Roa wasn't sure how much gold the legendary Golden City actually contained.
What he did know was that a single pillar of the legendary Shandora's Lamp, the colossal Golden Bell, was dozens of meters long and several meters wide! Just one pillar alone must weigh thousands of tons! And the Golden Bell was made up of two columns, a massive bell body, and an even heavier base. Ten thousand tons of gold was no exaggeration!
Just the Golden Bell alone was an astronomical sum that even the wealthy Roa found staggering. Not to mention the vast quantities of other gold stored in the Golden City! It was so much that Roa was worried it might impact the global gold price, causing it to plummet!
Hmm, I'm probably overthinking it. After all, compared to the gold controlled by the future Gold Emperor, the so-called Golden City was but a drop in the ocean.
However, with this financial support, Judge's research should proceed much more smoothly. As for what to do if this money ran out and the research wasn't complete? Well, don't we already have a vast territory?
Sigh, I'll just have to make the common folk suffer a bit.
While Roa was diligently heading towards the sky island, at the top of the Red Line, Marijoa, deep within Pangaea Castle, in the room known as the Flower Room.
"Ugh, ahhh!!" Pig-like screams echoed through the spacious, flower-filled room.
If the world saw this scene, they would likely find it unbelievable. Because at this moment, writhing on the ground and wailing, were none other than the Five Elders, the Celestial Dragons who wielded the highest power in the world!
The five old men who governed the world squirmed on the ground like maggots, seemingly enduring some inexpressible torment. Black aura emanated from their bodies, and visibly, their faces were aging little by little.
"Imu-sama! Imu-sama! Please! Please spare us!" The bald Elder, Warcury, pleaded in terror. The other four Elders also wailed for mercy.
The object of their pleas, a figure wearing a long crown, with a slender body shrouded in black robes, was carefully plucking a weed from the ground. Beside this figure stood a maid, equally slender, wearing a mask, and possessing a pair of heterochromatic eyes. This maid silently overlooked the wailing Elders, not saying a word.
At this point, the figure wearing the crown—the Celestial Dragon above Celestial Dragons, the true ruler of the world, the mysterious entity revered as Imu-sama—spoke.
"The New World lost, Marine Headquarters destroyed, the Marine Fleet Admiral publicly executed, the Government's face trampled underfoot by arrogant pirates," Imu slowly stated. "I entrusted the world to your management, and this is how you repay me?"
"We're sorry! Imu-sama! It's all our fault!" The Five Elders wailed repeatedly. "We underestimated Roa! Which led to the current situation!"
"But please give us another chance to atone! We will definitely not disappoint you again!"
Imu finally looked back slightly.
At once, the invisible force acting upon the five old men seemed to dissipate somewhat. The five immediately felt much lighter and quickly turned over to kneel respectfully.
"How do you plan to proceed?"
"Imu-sama!" The Five Elders hastily replied, "It now appears that the Rocks Pirates have indeed been revived; those pirates have once again united!"
"What's more troublesome is that Roa, who now leads them, is different from Rocks. He doesn't seek direct victory; he uses destruction to coerce the Government!" When mentioning Rocks, the Five Elders' voices lowered slightly. It was because of that man that they, too, suffered unspeakable torment like this back then!
Roa and Rocks, truly a lineage of madness! No, Roa was even more insane than Rocks. After all, Rocks had never truly conquered the New World.
"So we judge that even combining the power of the Government and the Marines, it would be very difficult to directly recapture the New World." Mars said tremblingly, "However, the pirates are only fighting for common interests! Without us as an external factor, internal conflicts will become the main theme!"
"Our plan is to sow discord among the pirates and ultimately provoke them into attacking each other!"
Imu showed no reaction, quietly listening, quietly watching the Five Elders. But it was precisely this calm that made the Five Elders almost shudder with fear. If this lord willed it, a single thought could turn them to ash.
"Don't disappoint me." A calm voice rang out.
The Five Elders instantly felt a sense of relief, as if a new path had opened up. One by one, they quickly prostrated themselves, bowing their heads heavily.
"Yes! Imu-sama!"
The most difficult hurdle had finally passed. However, there were still many headaches to come. The Marines needed to be appeased. Public opinion also needed to be managed.
New World, Marine Grand Fleet.
