Old Driver's About to Drive?

In the royal court of the Gilia Kingdom, the king was discussing this year's policy changes with his ministers.

"Everyone, I believe we should cut part of the Navy's funding and allocate it to the Army. With the World Government's direct Navy stationed here, I see no point in maintaining the kingdom's own Navy." General Gilbert, a scar running across his face, spoke with disdain.

"What ignorant nonsense. The sea is—" The Navy Minister was about to argue fiercely when a flustered attendant suddenly rushed in, interrupting him.

"Your Majesty, terrible news! Something dreadful has happened!"

"What is it?" The king's expression darkened. This attendant had no sense of decorum at all, making him lose face.

"According to the reports, the Phantom Sword Pirates have appeared in nearby waters. Judging by their route, they seem to be heading toward our Gilia Kingdom!"

"That's all? A mere pirate crew dared disrupt a court meeting over something like this? Go receive fifty Court Bashings."

The others all shared the same sentiment. There were countless pirates in the North Blue, and they had long established defenses against them. Even if they could not handle them, wasn't there still the stationed Navy? Yet the Navy Minister went pale, no longer caring to argue with General Gilbert over military funding.

"Your Majesty, this is no trivial matter. The Phantom Sword Pirates are on an entirely different level from the small-fry pirates we dealt with before."

"Oh? Is that so?" The king remained calm, chuckling inwardly. Trying to scam more funding? Heh. As wise as I am, how could I possibly fall for that?

"Hmph, how laughable. To be so afraid of a band of pirates... Your Majesty, I say there is no need for the kingdom to maintain a direct Navy at all. The Army alone can protect the kingdom's peace." General Gilbert spared no effort in attacking his opponent.

"Mhm, General Gilbert truly is dependable." The king said with a smile.

The Dukes and Ministers all praised Gilbert for stepping forward at such a crucial moment to calm everyone's fears. Only the Navy Minister stood there speechless. Did these idiots not care about the situation in the North Blue at all?

To deepen the king's understanding of the Phantom Sword Pirates, he had no choice but to speak again. "Your Majesty, Roy, the captain of the Phantom Sword Pirates, is a major pirate with a bounty of 50 million Beli."

"Mhm, I remember that the pirate who overestimated himself and attacked our kingdom last month, only to be captured and hanged, had a bounty of around 10 million Beli. Heh, it seems this Roy is nothing special either. He's just the equivalent of five little crooks of that level put together."

The Navy Minister was in despair. Damn it, was that how bounty amounts were supposed to be calculated?

Fortunately, not everyone present was completely useless. Many understood what a 50 million Beli bounty meant in the North Blue. For a time, the hall buzzed with fearful discussion.

Seeing that the king still looked unconcerned, the Navy Minister could only offer an example that would let him truly understand.

"Your Majesty, do you remember the nearby Ciss Kingdom?"

"Oh, the Ciss Kingdom? Of course I do. That kingdom is famous for producing fine liquor. It's quite well known in the surrounding waters as the Kingdom of Beer." The king remained calm.

"Alas, the Ciss Kingdom is now history."

"What? How is that possible?" The king looked slightly surprised.

"The entire Ciss Kingdom was conquered by a pirate crew, all because their captain was a vicious man who loved alcohol more than life itself."

"W-What? That terrifying? Hah... Luckily, our Gilia Kingdom isn't famous for producing liquor." The king began to panic.

"Although the crew that conquered the Ciss Kingdom was not affiliated with the Phantom Sword Pirates, they had one thing in common: both of their captains carried bounties of 50 million Beli. One last thing—the final fate of King Sis was death by hanging."

"Guards! Protect me! Someone, come quickly!" At last, the king's composure completely collapsed.

Even General Gilbert, who had constantly opposed the Navy Minister, did not dare say another word. He had never imagined that the pirates he considered insignificant could be so terrifying. They had conquered an entire kingdom merely to drink fine liquor. For the first time, he was grateful that his kingdom had no famous specialties.

In the royal court of the Gilia Kingdom, the atmosphere was heavy. Everyone wore panicked expressions, and quite a few people had their eyes darting around as though plotting something.

The pot-bellied king tried his best to maintain his regal authority as he said solemnly, "Everyone, we are now at a critical juncture, a matter of life and death. We must put aside our past grievances, work together, and overcome this crisis."

The Dukes and Ministers all nodded in agreement, yet not a single person was willing to speak.

The king could no longer keep up appearances and called out directly, "Duke Hess, you are the pillar of our kingdom—experienced and prudent. Surely you can come up with a solution?"

Big Beard stepped out from the crowd with a bitter expression. "Your Majesty, I have neglected military affairs for years and do not know much about the current situation. I believe it would be better to hear General Gilbert's opinion."

When the king turned his gaze toward him, General Gilbert cursed that old fox inwardly. Then he put on a show, coughed twice, and said, "This crisis comes mainly from the sea. I think the Navy Minister should be the one to offer a solution."

"No, no, my talents are limited, and I fear I am not fit for such a great responsibility. Duke Hess is highly respected and surely capable of controlling the overall situation."

"General Gilbert should do it."

"The Navy Minister would be better."

