One Piece: At the start, defeat Momonosuke and take Yamato to sea.

Chapter 116 The Sordid Affairs of the Nobles of the Kingdom of Taya

In a luxurious mansion in the Kingdom of Taya.

The kingdom's Earl and Grand General Harada Yukawa, along with a group of royal army generals and garrison commanders, were holding a banquet.

"Lord Yuukawa, don't worry, that guy Aramaki won't come out again!"

This guy just happened to get a powerful Devil Fruit ability by sheer luck.

An ordinary citizen dared to seek fame and fortune and even wanted to climb to a high position by force.

Giving him a police officer status is already an immense favor.

The only reason to blame him is his excessive ambition; he not only set his sights on the position of garrison commander, but he even dared to covet the position of general.

A garrison commander who was at odds with Aramaki, after having a few too many drinks, began to smear Aramaki.

After joining the guard force, this wild herdsman rose through the ranks thanks to his formidable strength.

He even became a 'hero' in the eyes of the common people in the capital.

If Huang Mu is a man of integrity, then others won't be able to deal with him easily.

Unfortunately, Aramaki is a guy who likes beautiful women and is a smooth talker, often joking around with his colleagues.

Once, after drinking, he actually claimed that he possessed great strength and that his goal was to become a military commander, or even a high-ranking position like a general.

These words greatly displeased some noble officers and police officers with this commoner-born man, Huang Mu.

Some complacent noble generals sensed the threat posed by the Wilderness.

As Huang Mu accumulated more and more merits, even the commander of the garrison and the general of the royal army became wary of this powerful and prestigious figure.

Later, because Huang Mu made disrespectful remarks about the princess, the generals used their connections to spread rumors and slander Huang Mu among the people, stripping him of his heroic status and framing him as a criminal.

These generals also secretly pressured and bribed the chief judge of the kingdom, deliberately making a mountain out of a molehill and imposing a severe punishment, sentencing Huang Mu, the royal police officer, to indefinite imprisonment until the princess forgave him.

They imprisoned the wild beast in this way because they feared that if it were sentenced to a severe punishment, it would rebel like a trapped animal.

At that time, there won't be many people who can suppress the powerful Wild Shepherd.

Using the excuse that "the princess must forgive him" is to give Huang Mu a glimmer of hope, to make him obediently serve his sentence, and perhaps one day the princess will suddenly decide to release him.

However, these noble generals secretly bribed the princess's maids to spread rumors and speak ill of Huangmu to her, which made the princess increasingly disgusted with Huangmu.

In that case, Huang Mu will never be released.

Moreover, even if Huang Mu harbors resentment, it is only towards the princess as a scapegoat.

It's none of their business.

If Huang Mu were to break out of prison one day, it would be to take revenge on the princess, the 'culprit'.

This tactic, which backfired spectacularly, was mastered by Count Harada Yukawa.

If one day, even if the barbarians rise up and destroy the princess and the royal family, these noble generals might still be able to take their place and become the new royal family.

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"Captain Chikuyou is drunk."

Count Yukawa raised his wine glass and said something indifferently.

The cold tone immediately sobered the army commander up, and cold sweat broke out on his back.

"It was my fault for speaking out of turn. It was Huang Mu's words that tarnished the princess's reputation. It was Huang Mu's arrogance that prevented him from gaining the princess's forgiveness."

Captain Chikuyou quickly added that the responsibility for Aramaki's imprisonment was completely shifted onto the princess.

"From now on, talk less after drinking. Look at Officer Aramaki, he ruined his future because of his words."

Count Xiongchuan warned again that he did not want to provoke the monster, Aramu.

Therefore, Huang Mu must never know that it was these noble generals who played a major role in Huang Mu's imprisonment.

The princess and the barbarians are both kept in the dark.

"Yes! I understand!"

Captain Chikuyou quickly answered, then slapped himself in the face, daring not to say another word.

He ruined much of the otherwise pleasant atmosphere of the banquet.

As the banquet ended, many generals departed.

In the luxurious hall, only Count Yukawa, his three sons, and six trusted subordinates remained.

“Father, why don’t we lend a hand, rescue Huang Mu, and completely subdue him, making him our retainer?”

The youngest son of Earl Yukawa, Yoshikawa, suggested that plotting against Aramaki was like planting a time bomb.

They might blow themselves up at any time.

Although Count Yukawa's scheme is quite clever, he has managed to shift the blame onto the ignorant princess.

But there are still hidden dangers.

"The Wilderness Shepherd is too powerful; they definitely won't submit to us!"

Why don't we go all the way and force Huang Mu to rebel completely, then use Huang Mu to kill the royal family?

In that case, Aramaki would definitely become a criminal of the kingdom, eventually be wanted, escape to the sea, and become a pirate.

And then we can seize the throne of the Kingdom of Taya.

The eldest son, Incheon, directly opposed his younger brother's suggestion, believing that as the eldest son, he would definitely inherit the title of Earl of Woongcheon in the future.

But if Count Yukawa becomes the new king, then he would become the eldest prince and the future heir to the kingdom.

Thinking about this, Harada Nichikawa was extremely excited.

The second son, Fuchuan, remained silent and offered no opinion, but a shrewd glint was hidden deep within his honest eyes.

Of Count Yukawa's six confidants, five supported Incheon's idea and all wanted to share in the credit for his success.

There was only one person who supported Yoshikawa's idea: to subdue Aramaki, a monstrous fighting force.

He knew full well how powerful and terrifying Huang Mu was, and did not want to become Huang Mu's enemy.

In fact, Count Xiongchuan was also a bit conflicted. He certainly wanted to subdue the Wilderness, but the throne was also his ambition.

It would be even better if we could subdue Huangmu and get him to help us seize the throne.

But Huang Mu is clearly not that kind of person. He's a bit lecherous and power-hungry, but overall, he's a guy with a strong sense of justice.

If Count Yukawa were to rebel, Aramaki would definitely be the first to stand up and kill him, then gain King Taya's trust, and eventually ascend to a high position.

Given the choice between becoming a legitimate general under King Taya and assisting Earl Yuukawa in seizing the throne to become a general, the righteous Aramaki would definitely choose the first option.

Count Xiongchuan believed himself to have the ability to judge people, and knew that the righteous Aramaki would be difficult to subdue.

In that case, he would have no choice but to destroy the Wild Shepherd and drive him out of the Kingdom of Taya, lest this fellow become an obstacle to his usurpation of the throne.

He thought his eldest son Incheon's idea was very good.

By using the princess to force the Arabatsu to rebel, and then using the Arabatsu to destroy the royal family, the Harada family could rightfully ascend to the throne.

After all, the Harada Earl family is the most powerful noble family in the Kingdom of Taya.

"Have the princess's maid whisper in her ear again."

Incheon, you should fabricate a list of crimes committed by Aramak, such as drinking while on duty, extorting protection money, and harassing respectable women...

All these crimes must be made known to the princess.

Furthermore, all the wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice were pinned on Huang Mu.

"This Earl will ensure that Huangmu has no chance of recovery."

After careful consideration, Count Xiongchuan decided to adopt his eldest son's idea, since becoming king was also his dream.

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