One Piece: The True Codex

Arcadio's relentless suppression of political opponents, coupled with Kuro's insidious assistance, had turned his crackdown into a reign of terror. The entire noble district of Kalmar City was gripped with fear, and no one dared to provoke Arcadio. Those who tried to secretly report his actions to Norton I failed to gain the king's trust. Instead, they were later purged by Arcadio, leaving no one willing to lodge complaints before the king anymore.

For a time, Arcadio wielded near-absolute power, and rumors began to circulate in the noble district that he harbored ambitions of usurping the throne.

Even Aureliano, bedridden as he was, somehow caught wind of these rumors. During one of Arcadio's visits to check on him, Aureliano cautiously probed for confirmation, only to be met with a harsh reprimand from his father. Arcadio delivered a speech about loyalty to the king and love for the kingdom, though his true thoughts remained a mystery—even to his own son.

When William returned to Kalmar City, this was the situation he faced.

Dampier, stationed in Kalmar City, briefed William on the state of affairs, adding that both Arcadio and the nobles opposing him were seeking William out.

It was clear that the struggle between the two factions had reached a boiling point, a life-or-death conflict that had escalated to the point where both sides were vying for William's allegiance as a representative of military strength within the city.

Had the situation not been so dire, neither side would have considered this option.

After some thought, William decided to meet with the faction opposing Arcadio first. He sent word of his willingness to meet, and after receiving a response, he set out with Aramis and Edmond to secretly visit the estate of Count Rielde, the Minister of Internal Affairs.

...

Meanwhile, at Count Rielde's estate, the nobles opposing Arcadio were still debating whether inviting William was a good idea.

Some of the more stubborn nobles remained distrustful of William, suspecting his motives. And in truth, they were not wrong—but given the current circumstances, they had no other options but to attempt to win him over.

"He's ultimately one of Arcadio's men. What if he's just here to test us? What if he's only coming to gather intelligence on us?" one noble asked in rapid succession, voicing his concerns.

Count Rielde frowned. "I've already stationed men in the adjacent rooms. At my signal, they will storm in and subdue Stolt. This meeting must not be exposed. If he shows even the slightest hint of betrayal, I'll give the signal. Whether we succeed or fail, we must silence him."

...

When William and his companions arrived at the estate, they were led to the meeting room by a maid. However, Aramis and Edmond were stopped at the door. The two looked to William, who gave a slight nod, signaling them to stay put. Only then did they refrain from forcing their way in.

As William entered the room, Aramis turned to the maid who had escorted them and flashed her a bright smile.

Aramis had an impressive appearance. Years of sword training had given him a tall and robust build, and his boyish face made him look harmless. When he smiled, his dimples and two small tiger-like teeth made him all the more endearing.

"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before," Aramis said with a friendly grin.

The maid rolled her eyes, seemingly about to complain about the clichéd pick-up line. But upon seeing Aramis's boyish face, she found herself unable to stay annoyed. There was something about his carefree demeanor—perhaps a lingering trace of his past as a pirate—that made him irresistibly charming.

Before long, Aramis, with his striking looks and silver tongue, had the maid laughing and chatting with him as they walked away.

Meanwhile, Edmond took advantage of the maid's distraction. Running a hand through his fiery red hair, he casually strolled to the door of the room adjacent to the meeting room. Pressing his ear to the door for a moment, he then opened it and peeked inside. Finding the room empty, he moved on to the next door.

At the next door, Edmond noticed something different. Years of sword training had honed his hearing, and he could faintly detect the sound of multiple people breathing on the other side.

Without hesitation, he pushed the door open and peeked inside.

Inside the room, over a dozen burly men turned toward the sound of the door opening, their expressions a mix of confusion and wariness as they stared at Edmond's head poking through the doorway.

"Pardon my intrusion," Edmond said, widening the door slightly before slipping inside and shutting it behind him. Smiling cheerfully, he addressed the men, whose hostility was written all over their faces. "A bunch of grown men crammed into such a tiny room—aren't you bored? How about I keep you company for a while?"

...

Back in the meeting room, William immediately sensed the weight of over a dozen gazes falling on him, some of them filled with blatant hostility.

Unfazed, William stood by the door and surveyed the room. Over a dozen nobles from the Navia Kingdom were present, some seated and others standing, all scrutinizing him.

The nobles varied in height, weight, age, and demeanor. But they all wore high-quality formal attire and top hats, maintaining their aristocratic airs even in these circumstances. When William's gaze fell on them, they would slightly raise their chins in acknowledgment, as if that alone sufficed as a greeting.

William's attention quickly shifted to the portly old man at the center of the group. He recognized him as Count Rielde, the Minister of Internal Affairs. With the Prime Minister ousted, Rielde—one of the four great ministers of state—was now the only figure capable of standing against Arcadio, the Minister of Finance. Naturally, he had become the backbone of the anti-Arcadio faction.

Technically speaking, the Minister of Internal Affairs oversaw matters of public order and crime, which made William a subordinate of Count Rielde.

But in a world where power and politics often trumped official duties and regulations, such formalities held little weight. Everyone in the noble district knew William was aligned with Arcadio. William had never reported to Count Rielde of his own accord, nor had Rielde ever summoned William—until today, when circumstances left him no choice.

"Captain Stolt, where have you been lately? Why haven't you been in Kalmar City overseeing your duties?"

The question came from a scrawny, middle-aged noble who was the first to speak after William closed the door. His tone was deliberately stern, as if chastising William.

The noble's question was not without reason. Before leaving, William had intentionally loosened his grip on the city's law enforcement, allowing the nobles to experience the chaos of a poorly managed city. He had told Edmond that he would deal with these nobles later, but in the meantime, he didn't mind collecting some early leverage.

In recent days, several crimes had occurred in the noble district, targeting areas that had been relatively peaceful under William's previous control.

Most of these incidents were thefts, but there had also been two cases of robbery and murder. Coincidentally—or not—the victims of the murders were the very nobles who had initially proposed poisoning William. The methods used were brutally gruesome, with the victims' heads severed and taken away. When Dennis, the sheriff investigating the scenes, saw the carnage, his expression had been grim.

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