Marcus, accompanied by Alvida, Vivi, Dalton, and their two royal prisoners, left the mountain peak behind. The gondola swayed gently as it descended through the frigid air.
Wapol remained unconscious, slumped against one wall, while his brother Musshuru sat in silence, occasionally shooting glares at his captors.
Dalton fidgeted in his seat, clearly struggling with something he wanted to say. Finally, his impatience got the better of him.
"Why did you say the Drum Kingdom would need them? Do you have any idea what they did to this country? He murdered innocent people, destroyed our medical system, turned healers into criminals—"
Marcus raised his hand, cutting off the outburst before it could gain more momentum.
"First of all, the ones who need them aren't the Drum Kingdom. It's you. Only after that comes the kingdom itself."
"What?"
Dalton's confusion was mirrored on Vivi's face. No matter how they looked at it, these two men seemed like nothing but liabilities, dangerous, destructive forces that any sane person would want as far away as possible.
Marcus studied their expressions and sighed. It was strange. These people had been oppressed for so long, crushed under the boot of tyranny, yet they still didn't understand the principles of resistance. Perhaps not every nation had the fire of the French in 1789, when starving peasants had stormed palaces and torn kings from their thrones. Some people learned freedom through revolt; others only through being shown what it looked like.
He pointed at Wapol's unconscious form.
"When faced with danger, the very first thing this king thought of was running away. Tell me, do you think such a ruler has any reason to exist?"
"No." Dalton's response was immediate and fierce.
"Since that's the case, then explain something to me. When you were attacked, when your people were suffering, why didn't the villagers fight back? You had weapons, right? Guns, swords, other tools? You found the courage to strike at pirates, but not at people who had already become worse than pirates? Just because he used to wear a crown?"
Vivi's eyes widened. How did Marcus know about those details? Had he actually been conscious during their earlier encounter on the ship? She'd assumed he'd been completely out of it when they'd discussed Drum Kingdom's situation.
Dalton hesitated, opening his mouth several times, but no words came out. His jaw worked silently as he wrestled with memories and emotions too complex to easily express.
Seeing his struggle, Vivi stepped in to fill the silence.
"It's because Wapol is still technically the king of a World Government member nation. That gives him certain protections under international law. If anything were to happen to him, if he were killed or forcibly removed, anyone who tried to seize power would be branded a criminal and hunted down with bounties on their heads. And if he died, the country would lose its status as a member nation and be expelled from the World Government."
"For Drum Kingdom, that would be a death sentence. As a winter island with no natural resources or exports, they depend entirely on food imports to survive. Without their membership status, they'd lose access to protected trade routes. The people, who are already suffering, would face mass starvation. It's a trap with no easy way out."
Dalton nodded grimly, then began adding his own perspective on their nation's dire circumstances.
"Because we're a winter island like Vivi said, our population has always been relatively small. That used to work in our favor, we only needed to pay relatively modest amounts in Heavenly Tribute to the World Government. And as a medical powerhouse, Drum Kingdom was once at the forefront of global healthcare. Our reputation attracted people from around the world, and everything was moving in a positive direction."
"But after Wapol came to power, his ignorance and contempt for medical scholarship drove away most of our best minds. The top doctors, especially, saw right through his incompetence and despised him for it. That's when the 'Doctor Hunt' happened, his purge of anyone with medical knowledge who might oppose him."
"The once-thriving Drum Kingdom, under Wapol's rule, has seen its population wither away. Now people die from simple illnesses, headaches, fevers, things that should be easily treatable. With fewer people alive, we pay less in Heavenly Tribute, which Wapol sees as a brilliant strategy. Not only does he save money, but the remaining population is completely dependent on him. After all, in a winter environment, illness is common, and once you're sick, you have no choice but to beg him for help."
After hearing this assessment of Drum Kingdom's situation, Marcus shook his head speechlessly.
"So tell me, in this current state, without the reputation of being a 'medical powerhouse," how much longer can Drum Kingdom actually survive?"
