Led by Fujitora, they made their way to the King's Plateau and entered the palace.
Zephyr surveyed Dressrosa's palace and the kingdom's soldiers standing ramrod straight, their bearing impressive. Inwardly, he nodded in approval.
Everything in this nation seemed full of life and energy.
The soldiers were no less elite than the Marines, and their discipline was even stricter. Nothing about them suggested they had come from a ragtag outfit of former pirates.
River really knows what he's doing.
To think he could build a nation like this in this world.
Zephyr marveled inwardly.
What he had seen and heard over the past few days was even better and more complete than the plan he had envisioned.
The palace was quiet throughout. Only a few government offices bustled with people coming and going.
But as Zephyr passed, he heard that all their discussions concerned matters of national development.
He also spotted the legendary Gild Tesoro inside a building with its doors open.
"Gild Tesoro, the man who controls thirty percent of the world's wealth."
Ain and the others saw him too, and their surprise was plain in their eyes.
This palace was full of hidden talents. Even someone of his stature was willing to stay here.
Gild Tesoro soon noticed someone watching him, but he merely looked up at the group and nodded to Fujitora before frowning and returning to his paperwork.
"Didn't I say this project wouldn't make any money at all? Why are these people still requesting funding?"
"The ministers say this concerns the future of the nation's children. The proposed Martial Arts Department will teach Taijutsu and swordsmanship, so its funding cannot be reduced, and it must be built."
Those faintly audible voices stirred something in Zephyr.
He had spent the first half of his life fighting