The times were changing rapidly, and even the Tru Kingdom had to admit that it was far too weak.
Among the roughly sixty countries in South Blue, the Tru Kingdom could only be considered one of the most insignificant.
On this day, after finishing his training, Nero arrived at the palace hall.
Many people were already waiting below for his arrival.
The moment he sat down, one of the elderly ministers stepped forward and said,
“Your Highness, pirates have been harassing our coastal regions almost every month recently.
Shouldn’t we come up with a better solution to deal with this?”
“The national budget is limited, and the distance between the capital and the coastline is too great.
With our current military strength, we can’t properly defend every location.”
Nero sighed helplessly.
At least for now, there was no easy answer.
Although only fourteen years old, Nero gave everyone the impression of being exceptionally mature and steady.
He considered matters from every angle, and even veteran ministers found his judgment convincing.
Still, discussions like this were nothing new.
Almost every meeting revolved around similar problems.
For the past two years, Nero had been thinking about these issues constantly.
They were indeed the kingdom’s most urgent concerns.
Looking at the discouraged expressions on the ministers’ faces, Nero stood up and smiled slightly.
“I’ve already made some plans regarding the kingdom’s future.
However, I’ll need all of your help to properly calculate and manage the overall budget.”
“Your Highness, please tell us what you need.
We are willing to give everything for the kingdom and its people.
If this is our final contribution, so be it.”
A thin old minister standing at the front spoke sincerely.
“You are all pillars of the Tru Kingdom.”
Nero walked down from the throne and stopped before them.
“My proposal is to plant flowers and herbs throughout the kingdom and create a unique identity for the Tru Kingdom.”
The ministers exchanged confused looks.
None of them fully understood what he meant.
Without explaining immediately, Nero reached into his pocket and took out a beautifully decorated glass bottle.
The exquisite craftsmanship alone attracted everyone’s attention.
Nero lightly sprayed its contents.
Within moments, a rich fragrance spread throughout the entire hall.
Everyone instinctively inhaled and looked surprised.
“This is the scent of tulips.
It’s called perfume.
Although perfume exists in other countries, none can compare to this.
I possess the method for producing it.
At present, if our people focus on growing food, pirates may simply steal it.
Instead, why not cultivate something pirates can’t easily take away?
This idea has been in my mind for quite some time.
The people can grow flowers and herbs.
After harvest, they’ll collect the flower stamens and send them here.
We’ll manufacture perfume and sell it overseas, allowing every nation to experience the unique specialty of the Tru Kingdom in South Blue.”
Nero spoke with confidence.
This time, nobody objected.
The ministers were old and experienced.
They immediately understood the potential benefits.
“Your Highness, if the people focus on this, where will their food come from?”
The old minister at the front asked.
“Meng Xi, I’ve already considered that.”
Nero nodded.
“From now on, the people will focus on cultivating flowers and herbs.
We’ll send specialists to teach them proper planting methods.
After harvest, they’ll deliver the stamens to us.
Depending on the quantity and quality, we’ll compensate them accordingly.
They may exchange their earnings for food and daily necessities, or receive payment directly in Beli.
At the same time, perfume production itself will create jobs for the adult population.
Only by doing this can the kingdom gradually become prosperous.”
Everyone nodded.
The plan made sense.
Considering the kingdom’s current situation, even failure wouldn’t leave them worse off than they already were.
At present, what Nero lacked most was money.
Once this system was fully established, many of the kingdom’s problems would become much easier to solve.
After a brief discussion, nearly everyone expressed support.
No objections remained.
The Tru Kingdom was simply too poor.
In this era of pirates and maritime trade, a country without a strong economic foundation would struggle to survive.
Although Nero was only fourteen years old, many of the old ministers already considered him the ideal future king.
“Your Highness, we are old now.”
One minister suddenly stepped forward and spoke slowly.
“In the future, the kingdom should be entrusted to younger generations.
It’s time for us old men to retire alongside the old king and leave the future to those who still have the strength to fight for it.”
The hall fell silent.
In truth, the ministers present were mostly in their sixties and seventies, close in age to the old king himself.
They had dedicated their entire lives to the Tru Kingdom.
At their age, they should have been enjoying peaceful retirement.
Instead, the kingdom’s weakness had forced them to continue working.
Nero shook his head.
“You’ve all devoted your lives to this country, and you deserve a peaceful retirement.
However, the kingdom is still in a difficult situation.
It will take several more years before our plans begin producing results.
So I hope you’ll continue helping me for another two years.
Once we’ve trained enough capable successors, I promise you’ll be able to spend the rest of your lives in peace.”
After speaking, Nero respectfully bowed.
The ministers were visibly moved.
“Your Highness, you are too courteous.”
One of them replied.
“We only worry that our abilities and energy are no longer sufficient.
We’re afraid of holding back your plans.
But if you still need us, then we’ll remain at our posts until the day we die.”
Nero felt deeply touched.
