Luo Wen followed Viola to the palace where King Riku conducted his business.
Having just dealt with Doflamingo, Dressrosa still has a mountain of messes to clean up, enough to King Riku extremely busy.
At this moment, King Riku was hunched over the table, struggling to deal with a huge pile of documents.
Upon seeing Luo Wen and Viola, King Riku immediately stopped what he was doing.
He observed their condition and realized what was going on.
Viola has already been won over by Luo Wen!
King Riku sighed.
He knew that Viola might have made some deal with Luo Wen.
This choice made him, an elderly father, feel very guilty.
If it weren't for him and this country, Viola might have had more options.
However, Viola seems quite happy right now.
King Riku felt somewhat relieved, then composed himself and asked Luo Wen in a gentle voice, "Lord Luo Wen, what brings you here?"
"That's right." Luo Wen nodded, a smile playing on his lips, and said, "King Riku, have you considered the future of Dressrosa?"
"The future of Dressrosa?"
King Riku paused, then began to think.
He hadn't really thought about this before.
King Riku carefully considered his answer, "Perhaps it will be the same as before, paying Heavenly Tribute annually and Affiliated Nation of the World Government."
This was his inner thought, and he had no other way out.
"You want to become Affiliated Nation of the World Government? Are you trying to create another Doflamingo?"
"Luo Wen asked."
"I didn't quite understand what you meant."
King Riku asked, bewildered.
"The World Government knew about Doflamingo's invasion of your country, but instead of stopping him, they allowed Doflamingo to remain Shichibukai." Luo Wen continued, "What will you do if another Shichibukai, or something else, appears?"
King Riku was dumbfounded; he had never thought about this question before.
But when the problem was actually presented to him, he had no choice but to consider it.
The World Government knows about Doflamingo's evil deeds but does nothing about it, so what's the point of him paying the World Government?
If another Doflamingo were to appear, what price would Dressrosa have to pay to get Luo Wen to intervene?
The fees charged by the Four Emperors are beyond his means.
He only has one daughter left, Viola. He'd be lucky to get help from Luo Wen even once; he can't expect Lowen to help him every time.
No, he also has a granddaughter.
King Riku thought of Rebecca and Kyros, whom he had just reunited with, but quickly dismissed the thought.
This idea is just too bizarre.
"Luo Wen, please speak your mind."
King Riku stopped thinking about it. Since Luo Wen had raised this question, he must have some ideas. He decided to listen to Luo Wen's thoughts first.
"My idea is to break away from the World Government and join my ranks."
"I am about to establish a Totto Land alliance called the Illuminati. All nations that join the Illuminati will receive the protection of the Neo Marines."
"Luo Wen said with a smile."
"Luo Wen, do you want to create another World Government?"
King Riku stared at Luo Wen in shock, stunned by his words.
That Illuminati that countries that join can obtain asylum—isn't that the same concept as World Government Member States?
Furthermore, the so-called Neo Marines is completely plagiarizing the Navy's setting.
Such an organization is bound to clash with the World Government that has existed for eight hundred years.
Or rather, such an organization is designed to overthrow the World Government and then take its place.
King Riku was stunned by Luo Wen's audacity.
The last person to have this idea was Rocks twenty years ago.
That ambitious pirate overlord who wanted to overthrow the World Government and become the King of the World, now there's not even an ashes left.
Now, Luo Wen is trying to overthrow the World Government.
King Riku was well aware of the terror of the World Government. The Navy was merely one of its subordinate agencies, and there was also the Cipher Pol, which was on par with the Navy, as well as countless terrifying forces hidden in the shadows.
Such World Government is one that even the Four Emperors can only control a small part of, and dare not launch a general offensive against.
Does Luo Wen really have that ability?
Even if he were Godslayer, he wouldn't stand a chance against World Government that has stood for eight hundred years.
King Riku was extremely worried. His daughter had just found a man who could not afford to do something so reckless. "Lord Luo Wen, perhaps you should reconsider?"
"Don't you believe in my abilities?"
"If you don't believe me, I can demonstrate how to wipe out an island with a single blow."
"Luo Wen said with a smile."
He didn't build up his power first and then develop the ability to overturn the table.
He only wanted to build power, seize the entire world, and exploit Beli after he possessed the God-Slaying Spear that could overturn the table.
This is equivalent to a certain country in a previous life possessing unlimited intercontinental nuclear bombs during World War I, when flintlock muskets were commonplace. Destroying all nations globally was just a matter of a moment, but choosing to proceed slowly in order to acquire complete resources.
But in any case, the outcome will be the same.
Now, with his first client still his father-in-law, Luo Wen wouldn't mind unleashing a God-Slaying Spear to show King Riku the extraordinary beauty of the pirate world.
"No need for a demonstration, I believe you!"
King Riku was sweating profusely.
What Luo Wen said was truly ruthless.
What do you mean by "let's wipe out an island and see what happens"? Is that even human language?
It's important to remember that Dressrosa is just an island.
If I actually watched that, I'd be mortified!
As for whether Luo Wen had the ability to destroy the island, King Riku still believed it.
He quickly brushed up on the information about Lowen and looked at the existing photos of Eregia in the East Blue. There is a bottomless abyss in the center of Eregia, which the sea has not yet filled.
But while Luo Wen has the power to destroy an island, so does the World Government!
King Riku still didn't quite believe that Luo Wen could defeat the World Government, but he wisely kept it to himself.
"Then consider whether you want to join my Illuminati."
"If you join, you will receive my protection. You will no longer need to pay the Heavenly Tribute and will not have to worry about pirate attacks."
Luo Wen talked about his family's welfare benefits.
"So good?"
King Riku was slightly tempted.
Luo Wen is clearly a figure of the Four Emperors level, and his subordinates are all elite troops.
The entire Donquixote Family was wiped out in just over ten minutes.
With Luo Wen's protection, I'm afraid no one in the entire Dressas would dare to invade.
Moreover, you don't need to pay Heavenly Tribute!
Heavenly Tribute is the most troublesome thing for the World Government Member States.
That can no longer be called drawing blood; that's called drawing bone marrow.
Often, a country's annual tax revenue isn't even enough to cover a single instance of Heavenly Tribute, forcing it to levy additional taxes on its citizens.
Some countries, in order to collect the Heavenly Tribute, would even sell their land to pirates, completely deviating from their original intention of joining the World Government.
Those Affiliated Nation that couldn't pay the Heavenly Tribute were either executed or enslaved. Their greed was even more appalling than that of pirates.
Upon hearing that he wouldn't have to pay the Heavenly Tribute and would have Luo Wen's protection, King Riku was truly tempted.
With Luo Wen's power, overthrowing the World Government might be impossible, but protecting a few countries would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?