Who was it? Who was interrupting?
The blonde Gorosei scanned the Marine delegation, searching for the person who had spoken. It wasn't difficult; there weren't many Marines present. Soon, his eyes landed on Diarmuid. The Admiral was holding a speech transcript, his brow furrowed as if he were struggling with unfamiliar words, reading in a halting yet incredibly blunt manner.
"The World Government belongs to all member nations. According to the Universal Treaty of the year Sea Calendar 703... the authority of the World Government is granted by the member nations. It acts merely as the executive proxy for the authority of the member nation system; it is not..." Diarmuid continued to stumble through his notes.
To be honest, he didn't even know who had written this script. Not only was it filled with obscure characters, but it was also packed with high-sounding treaties, documents, and various messy pieces of evidence.
Never mind Diarmuid, who was actually reading it, even those listening had expressions of total bewilderment.
The Universal Treaty of 703? Sea Calendar 703? Isn't that over eight hundred years ago? Wait, the very beginning of the World Government?
The royalty in the conference room were stunned. While not all of them were idle gluttons—there were plenty of shrewd, capable leaders among the hundred kings—even the elite among them couldn't understand what Diarmuid was getting at.
Is this Marine Admiral insane? Are you using these high-flown words just to make us look uncultured?
"Therefore, based on the Member Nation Act resigned by all countries in Sea Calendar 1004, member nations possess the right of oversight over the World Government..." Diarmuid continued.
He droned on for nearly five minutes, boring the Gorosei into a stupor and leaving the royal families dazed. Finally, Diarmuid reached his concluding remarks.
"Thus, my proposal is this: during this Reverie, we shall initiate a re-determination of the powers of all member nations, a clear demarcation of duties and responsibilities, and the standardization of legally binding universal treaties. We must further clarify the rights and responsibilities of Mariejois to achieve a state of fairness, justice, and transparency, reinforcing the concept that Mariejois is the Holy Land of the member nations, and the World Government is the World Government of the member nations."
After finishing, Diarmuid looked up at the bewildered audience. He tilted his head slightly and said, "This is the proposal and opinion I wish to raise at this Reverie in my capacity as a Marine Admiral. Does anyone have any thoughts?"
Silence reigned until the Gorosei and the kings finally snapped out of it.
Oh, he's finished... wait, what did you just say?
The blonde Gorosei didn't really understand Diarmuid's jargon either, but if he admitted that, wouldn't he look as incompetent as the fools sitting below him?
He pretended to ponder for a moment, then looked at Diarmuid. "Admiral Diarmuid's proposal is quite constructive. However, it is a bit too broad. How about this: Admiral, why don't you go back and refine your points? Explain them in a more accessible way. The Reverie lasts for many days; we can discuss this in detail tomorrow, the day after, or later..."
The blonde elder played a masterful game of verbal Tai Chi—first acknowledging the validity of the point, then immediately pushing it off for "refinement" at an unspecified later date. It was a tactic to buy everyone time to process their confusion.
The kings followed suit, nodding fervently. "Yes, yes, the Admiral's speech was very meaningful. This issue is indeed worth deep reflection. However, we hope the Admiral can provide more detail so we can understand it more thoroughly..."
Seeing that the matter had been brushed aside, the blonde Gorosei continued, "Now, moving on. The second matter Mariejois wishes to discuss is the Revolutionary Army. As everyone knows, they were recently involved in the Alabasta incident, which resulted in—"
But he didn't get to finish.
As if reacting on a delay, Diarmuid suddenly interjected, "Ah, was my explanation too complicated?"
His abrupt interruption cut right through the blonde Gorosei's speech. A surge of anger flared in the elder's heart. I am one of the Gorosei! Aside from Imu-sama, who dares interrupt me? Especially in a public forum like this?
But looking at Diarmuid's "slow-witted" expression and remembering his reputation as a stubborn "thick-headed" warrior, the elder forced a smile. He nodded. "Indeed. At this summit, we don't need topics that are too grand or empty. It's best to focus on specific, concrete issues..."
In his mind, he figured Diarmuid had only attended one Reverie before, and this was the first in eight years. It seemed "normal" that the Admiral was ill-prepared and unfamiliar with the protocols.
