Branch Office Building.
Rosha was brought to the door of the branch head’s office by a soldier. After straightening his uniform, he gently knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Inside the office, a slightly fatigued, rough female voice responded.
Rosha pushed open the door and saw Lieutenant Commander Jennifer, a woman with a build more robust than most men, frowning and looking troubled as she studied a stack of documents.
Curious about what news could trouble such a formidable woman in the North Blue branch, Rosha directly asked:
“Bad news, Lieutenant Commander?”
Hearing Rosha’s voice, Lieutenant Commander Jennifer exhaled deeply and handed him the documents.
“Take a look yourself. We have a big problem to deal with.”
“A big problem?”
Rosha raised an eyebrow and stepped forward to take the stack of papers. A quick glance at the first few pages made him frown just like Jennifer.
“King Prince VII has passed away.”
“Before his death, Prince VII declared that his successor would be the second prince, Prince Gruss.”
“Prince Ilia has initiated a coup and has started restricting access to the royal city.”
Rosha flipped through the remaining pages and found that all the information was related to the Kingdom of Prince. High taxes being collected early, a complete military overhaul, and several notorious pirate groups appearing near the royal city were among the details.
After reading, Rosha looked up at Jennifer in confusion:
“A coup in the Kingdom of Prince should be an internal matter of a member state. According to Marine regulations, we have no authority to intervene. Even if the kingdom becomes unstable due to the coup, it shouldn’t concern the 177th branch.”
“Why are you so worried, Lieutenant Commander? Shouldn’t we just increase our patrols around the surrounding seas to prevent any pirates from taking advantage of the situation?”
“If only it were that simple,” Jennifer sighed, pulling a sealed folder from her drawer and placing it on the desk.
She tapped the folder with her finger.
“Here are the detailed files on Prince Ilia.”
“Prince Ilia, the eldest prince of the Kingdom of Prince, is a deeply ambitious and extremely capable individual.”
“In the years when Prince VII was ill and unable to manage state affairs, the kingdom was in turmoil. Nobles and merchants, burdened by high taxes, fled the kingdom.”
“Meanwhile, the weakened kingdom’s military power attracted the attention of many dark forces.”
“Pirates, slave ships, and the mafia frequently appeared within the kingdom, like a plague of locusts. No matter how many times we cleared them out, they kept returning.”
“In such difficult circumstances, Prince Ilia managed to establish connections with the World Government and neighboring countries, quelling the ambitions of various dark forces.”
“Through these connections, he vigorously developed trade, attracting merchants by reducing taxes.”
“He not only fully paid the annual 5 billion Beli Heavenly Tribute but also revived the kingdom’s economy, gradually stabilizing the public’s morale.”
Rosha felt a sense of awe. This Prince Ilia was indeed a formidable character, capable of revitalizing a crumbling kingdom.
But then, Rosha was puzzled.
“Wait, Lieutenant Commander Jennifer, you mentioned Prince Ilia, not Prince Gruss?”
Jennifer nodded.
Rosha was even more perplexed.
“Why then did Prince VII choose to pass the throne to Prince Gruss?”
Logically, the eldest prince should be the rightful heir to the throne, especially given Ilia’s impressive capabilities. Not letting him become king and lead the kingdom to a more prosperous future seemed like a waste. Could it be that the second prince was even more outstanding than his brother?
“Because Ilia was born to Prince VII’s maid, while Prince Gruss is the child of the queen,” Jennifer explained, causing Rosha’s mouth to twitch.
What a classic royal family drama from another world.
“Not only that, but Gruss also looks very much like his father, while Ilia resembles his mother. With these two factors, Prince VII naturally favored passing the throne to Prince Gruss.”
“Given this, wouldn’t the kingdom’s coup and Ilia’s leadership be a good thing?” Rosha asked, picking up the documents and scanning through them.
“The problem lies here,” Jennifer said gravely. “Our intelligence personnel have discovered some of Ilia’s dark methods and his intent to stage a coup. If he succeeds, the entire North Blue will be in turmoil.”
“Is it that serious? Does he plan to join forces with the Revolutionary Army and defect from the World Government?” Rosha’s sarcastic remark stopped short as he read the top lines on one of the documents.
His right hand gripped the paper tightly, crumpling it.
Ilia has secretly allied with various pirate groups in the North Blue, allowing them to plunder neighboring villages and islands, amassing wealth.
Using merchant ships as cover, he provides shelter and protection for these marauders, quickly gathering immense wealth.
Involved pirate groups include the Steel Blade Pirates, Flower-Eyed Pirates, Giant Worm Pirates, and the Ripper Pirates.
“The Ripper Pirates… were directed by Ilia?”
Rosha’s eyes fixed on the name, the words striking a deep, painful chord.
To this day, the name still feels like a scar in his heart.
“Ilia’s real intention might be to emulate the Happo Navy of the West Blue and establish a pirate kingdom in the North Blue. Once his coup succeeds, the Kingdom of Prince will become the largest pirate force in the North Blue.”
Jennifer hadn’t noticed the violent anger in Rosha’s eyes and continued speaking solemnly.
“At that point, all Marine operations in the North Blue would be under Ilia’s control.”
Rosha, clutching the paper, his eyes bloodshot, asked hoarsely:
“Why? Wouldn’t gathering pirates together make it easier for us to capture them?”
“No, you’re mistaken,” Jennifer shook her head.
“Because then, the pirates attached to the Kingdom of Prince would become legitimate.”
“In these seas, there are two types of pirates the Marines can’t arbitrarily capture.”
“One is the pirates under the Warlords of the Sea, who have the legal right to plunder the seas.”
“The other is pirates who establish their own country and pay the Heavenly Tribute, becoming a member nation of the World Government.”
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