Although these men hadn’t achieved anything extraordinary, they were still indispensable to the kingdom.
“Let’s end today’s meeting here.”
Nero smiled.
“Return and rest.
I’ll arrange the next stages of the plan and assign people to carry them out.
When the time comes, your assistance will still be essential.”
The ministers nodded and gradually departed.
After concluding discussions with them, Nero immediately went to visit the old king.
No matter what happened, the old king was still his father.
Some responsibilities could never be ignored.
The old king looked increasingly frail.
Deep wrinkles covered his face, and age weighed heavily upon him.
Yet when he saw Nero enter, he still forced a smile.
“Nero… you’re here…”
“Father, how are you feeling today?”
Nero sat beside the bed and asked softly.
“Very well.
At least there haven’t been any major problems recently.”
The old king smiled before continuing,
“Tomorrow, you’ll inherit the throne.
The future of the Tru Kingdom will be yours.”
“What are you talking about?”
Nero replied immediately.
“Once you’ve recovered, the kingdom will still need you.
I’m only helping for now.”
The old king shook his head.
“I know my own condition.
There’s no need to comfort me.
I’ve already lived to this age, which is more than enough.
What troubles me is leaving such a broken kingdom in your hands.”
His eyes grew moist.
Nero smiled reassuringly.
“Don’t worry.
I’ll make the Tru Kingdom prosperous.
It won’t remain like this forever.”
“I believe you.”
The old king nodded.
“You’ve always been different from other children.
But with pirates becoming more rampant every year, I still worry that—”
Before he could finish speaking, Nero picked up a crystal sphere from the bedside table.
With a slight squeeze, the entire crystal sphere shattered into powder.
The old king stared briefly before smiling with relief.
Originally, his greatest concern had been whether Nero possessed enough strength to protect himself.
Now that concern had disappeared.
“So that’s how it is.”
The old king nodded.
“If things become too difficult in the future, join the World Government.”
“Don’t worry about the future.”
Nero smiled.
“Leave everything to me.
For now, you should rest and focus on recovering.
One day, I’ll let you see a stronger Tru Kingdom.”
“That’s good.”
The old king sighed.
“Though I’m afraid I won’t live to see it.
Still, the Tru Kingdom isn’t completely without hope.”
As he spoke, his trembling hands reached beneath his pillow and pulled out an old parchment scroll.
No one knew exactly what was drawn on it.
“This is a treasure map.
It’s been kept in the palace for generations.
Now I’m giving it to you.
When the time comes, follow what it says.”
The old king handed it over.
To him, the map was no longer useful.
Leaving it to Nero was the best choice.
The Tru Kingdom differed from many other nations.
There were no powerful nobles here.
Almost everyone lived in poverty.
In recent years, pirate activity had made life even more difficult.
Nero accepted the treasure map without paying much attention to it.
Instead, he continued comforting the old king.
“I’ll keep it.
As for everything else, leave it to me.”
He understood better than anyone that the old king didn’t have much time left.
By his estimation, perhaps two months at most.
In truth, Nero had already begun planning the kingdom’s transformation two years earlier.
The perfume industry was only the first step.
Growing flowers was far more practical than growing food in a kingdom constantly threatened by pirates.
At present, the palace treasury was nearly empty.
Keeping the country functioning was the real challenge.
After talking for more than half an hour, Nero finally left the room.
His expression was troubled.
His father’s condition continued to worsen with every passing day.
The moment he stepped outside, however, a guard came running toward him in a panic.
Upon seeing Nero, the man immediately bowed.
“Your Highness!
A large number of pirates have appeared at Nanniwa Port.
Lord Junhe ordered me to report to you immediately and request your decision.”
Faced with the sudden report, Nero remained calm.
“How many troops do we currently have there?”
“Your Highness, approximately five hundred soldiers.
The pirates number around one thousand.”
“Let’s go.
I’ll see the situation myself.”
Nero spoke calmly.
Nanniwa Port wasn’t far from the palace.
The kingdom itself wasn’t particularly large.
At Nero’s current speed, he could reach it in roughly half an hour.
Meanwhile, at Nanniwa Port, the two sides had already entered a tense standoff.
Standing at the front of the kingdom’s forces was a young man around twenty years old with a fierce and resolute expression.
This was Junhe.
One of the kingdom’s most loyal subjects and among its strongest fighters.
When Nero was ten years old, he had begun training a select group of individuals using the Six Powers and the cultivation methods of Haki.
Although only a small number succeeded, Junhe was among them.
And he was unquestionably the strongest.
Facing seven or eight pirate ships gathered offshore, Junhe showed no fear.
Still, his fists remained tightly clenched.
Such a massive pirate fleet was difficult to ignore.
Most importantly, no one knew why they had come to the Tru Kingdom.
Just as Junhe continued observing the approaching ships, a familiar voice suddenly sounded behind him.
“What’s the situation now?”
Junhe turned around.
Nero had already arrived behind him.