However, in that instant, Diarmuid's feigned ignorance vanished. His aura sharpened as he nodded to the blonde Gorosei. "I see. Then I shall be brief."
Suddenly, Diarmuid regained the overwhelming presence of a Marine Admiral. Before the elder could speak, Diarmuid dropped a bombshell.
"Based on the documents and literature we Marines have uncovered recently, as well as various laws and treaties sealed in the archives, we have discovered a very serious problem: the severe centralization and excessive abuse of power. This problem exists primarily within Mariejois, within the current Holy Land system of our World Government. I won't say much about other things for now; I'll speak first from the perspective of our Navy..."
This time, Diarmuid's tone was powerful and commanding. The kings perked up, eager to see what this Admiral was actually aiming at. The Gorosei frowned, sensing something was wrong... yet they couldn't quite put their finger on it.
"In the year Sea Calendar 679, the World Government was officially established. At that time, the member nations co-funded and dispatched their own armies to create a direct military force under the 'World Government.' This force was the predecessor of our Navy. Does everyone remember this?" Diarmuid asked.
Remember? Like hell we do!
No one remembered. Who would remember something from over eight hundred years ago? Yet everyone nodded, putting on a show of being "well-learned" as if they were experts in ancient history.
Diarmuid didn't call them out. Seeing them nod, he smiled. "Good that you remember. For the next twenty years, this army lacked formal structure until Sea Calendar 703, the year the 'Universal Treaty' was signed in Mariejois. We can consider 703 as the year the World Government truly became a regulated entity, and the year the Navy was officially established. Correct?"
Even the Gorosei didn't know how to respond. They hadn't memorized that history either; it was too long ago. It sounded meaningful, but to them, it felt utterly irrelevant to the present. Still, like the "cultured men" they pretended to be, they nodded along.
"According to that Universal Treaty, the Navy does not technically belong to Mariejois. It belongs to the member nations. The treaty states that Mariejois is merely the agent of the member nation system, granted authority by the various countries to act on their behalf. In other words, the Navy does not belong to Mariejois, it belongs to every member nation in the world!"
The logic was sound. As Diarmuid spoke, many people began to realize the truth: the authority of the World Government was indeed something granted by the nations themselves.
The treaties and the Reverie itself were proof of this. Legally speaking, the acts passed by the Reverie become the supreme law of the World Government, which even the Gorosei have no right to dismiss lightly. That was why the Seven Warlords of the Sea system had to be officially ratified at a Reverie. (And why, in another timeline, Fujitora would be able to force its abolition through this very summit).
This represented the core values of "fairness, justice, and transparency" and the concept of "delegated authority"—concepts that echoed the very nature of the Empty Throne.
However, in the current era, these "treaties" and "legalities" had long been ignored. The power held by Mariejois had encroached upon the rights of the member nations. Over centuries of upheaval, the "executive proxy", the Mariejois system, had instead pinned the member nations down, training them to be "obedient."
There were two main factors behind this:
One, Bloodline: Mariejois represented the descendants of the twenty kings, the Celestial Dragons. By constantly promoting the "bloodline theory" over centuries, they eroded the legal rights of other nations.
And two, Brute Force: Because the threat of piracy always existed, the Navy, originally a ragtag force of national contributions, grew massive. Since Mariejois was the "executive proxy," they controlled the Navy's high command. Using military funding and other levers, they broke the Navy's spirit and brought it to heel.
By feeding off the nations, Mariejois grew the Navy into the world's most powerful institution of violence, then used the name of "Justice" to lash the world. With bloodline in one hand and a powerful military in the other, Mariejois had completely usurped the member nation system.
These things had become "common sense," and no one questioned them anymore. But now, Diarmuid was laying it all bare at the Reverie, leaving everyone in a state of shock.
The Navy... what are they doing? They are pulling the rug out from under the World Government!
The Gorosei finally realized the danger. The blonde elder glared at Diarmuid, his voice cold. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Diarmuid remained unruffled, speaking with calm resolve. "Nothing much. The Navy simply intends to set things right... That is all."
An absolute uproar exploded in the hall!
This was a truly explosive declaration. Who could have imagined that within the first hour of the Reverie, such a world-shattering event would occur?
Is the Navy turning its back on Mariejois?