"Wait..."
The bald Elder in the kimono, wearing glasses, suddenly looked up and asked, "Did you just say... the Chris Grand Fleet has already attacked Micity Port?"
"Uh, yes, that's right." The agent paused, then nodded in response.
"What about the Clifford Kingdom's army and fleet? Were they all wiped out?" The Elder with long, straight white hair and a dark blue suit asked in astonishment.
"Well... the intelligence officer in Micity Port reported that an hour before the Chris Grand Fleet's attack, the stationed army almost entirely mobilized and headed towards Nakor City. Also, the Chris Grand Fleet released a large number of monsters and launched a surprise attack on Micity Port, so not a single warship left the harbor to intercept them until all the Chris Grand Fleet pirates had landed," the agent explained, shaking his head.
"The army left just before they attacked. What exactly is going on?"
"Monsters? What kind of monsters?"
"Heading towards Nakor City? Is something wrong with Nakor?"
The Five Elders asked, perplexed. They speculated that it might be the Chris Pirates's trump card or a secret maneuver that allowed them to land so smoothly at Micity Port.
"I apologize. The intelligence states that Micity Port is in complete chaos, and we can't establish contact with Nakor City. We haven't clarified the specific situation yet," the agent lowered his head, beads of nervous sweat dripping onto the pristine floor.
"Is that so... As long as we know they've made their move, that's enough. Continue investigating, but report any news immediately," the bald Elder with the handlebar mustache put down his teacup and waved his hand, signaling that the agent could leave.
"Understood." The agent breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and departed.
After the agent left, the blonde Elder looked at the others and said, "That man has acted, but it seems he's still hiding many things."
"That man also possesses Conqueror's Haki. In any case, he's on our side now. Once he takes over the Clifford Kingdom, we can send more people to monitor and infiltrate. I don't believe he has subordinates with abilities similar to Donquixote Doflamingo's," the Elder with white curly hair and a bushy beard said expressionlessly.
When Doflamingo first acquired Dressrosa and gained the World Government's recognition, the Five Elders had sent a large number of CP agents to infiltrate and establish a presence. However, every single one of them was either killed or expelled.
The most recent instance was at the end of last year, when Aeridar met Doflamingo. That was when CP agents learned some intel about Violet, though not much, it was very useful, including Violet's ability to see into people's hearts.
That's why the Five Elders stopped sending more people to infiltrate, with only a few observing from the streets of Dressrosa.
...
Clifford Kingdom, Royal Capital – Nakor.
Large contingents of soldiers entered simultaneously from all four city gates, marching in long lines, five abreast. The cavalry led the way, followed by sword-and-shield infantry, spearmen, musketeers, and so on. They hurriedly advanced towards the Royal Palace.
Strong, well-trained warhorses, robust figures clad in iron armor, formations bristling with fine steel spears, and the cold glint of broad longswords—these were all elite warriors of the Clifford Kingdom, hardened by years of fighting pirates and other nations' armies. Each one exuded a palpable, oppressive killing intent.
In a corner of a civilian street, a purple-haired young man in black plate armor watched the passing army and muttered to himself, "These are all the armies that guard the capital from outside the city. Combined with such intense commotion, it seems something major has happened at the Royal Palace."
Pere pere pere... Pere pere pere...
The sound of a Den Den Mushi.
The purple-haired youth leaned against the nearby wall, took out a black-shelled, purple-haired Den Den Mushi, and answered, "This is Roldy Limmings. What is it?"
Indeed, this individual, clad in black metal armor and running through the streets, was one of last year's Supernovas: Black Knight Roldy Limmings, captain of the Knight Pirates. His bounty was still 210 million Berries, mainly because he had kept a low profile since entering the New World, without any major actions.
"Come here. The plan has been moved up." A similarly young voice came from the Den Den Mushi.
"Tch, with such a huge commotion and the army entering the city, I knew you wouldn't be able to sit still," Limmings scoffed.
"I can't help it. Although it's only a few hours earlier, the crucial point is that Golden Ring Aeridar, who's from your generation, is also here. This creates an imbalance in fighting power for one side, so I must act quickly. Otherwise, if one side is missing, things won't be so easy to finish," the young voice from the Den Den Mushi sounded somewhat grave.
Clearly, Aeridar's presence put considerable pressure on him.
"What?! Golden Ring Aeridar?!" Limmings straightened up abruptly, astonished. "How is that monster here?!"
"Who knows? Perhaps one of your good older brothers reached some agreement with him?" The Den Den Mushi displayed a bewildered expression, subtly mirroring the other person's uncertainty.
"Acting now is fine, but who's going to deal with that guy? Although I don't want to admit it, I can only say I might barely manage to stall that monster for a while," Limmings frowned, clenching his fists.
When they had observed the battle at Sabaody Archipelago, the other Supernovas of their generation had already noticed Golden Ring Aeridar. He was definitely not someone they could contend with at their current level. Even after entering the New World and learning about Haki, which significantly increased their strength, there was still a considerable gap compared to him.
"You don't need to worry about that. You just need to stall the others," the person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi stated confidently.
"I'll be right over. Let's see what plan you have," Limmings hung up the call and turned into the alley.
...
"Sever!"
With a furious shout, a brilliant flash of light materialized out of thin air.
Clang!
A gleaming sword blade flew into the air, spinning a few times before clattering to the ground.
"Is this... the gap?"
Byrd half-knelt on the ground, staring at the broken sword in his hand. A crack appeared in his chest armor, and blood seeped through.
"Phew~ You can't go further by just training in isolation."
Oliver exhaled a puff of murky air and walked step by step towards Byrd.
The duel between the two young swordsmen had been fierce, evident from the severed houses and trees surrounding them, and the dozens of intersecting sword marks on the ground.
In reality, Byrd was no match for Oliver. His combat experience was limited; his previous encounters with pirates had never posed significant danger.
While he had sparred with skilled martial artists in the army, it wasn't the same as life-or-death combat, unlike Oliver, who had truly fought his way up.
However, Oliver's earlier clash with Saxon's slash had consumed a great deal of his stamina, preventing him from quickly defeating Byrd.
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