Ishtar Kingdom

Ishtar Kingdom.

This was a nation located in the North Sea, one that relied primarily on agriculture and animal husbandry.

But that didn't mean the country's technology and development were backward.

On the contrary, genetics and biology were highly advanced here, using scientifically planned models for breeding and cultivating crops with superior genes to boost food production.

Then came the mechanized harvesting of crops and the assembly-line work of livestock farming—people only needed to operate machines to accomplish these tasks with ease.

At most, raising large numbers of livestock required a bit more effort.

It could be said that in this country, even the poorest household wouldn't go hungry as long as they were willing to work hard.

Besides the nickname "Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Country," this nation was also called the "Food Island."

With an abundance of ingredients and cooking resources, people could freely unleash their imagination to research and create new cuisines, so over time, this place became a hub for the development and export of novel dishes.

It could be said that this was one of the highest-ranked countries in the North Sea—and even across all four seas—in terms of happiness index. Under the leadership of the king and the nation, the people lived very contentedly.

Because the Ishtar Kingdom didn't use those near-black-tech knowledge to do evil deeds like the Vinsmoke Family; instead, it applied them to the people's livelihood, which made the populace deeply devoted to the royal family.

Not only that, but the royal family also placed great emphasis on national defense, and it was a tradition for the heir to train in the military to protect the people.

In such an environment of top-down emulation, the people would voluntarily enlist to defend their homeland from pirate invasions, even taking pride in military service.

And at the dawn of this era of upheaval, the Ishtar Kingdom seemed only to have tightened its security, while internally appearing untouched by pirate raids—a clear testament to the nation's strength.

On this day, a warship flying the Marine flag slowly sailed into the harbor of the Ishtar Kingdom.

"Oooh~~!! So this is the Ishtar Kingdom? Dawn is the prince here??"

As soon as she got off the ship, Sola, who had been bored on board, couldn't contain her excitement. She grabbed Hina and jumped onto the dock, bouncing around.

"Sola, calm down." Hina was a bit helpless at Sola's lively antics, but the two had a good relationship.

"Ara ara, how does it feel to be home, Dawn?" Standing at the bow with a complicated expression, Dawn listened to Aokiji's teasing and helplessly shrugged.

"To be honest, this whole thing was too sudden. I wasn't mentally prepared at all. After all, when someone suddenly shows up and tells you you're the prince of some country, you'd be at a loss too."

Saying this, Dawn couldn't help but sigh. But glancing at the excited Adolf nearby, he didn't know how to face this important figure who was the "beginning of the story."

Truth be told, Dawn still hadn't figured out how to deal with this outcome. Honestly, he had never thought about these things before. His future plans were all based on improving his own strength and using his knowledge of the future to scheme.

But now, suddenly having parents—and royalty at that—threw him off. After all, Dawn wasn't some kid yearning for parents.

On the other hand, it shattered his previous plans. But undeniably, this country held a high status in both the North Sea and the Marines, and this identity would bring Dawn many benefits.

Not only was the nation wealthy, but the king was deeply loved by his people, and the technology was advanced enough. Even the Marine branch in this country was staffed by the nation's own soldiers—take off the Marine uniform, and they were the king's soldiers.

It could be said that whether in terms of national strength or influence, this country was a huge help to Dawn.

Even the Marines wouldn't treat him as an ordinary officer to command, because his primary status was that of the royal heir.

However, this also brought some restrictions to Dawn. For example, he had to prevent enemies from retaliating against this country and had to be mindful of the nation's face and influence.

Things like harboring slaves, or engaging in gray-area activities or matters that violated the World Government—all of these required Dawn's caution. His identity had reached a point where one misstep could affect the entire country.

It was a trade-off, but relatively speaking, the pros outweighed the cons.

For instance, as mentioned before, his future crew members could be registered under the local Marine branch, but in reality, they were still the nation's soldiers.

Both the Marines and the World Government tacitly approved of this right, given the close cooperation between the two sides. Fortunately, the king had also trained in the Marines, so he was considered one of their own.

Doing each other a favor wasn't a bad choice.

Of course, the Marines also had stationed soldiers in the branch. In truth, the king was only a figurehead; the real authority lay with someone else.

But the people of this country weren't particularly keen on joining the Marines, because the king's army was more attractive to them.

After all, if you could eat well and live well at home, how many people would be willing to leave their homeland?

Another major reason was that the Marines couldn't participate in wars between nations.

The North Sea was never a peaceful place. They also had to face invasions from neighboring countries, and being unable to defend their homeland was something the people born here couldn't tolerate.

They had an unparalleled love for this country and felt pride and recognition in having such a wise ruler.

As for the branches across the four seas, most recruited locally to station Marines. In a country like this, the Marines found themselves in an awkward position—their roles overlapped, and the people valued their own army more than the Marines.

Furthermore, most of the people who joined the Marine branch in this country were from the Ishtar Kingdom themselves.

If you forcibly ordered them not to participate in national wars, they'd promptly apply for discharge, and the next moment, they'd be in the king's army.

But fortunately, the royal family had close ties with the Marines, and even the king held a nominal position in the Marines, so the Marines were happy to go along with it.

Not only did it save face and maintain goodwill, but it also conserved military strength to deal with the pirates of the North Sea—a win-win situation.

Of course, the Marine branch also had a contingent sent by the Marines to hold the fort, but most of the time, this place served as a transit and rest stop for pirate-hunting operations across the North Sea.

At the same time, it supplied food to various parts of the North Sea and Marine Headquarters.

When Adolf told Dawn about the Ishtar Kingdom, his face was full of pride.

From what Dawn understood, in this war-torn world, the Ishtar Kingdom was indeed worthy of its people's pride.

After all, a king who could protect his people and ensure they had enough to eat and wear was an extremely rare ruler in this world.

And he, Abraham Dawn, was to become the heir of this country!