Two days later, the ship from Arabasta arrived at the Holy Land.
This time, Rosse chose to personally welcome them. And his appearance at the harbor caused an uproar.
Everyone knew that Rosse had a good relationship with Arabasta, but no one expected it to be this good. Good enough for him to personally come to greet them.
Especially when, in front of everyone, Rosse smiled, picked up the little girl in Princess Titi's arms, and announced that he would take the child as his daughter.
It wasn't just the allied nations attending the World Conference who were stunned, even most of the Celestial Dragon families were surprised.
After all, while the bloodline of Arabasta was noble and worthy enough to stand at the same height as them, it still seemed excessive to adopt one of their children as a daughter.
However, rumors had long circulated that Rosse and Princess Titi were very close, close enough to share the same bed.
Now, with Rosse's public adoption of the child, those whispers spread even more wildly.
After all, Arabasta's king, Cobra, had died, leaving Princess Titi as the regent, with Rosse secretly providing support from behind the scenes.
Given that, it wasn't hard to imagine that one day, if the Jaygarcia family completely absorbed Arabasta, no one would find it surprising.
Afterward, Rosse ignored the shocked crowd and led Titi, Vivi, and Conia into the dragon carriage.
"Thank you," Titi said softly.
Once they were in private, she embraced Rosse emotionally.
Before coming here, she had actually been nervous.
After all, so much time had passed without Rosse visiting her and her daughter. Even after the child was born, he had only called once to offer comfort.
Although Vivi had inherited the status of a Celestial Dragon and her name had already been written into the Jaygarcia family's genealogy, Titi had still been uneasy. Afraid that Rosse didn't truly care about them.
But after today's scene, all her worries were completely gone.
As expected, Rosse's strength and influence alone were enough to put her at ease.
"What are you thanking me for? This is how it should be. Arabasta is stable now, since you've come all this way, stay here for a while. I've already prepared a palace for you," Rosse said with a smile, gently stroking her hair and feeling the warmth of the woman in his arms.
Back then, Titi had been quite resistant to intimacy. It was only after she became a mother that she slowly began to accept it.
Different women had different charms to him, and Princess Titi's particular kind was one he liked very much.
"I'll do as you say…", Titi whispered. She was happy to accept Rosse's arrangements.
Even back in Arabasta, it was only with Zannie's help that she'd been able to stabilize the situation.
Once things were settled, there wasn't much she needed to do herself, everything ran according to the system Rosse had designed.
Since she was Arabasta's highest authority, certain matters did still require her personal judgment.
But most of the time, those could be handled through the transponder snail. There was no need for her to be physically present, so staying in the Holy Land was fine.
Besides, this was really for Vivi, so she could spend more time with her father. Titi told herself it had nothing to do with her.
It didn't take long for her to convince herself of that.
After a brief moment of affection, Titi pulled away from Rosse's embrace, her face slightly flushed. Under Conia's half-teasing, half-blessing gaze, she took Vivi into her arms again.
Since Skypiea and Arabasta were so close, the two sides had frequent contact recently. Especially after learning they both served Rosse, their relationship had grown even closer.
And when Conia found out that Vivi was Rosse's daughter, she couldn't help but feel envious of Titi.
After all, although she was nominally Rosse's woman, she hadn't yet truly given herself to him.
This time, she definitely wasn't going to miss her chance.
"Lord Rosse!"
Conia took the initiative to sit on Rosse's lap, her arms wrapping around his neck as she pressed her lips to his.
"Conia, it's been a while," Rosse said, breathing in the sweet, youthful scent that belonged only to her. He closed his eyes slightly, enjoying her warmth and initiative.
Conia was one of the few girls of the right age whom he hadn't taken right away.
Some emotions only deepen after separation.
The trip didn't take long, but Rosse fully enjoyed the dual pleasures of two very different women.
By the time he stepped out of the carriage, the scent of two distinct perfumes clung to him.
"Titi, Conia, welcome home!", Sora came forward enthusiastically as soon as they stepped down from the dragon carriage, with Scarlett following behind her, eyes full of curiosity.
When one of their own returned home, it was only natural for Sora, as the one managing Rosse's household, to take charge of the warm welcome.
Besides, there was to be a banquet that evening, personally hosted by Rosse.
———
Night quietly fell.
In the grandest banquet hall of the Jaygarcia family, everyone who served as one of Rosse's main forces, and who was present for the World Conference, had received his invitation.
Rosse sat in the highest seat, with Gion and Sora sitting to his left and right. Stella and Moa stood behind him, ready to attend to his needs.
On Gion's side of the table sat, in order: Saturn, Zephyr, Sakazuki, Vanessa, Sommers, and Kaido.
On Sora's side sat: Otohime, Rouge, Titi, Conia, Scarlett, and Olvia.
"There are still too few of us," Rosse murmured, looking over the scene below him with a hint of emotion.
These were the ones he could truly call his own, along with a few who hadn't been able to make it.
But there weren't many absent, the only ones with the right to attend but who hadn't come were Borsalino and Zannie. Doflamingo and Judge barely qualified.
Even Sakazuki had shown up this time. This was his first year serving as Fleet Admiral, and since the World Conference was being managed by the Jaygarcia family, he had volunteered to represent the Marine and take charge of the Holy Land's security.
After arriving, he didn't even bother hiding his movements. He simply moved into the Jaygarcia palace complex, openly declaring his allegiance.
Among those seated at the table, aside from Olvia, nearly everyone represented a powerful faction. This was one of Rosse's greatest achievements over the past two years.
Rosse wasn't particularly fond of formalities, but in an occasion like this, there wasn't much he needed to say anyway.
Almost everyone here was on his side, and even those who weren't could read the room easily enough. Everything was already laid bare.
In terms of power, there were two of the Five Elders, a leader of the God's Knights, and the Fleet Admiral of the Marine, almost the very top of the world's hierarchy.
In terms of influence, there were representatives from three World Government member nations, not counting those who hadn't come. Their collective reach spanned the Government, the Marine, the pirates, and even the Revolutionary Army.
And in terms of raw strength, including Rosse himself, there were eight top-tier powerhouses gathered in this room.
Eight of the strongest individuals alive. Even within the Holy Land, that was more than the combined total of every other faction's elite fighters.
Even if Im were added to the equation... it wasn't certain their side would lose.
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