章 140: Chapter 140
Betty stared at Carl in her mother's arms and murmured,
"Mom, do gods really exist in this world?"
Normally, her mother would have smiled and said to her,
"Silly child, there are no gods in this world."
But now, her mother nodded subconsciously. Not only her, but the civilians on both sides of the street seemed to understand why the nobles were so respectful to Carl. With power that can flatten a mountain with a mere glance, it would only take a thought to destroy a country. Isn't this the kind of power attributed to the humans?
However, they were wrong. Before this, the nobles were only in awe of Carl's identity, and they were equally confused by the immense power Carl displayed.
"Is this the power of an Admiral, the highest combat force of the Navy?" someone whispered.
In front of such a person, even the bravest army would probably seem like a joke.
Carl looked down at Betty and smiled,
"I'm just a passing Marine." Squinting his eyes, he said.,
"Navy? If you become a Navy officer, you won't have to fear those fierce nobles, right?"
This question made the Navy soldiers behind him feel ashamed, thinking to themselves, Little girl, the one standing in front of you is a Navy Admiral! We can't even compare to him!
Carl responded,
"No, becoming a Navy officer is just an opportunity. It's up to you whether you can grasp it."
Betty nodded thoughtfully, and Carl turned and left. The word "Justice" emblazoned on his back fluttered in the wind. Betty looked at Carl's back and suddenly shouted,
"You haven't told me your name yet!"
"Carl," he called back.
Betty repeated the name in her mind, then jumped out of her mother's arms. Carl and his group had already left. She watched him disappear and said,
"I want to be a Navy officer like him in the future!"
Just as she finished speaking, her mother hit her lightly on the head.
"Please calm down for now. Do you know how much trouble you've caused?"
Betty, looking aggrieved, said,
"I didn't mean to! Humph! I still want to be a Marine!"
"Okay, okay, Mommy didn't stop you, but there are no crybabies in the Navy~"
Betty sniffed hard, then raised her little hand to wipe her tears and said in a muffled voice,
"Fine, but Mom, don't hit me on the head again. The Navy definitely doesn't want idiots!"
Led by a group of princes and nobles, Carl and the others arrived at the palace. The king first had the prepared Heavenly Tribute brought up. After Spandam inspected it, he immediately sent it to the ship docked on the shore. Spandam wasn't worried about anyone having ideas about the Heavenly Tribute along the way.
Are you kidding? Saint Carl had just flattened a mountain in front of so many people. If anyone dared to have evil thoughts, they'd be asking for their own demise.
Next, a banquet was prepared by the king to receive Carl and his party. At the banquet, the nobles did their best to flatter Carl, and the ladies cast longing glances at him.
The king rambled on about how hard it was to save up the Heavenly Tribute, but Carl was uninterested in such matters, occasionally talking and laughing with Lucia and Ginny, who sat on either side of him.
But Dragon suddenly asked,
"Your Majesty, does paying so much Heavenly Tribute have a significant impact on your life and the lives of the nobles?"
The king was stunned for a moment, thinking Dragon was testing whether he was complaining about the excessive amount of Heavenly Tribute. He quickly replied,
"It doesn't have a major impact. We are happy to pay the Heavenly Tribute. After all, our Kingdom of Goa is a proud member of the World Government!"
Dragon looked directly into the king's eyes and said,
"But on the way here, I noticed that the people of your kingdom don't seem very wealthy. What does Your Majesty think about this?"
"Um, this..." The king was caught off guard, cursing inwardly, Where did this fool come from? Isn't it natural for commoners to live in poverty? If the Heavenly Tribute doesn't come from them, will it come from me?
Dragon sneered, but before he could continue, Carl set down his chopsticks and said,
"Alright, Rear Admiral Dragon, you've said enough today."
Carl's voice silenced Dragon, who lowered his head and stopped talking.
Seeing Dragon being shut down, the king felt relieved. He had never liked Garp and his son, Dragon, as they never gave him the respect he felt a king deserved. But now, finally, someone had reined them in.
The king stood, intending to pour wine for Carl himself, but before he could approach, Lucia shot him a glare, freezing him in place. Lucia could tell Carl didn't care much for the king and wouldn't allow him to get too close.
The king awkwardly smiled and sat back down, still holding the wine bottle. By the way, his seat was at the lower right corner of the round table, almost as if he were responsible for serving the dishes.
After the banquet, Carl chose not to stay in the palace overnight. He returned to the ship in the afternoon. The king and nobles escorted him to the port once more. They were relieved, knowing Carl wasn't someone they could easily befriend, and they were still terrified by his earlier display of power. They were eager to see him leave.
As the ship carrying the Heavenly Tribute sailed away, the king began to relax. However, a minister rushed over with a Den Den Mushi in hand.
"Your Majesty! There's news from the World Government!"
The king quickly answered the call. The nobles leaned in, eager to hear. Spandam's sinister voice echoed from the Den Den Mushi,
"Admiral Black Dragon said he's very satisfied with your Goa Kingdom..."
The king was overjoyed at first, but Spandam's next words chilled him to the bone.
"So he decided to exempt the common people of the Goa Kingdom from taxes for three years. The royal family and nobles will bear the remaining costs. You all seem quite wealthy, so this shouldn't be a problem, right? And don't even think about shifting the burden onto the commoners, or you'll lose your throne!"
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+95 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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