Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 1 Port.
"Fleet Admiral, there's something I don't quite understand!"
Morgans, who had just disembarked from the warship behind Orion, ignored Ryokugyu and Hina's presence and pushed his way to Orion's side.
"Couldn't Doflamingo and I handle something this trivial? Why did you come personally?"
Orion wasn't bothered by Morgans' bluntness and smiled.
"I've been drowning in recruitment work lately. Can't your Fleet Admiral take a breather?"
"Morgans, step back!"
Before Morgans could speak, Ryokugyu who had been shoved aside by Morgans, suddenly barked.
"You got no manners at all! How did you even become a captain?"
"Huh?"
Morgans tilted his head to look at Ryokugyu, blinking slowly before his eyes suddenly widened.
"Who are you telling me to step back? Do you know who I am? I'm Captain Morgans, the Fleet Admiral's personal guard!"
"Personal guard ? a mere captain?" Ryokugyu's expression shifted slightly, and he glanced nervously at Orion.
Orion's smile remained unchanged.
"Captain Morgans is right."
With that, Orion patted Ryokugyu's arm reassuringly and strode forward.
Seeing this, Hina who was walking on Orion's right, cast a sympathetic glance at Ryokugyu.
It wasn't Ryokugyu's fault—after all, he had only recently joined the Marines through conscription and was unfamiliar with all the personnel and workings of Headquarters, let alone aware of Morgans' status as the Fleet Admiral's trusted personal guard.
Ryokugyu seemed to understand this.
He promptly pulled out a small notebook, wrote Morgans' name in it, and added a note beside it.
'Fleet Admiral's Personal Guard.'
*****
In the lobby of the only hotel in Grove 1, the World Nobles dressed in Celestial Dragon attire had maintained their usual haughty demeanor throughout the journey.
However, the moment they stepped through the hotel doors, their nerves instantly tightened.
The Celestial Dragon at the front glanced around and upon spotting a chair with his name on it, hurried over to sit down.
Gone was his usual arrogance—he sat stiffly, like a misbehaving child.
Another Celestial Dragon took the seat beside him.
His body was so obese that when he sat, his stomach bulged outward from the pressure, resembling a walking lump of fat.
No sooner had he sat down than he slurped back a trail of snot dangling near his mouth.
Then, he turned to the Celestial Dragon beside him and whispered.
"Mjosgard, what exactly does the Fleet Admiral want with us? I'm a little scared!"
"I don't know either," Mjosgard replied nervously, scanning the room.
"As long as he doesn't plan to kill us, it's fine."
"Hmph!"
The moment Mjosgard finished speaking, another Celestial Dragon sitting behind him abruptly stood up, his expression fierce.
"Mjosgard, what kind of talk is that? To fear a mere Fleet Admiral to this extent—have you forgotten? We are descendants of gods!"
"Augustus, what are you shouting about?"
Shocked that there was still a Celestial Dragon reckless enough to speak up at a time like this, Mjosgard immediately snapped.
"If you want to die, don't drag us into it! Orion dared to kill even Shepherd-sama and Marcus-sama. If he hears you spouting nonsense here, you won't leave this hotel alive today!"
"I never planned to return alive anyway!"
Augustus waved his hand dismissively, then turned to address the hundreds of Celestial Dragons who had taken their seats.
Raising his voice, he declared, "Everyone, if Orion has invited us here for a banquet, so be it. But if he continues to blaspheme against the gods, we must remind him who founded this World Government!"
"That's right! Our ancestors created the World Government. As descendants of gods, how can we let him trample over us any longer?"
"Hey hey, have you all lost your minds? We don't even know why Orion summoned us here, yet you're already making a scene. Have you all forgotten how those two great families in the Holy Land disappeared?"
"That's right, that's right! Orion must be hosting this banquet to make peace with us!"
"Everyone, calm down. The situation in the Holy Land is delicate right now. Don't provoke Fleet Admiral Orion at such a critical moment!"
"Provoke him? How are we provoking Orion? He's the one provoking us! We are gods!"
As more and more Celestial Dragons stood up, the once-quiet hotel lobby quickly became chaotic.
Most Celestial Dragons still hadn't grasped the current situation, clinging to their belief that they were divine beings.
Some sought to use this opportunity to distance themselves from the hardliners, while a very few sat confidently in their seats, unfazed by the commotion around them, as if they'd received protection from higher powers.
Just then, Doflamingo entered with several family members and Charloss.
Following behind Doflamingo was a masked man wearing a dark blue trench coat, sporting a spiky hairstyle like a Super Saiyan.
Gladius, one of the Donquixote Family executives, a Paramecia-type Pop-Pop Fruit user.
Walking beside Gladius was a young woman in a maid outfit with an eyepatch.
Baby 5, an assassin of the Donquixote Family, a Paramecia-type Weapon-Weapon Fruit user.
As soon as they entered the lobby, Gladius tilted his head towards the noisy Celestial Dragons and growled.
"Silence!"
The lobby instantly fell quiet.
Ignoring the Celestial Dragons' reactions, Doflamingo didn't head straight for the chair at the far end of the lobby.
Instead, he stood just inside the entrance with Sharlia, Baby 5, and Gladius.
At the same time, the sound of synchronized footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the doors.
Moments later, Morgans marched in leading a squad of Marines, who took up positions on either side of the entrance.
Before the Celestial Dragons could react, Morgans snapped to attention and shouted.
"The Fleet Admiral has arrived!"
"Loyalty!"
The soldiers immediately saluted in unison.
This sudden development left the Celestial Dragons unsure whether to stand or not.
However, after seeing Mjosgard rise to his feet, the others gradually followed suit.
Soon, every Celestial Dragon in the lobby was standing, facing the hotel entrance.
Under their nervous, apprehensive gazes, Orion strode into the lobby wearing his Marine Fleet Admiral coat, flanked by Hina and Ryokugyu.
Hina, walking beside Orion, seemed accustomed to such scenes, but Ryokugyu felt his worldview crumbling.
In his understanding, Celestial Dragons were untouchable deities who could not be defiled.
Yet now, because of Orion's arrival, not a single one of the hundreds of Celestial Dragons present dared remain seated.
He even saw fear in the eyes of many.
"Everyone, welcome to the West Icehouse Grand Hotel!"
Just as Ryokugyu was having his worldview shattered and beliefs crushed by the visually shocking scene before him, Orion's voice suddenly rang out.
"Considering how extreme my actions were in the Holy Land against the Shepherd and Marcus families, which left a psychological scars on you esteemed World Nobles..."
While speaking, Orion swiftly walked to the chair at the head of the hall and sat down.
After handing his coat to Hina, he crossed his legs and continued leisurely.
"Most importantly, this incident has led to certain misunderstandings about me among you all. Therefore, I've decided to invite everyone here today—to clear up these misunderstandings while hoping we can support each other and coexist harmoniously in the future."
With a slight wave of his hand, Orion added, "Please, everyone, take your seats!"
Hearing that Orion intended to resolve misunderstandings and seek peaceful coexistence, all the Celestial Dragons present secretly sighed in relief before seating themselves one after another.
As the last Celestial Dragon took their seat, Hina suddenly leaned in and whispered a reminder.
"Fleet Admiral, this isn't the West Icehouse Grand Hotel."
Orion blinked. "Wrong place? No matter. From now on, rename this hotel 'West Icehouse'—exclusively for hosting the Celestial Dragons of the Holy Land."
--------------------------------
Read 60 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator