Causing trouble?

In the early morning, Queen Rosa sent a message stating that a tea party would be held in the palace gardens that afternoon and that the Marines must attend.

The Queen is no ordinary person. Most of those who attend her birthday banquet are members of royal families from various kingdoms and prominent nobles and merchants from the Grand Line. These people are driven by self-interest, and the Queen's birthday banquet is an excellent platform for them to engage in conversations and negotiations. Therefore, Queen Rosa decided to hold a tea party that afternoon, allowing everyone to settle their affairs – it was an unwritten rule.

However, Hana is currently facing a sensitive situation involving a power transition, and most of those attending are there to support Fred. Only a small minority are interested in using this platform for business dealings, and they wouldn't need such a grand tea party; they could handle it privately.

There must be some ulterior motive!

Ding!

Sticking a toothpick into a clean dinner plate, Garp narrowed his eyes and looked out the window. "Who cares what it is! You just need to remember that you're not one of us Marines!"

Ron smiled slightly after a moment of surprise. "Understood!"

The palace was very lively today, with attendants constantly bringing snacks and tea to the garden in preparation for the tea party.

But beneath this liveliness, a subtle sense of tension was undeniable.

Although Fred's forceful succession was only known among high-ranking officials, General Jade's life or death was unknown, and the loss of such a pillar in Hana was a significant matter. Those who knew the full story and understood the intentions of the Marines and the high-level officials from various countries were even more terrified, daring not to speak loudly.

Ron remained oblivious to all this, or rather, indifferent.

As he was about to follow Garp to the tea party venue, an attendant approached the three of them, bowed, and said, "Mr. Ron, the Queen requests your presence..."

As expected!

Garp and Ron exchanged a glance, then nodded. "You go see the Queen first. We'll wait for you in the garden."

"Understood..."

With that, Ron turned down another corridor, led by the attendant. Garp and Traine watched him walk away before continuing on their way.

The venue for the tea party was located deep within the palace. The Marine encampment was quite far away. While the climate outside was still that of the Summer Domain, entering the palace, a cool, snowy wind blew down from the mountains, making the climate pleasant. By the time they reached their destination, the temperature felt like late autumn.

This was also why the Queen chose this location for the tea party. Nobles were often meticulous about details, and their attire was usually layered and elaborate. It was rare to see someone wearing just a T-shirt like the Marines. If it were too hot, no one would be in the mood to eat snacks and drink afternoon tea.

"Damn it! You wretched wenches! Don't you know how hot the tea is?!"

As Garp and Traine stepped into the garden along the corridor, an unpleasant shout caught their attention. Simultaneously, there was the crisp sound of a teacup hitting the ground and the sharp smack of a palm hitting a face.

Slap!

Traine looked in the direction of the sound and saw a fat man, round as a ball, angrily clutching his hand with a ferocious expression. On the grass in front of him, an ordinary maidservant was covering her face, looking around in terror.

"Wench! Wench!"

The fat man, dressed in fine silk robes, raised his hand, his wrist showing a patch of swelling. He was the one who had hit someone, yet he was the one who had sprained his wrist. Catching the contemptuous glances from other nobles out of the corner of his eye, he became enraged and began kicking the maidservant repeatedly.

The maidservant was just an ordinary person and could not withstand the heavy kicks of a three-hundred-pound man. After just a few kicks, she collapsed on the ground, groaning incessantly.

"This scoundrel..."

Traine, also of commoner birth, could not stand the ugly faces of the nobles. He placed his hand on his sword hilt, his eyes burning with rage.

"Don't get agitated, Traine."

Garp's face was also ashen, but he struggled to control his anger.

Traine knew the importance of the situation. He took a deep breath and forced down his anger, then walked to the side and sat down for tea.

Perhaps tired from hitting her, the fat man stopped after a few kicks and sat back in his chair. A servant was already waiting with a cup, and as soon as he sat down, quickly handed him a cup of cooled tea, with a fawning expression.

"Your Highness, have some tea and calm your temper."

"Hmm... you're a smart one."

The fat man took a sip, found the tea temperature just right, and let out a sound from his nostrils, glancing at the servant.

"It is my honor to serve Your Highness. Are you hungry, Your Highness? These Hana specialty pastries are very delicious."

"Very good, bring them to me."

Meanwhile, the fat man drank tea and ate pastries with great enjoyment. No one bothered him about hitting the maidservant. In the eyes of the nobles present, such incidents were commonplace. They might look down on the fat man, but he was still a noble. What could be done if he hit a mere commoner?

On the other side, the maidservant was barely breathing after being beaten. She looked like she wouldn't live much longer, yet no one inquired about her. Even the guards around the garden dared not come forward to help, for fear of angering the fat man, and no one would plead for them.

