Buying People's Hearts

Negotiations for any deal are based on power, and this is especially true for the interests of nations.

At the renewed peace treaty of the three kingdoms, Longinus, who had defeat Felix, said every word of the peace treaty, which was much appreciated by the royalty and nobles of each country.

Although these royalties knew that as a marine, Longinus couldn't possibly do anything to them, the thought of Longinus sending a sea pirate with a bounty of 80 million berries and the king of a government affiliate to prison in a short period made their bodies tremble. They couldn't help but agree with every word of Longinus.

On the side of Alabasta even more so, Cobra, who became king, was already a fan of Longinus' ideas. And the fact that Longinus had taken down the culprit who had killed the previous king made them all worship Longinus even more, so much so that every proposal Longinus made was approved without conditions.

In just half an hour, the three countries completed diplomatic agreements that would not have been concluded in the last half a month, and even Commodore Adkin received a one-billion financial sponsorship shared by the three countries without hesitation.

"This gap between this person is bigger than the gap between people and pigs!" Commodore Adkin looked a little ashamed of his past self. He was thinking of how easily the peace talks meetings that had pained him in the past had ended. And how he had even managed to get such a sizeable financial sponsorship without any effort on his part.

The marine following Commodore Adkin, on the other hand, was looking strange, the words of Commodore-dono... seemed a bit off, didn't it?

Forget it; we should not remind him!

After the meeting was over, Cobra exerted the authority of a king and forcibly dispersed the horny females that were seeking to mate, finally gaining space alone with his idol once again.

"Ensign Longinus, I can't thank you enough for not only saving the royal family's dreaded reputation but for saving the fate of all the citizens of Alabasta!" At the moment, Cobra finally had a hint of the king's presence of mind, at least he didn't have to be as nervous to speak as before.

"King Cobra, I'm just doing what a marine is supposed to do, and to spread the idea of peace and justice to more distant places is the greatest reward for me." Longinus had a gentle smile on his lips that seemed to be as warm and soft as a spring breeze all the time.

"Ensign Longinus, I am well aware of your devotion to justice, and it would be an insult to your noble character to show your gratitude with money!" Cobra said righteously, then motioned for the attendant behind him to bring up the items he was holding.

Longinus sighed in his heart, luckily he didn't have a system for devouring money, but he wasn't going to force Cobra to dishonour his character.

With his precious hands, Cobra removed the medallion, a cross studded with gold and diamonds that glittered and shone in the bright sunlight with fascinating colours.

The nobleman following behind Cobra could not help but express admiration, it was the highest medal of honour of the Alabasta Kingdom, even in Alabasta's eight hundred year history, there were only a handful of people who were qualified to wear this medal.

If Longinus had only been seeking revenge for the royal family, he wouldn't have had the right to wear it. Still, Longinus' series of proposals for the future development of the three kingdoms was also seen by them as a real and potentially valuable offer to save Alabasta.

So even the stubborn aristocrats didn't raise any objections to this.

Longinus, who had done his research before arriving, naturally knew what this highest medal of honour represented, and was secretly amazed at Cobra's boldness while also showing some emotion.

He valued fame far more than profit, with most pirates relying on fierce fame to maintain their rule, while the marines needed the banner of justice as a ladder for upward promotion.

He has been in the newspapers entirely a few times over the years, but this is the first time he has appeared in the eyes of the world as a national hero.

Of course, Longinus will not appear too pushy, as that would be inconsistent with his usual bright image.

Therefore, Longinus said calmly, "I did just what I had to do. It would be an injustice to those of my marine colleagues if I were to gain an honour beyond the respective specifications as a result, and I would like to share that honour with the entire marine if I can."

One by one, the surrounding marines were shocked and moved to the point where they could barely contain themselves, "Ensign Longinus, he turned down that level of the highest honour for us!"

The good news is that Cobra didn't disappoint Longinus and quickly said as if he was dreaming, "Ensign Longinus you're right, I'm the one who neglected the other valiant marine heroes who fought. How about this, Ensign Longinus, don't be in a hurry to reject my good intentions, while on the other hand, if everyone is not in a hurry to return to the ship, how about I conduct an award ceremony for the other marines?"

While the medals awarded by Cobra certainly couldn't have been of Longinus's calibre, they'd been the best gift ever to the neglected mid and lower ranks of the Marines.

Who wouldn't want to stand on that glorious stage and enjoy the glory of all the attention if it were possible?

Even though most marines are "tricked " into the marines by the concept of justice, but also because they hope that they will be recognized, even if it is not the marine's award. Still, for these middle and lower-ranking marines, the award ceremony of a country recognized by the World Government is enough to make them excited to be forgotten.

"Are we...are we qualified to be awarded medals as well?"

"Long live King Kobra and long live Captain Longinus!"

At the enthusiastic cheers of the marine around him, Longinus raised the corners of his mouth subtly.

Longinus was well aware that no matter what his outside reputation, the most crucial foundation would always be his influence within the Marines.

So, but whenever there was something beneficial, he would try to bring other marines with him, and in time, his position in the heart of the G2 branch marines was much higher than even those Rear Admirals.

It is for this reason that Tina learns at such a young age to "buy people's hearts" with her beloved big brother, and it only is when Louis was welcomed the last time that the colonels stepped back behind Longinus to emphasize his position.

Now the king had restored the authority of the Alabasta royal family with just a few medals that didn't represent any real interests. The nobles who had complained that Cobra wasn't reliable enough and made promises without discussing with them were also laughing as if their king had discovered a way out that was more suitable for Alabasta by mistake.

Published in Qidian, March 01, 2019