To Judge's surprise, Doflamingo was also present.
His expression darkened instantly as he lifted his gaze towards the young Fleet Admiral seated upon the throne.
Before Judge could speak, Morgans and Dunn strode side by side into the hall, walking straight past him to take their positions at the left and right below the throne.
At the same time, the booming voice rang out once more.
"His Majesty, the King of Ferresca! His Majesty, the King of Aurora! His Majesty, the King of Sterland! And His Majesty, the King of Frostgil—have arrived!"
As the announcement concluded, the kings of Ferresca, Aurora, Sterland, and Frostgil scrambled into the hall in a frantic rush.
Morgans, who had just taken his place below the throne, was appalled to see these usually dignified monarchs abandoning all decorum, shoving each other to be the first inside.
He immediately barked, "What do you think you're doing?! You guys are kings of nations, yet you act like unruly children—have you no shame?!"
"Attention!"
The moment the command left his lips, the four kings—who had been desperately trying to curry favor with Orion—instinctively froze in place.
Then, as if freshly enlisted recruits undergoing military training, they snapped to attention, their expressions so comical that Dunn, standing opposite Morgans, nearly burst out laughing.
Truly, this was a scene only the Fleet Admiral's personal guard could handle.
If it had been left to them, they might have merely frowned—after all, these were kings of World Government-affiliated nations.
Some respect had to be spared.
"Listen well!"
Before Dunn could collect himself, Morgans stepped forward and turned sharply, then declared with absolute authority.
"Before you now sits the Architect of the New Order in the Grand Line! The Nightmare of Pirates! The Bane of Celestial Dragons! The One Who Holds the Reins in the Chamber of Power! The Sun of the People! The Supreme Leader of Marine Headquarters—Fleet Admiral Orion!"
Never in his wildest dreams had Orion expected Morgans to pull such a stunt.
Caught completely off guard, his eyes widened slightly and the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Likewise, the moment Doflamingo heard Morgans begin with "Before you now sits—", he nearly lost his composure and leapt up to kick the man.
Instead, he decisively picked up his juice and stood aside.
Dunn's facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, his entire body going numb with shock.
Aramaki, on the other hand, had stars in his eyes, practically ready to kowtow to Morgans on the spot.
Indeed, not just anyone could serve as the Fleet Admiral's personal guard.
Just this one speech alone was enough for him to study for a lifetime.
The most bewildered, however, were the King of Ferresca and the others.
After Morgans finished speaking, the four of them exchanged glances, they were utterly lost.
Fortunately, the King of Ferresca reacted swiftly.
Though he hadn't fully memorized everything, it didn't matter.
What mattered was the purpose of their visit here.
Snapping back to reality first, the King of Ferresca quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply toward Orion.
"The King of Ferresca greets Fleet Admiral Orion. Truly, seeing you in person surpasses all rumors—your majesty and brilliance shine like the sun itself."
With that, the King of Ferresca bent at a perfect ninety-degree angle to show his sincerity.
It wasn't that the King of Ferresca was lowering his status, acting like a minister paying homage to a sovereign.
Rather, the mere presence of Fleet Admiral Orion in the North Blue had left them trembling with fear.
Moreover, ever since receiving news that the Fleet Admiral had appeared within the borders of the Orenfence Kingdom, he had sensed that something major was about to happen.
Yet even with that premonition, he hadn't imagined the situation would escalate to the point where the King of Orenfencec, along with the entire royal family and nobility, would be wiped out so thoroughly.
When he received the news, his first instinct was to proactively travel to Orenfence to pay respects to this Fleet Admiral, who treated executing kings and nobles like child's play.
Unlike the King of Orenfence, he was one of the very few monarchs in the North Blue who maintained a clear understanding of reality.
Back when Orion had seized power in a military coup to become Fleet Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, forcing the Holy Land to compromise, his instincts had told him that the era of the Marines had arrived.
If they continued clinging to their old arrogance, looking down on the Marines, the consequences would undoubtedly be dire.
As it turned out, his instincts had been spot-on.
To a Fleet Admiral who held absolute authority over the Marines, kings were no different from ordinary civilians.
And so, he had come.
Seeing the King of Ferresca act this way, the Kings of Aurora, Sterland, and Frostgil quickly followed suit, launching into a flurry of flattery so smooth it made Judge Vinsmoke, standing nearby, twitch uncontrollably.
Finally, he steeled himself and stepped forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the four kings.
However, before he could even open his mouth, Orion waved his hand dismissively.
"Enough, enough. You are all kings of nations affiliated with the World Government—there's no need for such formalities. Someone, bring them seats!"
???
Judge, who had just prepared his speech and was about to speak, was left with a head full of question marks, forcing him to swallow his words.
As soon as the kings took their seats, Orion stood up, looking down at them with a cold gaze.
"I assume you've all rushed here because of what happened in Orenfence?"
"If that's the case, I suggest you don't bring it up at all. Because next, I will be conducting a thorough overhaul of every affiliated nation in the North Blue. If even a single kingdom in the North Blue still harbors conditions like Orenfence, I won't hesitate to spill blood again."
The moment these words were spoken, the faces of every king present—including Judge—turned ashen.
Although their respective countries' situations weren't as severe as Orenfence's, apart from the royal families collaborating with human trafficking rings and the bride priority rights, all other conditions were common phenomena in their nations!
Especially the murder priority rights - this existed in every member country of the World Government.
While other nations didn't codify it into law as blatantly as Orenfence, it was an open secret.
After all, weren't nobles above the law?
Let alone royalty?
Then there was the taxation issue.
With the annual Celestial Tribute payments to the Celestial Dragons and the enormous expenses of maintaining numerous royal and noble offspring, they had no choice but to exploit the commoners, collecting taxes years - even decades - in advance.
"No no no, Marshal Orion, you misunderstands!"
Just as the kings were privately alarmed, the King of Ferresca stepped forward first again, his expression was sincere.
"I don't know why these gentlemen have come. But my purpose in visiting Orenfence is to propose a wonderful arrangement with Marshal Orion!"
"From what I've learned, Marshal Orion has reached marriageable age but remains single due to dedication to justice."
"I boldly propose offering my one and only precious daughter to Marshal Orion as a concubine."
!!!!!
Before Orion could react, Judge and the other three kings stared wide-eyed in shock, then simultaneously turned towards the King of Ferresca.
Particularly the King of Aurora, who had the closest private dealings with Ferresca's king - his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
The reason was simple: the King of Ferresca indeed had only one daughter... but she was merely thirteen or fourteen years old.
Most importantly, Ferresca's king didn't say "marry" - he said "offering."
What a beast!
After a brief daze, the Aurora king silently cursed in his heart while subtly stepping away from the King of Ferresca.
He immediately looked up at the young marshal before the throne and loudly declared.
"I too have a daughter who's just reached marriageable age! If Marshal Orion is willing, I'll have her enter the hall immediately!"
Hearing this, Vinsmoke Judge - who hadn't yet recovered from Ferresca king's shocking move - mechanically tilted his head, his expression gradually crumbling.