The Real Goa Kingdom

As the airship slowly descended, Vivi's expression gradually changed.

Her initial excitement and anticipation vanished instantly. Vivi covered her nose and asked incredulously:

"Isn't the Goa Kingdom supposed to be a model nation based on Mary Geoise, with excellent air quality and clean water?"

"What's with this overwhelming stench? Were all the stories I read in books and magazines just nonsense?"

"Excuse me, may I interrupt?"

Ma Qiao asked curiously, "Vivi, what magazines do you read?"

"Independent Thinking"

Vivi answered matter-of-factly, "My father has been buying me magazines like these since I was little, hoping I would become an Independent Thinking heir to the throne—no, I mean, an outstanding female agent capable of Independent Thinking... Is there a problem with that?"

"No... no problem..."

Ma Qiao wiped the sweat from his brow.

Sure enough, there's a reason why Cobra was so easily fooled by Crocodile's simple tricks in the original story.

Using this kind of magazine as an educational guide for royal children—how can that possibly be good?

Thanks to Twitch's contributions, Ma Qiao has a very strong resistance to various garbage pollutants and germs.

However, while resistance exists, like Sun Wukong's bronze head and iron arms, he wouldn't intentionally use his head to catch a knife.

It won't break, but it will hurt!

Similarly, Ma Qiao didn't want to be immersed in this terrible smell.

The same was true for the others on the airship.

Especially Vivi.

Compared to Yamato on Onigashima, and the Cat Burglar who roams various dark and filthy places, Vivi, born into royalty, is much less tolerant of the smells emanating from garbage.

Ma Qiao sighed and took out several sets of custom-made clothes from the box.

"Put it on. There's no need to torture your body. This is a special chemical protective suit developed and designed by scientists from Zaun based on their extensive experience dealing with pollutants."

"No, I want to experience the suffering of people living in such terrible conditions, cough cough cough..."

Vivi longed to put into practice her life principle of sharing weal and woe with the people.

But waves of an indescribable stench surged in like ocean currents, causing Vivi to cough and even gag.

Ma Qiao knew that Vivi genuinely wanted to stand with the people, unlike those environmentalist girls who only knew how to shout "good daddy" and put on a show rather than act.

But...

"It's good to empathize with others' suffering, but in my opinion, rather than trying to experience the pain of the underprivileged, it would be better to let them enjoy the happiness of being a true citizen."

Despite Vivi's objections, Ma Qiao put the hazmat suit on her.

emmm...

Looking at the blue-haired girl in front of him, dressed in an outfit resembling a spacesuit, Ma Qiao pulled out his Big Bird Den Den Mushi.

"Wow, wow, this is Dr. Dr. Mundo. Do you need brain surgery?"

"I'm your boss!"

"Boss Ma Qiao! Sorry, I was practicing my surgical skills at the Shambles and didn't notice it was you calling!"

"Enough with the nonsense, I want to ask you, what's the deal with your hazmat suit design?"

"Haha, Boss Ma Qiao, you should know how much wastewater and garbage those hypocritical Piltover people dumped for Zaun. I bet this hazmat suit that Singed and I developed is the most effective weapon on the market against garbage gas, and it can even protect against that idiot Caesar Clown's gas attacks!"

"I understand the logic, but why is your design just... so..."

After thinking for a long time, Ma Qiao still didn't know how to blame Dr. Mundo, so he could only angrily hang up the phone.

After all, you can't expect Dr. Mundo to have much aesthetic sense.

"So, Vivi, no, I mean, Regent's Princess, it really wasn't my fault that I dressed you up as a Celestial Dragons..."

Looking at Vivi, who was trapped inside a bubble helmet and whose eyes were filled with anger, Ma Qiao offered a weak explanation.

You still need to wear the hazmat suit.

After all, the Uncertain Substance Terminal is a place ten thousand times more foul-smelling than the streets of 19th-century Paris, a thousand times dirtier than the Ganges River, a place where both Paris noblewomen and the mysterious Third Brother would vomit on the spot.

Domestic and industrial waste from the town on the outskirts of the royal city's noble district was dumped here without any treatment.

Over the years, the Uncertain Substance Terminal has become a place like a hellish hell.

Here, animal and human excrement piles up into small mountains.

Various kinds of maggots roamed back and forth on the dung mountain.

While feces are repulsive and spread a variety of diseases, that's not the worst part.

Besides these small mountains of excrement, there are also all sorts of garbage mountains made up of piles of trash.

They were also swarming with mosquitoes and flies, and reeked of a foul stench.

Various kinds of toxic wastewater of strange colors flow through these garbage mountains.

The culprit behind the burns to Vivi's and others' respiratory tracts and their incessant coughing was the steam formed from this wastewater.

