Tru Kingdom

The era was changing rapidly. Even the Tru Kingdom now had no choice but to admit that it was simply too weak.

There were around sixty countries in the South Blue, and the Tru Kingdom was merely one of the most inconspicuous among them.

That day, after finishing his run, Nova had just arrived at the royal palace's main hall, where quite a few people were already waiting for him.

The moment he sat upon the throne, one of the elderly men below began, "Your Highness, our nation's coastal regions have been affected by pirates nearly every month lately. Shouldn't we come up with a proper solution to this matter?"

"Our national funds are limited, and the Tru Kingdom's coastline is simply too long. With the small amount of military strength we currently possess, there's no way we can cover every area!"

Nova wore a helpless expression. At least, that was the situation for now.

Fourteen-year-old Nova gave them the impression of being exceptionally mature and steady. He considered every aspect of every matter thoroughly, and even these old men found his actions wholly convincing.

Though he listened to their reports, this was not the first or second time such matters had come up. Nearly every discussion was like this. Nova had been pondering these issues for the past year or two, and they truly were problems that needed to be addressed urgently.

Seeing the dejected looks on the faces of the group below, Nova sighed helplessly before saying with a faint smile, "I already have some plans regarding the affairs of our kingdom. In the future, I may need everyone's help in properly compiling an overall estimate and budget."

"Your Highness, please command us as you wish. We will certainly do everything in our power. For the nation and its people, it is time for these old bones of ours to make one final contribution," said a frail old man standing at the front.

"You are all meritorious servants of the Tru Kingdom. Next, my proposal is for the entire territory of the Tru Kingdom to be planted with all kinds of flowers and fragrant herbs, creating a distinctive feature unique to our kingdom."

Nova rose to his feet, walked a few steps toward them, and spoke.

More than a dozen people stood in the hall, each looking at the others in confusion. None of them understood what Nova meant.

Nova could see that, but he did not explain further. Instead, he took a bottle of some unknown liquid from his pocket. The exquisite decoration on the bottle immediately caught everyone's interest.

Nova merely gave it a single spray. Before long, the entire hall was filled with fragrance.

Smelling it, everyone could not help but marvel.

"This is the scent of tulips. This thing is called perfume. Other countries have it too, but compared to this, theirs is far, far inferior. I possess the method for making it. At present, if we grow grain in this country, pirates may simply come and seize it before long. Rather than that, it would be better to grow things they have no way of taking away.

"This was an idea I had conceived earlier. Once everyone begins growing fragrant herbs, the remaining labor force can focus on producing perfume. When that time comes, we will sell all of it overseas, allowing every country to experience the specialty of the Tru Kingdom of the South Blue."

Nova continued with a smile.

No one raised any objections now. They were all seasoned old hands, and they could naturally guess what kind of profits Nova's proposal would bring in the future.

"Your Highness, but if the people do this, then what will become of their food supply?" asked the old man at the front.

"Don't worry, Monsi. I had already considered this matter. From now on, everyone will be responsible for growing flowers and herbs. We must also send people to teach them how to cultivate them. Once the harvest season arrives, they will pick all the flower stamens and send them here. We can pay them according to the quantity, and they can use that payment to exchange for grain or other daily necessities.

"If they do not want those items, they can also be paid a certain amount of Beli. This is what we can do: make perfume a domestic product, provide adult men with work, and slowly lead this country toward prosperity."

Nova spoke with feeling, while the others had already begun nodding in approval of his approach.

Given this nation's special circumstances, this truly was the right course of action. Even if it went poorly in the future, it could not possibly be worse than their current situation.

Nova lacked nothing now except money. Once these things were in place, he would be able to obtain almost anything he wanted.

After hearing his proposal, nearly everyone expressed agreement. Not a single person objected.

This country was simply too poor and weak. Let alone in this Great Pirate Era, preserving a nation's economy and the people's livelihoods naturally required the involvement of a capable leader.

Although Nova was only fourteen, to these old men, he had already become a very suitable candidate for King.

"Your Highness, this subordinate feels that he is already advanced in years. From now on, leave things to you young people. It is time for us to retire alongside the old King and make way for the younger generation to strive," one of the ministers said somewhat tactfully just as both sides had reached an agreement on the nation's future plans.

It truly was as they said. Nearly all the ministers in the hall were in their sixties or seventies, the same age as the old King. They had spent their entire lives laboring for the Tru Kingdom.

At their age, they should already have been enjoying a peaceful retirement. But because this country was simply too weak, they had ended up in their current state.

Nova was not unreasonable. They might not be attached to their positions, but Nova could not simply let them go.

"You have all given everything for this country. This should have been the time for you to enjoy your later years. But the country has become what it is today, and it may take at least several more years for it to fully develop. Therefore, I hope that all of you can bear with it for another two years. Once we have trained a new group of people, I, Nova, promise that you will all be able to enjoy your old age in peace."

Nova walked before them all, bowed respectfully once more, and spoke in a solemn, forceful voice.

"Your Highness is too kind. We merely feel that our abilities and energy are no longer sufficient, and we fear delaying Your Highness's plans. But if Your Highness has need of us, then even if we die, we will certainly remain steadfast at our posts."

