Inside the study, the air grew still.
Aiden didn't say much about that dramatic "curtain call" speech. He just sat on the hard wooden chair in a relaxed pose. His finger lightly tapped the desk, making a series of dull thump-thump sounds.
"I don't mind if you want to finish your play," Aiden said, looking up. His gaze moved over the engineering blueprints covering the wall before landing on Friedrich's thin, haggard face. "But there's one thing I haven't figured out. The World Government is obsessed with you and even sent CP0 because they're sure you're researching Ancient Technology. But from what I've seen, your steam trains and rifles are advanced, but they aren't worlds apart from other countries."
"What exactly did you research that makes the Five Elders so nervous?"
Hearing the words "Ancient Technology," Friedrich froze for a moment.
Then, as if he had heard a ridiculous joke, he suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha— cough, cough, cough—"
He laughed until his body shook. His grim face was covered in wrinkles, and he even laughed until tears came to his eyes.
There was no pride in that laughter, only sadness and bitter mockery.
"Ancient Technology?"
Friedrich turned around suddenly. He roughly pulled a curled blueprint from the pile of documents. It was covered in marks where things had been changed.
He placed the blueprint on the desk and slowly pushed it toward Aiden.
"Aiden, please look at this."
Aiden looked down.
It was a very complex mechanical structure. Every line had been redrawn countless times. The edges were filled with formulas and technical data.
Every mark showed how much work had gone into it.
"This is what they call Ancient Technology!"
Friedrich pointed at the drawing, his fingers shaking with excitement. "There is no Ancient Technology here! There never was!"
"Everything in this country was thought up by our engineers! They used their own brains over many nights and built it piece by piece with their own hands!"
Friedrich's voice was raspy, as if he were protesting against this absurd accusation. "But in the eyes of those 'gods' in Mary Geoise, the people below are just ignorant animals. How could animals build such precise machines? If we did, it must be because we stole forbidden knowledge from the gods or searched for forbidden Ancient Technology!"
"They don't believe that human wisdom can go beyond what already exists."
The old king sat back in his chair, defeated. His eyes were full of exhaustion and hatred. "That is our crime. If they want to find a reason to blame us, they will find one."
The study fell into a brief silence.
Aiden looked at the blueprint full of effort and didn't speak.
In this twisted world, being weak was a crime, but being advanced was also a crime.
However, for Aiden, this was an opportunity.
What this country had wasn't a forbidden secret, but a strong industrial base and real research talent. That was far more valuable than vague Ancient Technology.
"So, you're saying you were treated as criminals because you were too smart?"
Aiden broke the silence and summed it up simply.
"That reason sounds ridiculous, but in the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, it's quite logical."
Aiden picked up the blueprint and shook it. The last bit of curiosity in his voice vanished, replaced by a calm, practical tone. "Since there's no Ancient Technology, this makes things much easier."
"Easier?" Friedrich gave a bitter laugh. "The World Government won't listen to explanations. As long as our technology keeps improving, they will keep watching us."
"The root of the problem isn't the technology; it's your choices."
Aiden interrupted him, leaning forward to look the king in the eye. "Stop the war, Your Majesty. You keep invading neighboring countries and making everyone hate you. That's the excuse the World Government uses to step in. If you hadn't made such a mess, CP0 wouldn't have rushed in the moment they saw an opening."
"Stopping means death."
Friedrich shook his head with grim certainty. "Do you think I want to fight? If we don't plunder, we can't afford the Heavenly Tribute. This country has industry, but it lacks resources. To keep the factories running and satisfy the growing hunger of the Celestial Dragons, we can only steal."
"If we don't pay the Tribute, we get kicked out of the member nations. Once we lose that protection, the Blacksteel Empire would immediately become prey."
Friedrich looked out the window, clear helplessness in his eyes. "Our country is too big and too rich. Once we lose the World Government's official protection, pirates, ambitious men, and even the forces of the Four Emperors would come after us from every side. We wouldn't be able to protect ourselves from all sides."
"So, we have to pay this 'protection fee.' And to pay it, we have to steal. It's a trap with no exit."
"Stealing is indeed fast money, but it's the worst method."
Aiden pointed to the rank on his shoulder, a confident smile on his face. "I am the Base Commander of the G-17 Branch. I have the power to decide military purchases and trade permits in my area. Also, you've probably heard of the route in my territory known as the Golden Trade Route."
Aiden began to lay out his offer. "Change your industry. Stop making those cannons and rifles that only kill people. Those things are useless outside of war and attract too much attention."