The Goa Kingdom was able to support so many bloated nobles not only through its agricultural estates based on serfdom, but also through a certain level of low-end industry.

Under the sunlight, this completely untreated industrial wastewater emitted colorful steam.

Similarly, a significant amount of wastewater is absorbed by the soil.

The land here has been completely polluted and is no longer suitable for human habitation.

Even if the area is redeveloped immediately, this land will remain uninhabitable for the next few decades.

Yet, even in such an extremely harsh environment, groups of humans can still be seen living here.

They were ragged and emaciated, looking as if a gust of wind could blow them over.

Many of them even developed abscesses and tumors due to prolonged exposure to harsh environments.

Vivi couldn't help but close her eyes:

Why is this happening? Why do we all have to live here?!

Vivi pointed to the towering city walls that were faintly visible in the distance, and the magnificent buildings that were partially hidden within them:

"Is that the Goa Kingdom, or is this the real Goa Kingdom?"

"They are all."

Ma Qiao sighed and explained, "I've heard a saying: if you love someone, send them to Goa, because it's heaven; if you hate someone, send them to Goa too, because it's hell."

"Separating the trash and the 'lower class' who are considered trash from the glamorous inner city, with the nobles high above, exploiting the poor to the bone, depriving them of their right to education, and letting them live their lives in a daze—this is the secret to the Goa Kingdom becoming a model nation."

"How could this be! These people are all citizens of the kingdom!"

Vivi tried to cover her mouth, but her thick gloves could only pat against the bubble wrap.

Ma Qiao smiled. "Actually, Mary Geoise is pretty much the same, except that Mary Geoise can reap the benefits of the entire world, exporting chaos and war to places that the Celestial Dragons can't even see, unlike the Goa Kingdom, which keeps the poor and the trash right at its doorstep."

Ma Qiao explained the essence of this world to Vivi.

She was saying some outrageous things that she had never seen in her textbooks.

There are no outsiders here, so there's no need to be discreet.

As they approached the city gate, the magnificent stone gate suddenly opened.

A group of ordinary people, completely out of place in this garbage dump—yes, just ordinary people barely making ends meet—stood out with their heads held high.

Although they are only one level above the untouchables at the Uncertain Substance Terminal, this is enough to give them an inexplicable sense of superiority.

"Has another batch of trash been delivered?"

The scavengers, who had been rummaging through the garbage heap for anything useful, ignored Ma Qiao and his companions as they landed from the airship, but showed undisguised longing for these people who had come from the city.

Because they know that their survival depends on the garbage thrown out by these city dwellers; without this garbage, their wives and children would starve and eventually die.

Some might say, "You're already in such a miserable state, why would you want to have another child?"

Perhaps this is just human instinct.

However, this time, things did not go as the scavengers had expected.

They were disappointed to find that the city dwellers who left the city this time did not bring any trash with them.

Some of them used long-handled weapons to push and drive away the untouchables who surrounded them.

The rest lay prone on the dirty ground, using their bodies to pave a clean path.

Soon, a group of well-dressed noblemen and women, wearing ten-centimeter high heels, stepped out onto the backs of these commoners.

"Good heavens! Is this the new regent the navy informed us of, who has come to take over our country?"

"I love their clothes; they must be the latest designs from Mary Geoise!"

"As expected of the elite from the Grand Line, Regent Ma Qiao and his wives truly possess the demeanor of Celestial Dragons!"

The nobles were astonished by the attire of Ma Qiao and Vivi, among others.

They had always looked up to the Celestial Dragons, and now that they had discovered their new leader possessed such charisma, their hearts finally settled.

It seems that they are led by a dignified regent who will not make those rash and impulsive decisions.

Both Vivi and Nami gritted their teeth as they looked at these so-called nobles who were stepping on others.

Even Yamato, who usually lacks a sense of justice Yamato, frowned.

"Brother Ma Qiao, I don't like these guys. Can I knock them out of here?"

Ma Qiao grabbed Yamato's spiked club.

"Don't do anything reckless! These people are important laborers for our Goa Kingdom's national pig farm!"

"Jewelry? Your Highness, what jewelry are you talking about?"

An elderly man, who looked dignified and like a noble leader, leaning on Civilization cane, stepped on the head of the commoner closest to Ma Qiao and shook his head, saying:

"Your Highness Regent, if you and your wife are fond of jewelry, then it is very unfortunate that all the jewels in the Goa Palace have already been looted by King Sally."

"Oh?"

"It's alright, I'm not a money person, I have no interest in money."

Ma Qiao flashed a benevolent smile, "Lead the way quickly, I can't wait to reach my loyal palace and issue my first order."