Finally, on September 15th, the Levely officially commenced!
Kings from the East Blue, South Blue, West Blue, North Blue, the first half of the Grand Line, the second half of the Grand Line, and Fish-Man Island beneath the Red Line Continent, along with their few guards, disembarked from their royal ships and gathered at the port of Red Port.
For the seasoned kings, this place was already quite familiar, and they carried themselves with a relaxed and composed demeanor.
However, for King Cobra and Queen Otohime, who were attending for the first time, everything felt fresh and new.
Especially the enormous World Government logo etched into the surface of the Red Line Continent's rocky wall, which loomed like a 'giant' before their eyes.
"What beautiful buildings! Is this a human town?" Queen Otohime exclaimed excitedly as she gazed at the clean, tidy roads and the vibrant, exquisite houses lining them. Just then, she noticed bubbles floating up from the grass beneath her feet.
"Are there bubbles here too?"
"Otohime, our bubbles are self-made, but the bubbles here are produced by the Yarukiman Mangrove trees. Look at those two tall trees with large bubbles covering their tops," said King Neptune, who, at a towering height of twelve meters, floated in the air encased in a bubble. As he spoke, he pointed into the distance.
'I heard that Marineford is planning to plant Yarukiman Mangrove trees to make it easier for male Fish-men to visit in the future.'
While they were talking, the surrounding kings were also curiously observing Queen Otohime. Since she was under thirty years old, she still retained her fish tail, though it was well concealed beneath her orange-yellow gown.
"What a beautiful golden-haired Merman!"
"Is she King Neptune's family?"
Even the young King Cobra couldn't help but glance at her from afar. For him, both the gigantic, giant-like Fish-man King Neptune and the Merman Queen Otohime were first-time encounters.
However, his inner thought was that the legendary Merman was indeed not as beautiful as my Queen Titi! Seeing this, Queen Otohime stepped forward gracefully and smiled warmly, saying, "Respected kings, I am the queen of Fish-Man Island, named Otohime. I look forward to your guidance."
"Ah—so she's the Fish-man Queen, no wonder she has such an extraordinary presence!" the kings exclaimed in realization.
Just then, they noticed a dozen or so men in black suits approaching from the direction of Red Port, carrying Image Snails and small Den Den Mushi for photography. They dispersed around the area and began filming.
"Hmm, what are they doing?" asked King Elizabello II of the Prodence Kingdom, puffing out his robust chest and swaying his large cape as he inquired curiously.
"Starting from this year's Levely, the process and results will be broadcast live to the world," explained an official from the Publicity Department's News Division. He then stepped in front of the Den Den Mushi and began introducing loudly.
"This is King Elizabello II of the Prodence Kingdom, and this is his second time attending the Levely."
"May I ask, what issues do you plan to raise during this conference?"
Hearing the question, King Elizabello II paused for a moment. But then, realizing that countless people might be waiting for his response, he hesitantly began to speak.
"Our nation is currently facing a military threat from the Kingdom of Adebiye. Their fortress has been built right on our border, so I plan to propose sanctions against them at the meeting."
Meanwhile, the other kings were also taken aback by the Publicity Department's sudden move. Being under the gaze of various Den Den Mushi made them feel extremely uncomfortable.
Some kings who hadn't been questioned or noticed gathered at the back and began whispering among themselves.
"What's going on? Why is there suddenly a public broadcast?"
"Exactly! Does that mean the meeting later will also be watched by countless people?"
"What should we do? Everyone has probably guessed most of this year's agenda. I was planning to oppose some of it."
"What's up with the World Government lately? They've suddenly taken a liking to global broadcasts."
For a moment, the kings became flustered, their hearts starting to race. After all, they were used to acting freely at the conference table, where loud, rude arguments were the norm, and mutual insults were common. But now, in front of the screens of the people from various nations, this would be a fantastic entertainment program. The Levely was something the entire world paid attention to.
In the past, they could only get a rough idea of what happened through subsequent newspaper reports.
But now, they could watch the entire discussion process of the kings at the Levely through the camera lenses. How thrilling was that? Almost all the citizens gave a big thumbs up to the World Government for this move! Chamber of Authority.
While Mary Geoise was bustling with activity, the Five Elders had no mind to focus on the Levely. After all, everything that needed to be arranged had already been taken care of.
"The Stargate is too narrow. Most of the construction equipment can't get through, and the Construction Division can only use basic tools. This is seriously affecting the speed of building the base camp," Topman Warcury Saint said with a grim expression.
"That world over there seems to have no people or dangerous creatures. It's fine if the base is built a bit slower," Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro Saint said calmly.
Marcus Mars Saint spoke up, "We might as well think about how we should utilize it if it truly is a uncivilized, barren world."
His words made the other four fall into thought. Indeed, with the resources of an entire planet at their disposal, the key was how to make the best use of it. After a moment, Topman Warcury Saint was the first to speak.
"What comes to my mind first are minerals, timber, food, livestock, and freshwater!"
In fact, the resources of the various kingdoms on Blue Star (formerly known as Sea Star) were not abundant. Conflicts between nations often arose from the competition for resources.
This was easy to understand, as this was a world where 90% of the area was covered by oceans, and each kingdom was located on an island surrounded by water on all sides.
Although the resources in the sea were plentiful, the massive and dangerous sea beasts, even the Sea Kings, were not something ordinary kingdoms could handle. Fishermen had to be extremely cautious even when going out to fish.
Add to that the chaotic magnetic fields and extreme, unpredictable weather, and transportation between nations became extremely inconvenient. This made the already scarce resources even harder to circulate.
For the World Government, the most scarce resource is actually metal, especially iron and copper. This is also one of the reasons why the navy has always used Breech-Loading Repeating Flintlocks.
This is because the main body of the gun is 80% wood, with only the barrel made of iron and the bullets made of copper.
If they were to equip all the soldiers of the navy and army with automatic rifles, it would mean the World Government has the money, but even with money, they can't acquire such a large amount of materials.
As for the navy's warships, only the outer layer of the headquarters-level warships is covered with iron plates. The warships of the four seas branches are merely painted with a layer of blue paint.
"So if it is indeed confirmed that there is no civilization or other dangers, I would like to dispatch the Mining Department as soon as possible to explore the mineral veins and freshwater resources of that world!"
"If we really find enough iron and copper mines, then we won't need to purchase materials from those kingdoms anymore. We can directly use local resources to build weapon factories!"