"I want high-strength special steel. I want precision steam engine parts. Even if it's just a single screw—if you can make it, I'll buy it all."
"I will open a trade route from G-17 to here. Either I will use your products, or I will sell them through my channels to big merchant groups. Believe me, compared to weapons for killing, trade goods are where the real profit is."
Friedrich was stunned.
He looked at the young Marine Rear Admiral, trying to see if he was joking.
"Use trade instead of plunder. Use profits to fill the hole left by the Tribute."
Aiden tapped the table and said clearly, "As long as I am around, the chimneys of the Blacksteel Empire can keep smoking, and the citizens will have bread to eat. You won't have to carry the name of a tyrant or start those damn wars of aggression anymore."
Friedrich's throat moved as he swallowed.
As a king and the leader of this country, he understood the weight of Aiden's words better than anyone. If it was true—this wasn't just a way to survive; it was a road to prosperity.
He was silent for a long time. In his tired eyes, a small spark finally appeared.
"That is indeed a good idea."
Friedrich looked at Aiden, his expression becoming calm again. "If that's the case, this country might actually survive. However—"
"The World Government needs someone to blame. As long as Friedrich is still alive, their suspicion of this place will never stop."
"Only when the tyrant dies can we truly turn the page."
After saying that, he straightened his collar and slowly closed his eyes, ready to be executed.
"Tsk."
Aiden made an annoyed sound. "I'm telling you, are you just stubborn? Does a perfect curtain call have to involve you actually dying?"
"What do you think this is? A third-rate opera?"
Aiden laughed and stood up. He walked to the window and looked down at the people busy working to survive. With his back to the king, he said, "Reality isn't a play. There aren't many perfectly timed climaxes and endings."
"Compared to death, having the courage to endure a long, unglamorous rest of your life takes much more strength."
Aiden turned around. His eyes were sharp, and his voice sounded like a temptation. "Besides—don't you want to see it with your own eyes?"
"To see what this country becomes later?"
Friedrich snapped his eyes open.
In those eyes that had been dry, curiosity and unwillingness now burned.
He wanted to see it.
He dreamed of seeing it. That was a view he had failed to see his entire life.
"Work with me, Your Majesty."
Lightning sparked in Aiden's hand. Blue arcs of electricity made a loud pop in the air, turning the dim study bright white. "You need a public death to give the World Government an answer."
"From today on, Friedrich, the tyrant who started the wars, has been executed by a righteous Marine Rear Admiral. Not even his bones remain."
"And the one who survives is just an old man quietly helping this country from the shadows at the end."
Aiden's lips curled into a dangerous smile. "As for the throne—just pick a royal family member you can control to take over. Let them announce an unconditional end to the war and open up trade. To save face, and because they can't find the 'Ancient Technology,' the people in the World Government will naturally take the way out I've given them."
"Everyone gets what they need, don't they?"
Friedrich was silent for a long time.
Finally, he took a deep breath and slowly stood up, as if a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
From a hidden compartment in a drawer, he took out a stamp that symbolized royal authority and placed it carefully on the desk.
"This is the seal of royal authority. Please give it to the next—"
"Stop."
Aiden raised a hand to interrupt him and refused directly. "Keep that seal and deal with it yourself."
"I hate troublesome things like that. Deciding who becomes king and how to arrange things is a job for you, a 'ghost.' Don't try to dump that responsibility on me."
Friedrich froze, then shook his head with a bitter smile and took the seal back.
"Also."
Aiden seemed to remember something and added casually, "When this is over, I'm taking Mr. Issho with me. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"
Surprise flashed in Friedrich's eyes, but it soon turned into understanding. He knew that if Issho followed the man in front of him, it might be a form of freedom for him too.
"Of course. If he is willing to follow you, it is his honor."
After finishing everything, Friedrich bowed deeply to Aiden. Then, without hesitation, he turned and walked into the secret passage that had already been opened behind the bookshelf.
Aiden watched the secret door slowly close.
The lightning at his fingertips began to gather, making a dangerous hum.
Rumble—
The clear sky suddenly changed.
Thick dark clouds rolled in, blocking the noon sun. Silver lightning flashed through the clouds, and the entire Blacksteel Palace was covered by the storm.
Outside the palace.
Countless soldiers, officials, and even civilians in the distance looked up in fear at the terrifying scene.
"What—what is that?!"
"Is it a punishment?!"
Under everyone's terrified gaze, a massive pillar of lightning over ten meters wide fell from the dark clouds with overwhelming force.
