Kuro's words left Joshua stunned. Being stared at by him made him sober up a bit.
"Roads are made by walking..."
He muttered this sentence, stared at the ground for a while, and suddenly revealed a bitter smile, "That's different. I can't be the first. I am the 'Emperor,' but I am fake. I don't have any noble blood. I'm just a commoner."
Astrea doesn't have an emperor position, or rather, there isn't one on the high seas. The title of 'emperor' is more associated with pirates or extremely powerful individuals; it's just a title. There's no noble class in Astrea. The highest noble class is the 'king'.
So when Joshua proclaimed himself 'Emperor,' no one bothered him much. But he also knew that he was a fake, without any inherent legal authority or the qualities to rule.
Kuro pointed at Joshua and said, "Don't get it wrong. If you call yourself an 'emperor,' then do something beneficial for people. What you've done is not what an 'emperor' should do. What an emperor should truly do is to be a role model for people and inspire them to move forward. Whether it's a pirate emperor or any other emperor, they all lead by example. If you don't set an example first, why should people follow you?"
“You did a great job before, both as a mediator and as a person. How come you can’t do it now?”
Kuro's words struck Joshua squarely at his weak point.
Such a man, though he does everything well, still has a sense of hierarchy deep down. Don't be fooled by his self-proclaimed title of "emperor"; he is merely advising the common people. Beyond that, he can do nothing but issue those worthless decrees, because he dares not, because he has not taken any action.
Kuro wouldn't mind lending a hand to a man like that.
"If the Principality of Faya is as you say, then it's essentially gone. If two countries attack together and the great nobles don't resist, it'll be easily swallowed up by the other two. And then what? Then there will be the Principality of Sema and the Principality of Felton attacking each other until a new unified nation for Astaya is chosen. But in such a war, with two Yonko backing you, the casualties will all be yours. Don't think that pirates will fight for you. In the end, it will still be the people of Astaya who suffer. Is that what you want?" Kuro said slowly.
Joshua slowly raised his head, the flush from the alcohol on his face gradually fading, and his expression becoming increasingly serious: "I don't want this!"
“Then you know better than I do what needs to be done,” Kuro said with a puff of smoke.
Joshua held the newspaper, stared at Kuro for a while, and then turned and left.
As Joshua walked out of the theater, he stood at the entrance, looking at the people on the street who were still grieving. His gaze gradually changed from blank to resolute.
He turned to the back of the newspaper, where there was a small headline—['Farethaire Joshua,' a lawbreaker!]
A small headline in the newspaper reported on a man named Faretal Joshua, who had always called himself the 'Emperor' of Astia. He had previously overlooked this due to his love for his people, but he had colluded with external forces to try to become the true ruler of the Principality of Faya. The king's death was suspected to be his doing, and now he was no longer a subject of the Principality of Faya and had a bounty of 100 million Berries on his head, dead or alive.
He was wanted by a bounty placed on his head by the nobles within the Duchy of Faya, and he was no longer a citizen of the Duchy of Faya. It was because of this newspaper that he wanted to ask the navy for help, but that kind of thing was just drunken nonsense. He knew very well that the navy was incapable of doing anything. No matter how strong the navy was, they would not handle such matters within the kingdom.
He was just going to try it out, just in case...
But the navy officer's words brought him to his senses.
yes...
An emperor is someone who sets an example. If he doesn't take the lead, what right does he have to call himself an emperor, and what right does he have to demand things of others?
You have to do it yourself first!
Joshua took a deep breath, drew his pistol from his waist, and pulled the trigger into the air.
Bang!
The sudden gunshot silenced the cries of the people on the street.
Joshua glanced at the group and shouted, "My people!!"
The sound drew everyone's attention, and upon seeing Joshua, the panic and astonishment they should have felt upon hearing the gunshot vanished, replaced by quiet stares at him.
He held up the newspaper, showing them the headlines, and shouted: "Emperor of Astrea, your guardian, I, Faretair Joshua, have been defined as a criminal by the Duchy of Faya!"
This statement startled everyone, and they all turned to the back of the newspaper, only to notice the small headline.
This news immediately lessened their grief over the king's death.
"No way! How could Joshua collude with external forces?!"
"External forces, the navy?! Impossible. The navy is here to make the Principality of Faya a member state, and we don't believe Joshua would assassinate the king!"
"These nobles are talking nonsense! We won't listen to them, Joshua, it's alright, we won't arrest you!"
The citizens shouted loudly.
Joshua simply shook his head and shouted:
"That's not the case. What I want to say is that those nobles disregard our lives and only care about their own interests. They don't care about the fate of the Duchy of Faya, nor do they care about our lives. They only care about their territory, and they don't even care about the country. How can such people possibly achieve the unification of Astaya? Those people are recklessly using our lives for their own selfish desires. To this, I just want to say, we won't stand for it!!"
"My people, my people! As the Emperor of Astia, I now command this city, which I am most loyal to, that we will be independent, that we will resist any orders or invasions, starting with me. I will protect you until you resist, until you fight!"
"I will be the pioneer, and you will choose: to become the true, uncontrollable masters of Astrea, or to become sacrifices for the nobles!!"
Joshua's voice resounded throughout the street, its echo lingering and reaching Kuro's ears as he watched from above.
"wanted?"
Kuro flipped open the newspaper, saw the small headline, and smiled:
"They're quite clever, knowing the power of a popular celebrity. It's a pity they didn't do it right."
If a person's popularity can influence the entire city, then the choice should be to maintain stability, not this approach. Even if Kuro hadn't said anything, he would have made the same decision.
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