NOVEL NEXT Chapter 80: Falling Out
Half a Month Later!
At the same port where they had first arrived, Jon and his team were now aboard their warship, preparing to depart from Rhodes Kingdom.
"Jon, the King of Rhodes insists on seeing you. He even threatened that if you refuse, he'll report you to the Five Elders."
Pemberton stormed onto the ship, grumbling in frustration as he found Jon.
However, Jon didn't look surprised or annoyed at all.
He had expected this.
In fact, over the past two weeks, the King of Rhodes had requested to meet him multiple times.
And every single time, Jon had found a way to avoid him.
But today was different—they were finally leaving.
No matter what, he had to give the king a final response.
"Alright, let's go see him."
Jon's avoidance wasn't out of fear—he just didn't want to waste time dealing with them.
After the BIG MOM Pirates had been repelled, the King of Rhodes had repeatedly tried to befriend Jon.
But Jon wasn't a forgiving person—if anything, he held grudges.
The king and prince had made things difficult for them at first, and later, they had stood by and watched the battle unfold without lifting a finger.
Different political standpoints?
Jon didn't care.
To him, that was irrelevant.
So, even when the King later tried to curry favor, Jon ignored him completely.
The only reason they had stayed in Rhodes Kingdom for half a month was because Gion had contacted Vice Admiral Tsuru, and Tsuru had ordered them to stay for two weeks.
If the BIG MOM Pirates returned, they were to engage them again.
If they didn't, then they were free to leave.
Now that two weeks had passed and the BIG MOM Pirates hadn't shown up for unknown reasons, Jon saw no reason to stay any longer.
He immediately ordered his men to prepare for departure.
Meeting the King
Following Pemberton, Jon soon arrived at the palace, where the King of Rhodes and his arrogant prince were waiting.
"Your Majesty, we've received orders to leave. Why are you stopping us?"
Before the King could speak, Jon cut straight to the point, blocking him from making any arguments.
The King's expression stiffened immediately, and his advisors also looked displeased.
The Prince of Rhodes, in particular, glared at Jon with burning hatred.
Even though he knew Jon was strong, his disdain for him never changed.
To him, Jon was merely a Navy Commander, while his father was a king.
For a mere naval officer to speak so bluntly to royalty—he found it completely unacceptable.
The King, however, remained composed.
Calmly, he said,
"I'm not trying to stop you. However, if you leave and the BIG MOM Pirates return, what are we supposed to do? The Navy cannot just abandon us."
"Then what exactly do you want us to do? Stay here and guard your country forever?"
Jon countered without hesitation.
"Of course! Or, you could choose another option—go and destroy the BIG MOM Pirates. That would solve all of our problems."
The Prince of Rhodes sneered, his tone dripping with mockery.
Jon smirked.
He wasn't the least bit offended by the sarcasm.
Instead, he played along.
"That's actually a great idea. The BIG MOM Pirates are a major threat to the Navy as well. How about this—
You take care of them for us, and in return, we'll grant you anything you want. How about that?"
"You—!"
The Prince of Rhodes was instantly enraged, pointing at Jon in fury.
"Hm?"
Jon's gaze turned ice-cold.
He didn't have Conqueror's Haki, but the pressure of a seasoned warrior was more than enough to intimidate an ordinary noble.
"Commander Jon."
The King of Rhodes quickly stepped in, preventing his son from making things worse.
Then, he spoke calmly but with a firm tone:
"Our kingdom is a member of the World Government. We pay the Heavenly Tribute.
As the Navy is an extension of the World Government, it is your duty and obligation to protect us.
If word of this spreads, other member nations will feel abandoned. Can you bear that responsibility?"
By framing the argument this way, the King believed he had backed Jon into a corner.
After all, in his eyes, the Navy ultimately answered to the World Government, and Jon was just a mere commander.
Surely, Jon would back down after hearing this.
But to his surprise—
Jon simply smiled.
"You're right—I can't bear that responsibility.
You're free to report me or spread the news.
But you should also keep something in mind—
We traveled thousands of miles to help you fight off pirates. Yet, you didn't even provide us with a place to stay.
We had to sleep on our warship. Even food and supplies came from our own pockets.
Is this how your kingdom treats its allies?"
Jon wasn't even slightly worried about the King reporting him to the Five Elders.
To put it bluntly, the World Government was like a massive landlord—they wouldn't waste their time on things that didn't profit them.
Besides, their mission was only to repel the pirates, not to defend Rhodes Kingdom indefinitely.
Even if the World Government did inquire about this, Jon had plenty of ways to deflect responsibility.
This kind of tactical maneuvering might seem shameless, but that was simply how the world worked.
Jon wasn't someone obsessed with ideals or blind justice.
He had no interest in sacrificing himself for others.
"Y-You… The Navy is bullying us too much!"
The King of Rhodes shouted in outrage.
Jon merely sneered.
"Your Majesty, let's end this conversation here. Goodbye."
Without giving the King another chance to speak, Jon turned and walked away with Pemberton and the others.
"Damn the Navy! I'll report this to the Five Elders! I won't let him get away with this!"
After Jon and his team left, the King of Rhodes roared furiously, his voice filled with rage and humiliation.
Back on the Warship
Onboard, Pemberton looked at Jon with concern.
"Jon, don't you think you went a bit too far? You've completely offended them."
After all, the King was still a World Government-affiliated ruler.
He still had influence.
If he truly angered the Five Elders, Jon, as a mere commander, wouldn't stand a chance.
Jon, however, remained calm.
"Relax. It's not a big deal. We followed our orders. We stayed within the rules.
Unless it involves the Celestial Dragons, even the Five Elders won't break protocol that easily."
The Navy was indeed under the World Government, but it also had significant authority of its own.
And while Jon was just a commander, he had his own backing.
A figure as powerful as the Five Elders wouldn't personally target a mere commander.
"You're way too optimistic," Pemberton sighed.
"I know Vice Admiral Tsuru protects you, but the World Government isn't as simple as you think. You should still be careful."
Jon laughed.
"I'm not being optimistic. I'm just realistic. Even if something happens, it won't be life-threatening.*
*Worst case? They demote me and send me to the Four Seas. That's not even a bad outcome—I might actually enjoy it more."
"Suit yourself."
Pemberton shook his head, exasperated.
"I just know you're going to suffer for this someday."
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