BOOM!!!
The violent explosion instantly drowned out all sound.
The blinding lightning turned the world white.
That pillar of lightning struck the highest tower of the palace with perfect accuracy—the location of the king's study.
The solid black steel and stone melted and shattered instantly under the heat of hundreds of millions of volts. The giant tower collapsed instantly, leaving only fire and rubble.
The shockwave swept out, shattering all the nearby glass.
After a long time.
The lightning faded, and smoke filled the air.
Above the scorched ruins, a figure slowly walked out.
His black coat fluttered in the heat. In his hand, he held a piece of a royal cape that was burnt black but still showed the royal crest.
Aiden looked down at the guards and officials who were frozen in fear.
His voice reached everyone's ears clearly—cold, firm, and unquestionable. "I am Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral Aiden."
"Friedrich has been executed for privately researching Ancient Technology, a serious violation of World Government law!"
"From this moment on, the state of war is over. Choose a new king and swear loyalty to the World Government again."
As Aiden finished speaking, the palace square was filled with confusion and chaos.
Aiden didn't say anything else. For this country, the hardest time was just beginning, but he had done all he could.
Zap!
A flash of blue lightning vanished.
Under everyone's fearful gazes, the figure in the black coat disappeared into thin air. Only the smell of burnt air remained, proving that everything just now wasn't a hallucination.
On a high ground at the edge of Stahlburg with a clear view.
The wind here was strong, but it was quiet enough that no one would come here.
Aiden sat cross-legged, letting the cold wind mess up his black hair. He pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his coat and dialed Vice Admiral Tsuru's private number.
Purupurupuru—
The Den Den Mushi only rang twice before it was picked up.
Click.
The originally lazy snail suddenly stood up. Its eyelids lowered halfway, and its mouth formed a serious straight line, perfectly mimicking the calm, wise look of Great Staff Officer Tsuru.
"This is Tsuru."
Tsuru's steady voice came from the other end. In the background, the faint sound of papers being flipped could be heard. "Is the mission over?"
Far away in Marineford, Tsuru clearly didn't know about the huge incident that had just happened.
"Yeah, it's over."
Aiden looked at the scarred land in the distance, his tone calm. "Friedrich has been dealt with, and the Blacksteel Empire's state of war is over."
"So fast?"
There was a hint of surprise in Tsuru's voice. She had expected Aiden to need at least a week of surveillance before finding a chance to assassinate the king.
"Well done," Tsuru praised. "Since it's done, leave as soon as possible. Remember, do not leave any direct evidence that you were the killer. Although the higher-ups want to clean up that country, if the evidence falls into—"
"Uh, Vice Admiral Tsuru."
Aiden scratched his head and interrupted her. His tone became a bit awkward. "Regarding the part about handling it quietly... there might have been a small mistake."
The sound of flipping papers on the other end stopped.
Tsuru was silent for two seconds. Her voice became dangerous. "What do you mean by... 'a small mistake'?"
"You know me. I can't stand evil."
Aiden started his half-true explanation. "You have no idea. The situation was so urgent at the time. I lost control for a second and hit him a little too hard."
Aiden used his thumb and index finger to show a "tiny" amount, even though Tsuru couldn't see him. "In front of tens of thousands of people, I called down a bolt of lightning and blasted him and half the palace... away."
The Den Den Mushi's face froze.
The other end fell into a silence.
After a long time, Tsuru's extremely helpless voice came through. "Aiden, do you know the difference between an assassination and a public execution?"
"You humiliated the World Government in public! Do you believe that tomorrow the Five Elders will be calling Fleet Admiral Kong's office to complain?"
"Tell me the truth." Tsuru sighed, her tone suddenly becoming very sharp. "You might act out sometimes, but you never do anything brainless. Why did you make such a big scene?"
"Tsk, I really can't hide anything from you."
Since he was caught, Aiden didn't feel awkward. His playful look vanished.
"I did it on purpose."
Aiden's voice dropped low. "Vice Admiral Tsuru, I've looked into the situation in this country. If I really assassinated Friedrich secretly according to the plan, a civil war would break out immediately as different factions fought for the throne."
"When that happens, the World Government would definitely step in. They would set up a new puppet or even keep the war going for resources. If that happened, this country of tens of millions would truly rot in the mud."
"So, I had to make the event big."
Aiden's eyes sparkled with a sharp light—the look of someone in control. "Basically, I made it a done deal."