The cold wind howled outside the gondola windows, making the gondola sway like a pendulum. It seemed like a perfect metaphor for this country on the verge of collapse, ready to topple at the slightest push.
"The reason Wapol can still live his carefree lifestyle, do you think it's magic? It's built on the wealth his ancestors accumulated and his brutal exploitation of the common people. Think about it, someone catches a simple cold, and their entire family fortune gets confiscated. And on a winter island, once everything's taken away, what happens next? Most likely they freeze to death or starve to death in their empty homes."
"Over the years, how many people have died exactly that way? It all starts so simply, they just want to treat a cold, but it escalates into total ruin for entire families. And here's another thing: for World Government member states, there should be minimum tribute requirements, right? When your population drops below a certain threshold, do you really think you'll still qualify for membership?"
With just a few pointed questions, he had struck directly at Drum Kingdom's most vulnerable points.
"That's exactly why I said you need him." Marcus pointed at Wapol.
"What do you mean?"
"Announce the end of Wapol's reign. His subordinates and those so-called 'Isshi-20' have already told you about the threats they faced, haven't they?" Marcus looked directly at Dalton with a smile.
Dalton unconsciously touched the stitched wounds on his body.
"If Wapol remains alive, those people who were threatened by him will live in constant fear, always dreading the 'king's' revenge. But if the king dies now, what happens to those twenty doctors who were operating under threat? What about the soldiers who only wanted to defend their country? They'll be freed from that fear."
He spread his hands as if the solution were obvious.
"A nation might be gone on paper, but people remain. As long as there are people, there can be a nation. Without its people, what is a country anyway? Just lines on a map. As for World Government membership, that's not something you need to worry about right now. You're barely surviving as it is. Besides, Wapol left ships behind when he fled, didn't he? You can use those. Sail to other countries, buy food, trade for supplies. You'll still be able to live peacefully, probably better than you have in years."
Dalton stared at Marcus in silence, his worldview suddenly shifting like tectonic plates.
"Wait... hold on. Something about what you're saying feels wrong." He raised his hands, trying to process the information. "You're talking about revolution... Overthrowing a legitimate government? That's—"
"Changes are just the natural progression of history," Marcus interrupted. "You're actually lucky your enemy is internal rather than external. That means no matter how the fighting goes, you're still dealing with the same basic population. If it were foreign invaders, it wouldn't just be the nation at risk, every single person could end up enslaved or dead."
Vivi's expression grew complicated as she listened to the discussion. As someone who was facing her own kingdom's potential civil war, Marcus' words hit uncomfortably close to home.
Dalton, meanwhile, was beginning to pick up on the deeper menaings of Marcus' suggestions.
"Are you... are you really saying I should become king?"
Though his instincts weren't particularly sharp, after being guided through so many steps, the conclusion was becoming inevitable.
Marcus spread his hands innocently.
"Was I being that subtle about it?"
Dalton sat in silence for a long moment before sighing heavily.
"I'm not suitable for that kind of responsibility. I was part of the system that enabled all this suffering. I served under Wapol, followed his orders. How can someone with blood on their hands lead a nation?"
"That's exactly what makes you perfect for the job. You've seen firsthand what happens when power corrupts. You understand the suffering of the people at the bottom because you've contributed to it and felt guilt about it. Only someone who has experienced both sides can truly understand what leadership should mean."
"You once fought to protect the country as an abstract concept. Now you're choosing to protect people. That shows you already understand what's most important to a nation."
He suddenly paused, then dropped his voice into a gravelly imitation of a certain short, green grandmaster: "A nation, its people are. Forget them, and a kingdom you have not."
"Support the people, and they'll support you. Every era has its own responsibilities for those who live through it."
"The responsibility of this era has already fallen on your shoulders. You can choose to run from it, of course, but if you do, someone else will have to bear that burden instead. And the cost of delay? That's measured in human lives."
Marcus smiled at Dalton, waiting expectantly for an answer.
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