"Vice Admiral Garp..."

Traine's face was extremely grim. He understood that if the maidservant did not receive medical attention, she would surely die. The guards were intimidated by the nobles' authority and dared not help, but wasn't the Marine Headquarters there?

The reason the fat man was hitting someone when they arrived was, frankly, to show them who was boss, to tell them that they strongly supported Fred in this matter!

The incident originated with the Marines, and the maidservant was merely an innocent victim.

Garp's face was a mixture of anger and helplessness. If this were not Hana, with his temper, that fat man would have been thrown out of the palace... literally flown out! Who dared to underestimate Garp's fists?!

But...

"Saving someone while hesitating, that doesn't sound like the Vice Admiral Garp I know."

Suddenly, a tall figure walked in from the garden entrance. Ron glanced at the maidservant, who had collapsed on the ground, spitting blood, and said calmly, "Just a stupid pig. What are you hesitating about?"

Garp's face instantly became incredibly colorful, red, blue, white, and black. He couldn't help but want to punch him.

Traine's face also turned red with frustration, his expression complicated.

But Ron didn't notice his gaze at the moment, because the previous sentence had traveled far in the silent garden, and the fat man who was hit heard it clearly. He instantly twisted his head and cursed, "Who is it? Which bastard dares to scold me?"

"Hmph!"

Ron sneered and walked out from behind Garp. As he passed Garp, Garp quietly asked, "Do you have confidence?!"

Ron returned a reassuring look, strode forward a few steps, and rubbed his ears, "Who are you calling bastard?"

"Bastard is calling you..."

The fat man answered by reflex, then immediately realized, his face turning red: "Damn it! You dare to play me?"

"No, I'm playing a monkey..."

Ron said sincerely.

He admitted he was the monkey, and if he didn't admit it, he'd have to take the blame without being able to speak.

"You!"

Being so teased, the fat man calmed down instead. He first sized up Ron's appearance, making sure he didn't remember this noble, then examined Ron's clothes, and immediately sneered, "You, a mere Marine logistics soldier, dare to play me? Do you know who I am?!"

"I don't know..."

Ron shook his head decisively. Seeing this, the fat man snorted proudly through his nostrils. Just as he was about to show Ron his family's name, he suddenly heard Ron ask back, "Do you know who I am?"

"You..."

The fat man hesitated. He glanced at Ron, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"I don't know..."

Swish!

The next moment, a figure flashed by, stirring up a gust of wind. When everyone's vision could recapture Ron's position, he was already in front of the fat man. Under the astonished gazes of the surrounding nobles, Ron raised his hand and pulled forward.

Slap!

A ball of flesh suddenly jumped up from the spot and flew seven or eight meters away, smashing onto a rockery in the corner of the garden. When he fell from the rockery, he wasn't dead, but he had lost about half his life.

"You don't even know who I am, you deserve a beating!"

Ron uttered a speechless sentence, as if he had casually swatted away a fly.

Everyone was stunned by Ron's audacious act. They never expected that someone would actually dare to cause trouble in the royal palace! Not to mention that the nobles gathered here were all of high status. How could he dare to act?!

Even Garp was stunned by this scene. He realized he had underestimated Ron's violence. A noble from an affiliated country, possibly even royalty, didn't need to bow and scrape in front of Sengoku, yet Ron attacked just like that!

However, thinking of the look Ron had given him earlier, he sat down with peace of mind and beckoned to Traine to watch from the sidelines.

Ron's brain was much smarter than his. Garp didn't believe he didn't know what he was doing.

Since he dared to do this, he must have had his confidence.

"You... How dare you?!"

"Guards! Where are the guards? Someone is attacking!!"

The nobles, startled, quickly calmed down after the initial shock. He was just a logistics soldier, daring to attack a noble from an affiliated country, he was finished!

Soon, a group of guards, led by Fred, swarmed in from all directions.

If nothing unexpected happened, the Queen would hand over the throne to him at the banquet the day after tomorrow. Fred, the genius of rebellion, couldn't possibly not pay attention to the tricks involved in replacing the royal guards.

He had been hiding in the dark from the beginning. After all, he still held the identity of a general in Hana and was not qualified to participate in this tea party of nobles. At the same time, he wanted to see what actions Garp and the others would take.

But he didn't expect Ron to dare to commit assault in public!

Fred was overjoyed. After lingering for a moment, he immediately led his men into the garden. Amidst the clashing of swords, they surrounded Ron and angrily shouted, "How dare you injure someone in the royal palace! Guards, seize him!"

"Wait a moment!"

Suddenly, a lazy voice sounded in everyone's ears. Fred was very familiar with this voice; he had heard it since he was a child.

"Your Majesty the Queen!"