrupt, I'll keep the workshop running... Come on, Lady Regent, let's go inspect the mess that our deceased brother Sali left us!"

"Ah... who is your Regent's wife?!" Vivi, covering her mouth in surprise.

"Of course it's you!"

Ma Qiao said matter-of-factly, "Although it's just a task assigned by the organization, and the organization is already half-paralyzed, as agents, we must persevere to the end!"

"Now all of Alabasta knows that you are my fiancée, and even King Cobra has seen us holding hands."

"If I were to abandon my fiancée the moment I become the regent of the great East Blue Kingdom, what would the world think of me? What would the people of the Goa Kingdom and the Alabasta Kingdom think of me? Even King Cobra would think I'm a shameless scoundrel, wouldn't he?"

Vivi really wants to say that the King Cobra you mentioned will most likely set off a 50-yard-long firework to celebrate.

However, it must be said that Ma Qiao's concerns are quite reasonable.

After all, very few people know that he is a princess; the vast majority of people will only think that Uncle Ma Qiao is a heartless man.

To avoid the older man being misunderstood, it seems I have no choice but to continue playing the very challenging role of his fiancée.

A happy smile appeared on Vivi's little face.

Three days later.

Countless reporters gathered on the southern plains of Shurima.

The sudden rise of a successful businessman to become the de facto ruler of a country thousands of miles away is undoubtedly a newsworthy event.

Some veteran media professionals even sensed a conspiracy in the matter.

However, when they tried to uncover the inside story, they were surprised to find that this boss, Ma Qiao, was surprisingly clean and could not be associated with the theft of the country in any way.

King Sally voluntarily abdicated the throne while he was of sound mind, not under duress, and witnessed by many.

His reasons for doing so were also quite valid.

According to investigations by veteran journalists, King Sali I and Crown Prince Sali II of the Goa Kingdom have been continuously transferring assets overseas over the past two decades.

In particular, the Holy Land Mary Geoise and the important Loguetown on the East Blue have prepared substantial industries.

It's clear they emptied the Goa Kingdom's financial reserves and were preparing to go abroad to enjoy this ill-gotten gain.

Even according to a reasonable speculation from a true media warrior, the previous theft of the Goa Kingdom's Heavenly Tribute might have been an act of the Sali Family stealing the country's assets and transferring them to their own overseas accounts.

Therefore, it becomes clear why the father and son were in such a hurry to leave the Goa Kingdom, and why they so hastily, even frivolously, handed over the throne.

Fortunately, their scheme was eventually exposed.

Just as the wicked Sali father and son were about to start their operation, the righteous gunshot rang out.

According to the conclusion reached by Marine Headquarters Colonel Captains Twitch, Garen, and Darius in their joint investigation, the assassin of the Sali family was a former King's Guard officer who helped the Sali family transfer their assets.

Because the Sali family was obsessed with the bodyguard fairy, they dismissed this diligent officer, leaving him in a state of long-term unemployment.

In the end, a common man's rage resulted in bloodshed ten steps away.

The officer shot and killed the smug Sali and his son in broad daylight.

The only thing the bodyguards they relied on could do was kneel in a row on the deck of the Victory Parade five days after they were shot, moving forward while using magnifying glasses to search for the remnants of the old king and his son's organization.

The entire event was overseen by three naval colonels, making it highly credible.

While Garen, the Sword of Justice, and Twitch, the Root of Justice, might have some degree of collusion due to their good personal relationship, Darius, the Dragon-Guarding Axeman, would absolutely never be on the same side as them.

According to the journalists' investigation, Darius is a member of the Celestial Dragons.

And he believed in Absolute Justice.

Lieutenant Sett, Darius's subordinate, beat up Sally Nandcanette, the former princess of the Goa Kingdom, in full view of everyone.

Because of this incident, Sett also had a fierce argument with the Kappa from Twitch's camp, which even escalated into an armed conflict.

This shows that these two camps are completely incompatible and have no basis for cooperation whatsoever.

In other words, the truth they all agree on is the absolute truth.

No matter how these journalists investigated, they could not find any connection between Baron Ma Qiao of Alabasta and the struggle for the throne of the Goa Kingdom.

It is no exaggeration to say that he was incorruptible and upright, a virtue that has been the hallmark of a ruler throughout history.

