One Piece Codex

"Don't be constrained, just feel free to do whatever you want."

Nanako placed two fruit platters on the table and smiled at everyone.

In the evening, the setting sun is not as hot as midsummer, but has a touch of autumn coolness.

In the backyard of Mark's small villa, a barbecue grill is placed in the middle of the lawn. The skewers made of fish balls and beef turn golden in color under the charcoal fire and exude an alluring aroma.

"Bah, bah, bah!" Williams muttered dissatisfiedly with a constipated expression on his face, "It's obviously a skewer, why am I grilling it differently from Nanako?"

Glancing at the two strings of unknown black substance on Williams' hand, Levi's eyes twitched.

[The sticks have been burned into charcoal. This fool still wants to eat meat? 】

"Hey, Williams, don't puke on the lawn, it'll be hard for me to clean up."

Madders, who was wearing casual clothes, hooked Williams' shoulders, handed the bottle to him and said with a smile:

"Forget the boring barbecue and have a bottle of whiskey."

Williams was just about to bite open the bottle cap when Ford, who was helping Lorna grill the meat next to him, interrupted with a smile:

"Please wait a moment, Your Excellencies, before we enjoy the wine, we have a few important things that need to be decided first."

They gathered here today. First, before the old king died, he asked Mads to help Lorna as much as he could. Mads wanted to use this barbecue party to get acquainted with each other and to get closer to each other.Secondly, it has been more than a month since Lorna took the throne. After the kingdom is basically stable, there are indeed some important things to discuss.

Mads was stunned and slapped his head in embarrassment.

"Ahaha, sorry, sorry, I almost forgot about the real thing."

He put the bottle of wine in his hand on the table and took out the bottle that Williams had put into his mouth.

Williams: "..."

Levi rolled his eyes. This guy Mads never looked serious at home. I really don't know why Stuart made him an earl.

Yes, Mads now has a title.

In the will made in advance by the old king, Mades was granted the title of Count and took over Hubert's mansion and private treasury.Originally, Mads refused to have anything to do with the nobles, but now Luluta is busy with things to do, and many things cannot be done as the commander of the reserve army.

Moreover, after the purge within the kingdom, the atmosphere within the kingdom was no longer as filthy as before. It could even be said to be a blank slate. It did not seem that it was unacceptable for Mads to be promoted to an official position.

So, now it’s time to call yourself Count Madras?

Seeing his father's yawning expression in front of outsiders, Levi covered his face in embarrassment and turned his attention to Lorna.

As if telepathically, Lorna also raised her head appropriately, and her eyes met Levi's.

It has to be said that Lorna is as good as her clothes. Lorna was cleaned and put on aristocratic clothes. Apart from her tomboy short hair, there was no trace of the former "Lona" on her body. The two shallow pear dimples were even more... Show her clear and sweet temperament.

[He, he is looking at me? 】

Lorna was stunned, her hand holding the barbecue was frozen in mid-air, and the octopus balls stopped at the edge of her open mouth.

Just as she was wondering, she suddenly felt a surge of heat in her lower abdomen, rising directly to her throat, and then.

"Hiccup~"

She burped.

Apparently, she had eaten too much.

As if there was a delay, the two stared at each other for several seconds before Lorna suddenly reacted.

【Wow!Just now I!just...】

Under Levi's gaze, Lorna's face, which was not covered by dirt, turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye, like a ripe peach, completely red.

Lorna's eyes evaded as she hurriedly tried to put the barbecue back on the shelf.

There was no way, even though she had been living in the palace for a month, the cumbersome aristocratic etiquette and the unfamiliar environment made her extremely uncomfortable, and she was very careful when eating.Unlike here, she was surrounded by familiar people, and there was also the gentle Nanako who asked her questions, which made Lorna feel more at ease.

She let go of her hands and feet and was ready to eat her belly full this time, but...

Levi, who had witnessed the whole process, was covering his mouth and snickering, especially when he saw that there were crumbs of food in the corner of Lorna's mouth, he laughed even harder.

Lorna quickly wiped her mouth with a tissue, and then glared at Levi angrily.

"Humph!"

"Everyone, let's start early."

At this time, Ford walked to the center of the lawn, holding a wooden box that came from nowhere. Everyone fell silent and focused their attention on the deacon.

"More than a month has passed since Miss took office initially. By decentralizing the property of the deposed nobles, the problem of the national treasury deficit and the shortage of soldier resources have been temporarily alleviated. It can be said that the country is basically stable.

Of course, these are all inseparable from the contributions of everyone here.

But recently, the situation in the entire world seems to have begun to become turbulent. Various ambitious forces have suddenly emerged. Even in small sea areas like the South China Sea, pirate forces have become more and more rampant recently.

So, Mr. Mads. "

As he spoke, Ford looked at Mads solemnly.

"We will negotiate with the Navy about the establishment of a base at that time, and I hope you can come forward."

"Navy?..." Mads touched his chin and pondered for a moment, "Don't worry, the branch base commander sent is only a colonel at best. I still have this kind of deterrence."

The reason why we proposed to negotiate with the navy is because many navy officers are not as honest as they imagined.Ford had seen a lot of things like geese plucking their feathers and scraping people's fat.

Luluta has just experienced great turmoil and paid heavenly gold. It cannot withstand gray politics for the time being.

It's okay to say that the officer who came here was upright, but if he came with that kind of corruption, with Mads, a former rear admiral, coming forward, I believe the other party wouldn't dare to go too far.

Levi glanced at Mads in surprise.

Unexpectedly, even though my cheap dad was ridiculously strong, it now sounds like he has something to do with the Navy.

"Sir Mads, please."

Ford bowed slightly, then placed the box in his hand among everyone.

"The second thing is about this. Originally, the master wanted me to give this to the lady directly, but after the lady's suggestion, I decided to discuss it with you first before making a decision."

With that said, he opened the box.

A "durian" lies quietly in the wooden box. It is not accurate to say that it is a durian, because the fruit is milky white and its spikes are covered with spiral patterns, which looks very strange.

Li Wei looked up and down curiously, wondering if it was a rare plant in the palace that could be sold for hundreds of millions.

Williams on the side asked directly:

"Ford, what is this?"

"This is... a devil fruit!" Mads's pupils shrank slightly, with a flash of surprise, "This thing is not common in the world, Ford, where did Stewart get it?"

Ford: "I accidentally bought this from a traveling dealer two years ago. The traveling dealer didn't seem to know its value. He only thought it was a rare fruit, so he only sold it for 2000 million Baileys."

"Twenty million Baileys, tsk tsk, this is really a big deal." Mads smacked his lips.

[2000 million Baileys is considered a bargain, what on earth is this? 】

Levi raised his eyebrows, becoming even more curious about this so-called "Devil Fruit".

Williams: "Twenty million, that's it?"

"Grandpa Ford said that you can gain a magical power by eating it," Lorna continued, "If eating it can enhance your strength, I think it should be given to the person who can best utilize its value."

After speaking, Lorna glanced at Levi calmly.