After a month-long voyage, the World Government's negotiating delegation finally arrived at Chang'an City, the imperial capital of the Hua Empire.
When the delegation's ship sailed into Chang'an City Harbor, every envoy was stunned by the sight before them.
In the vast harbor, hundreds of mainline warships built from a combination of Treasure Tree Adam wood and special alloy stood in neat formation, their jet-black Empire Dragon Flags flying in the wind; on the docks, merchants and travelers came and went without end, with a dazzling array of goods from the Four Blues and the Grand Line; along the streets, the people lived and worked in peace, happy smiles on their faces, while the patrolling soldiers maintained strict discipline and did not so much as touch the people's property.
How was this the barbaric, backward rebel territory they had imagined? This was clearly a nation more prosperous and powerful than even the Holy Land of Mary Geoise!
Stussy, the delegation's leader and deputy director-general of Cipher Pol Aigis Zero, gazed at Chang'an City, her eyes filled with shock and wariness. She finally understood why the World Government had suffered one defeat after another against the Hua Empire. Such a powerful empire was simply beyond the decaying World Government's ability to contend with.
Escorted by the Imperial Guards, the delegation entered Chang'an City and headed to the Hall of Supreme Harmony for an audience with Chen Yu.
Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, civil and military officials stood in two rows. The oppressive auras of nine Admiral-level powerhouses intertwined like invisible mountains, leaving the delegation struggling to breathe.
Upon the imperial throne, Chen Yu sat tall in a jet-black Imperial Robe. His imperial eyes looked down upon the delegation below, his gaze calm yet carrying unquestionable majesty.
Stussy forced down her