One Piece: Lord of the Weather Chapter 78 78: A Crown Without a Throne

After the celebration ended and the people returned to their hos chanting Baldog's na, Pablo requested a private eting with the old king. No one else was with them.

Pablo chose a small room in the eastern wing of the palace. Far from the eyes of servants and the ears of guards. The room was simple, with stone walls, and a window overlooking the palace's back garden. A single candle illuminated the place.

Baldog sat on a modest wooden chair. He still wore his new clothes and his ushanka hat with the yellow trim. He looked better than he had hours earlier, but his eyes still carried deep worry.

Pablo sat across from him. He did not smile. He did not seem hostile. He was calm, practical, like a rchant closing a deal.

"Baldog, I will be honest with you."

Baldog nodded. "I am listening."

"You will return as king of Sorbet. The people will love you. The assemblies will raise your flag. The world will treat you as a legitimate king. That is what you want, isn't it?"

"Yes... that is what I want."

"But you will not rule."

Baldog was silent. It was an expected word, but it still hurt.

"How?"

"You will be a figurehead king. A face for the people. Sign papers, attend celebrations, smile at the crowds. As for the real decisions... they will be mine."

Baldog sighed. He knew he could not refuse. "And what about the World Governnt? Won't they be suspicious when they see that everything has changed?"

"They won't be suspicious. You will pay the Heavenly Tribute as usual. Sorbet will remain an obedient mber. That is all they care about."

"Why? Why don't you declare yourself king?"

Pablo smiled a small smile. "Because I do not want to anger the World Governnt. I am not ready to bear their anger. They can destroy more easily than you can imagine."

Baldog understood. This young man was not a fool. He knew his limits.

"So what exactly do you want?"

"I will change all the n controlling politics, the military, and trade. Ministers, army commanders, navy officers, major rchants. All of them will be removed. My n will take their places."

Baldog stiffened. "This... this ans the entire kingdom will be under your control."

"Yes."

Baldog tried to negotiate. His voice trembled, but he tried.

"Young man... give sothing. Just one thing. Let keep at least the city police."

Pablo looked at him. "Why?"

"Because I am afraid you will put a harsh man in that position. Soone who does not care about the residents. The city police deal with people every day. If their commander is harsh, the residents' lives will beco hell."

Pablo paused for a mont. He was thinking.

"I am not afraid for my dignity. I am an old man, dignity no longer matters to . But I am afraid for the people."

Pablo looked into Baldog's eyes. He saw sothing rare there. Genuine fear for others.

"Alright." Pablo said finally. "The city police will remain under your authority."

Baldog sighed with relief. "Thank you."

"Don't thank . Just understand that everything else will be mine. The army, the navy, trade, ports, taxes. Everything."

"I understand."

They did not shake hands. Did not sign papers. They just agreed. Words were enough.

Baldog knew he could not refuse. He agreed reluctantly. Because he knew his kingdom, with its army and wealth, would be under this mysterious young man's rule.

And Pablo knew. This was his true goal in coming to Sorbet. Not just to have Kuma and Jinny join him. Control. The entire kingdom under his command.

Sorbet's army would fight for him without costing him a single Beli. Sorbet's navy would protect his shores without him paying a single soldier's salary. If a pirate bothered him, he would not need to send his own n. He would send the army. The kingdom's soldiers would be lost, not his. The kingdom's treasury would be spent, not his money.

Cold genius.

---

After the eting, Pablo began fulfilling his promise. He summoned his remaining n. Seventy-eight n. Those who remained of the hundred who had co with him to Sorbet. They had lost twenty-two n in battles and incidents.

They stood in rows in the palace's great hall. They wore their ordinary clothes, but their eyes burned. They knew this was their ti. After great suffering since their arrival in this kingdom, they had been waiting for their reward.

Pablo stood before them. His voice was loud and clear.

"You have fought. You have risked. You have lost comrades. Now, it is ti for reward."

He began naming the positions one by one.

The most deserving:

· Minister of Defense: One of his strongest and most experienced n. He would oversee the army and navy.

· Army Commander: A man who fought in Sorbet's battles and had a great role in the revolution. The revolutionaries would be happy with his appointnt.

· Navy Commander: An old sailor who joined the family in Naraka and showed high competence.

· Minister of Finance: A smart man who was influential in brainwashing the youth and igniting the revolution. He knew numbers. He would manage the kingdom's treasury.

· Police Commander: Pablo did not appoint him. He left him to Baldog as promised.

The less deserving, but they received good positions:

· Police officers under Baldog's command, but watching from the inside.

· Port supervisors: They would control the movent of goods and ships.

· Army inspectors: They would monitor loyalty and inform Pablo of any movent.

· Customs officials: They would control taxes and customs duties.

Pablo did not forget anyone. Every man received a position befitting his rit. He placed seventy-eight n in positions that would allow him to control this kingdom as he wished.

But he stood before them for a mont. He looked at their faces one by one.

"I want you to rember sothing. Your loyalty is not to the Kingdom of Sorbet. Not to Baldog. Not to the people. Your loyalty is to . To the Pablo Family. If you forget this, I will remind you in the worst possible way."

He paused for a mont.

"These positions are not a gift. They are a trust. If you make mistakes, I will punish you. If you excel, you will rise. And if you betray..." He did not finish. He did not need to.

The n looked at each other. They were not afraid. They had known this from the beginning. Pablo never hid anything.

Then smiles began to appear on their faces. Real joy. They had not expected to reach this place.

One of them was a thug in Naraka's streets. Now he beca an officer. Another was a dockworker. Now he beca a navy commander.

Their salaries would be large. Their hos would be beautiful and big. They would marry beautiful wives. Their prestige would be high. Not to ntion the bribes that would soon begin flowing to them.

They could not believe their luck. They smiled. Sotis they laughed. They wiped tears of joy from their eyes.

Pablo looked at them. He did not smile with them. Did not share their joy. He was calm.

"You can start work tomorrow. Now, leave."

The n left, talking loudly, planning their new future, imagining their new lives.

Pablo remained alone in the hall.

He smiled. Not because he was happy for them. Because he knew that Sorbet had beco his.

---

After things settled, Pablo sent Marco to the headquarters to count the treasures they had seized from King Bekori.

Marco returned after hours. He ca back to Pablo with a long paper. He handed it to him.

"I have counted everything."

Pablo looked at the paper. He read the numbers.

Gold: 340 million.

Jewelry and gemstones: 220 million.

Silver statues and rare paintings: 180 million.

Lands and properties (registered under Bekori's na): estimated value 160 million.

Cash in the palace treasuries: 45 million.

Total: 945 million Beli.

Pablo raised his eyes from the paper. He looked at Marco.

"Nine hundred and forty-five million?"

"Yes."

Pablo paused for a mont. He was calculating. Nine hundred and forty-five million.

He knew this money would make the Pablo Family very wealthy.

"Good."

He took the paper, folded it, and put it in his pocket.

Marco left. Pablo remained alone in his room.

945 million Beli net. Plus what he already had. Plus the ships, weapons, and properties. Plus Sorbet, which would provide him with a steady monthly inco.

He no longer needed to steal convoys. No longer needed to take risks.

He smiled a wide smile.