King Riku was utterly shocked and horrified after hearing Uchiha Hiko's words.
He knew that Uchiha Hiko harbored lofty ambitions, but he had never imagined they would be this lofty. He actually wanted to use Dressrosa as a foundation and develop it into a grand alliance capable of rivaling the world's major powers? In King Riku's mind, any major force capable of matching the Four Emperors or the Navy would already stand among the world's strongest powers.
How many people would the establishment of such a major force offend? How many wars and casualties would it bring to Dressrosa?
King Riku was a peace-loving man, and merely thinking of these issues made his heart ache faintly. Yet he did not dare voice any objection. After all, the man before him was the one who had saved Dressrosa, the one who had personally pulled Dressrosa back from the brink of destruction.
Uchiha Hiko had repeatedly proven with facts that his strategic planning far exceeded King Riku's comprehension. Countless times, King Riku had felt utterly exhausted and powerless. Matters that had driven him to despair were always resolved with ease before Uchiha Hiko, leaving King Riku with the conflicted urge to trust him.
He did not want Dressrosa to be swept into the vortex of disputes among the world's great powers, yet he inexplicably wanted to believe in Uchiha Hiko. King Riku felt as though he was about to split apart.
Hiko found King Riku's conflicted expression rather amusing.
"Later, represent me and convene another meeting. Discuss this matter with the countries that wish to join our grand alliance," Hiko said to King Riku. "But remember, we cannot formally recruit them into the alliance yet. You only need to probe their bottom line and see what kind of sincerity these people are