Accordion President’s Recruitment Plan

Yet it was that burly, unfamiliar man who held the Trident of Poseidon and blocked an attack capable of killing Superman.

"Do something. Use your trident."

Green Arrow leaned close to Arthur and whispered.

They had to take this chance to let the guy show himself off more.

"What should I do?"

"Whatever you want."

With everyone watching, Arthur stepped forward two paces and raised the golden Trident of Poseidon high.

"I said, everyone, cease fire!"

The sea monsters controlled by Atlantis and the Saltwater Kingdom, along with the sharks and seahorses their riders sat upon, all lowered their heads in unison.

Even the neckless sharks voluntarily sank a little beneath the surface.

Every Atlantean and Fisherman Nation soldier felt their hearts constrict. Only those with royal bloodlines or considerable strength could partially resist the pressure emanating from the trident.

"Lord Vico, this…"

An Atlantean general looked toward Vico, who was commanding the troops beside him.

He was Atlantis’s legitimate military strategist. As a human, Lex Luthor would never be allowed by Orm to appear openly; he was merely a behind-the-scenes adviser.

Vico looked at Arthur, concealing the approval in his eyes.

"That is Neptune’s Trident, wielded by the ancient kings of Atlantis. Only Atlantis’s ruler is qualified to use it. Its bearer can command the seas and all aquatic creatures.

"And its current owner… is King Orm’s elder brother, the eldest son of Atlanna, the queen, Arthur."

Orm’s elder brother, the eldest son of Atlanna, the queen?

In other words, this man possessed the direct eldest bloodline of Atlantis’s royal family. He had a legitimate claim to the throne, and his place in the line of succession might even precede King Orm’s.

Now, Orm had led the allied forces of the four kingdoms in an invasion of the surface world and suffered defeat. He himself had been captured by humans and severely wounded.

If there had been no other royal family member of sufficient standing, Orm might have been able to remain on the throne, albeit with his prestige greatly diminished.

But now, an elder brother had appeared—and that brother had obtained Neptune’s Trident, the symbol of Atlantis’s legitimacy.

Then Orm was likely…

"I will propose to the Atlantis council that, while King Orm remains unconscious, Arthur, the eldest son of Atlanna, the queen, serve as Atlantis’s regent."

Vico spoke.

Several generals exchanged glances.

Vico had already chosen a side.

What about them?

They wanted to move up too.

"I agree."

"Seconded!"

"King Arthur is currently the only adult male member of the royal family, and he has obtained Neptune’s Trident. He has the right to become regent."

And just like that, Arthur rightfully became Atlantis’s regent and began presiding over peace negotiations with the land dwellers.

A day later, the four undersea kingdoms withdrew their forces and sent envoys to humanity.

Both sides agreed to hold peace negotiations at Buckingham Palace in Britain two days later.

Inside the White House.

"Mr. President, Britain’s Prime Minister has sent an inquiry. Do you intend for the United States to rejoin the Paris Environmental Agreement?"

"There’s no need. It’s an environmental treaty signed internally by humanity; it has nothing to do with those fish living under the sea. Britain can follow America’s lead in signing a new agreement."

The blond President spread his hands in an accordion-like gesture and shook his head.

"But Mr. President, America’s military did not play a significant role in stopping the Atlanteans’ attack in this war. In Britain, it was War Warrior and Wonder Woman who defeated the Atlanteans. Here in the Americas, it was Superman who held back Atlantis’s main force. Then Batman and the others arrived with that mixed-blood Atlantean, and the Atlanteans submitted to them, not us.

"And Lex Luthor is even less possible. Although Congress has demanded that Lex Luthor be brought into the government, I believe that if he appears at the negotiating table, the Atlanteans will see it as a provocation. There is a risk that war will erupt again."

The President’s adviser spoke to the blond President.

"Then why not bring War Warrior and Superman in as well? We haven’t found out Superman’s identity, but didn’t you already find out that War Warrior is that Wade from Gotham? Hell, he’s worth far more than I am."

The blond President tilted his head.

"Mr. President, Superman may agree to participate in the negotiations, but he will not agree to join the government. As for War Warrior… I think you first need to convince those people. Though there is no direct evidence, we all know that the people who once led the launch of the Nuclear Bomb at Metropolis are dead. And Wade was the one who did it. I’m afraid…"

"You know those people are dead. So what does it matter if we bring him in?"

The blond President asked bluntly.

On certain matters, he did get straight to the heart of things.

"Besides, if they bring Lex Luthor in, does that mean we can only rely on Lex Luthor to solve these problems from now on? That isn’t appropriate. We also need someone like Lex Luthor, someone with wealth and technology. We can’t let Lex Luthor dominate everything. The military’s fighter jet contracts still need Boeing and Loma to compete for.

"Besides, they must have seen how Wade’s people dealt with those Atlanteans at Gotham’s harbor. That guy already has an army of Enhanced Humans under his command, along with a pile of high-tech weapons, and even an immortal giant. Can those people come up with a strategy to deal with that?"

The President’s adviser fell silent.

Who would dare make a move against Wade now?

Several members of Congress had already died. Who would risk being assassinated by Wade again just to target him?

That man was no longer someone the United States government could handle through violent means.

Thinking about it that way, there seemed to be few options left.

One was to incite other beings with formidable superhuman power to fight him like dogs. The other was recruitment.

"All right, Mr. President. But frankly speaking, with Wade’s current wealth and status, I’m afraid ordinary things won’t be enough to move him. Doing this may affect certain people’s interests. You may have to personally persuade those people."

"They have no choice but to agree."

The blond President dropped his accordion pose, reached for the mouse on the round table, clicked a button on the computer, and posted a comment on Twitter celebrating peace: no one understood peace better than him.

At the same time, Gotham City, in a certain Batcave hidden behind a waterfall.

"Oh, hey, guys, honestly, don’t you think this place is a little too creepy?"

Diana wore casual clothes: a leather jacket on top and jeans below, outlining her long legs as she looked around.