"I am the King of the Kingdom of Korf, Korf Aquitaine!"

Kuro raised an eyebrow. "Your name is quite unique. It sounds like you're surrendering."

Aquitaine, a southwestern region known for its filial piety, naturally has its own tradition of filial piety.

"Please don't joke around, I haven't surrendered, I'm still fighting for this country!"

Aquitaine's face was filled with bitterness. "But now, we really can't hold on any longer. Please save this country. I'm willing to pay any price for it. Exquisite stone carvings, bomb rocks—you can take anything this kingdom has, just please save this country!"

"In that case..."

After remaining silent for a while, Kaku finally spoke, "Then let's use the Bomb Rock..."

Before he could finish speaking, Kuro stopped him, saying, "Sweeping away pirates is no problem, but as for member states, we still need to investigate. You seem pretty good, and the first impression is alright, but we still need to observe you further."

He had a decent impression of the young king, who looked to be only in his early thirties. If that was the case, joining a constituent republic for the sake of the king was acceptable.

The task of eliminating pirates is not something that can be used as a bargaining chip.

"Lieutenant General Jin Ni!"

Stussy chimed in, "We should seize this opportunity. You know how scarce resources like Bomb Rock are up there..."

Kuro glared at her, interrupting her abruptly.

"Do you expect me to teach you how to do it? I'm a navy officer, and the navy's duty is to eliminate pirates. If I haven't received any orders from above, I'll just do what I'm supposed to do."