The Royal Palace.
The current king, Nefertari Cobra, hurried toward the tallest tower in the royal city with a group of ministers. Most of them were pale and sweating coldly.
"Can someone tell me why a Representative from the Richest Group has appeared here?"
Cobra, at the head of the group, wore a grim expression.
He was usually kind and amiable.
But now, he was filled only with fear and fury.
Though the Richest Group acted arrogantly and domineeringly, it rarely went out of its way to provoke other kingdoms. In its eyes, aside from a handful of powerful forces, everyone else in the sea was a nobody.
There was no need, nor any interest, in wasting time taking the initiative.
But whenever the Richest Group made a move, it meant that some force or kingdom had provoked it first.
And then, annihilation awaited.
Alabasta claimed to have a standing army of 600,000. Even on the Grand Line, it was one of the great powers.
But compared with the Richest Group, it was nothing.
Its members were all top-tier powerhouses, capable of making mountains collapse and the skies change color with a casual gesture. Forget 600,000 soldiers—even a million or ten million wouldn't be enough to stop them.
At most, they'd only waste a little time.
"Damn it."
When the princes, nobles, and ministers behind him remained silent, Cobra knew something had gone wrong.
His first thoughts turned to the casinos, Red Light District, pharmacies, and arms shops in the city. The Richest Group had established them here five years ago—not by force, but with the kingdom's permission and by paying taxes.
The same was true of the Richest Group's businesses in other kingdoms.
To be honest, given the Richest Group's size, no one would dare say a word even