"The main criminal is dead. If the World Government still tries to purge this place now, they would be telling all the member nations: even if you listen, you die."
"That would look too bad. The World Government can't afford to lose that much face. So, I'm helping them end this decently. They have to accept it, even if they don't like it."
The other end was silent again.
This time, the silence lasted even longer.
Far away in Marineford, Vice Admiral Tsuru put down her pen and took off her glasses to rub her forehead. She looked out at the sea with a complicated gaze.
She was too smart. She immediately understood what Aiden was trying to do.
This kid was using an extremely aggressive method to push the rules to their limit, forcing a way to save the country from the World Government's greed.
"You brat..."
After a long while, Tsuru's voice spoke again. This time, there was no blame, but a strong sense of worry. "Doing this can indeed save the country. But you've also put yourself right in the center of the storm."
"Those old guys in the World Government will take the exit you gave them this time, but they will remember that you forced them to compromise. You will become an 'unpredictable threat' in their eyes. This isn't the first time you've upset them."
"Aiden, what you did was reckless."
"So what?"
Aiden laughed without worry. "What can they do to me? As long as I am strong enough, as long as my fist is harder than anyone else's, they can't do anything to me."
It had been over three years since he came to this world.
From his early days as an executioner in Loguetown who had to hide his true self, to a year ago in the elite training camp where he was careful not to attract attention...
Now, he finally had the confidence to say these words to the Marine higher-ups.
As long as he was strong enough, he could ignore most of the rules in this world.
"Also, I have plans for later." Aiden changed the subject, his tone becoming practical. "I plan to use the G-17 Branch's trade routes to help them turn their factories toward trade goods."
"With money, they won't need to invade. With stable trade taxes, this territory becomes a real 'golden goose.' When that time comes, even for the sake of profit, the World Government won't want to touch this country."
"Alright, alright. I can't out-talk you."
Tsuru shook her head helplessly. She knew she couldn't stop this student who had his own ideas. And since things had reached this point, this was the best result.
"Since you've planned it all, I will handle the pressure from Headquarters. I'll talk to Fleet Admiral Kong. As for the business at G-17, manage it yourself. I won't interfere."
"But remember." Tsuru's tone became serious. "You've offended the World Government one after another. This won't end so easily. After you finish up there, get back to G-17 immediately. Don't go wandering around for a while."
"Understood. I value my life very much."
With the business finished, the atmosphere finally lightened.
Aiden didn't rush to hang up. He seemed to remember something and mentioned it casually. "By the way, Vice Admiral Tsuru, there's one private matter."
"On this mission, I found a promising recruit for the Marines here."
"I think his sense of justice is sincere. He's a talent worth developing."
Aiden paused and asked tentatively, "I want to bring him into the Marines. Do I need to follow any special background check process? After all, his background is a bit unusual."
"A good Marine prospect?"
Tsuru was clearly caught off guard by Aiden's sudden change of topic.
Then, the Den Den Mushi mimicked a helpless smile. "Aiden, do you have some misunderstanding about yourself right now?"
"You are a Headquarters Rear Admiral and the Base Commander of a large branch like G-17. In the Marine regulations, a Base Commander has a high degree of autonomy."
"Except for the promotion of officers at the rank of Lieutenant Commander and above, which needs Headquarters' approval, recruiting a few soldiers or even directly appointing your own adjutant is something you can do with just a word."
"As long as you think he's okay, he's okay. You don't need to report it specifically to me. Just make the decision yourself."
"Got it! That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
Aiden grinned. He almost couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud.
With those words, the problem of Issho's identity was completely solved.
This way, even if Headquarters found out about Issho's strength later, it would be too late for them to try and take him.
From today on, this man who could one day become a Marine Admiral was officially part of Aiden's private team.
"Then I won't bother you anymore, Vice Admiral Tsuru. I'll bring you some local specialties when I get back."
"Bringing me less trouble is the best specialty you can give me."
Click.
The call ended.
Aiden put away the Den Den Mushi and stretched. He felt better than ever.
Even though Tsuru told him to keep a low profile, this whole operation made him feel great. He felt like he had done something good for the Blacksteel Empire.
"Alright. The political problem is solved, and the country's problem is solved."
Aiden turned and looked toward the area outside the city.
"Next, it's time to show that lost old man a clear path."
Aiden's lips curled slightly. His body flickered into a bolt of blue lightning and instantly vanished from the spot.
To Be Continued
---------------------------------
https://www.patreon.com/c/LIZBETH1242
40 chapters available in advance!