Chapter 159: Mediating a War, But Advice Can Be Ignored
"An explanation? You want me to give you an explanation? Then you should also give me an answer to my previous question. Attacking my subordinate soldiers without cause—are you declaring war on me, on the Ryugu Kingdom?"
"That was merely a misunderstanding! Harding perhaps just wanted to get to know that person; his methods were simply a bit extreme. But you issuing a global wanted poster for the citizen of another member nation is inherently a violation of the rules, and it damaged the reputation of the Doel Kingdom!"
Hearing the other party's unreasonable and twisted logic, Nereus didn't get angry; he just let out a disdainful, cold snort and then pulled out a seashell.
"This is a Vision Dial from the Sky Islands. If everyone here is knowledgeable enough, you surely know its function. Then let us see exactly what happened at that time."
The uniqueness of Sky Island Dials always made them highly effective tools. To the Fish-man Island guards on the Sabaody Archipelago, this kind of Vision Dial was essentially a law enforcement body camera.
Wobigong had spent some time cultivating this new type of Vision Dial, which was the size of a hairpin yet could store a full three days of audio and video data. Nereus had brought it along before coming to the conference.
Past policies targeted pirates and underworld merchants, so being a bit strict didn't matter. But the various member nations were the main authorities of the sea today; one needed a justified, righteous cause to take action.
The Vision Dial not only clearly recorded what happened at the time, but it even recorded Harding's exact words.
[Heh, just a bunch of fish at the bottom of the sea. The World Government agreeing to such demands is already a display of incompetence. How are they fit to sit at the same table as us...]
[So what if I capture one person? Can he actually come knocking at our door?]
Harding's words were clearly recorded within the shell, and now, like damning criminal evidence, they thoroughly roasted Chaplin over an open fire.
"So, Chaplin, what do you have to say for yourself now? Were these Harding's personal thoughts, or were they your instructions? Facing this act of war, my not going straight to the North Blue to find you is already a result of immense restraint. The Ryugu Kingdom does not crave war, but neither do we fear it. Admit your fault now, and perhaps there is still time."
"Of course I didn't instigate it! But Harding indeed should have been handed over to the Doel Kingdom for trial, rather than being lynched by you. The Doel Kingdom does not fear war either! If you have the guts, come! We will be waiting for you in the North Blue!"
"Good."
That single word, "Good," caused the Kings who were privately discussing the matter to immediately quiet down. Everyone understood what was going on, but putting it out in the open was unacceptable.
The words Harding spoke fell exactly into this category; not only did he question the World Government, but he also blatantly displayed overt discrimination. The Ryugu Kingdom had concrete, irrefutable evidence. On this sea without Photoshop, without AI, and where Devil Fruit abilities were rare, the validity of a video recording was virtually absolute.
Even those who had goaded Chaplin earlier didn't utter a sound in this situation.
Chaplin remaining stubborn for the sake of his pride wasn't unreasonable. But under normal circumstances, several other Kings would then step in as peacemakers, asking the Doel Kingdom to concede some benefits, and the matter would blow over. Harding was already dead; this incident shouldn't have escalated further.
Moreover, during the conference over the past few days, Nereus had played political Tai Chi quite well. He would half-agree to many things, slowly negotiating with them like a seasoned veteran. They thought Nereus would also follow this unspoken rule; they hadn't expected him to agree to war so readily this time.
"Ahem, shouldn't the two of you calm down a bit..."
"I gave him a chance. But he so sincerely invited me to dispatch troops; wouldn't it be inappropriate if I didn't satisfy his request?"
[If you have the guts, come.]
This could indeed be seen as words spoken in anger, but equally, it could be interpreted as a declaration of war. If one party truly took it seriously, it wasn't invalid.
The heavy smell of gunpowder at the scene kept the other Kings from speaking further. After all, this matter fundamentally had nothing to do with them, and the World Government did not support wars between member nations. Theoretically, once news of the conference spread, the Government would send someone to mediate anyway. So, they simply moved on to discuss other topics.
However, after the conference adjourned, the World Government did indeed send someone over—but they only called for Nereus alone.
A short while later, in a rebuilt office, Nereus met with Saturn and Nusjuro. Everything seemed exactly the same as when Nereus had forced his way in back then, only this time without the violence.
"Have you decided to wage war against the Doel Kingdom?" Saturn asked expressionlessly, seemingly completely unconcerned about the reasons behind it.
"The terms I agreed to were that I wouldn't cause a major commotion in Mary Geoise, I wouldn't actively attack the Marines, and I would basically not take action personally. I have fulfilled all of these. But correspondingly, my citizens cannot be harmed. His man struck first, and he took the initiative to invite me; how could I break that appointment?"
"By convention, the World Government would indeed stop you from going to war."
"However, that Harding's words damaged the World Government's prestige. His questioning of the World Government's decisions has become known to everyone because of that Vision Dial."
Saturn was halfway through his sentence when Nusjuro picked up the thread. Simply put, they were extremely dissatisfied with the dial's recording. Whether it was Harding calling them "fish" or referring to the Government's "incompetence," it was all the same. These kinds of things could be gossiped about behind closed doors, but once brought directly in front of the parties involved, it was absolutely unacceptable.
"So you're not here to mediate?"
"Hmph. The World Government does not support wars between member nations, but if they refuse to listen to advice, there's nothing we can do. Afterwards, the Government will report it as the Doel Kingdom ignoring our warnings and insisting on starting a war.
As for the rest, you can do whatever you want. However, the order of the Doel Kingdom cannot collapse; next year's Heavenly Tribute must still be paid on time."
From Nusjuro's mouth, the Doel Kingdom was like a piece of merchandise; its life or death was of absolutely no concern. Although Nereus's actions had also slapped the World Government's face, the person who did such a thing needed sufficient strength to continue existing. Nereus had this capability; the Doel Kingdom did not. Chaplin's stubbornness regarding the Harding incident had instead brought fire upon himself.
"Oh my, what a heartless government. Abandoned just because of one single sentence?" Nereus didn't feel any joy from the World Government's tacit approval; instead, he retorted sarcastically.
"Nereus, aren't your own thoughts exactly the same? If you didn't want to make a move against them—and a thoroughly justified move at that—would you have prepared so meticulously?
Now you can barely be considered to have a righteous cause. After all, he provoked you first, and we tacitly approve of your actions. Both you and we get what we want. What's the problem?"
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