The three of them kept passing the responsibility around, leaving everyone else speechless. Finally, someone could no longer stand it and stepped forward to rebuke them righteously. "With the nation in peril, you three are still shirking responsibility like this? It's simply disgraceful!"

Instead of getting angry, the three were delighted. They looked at the man who had stepped forward and asked, "In that case, we'll leave this matter to Earl Albert."

"Hmph, what's so difficult about that?" Earl Albert raised his nose arrogantly, clearly disdaining to converse with them.

"Excellent! Once this matter is resolved, I will reward you handsomely. By the way, Earl Albert, what is your plan?"

"Tell the teacher—ptui, I mean report it to the Navy. As long as the Navy stationed in the kingdom takes action, no matter how arrogant that Roy is, he definitely won't dare launch an attack."

Earl Albert clasped his hands behind his back and stared up at the chandelier overhead with an unfathomable air, waiting for everyone else to shower him with praise.

When he finally sensed something was wrong and lowered his head, he found everyone looking at him as if he had to be joking. The king in particular had a face as black as the bottom of a pot, making Albert feel as though his intelligence had been insulted.

"What's going on? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"The 25th Marine Branch stationed in the kingdom mobilized its entire force an hour ago to pursue a pirate with a bounty as high as 5 million Beli. You heard that right—5 million, not 50 million." The Navy Minister spoke while suppressing his anger.

"Th-Then... I must go to Marine Headquarters and file a complaint against them! They're so diligent when it comes to collecting protection money, but the moment something happens, they're the first ones to vanish!" Earl Albert declared indignantly.

General Gilbert merely sighed. "Who knows whether we'll even live long enough to see that day?"

Everyone else also wore miserable expressions. After all, to pirates, nobles like them were fat sheep. Anyone else might be able to flee, but they certainly would not be spared.

In the end, General Gilbert let out a long sigh. "Your Majesty, with the kingdom's defensive forces, it is absolutely impossible for us to withstand the attack of a major pirate like Roy. We might as well give up resisting and show some obedience."

If this had been any other day, countless people would have leapt out in outrage, loudly condemning Gilbert as a traitor who deserved to be hanged. But now, under the intimidation of the Phantom Sword Pirates, they were secretly delighted instead, only hoping that His Majesty would not care too much about the kingdom's dignity.

The king fell silent in contemplation. Only when everyone's hearts had risen to their throats did he ask tentatively, "Well... what if the World Government comes after us afterward? How should we deal with that? And will the method you mentioned really work?"

The others were speechless upon hearing this. So His Majesty did not care about the kingdom's honor at all—he sounded even more frightened than they were. If the king could hear their thoughts, he would surely burst into tears. He had recently looked through quite a bit of relevant literature—novels—and discovered that kings never ended well. Whenever pirates invaded a kingdom, the first thing they did was almost always hang the king. Clearly, being a king truly was a high-risk profession.

"Do not worry, Your Majesty. From the information I have gathered these past few days, although the Phantom Sword Pirates are incomparably brutal, they seem to act that way only toward forces that have provoked them. As long as we receive them with the highest possible honors, with the same enthusiasm we would show the Celestial Dragons, we will surely survive this calamity."

"The general truly is a pillar of the kingdom! Listen carefully, everyone. You must keep those spoiled brats in your households under control. No—tie them up directly. We absolutely cannot let them disturb Lord Roy."

"Yes!" everyone answered listlessly, inwardly grumbling, Who doesn't know that the biggest troublemakers are your princes? And you still have the nerve to lecture us?

"Oh, right. Under the banner of saving the kingdom from ruin, gather all the peerless beauties in the kingdom into the palace. Have them quickly choreograph a pleasing dance to welcome Lord Roy."

"Brilliant! His Majesty truly is brilliant!"

"Hmph, even heroes cannot resist the charms of beauty. This plan is excellent!"

"No, I think that would be a bad idea. It might instead anger Lord Roy." Albert stepped forward again.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" the king asked with an unfriendly expression. He had not yet had the chance to settle the matter from before, and now this man dared to jump out and contradict him again.

"After thoroughly cramming information about the Phantom Sword Pirates just now, I discovered an enormous secret."

"Speak."

"From the captain to the officers to the ordinary crewmen, the Phantom Sword Pirates are all burly men of steel. Heh heh, doesn't that clearly tell us that Phantom Sword Roy is gay? If we receive him with beautiful young women, Lord Roy will definitely think we are mocking him."

"Huh? Is that really the case? Then what do you suggest?"

"Simple. Replace the beautiful girl troupe with a gay troupe. But since we do not know Lord Roy's preferences, prepare a dozen of every type—Little Fresh Meat, Old Preserved Meat, and so on."

"Uh... is that reliable?"

"Absolutely."

When Roy stepped onto the shores of the Gilia Kingdom, he was somewhat stunned as well. The people here had actually lined the streets to welcome him, a pirate. In particular, the nobles and ministers mysteriously told him that they had prepared a gift for him.

Seeing the lewd looks in their eyes, Roy understood instantly. Outwardly, he remained calm, but inwardly he was quite satisfied. The Gilia Kingdom is pretty sensible. They're making me feel embarrassed about harassing them. Forget it, I'll leave after forging the scabbard. Still... heh heh, looks like Old Driver will be taking the wheel tonight.