Hearing this, Nova was deeply moved. Although these people had not accomplished anything particularly great for the country, they were nevertheless an indispensable group to it.

"Let's leave it at that for today. Everyone, return home for now. As for the plan, I will arrange for others to proceed with it. When the time comes, I will certainly need your assistance," Nova said with a smile.

Inside the domed palace hall, the group of old men did not know what else to say. At their age, they naturally knew the limits of their abilities. Since he had already said this much, he surely had his own arrangements in mind.

After finishing his discussion with the ministers, Nova immediately chose to visit the old King. No matter what, the old man was still his Old Man, and there were some things he needed to do.

The old King now looked utterly worn down, the wrinkles on his face tightly bunched together. Yet when he saw Nova arrive, he still forced himself upright and smiled, calling weakly, "Nova is here..."

"Old Man, how are you feeling today?"

Nova sat directly beside the bed and asked softly with a smile.

"Very good. At least there haven't been any problems lately." The old King smiled, then said dejectedly, "Take the throne tomorrow. From now on, the Tru Kingdom will be yours."

"What are you saying? Once this period is over, the kingdom will still be waiting for you to preside over it. I'm only helping out."

"Old Man knows his own condition. There's no need to say such comforting words. Living to this age is already more than enough. It's just that when I think of handing such a vast yet ruined country over to you, Old Man feels guilty." The old King smiled with tears in his eyes.

"Don't worry. From now on, your son will surely make the Tru Kingdom prosper. It will definitely not remain like this."

"You've always been different since you were little. Old Man believes in you. But with pirates running rampant in the future, Old Man still..."

Before he could finish, Nova picked up a crystal ball resting beside the old King's bed, held it in his hand, and applied only a little force. The entire crystal ball instantly turned to powder.

Seeing this, the old king was not surprised. His greatest concern had been that his son might not be able to ensure his own safety. Now, that worry was gone.

The old king smiled and continued with great relief, "I see. If you ever feel pressured in the future, just join the World Government."

"You don't need to worry about the future. Your sons will handle these things. Relax properly. Since you don't want to burden yourself with such concerns, just focus on recuperating. Your son will definitely show you a stronger Tru Kingdom in the future," Nova said with a smile, comforting the old king.

"That would be good. It's just that your old man won't live to see it. Still, our Tru Kingdom is not entirely without worth."

As he spoke, the old king's hands trembled as he pulled a piece of parchment from beneath his pillow. It was covered in something unknown.

"This is a treasure map. It has been kept in the royal palace all this time, and now I'm giving it to you. You can follow what's on it in the future," the old king said.

It truly had no use for him anymore. Leaving it to Nova was the best choice.

The Tru Kingdom differed from other nations. There were no so-called nobles in this kingdom; nearly everyone was dirt poor. In recent years, because of the pirates, the people had been driven into even greater misery.

Nova accepted the treasure map without paying much attention to what was on it. Instead, he continued reassuring him, "I'll take this. Don't worry about anything else. Your son is still here."

Nova understood that the old king's body would not be able to hold on much longer. Even so, he would not simply vanish at any moment.

The arrangements for the entire kingdom had begun two years ago. His idea of producing perfume was indeed a good choice. After all, even if they planted crops in this country, there was a strong chance they would not be able to keep them in the end.

But planting flowers and plants was different. To outsiders, such things were practically useless.

There was almost no money left in the royal palace. How to keep such a large kingdom running was the main issue that needed to be considered next.

The two spoke for over half an hour before Nova walked outside with a worried expression. His old man's body truly would not last much longer. By Nova's estimate, at most two months remained.

But just as he stepped out the door, a guard hurried over from outside.

The moment he saw Nova, the guard quickly bowed and said in a respectful yet panicked voice, "Your Highness, a large number of pirates have appeared at Naniwa Port. Lord Junhe told us to notify you immediately and hopes that you can make a decision!"

Faced with this sudden development, Nova remained calm. Seeing how nervous the guard was, Nova asked directly, "How many troops are there now?"

"Your Highness, there are currently around five hundred men at Naniwa Port. But there are many pirates—around a thousand."

"Let's go. I'll take a look as well."

Nova continued calmly. Naniwa Port was not far from the royal palace, and the country itself was not particularly large. At Nova's current speed, he could reach it in roughly half an hour.

At Naniwa Port, the two sides were locked in a standoff. At the very front stood a young man who looked to be around twenty, his gaze fierce and stern.

This man was Junhe, one of the kingdom's most loyal men and an exceptionally powerful fighter.

When Nova was ten years old, he had already begun training quite a few people, using the Marine Six Styles as the basis of their training and teaching them about Haki cultivation. However, not many had made it to the end.

Junhe was one of them, and also the strongest among them.

Facing the seven or eight pirate ships before him, Junhe showed no trace of nervousness, though his fists were clenched tightly. Such a massive pirate crew was indeed intimidating.

Most importantly, no one yet knew why they had come to the Tru Kingdom.

"What's the situation now?"

Junhe had been watching the pirate ships approach when a voice suddenly sounded behind him. When he turned around, Nova was already standing there.