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After Enel tested the white sphere's ability, Fujitora brought Reha up to the sky island.
Reha, seeing a sky island for the first time, marveled, "So this is a sky island. It's beautiful…"
Noir, hands on his hips, surveyed the empty expanse. "It is beautiful. And it'll be even more so once we build a palace."
Reha, taking in the dreamlike scenery, nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed. A palace in the sky would be a fitting symbol for Your Highness."
Noir chuckled, tossing the white sphere to Reha. "Have this fashioned into a scepter. It controls this island."
Reha caught the sphere, his eyes wide with surprise. He cradled it carefully. "I understand. This scepter will become a symbol of the Kingdom of Noitem's ruler!"
Noir nodded, then frowned. "But how do we handle transportation between the sky island and the ground…?"
Lucci interjected, "Blueno's ability could help."
Noir waved his hand dismissively. "Are you trying to work Blueno to death?"
Lucci shook his head, and Reha explained, "No, it's one of Kuri's research projects."
Noir was surprised. Kuri?
He remembered assigning Kuri to focus on Devil Fruit and Iron Man suit research after they arrived at Noitem. Had she made progress so quickly?
Seeing Noir's questioning look, Reha quickly explained, "Kuri had been researching spatial portals for some time, but she hadn't made much headway until she encountered Mr. Blueno."
"By studying the Doa Doa no Mi, Kuri has created a rudimentary device capable of short-range teleportation!"
Everyone was shocked, but Noir was overjoyed.
He hadn't misjudged Kuri. In such a short time, she had delivered a huge breakthrough.
It was fortunate that the Marines and the World Government hadn't focused their attention on Blueno. If Vegapunk had gotten his hands on him, spatial portals might already be a reality.
What a lucky find…
Noir relaxed. "That solves it, then. We'll build the palace here."
"We can also relocate some of Noitem's and the Underworld's key personnel and facilities here, like Kuri and her lab."
Reha, full of enthusiasm, pounded his chest. "I will oversee the construction of the most magnificent palace!"
Though Noitem was in ruins, Noir had amassed a considerable fortune, enough to fund the kingdom's development for a good while.
He was more than willing to spend the necessary beli to construct a grand royal palace.
Besides, if they ran out of money, he could always acquire more. He was a pirate, after all, and he now possessed the legal right to plunder as a Warlord.
Again, as long as the ruler was powerful, funds would never be an issue.
Robin looked up at the empty sky island, her eyes filled with anticipation. "I can't wait to see Noitem when it's finished."
Noir nodded, gazing intently into Robin's eyes. "This time, I'm here. The tragedies of Noitem and Ohara will not be repeated."
Robin stared at him for a moment, then gently placed a finger on his lips, a soft smile gracing her features. "Silly, of course not."
Enel scratched his head, completely missing the atmosphere. "So, what are we going to call this palace?"
Robin, her interest piqued, offered, "I have an idea."
Everyone turned to her. Robin announced proudly, "How about the Palace of the Celestial Summit?"
Wyper's eyes lit up. "Not bad! It fits the sky island setting perfectly!"
Enel nodded in agreement. "Indeed. It's a surprisingly normal name coming from you, Big Sis Robin."
At that, Robin shot him a withering glare, and Enel instantly shut his mouth.
While everyone else seemed to approve, Noir felt a chill run down his spine.
The name reminded him of a certain… tomb-raiding movie.
If they really used that name, and he lived in the palace, wouldn't it be like living in a giant tomb…?
Leave it to Robin to come up with a name that sounded nice but had such ominous undertones.
Noir forced a smile and interrupted their discussion. "The name's too complicated. Let's just call it the Cloud Palace."
Since their leader had spoken, the others, though hesitant, didn't object.
Robin, however, pouted, clearly unhappy that her suggestion had been rejected again.
Everyone else discreetly glanced at Noir, who, ignoring their looks, awkwardly shuffled over to Robin.
He crouched beside her, sweating profusely as he tried to explain himself. Though, in truth, he wasn't even sure what he had done wrong…
The rest of the crew watched them, identical knowing smiles on their faces…
....
Lucci expertly produced a table, chairs, and a large watermelon.
Wyper, cradling the watermelon, sat down and sighed. "That Captain of ours is so dense. Why doesn't he just confess already?"
Reha hesitated, then ventured, "Perhaps… he's shy?"
At that, everyone turned to stare at Reha as if he were an alien. They chorused, "The Captain? Shy?!"
Reha fell silent. Though he hadn't known Noir for long, he could tell…
His Highness's skin was, well… "thick".
Enel, his mouth full of watermelon, spat out a seed and mumbled, "That's not dense. That's just plain stupid."
Lucci subtly shifted away from Enel. "Be careful. The Captain might hear you."
Enel scoffed, then lowered his head to continue devouring the watermelon, his posture a strange mix of arrogance and cowardice…
While their peanut gallery continued its commentary, and a certain beauty still seemed upset, Noir, being a man of action, was focused on more important matters.
The new Noitem was still in its infancy. Its internal strength was weak, and it needed capable individuals to establish its authority.
Noir's political skills were atrocious, but he could at least imitate the practices of his predecessors.
Though time was of the essence, he decided to start by recruiting talented individuals within the kingdom to ease the burden on himself and Reha.
He planned to appoint ministers to oversee the various departments of Noitem's government, and then…
He could comfortably take a backseat!
After all, as long as Noir maintained his overwhelming strength, rebellion and betrayal were highly unlikely in the world of One Piece.
...
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