However, it seems that what awaits this young regent is not a stage to showcase his talents, but rather a deep pitfall.

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

The Goa Kingdom's finances had long been emptied by the Sali father and son.

Leaving aside the huge fiscal deficit, the stolen Heavenly Tribute is the biggest problem.

This self-made businessman reportedly once spent money to buy a baronial title from the Alabasta Kingdom.

This shows that he was extremely obsessed with noble titles.

However, this is generally the case with emerging capitalists; they are always keen to use money to gain a higher political status.

Of course, this time the situation is different.

This time, Ma Qiao became regent legitimately, in accordance with the law, morality, and the tradition of joint rule among nobles.

Money is just icing on the cake.

Even so, Regent Ma Qiao still paid for this year's Heavenly Tribute for the Goa Kingdom out of his own pocket.

In this way, the World Government fully recognized his dominion over the Goa Kingdom.

This dazzling array of information, when interwoven, means a series of news stories worthy of being on the front page.

Today, the reporters who were waiting at the Shurima docks were told that Regent Ma Qiao and his regent queen would depart from this barren plain for the Goa Kingdom.

This left many reporters completely baffled.

Of course, everyone still attended because of the generous red envelopes that the Big Bird Consortium's PR team had placed on the ground.

Soon, Ma Qiao appeared in everyone's sight, arm in arm with Vivi.

Flashbulbs went off incessantly as dozens of cameras were pointed at the golden couple.

As they approached, more than a dozen microphones were shoved in front of Ma Qiao.

"Regent Ma Qiao, what are your thoughts on the regency throne that has fallen from the sky?"

"I'm just looking after the property for my grandson, just like I've been quietly looking after the property of Baroque Works for my old boss."

"Regent Ma Qiao, do you have any preliminary ideas on how to govern the Goa Kingdom?"

"I am a refined and easy-going person. I am not very knowledgeable about governing a country, but I believe I will fully respect the local nobles of the Goa Kingdom and rely on their abilities to build and develop the Goa Kingdom well!"

"Regent Ma Qiao..."

Ma Qiao answered questions from more than a dozen reporters in a row.

The group included reporters from Big Bird Media Group as well as reporters from other media outlets.

However, the overall pace of the questioning was very smooth, thanks to the cover provided by online trolls.

Ma Qiao's answers were all rather bland and predictable, making him seem like a rich second-generation heir who was foolish and only wanted to dabble in the business.

Standing beside the successful man, Ma Qiao, the gentle and beautiful Vivi exudes a natural and elegant aura simply by maintaining a friendly smile.

The reporters were equally amazed by the Regent's wife's beauty, and used up quite a few rolls of film.

Finally, a reporter asked the most crucial question.

If they were going to sea, why would the Regent and his wife appear on this desolate plain?

To this, Ma Qiao smiled but remained silent.

Because the answer appeared very quickly.

Finally, a sharp-eyed reporter spotted a small dot in the distance.

Accompanied by the rumbling of the gas-fired internal combustion engine, the small dot grew larger and larger.

Until it transformed into a giant fathead fish, floating between the blue sky and white clouds.

Vacuum airships, a revolutionary mode of transportation that even surpasses Earth's technology, have appeared in the skies of the One Piece world for the first time.

It's worth mentioning that Ma Qiao once swore to God that he would never ride a vacuum airship.

The skeleton of the vacuum airship will be made using the ameloblasts from Garp's teeth.

But this is different from the fathead fish airship.

I searched for him a thousand times in the crowd, then suddenly I turned around, and there he was, in the dim light.

Ma Qiao is always thinking about taking advantage of the world's strongest individuals, but he forgets that in terms of physical strength alone, with dozens of heroes helping him train, Ma Qiao's physical strength is already comparable to those long-established powerhouses.

So that's right, the materials used in this Fathead Fish vacuum airship were all personally contributed by Regent Ma Qiao!

Of course, cloning your own cells always feels a bit strange.

Therefore, apart from the Fathead Fish, the other vacuum airships still use the biological materials from Garp and his crew.

The Fathead Fish vacuum airship will fire the first shot for Big Bird Airlines in seizing the world's high-end passenger transport market.

Under the spotlight, Ma Qiao, arm in arm with his beloved concubine, slowly waved to the crowd.

Then he turned around and climbed the steps that the fathead fish had set down with Vivi.