Though Mars, one of the Five Elders, had been directly summoned back, the Marines had to honestly withdraw from the New World by sailing. Yes, the Grand Fleet was beginning its return voyage; they were pulling out of the New World.
"So, we're compromising with the pirates just like that?" In an office on a ship in the fleet, Zephyr ran a hand through his purple hair, his voice indifferent.
There were four people in the office: Zephyr sitting on a single armchair, Garp and Tsuru sitting side-by-side on a double sofa a short distance away, and finally, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who was currently behind the desk, constantly rubbing his forehead.
"There's nothing else we can do," Sengoku's voice was soft. The man who was currently the only Fleet Admiral of the Marines, possessing earth-shattering power, showed a hint of weariness, his face etched with helplessness.
"We simply have no way of dealing with those guys."
"So," Zephyr's voice grew sharper, "the destruction of Marineford is just forgotten? The killing of Fleet Admiral Kong is just forgotten? We're just going to hand over the New World to those pirates who deserve a thousand deaths? And so easily betray the affiliated nations who are still waiting for our rescue?"
"Enough, Zephyr!" Vice Admiral Tsuru spoke with some helplessness. "Sengoku is just following orders."
"Orders?" Zephyr continued to sneer. "Are we to obey such idiotic orders? Where has the justice of the Marines been thrown?"
"Silence, Zephyr!" Sengoku finally looked up, gritting his teeth slightly. "Don't say such things again! As soldiers, obeying orders is our sacred duty!"
"Ordinary soldiers only need to obey orders! But Sengoku, do you, as a Fleet Admiral, have no will of your own?" Zephyr suddenly stood up, veins throbbing on his forehead. "Oh, right, you're in a hurry to go back and take over as Fleet Admiral, aren't you? And you'll have to cooperate with the World Government to put on another show of pursuing the Pirate Alliance!"
"Haha! We're already retreating from the New World like stray dogs, yet we still have to prove to the world that we're fearlessly pursuing those scum!"
"Enough! Zephyr!" Sengoku slammed his palm on the desk, shattering it. The man about to be promoted to Fleet Admiral had crimson eyes. "Do you think I'm not in pain? Do you think Marineford and Fleet Admiral Kong aren't important to me?"
"But what can we do now?!" Sengoku even sounded a bit aggrieved as he spoke. "Do you think staying in the New World would allow us to defeat Roa and them? Would they give us a direct confrontation? They would only attack other bases or affiliated nations!"
"Neither the Government nor the Marines can afford any more losses!"
"That's still better than doing nothing at all!" Zephyr roared hoarsely. "Even making a mistake is better than doing nothing!"
"Zephyr!!" Sengoku's anger was also rising. Did he think his own heart felt good about this? Did he think he was willing? Zephyr, why can't you understand!
"Do you want to fight?" At this moment, Vice Admiral Tsuru, with her arms crossed, spoke coldly. "If you want to fight, do it now. Your yelling has already spread throughout the entire ship anyway, so you don't have to worry about losing more face."
"Or, do you want me to cry and beg you to stop arguing?"
The two panting men finally stopped their verbal sparring, but still glared fiercely at each other.
After a long silence, Zephyr turned without hesitation, slammed the door shut, leaving only one sentence: "Just keep indulging them, Sengoku. You'll regret it sooner or later!"
Sengoku took a deep breath, his voice low. "No matter what the future holds, I will take full responsibility, because I am the future Fleet Admiral of the Marines!"
After Zephyr left, the office fell into a deathly silence. Until.
Crunch, crunch.
A crisp sound broke the quiet.
"Hahahaha! Sengoku, you had senbei and didn't tell me!" Hero Garp, having found a bag of senbei from somewhere, was already happily munching on them.
Sengoku's cheek muscles twitched. "Garp! You bastard, get out!"
"Hahahaha! So scary!" The Marine Hero chuckled and ran off with his senbei. Just before leaving the door, he turned slightly, his eyes completely devoid of laughter.
"Sengoku, pirates can never be satisfied."
Did I not know that? Sengoku slumped back into his office chair, rubbing his hair in agony. But now, what could be done?
Zephyr walked to his office with a grim face. The news of his argument with Sengoku couldn't be kept secret due to their loud voices and had already spread throughout the entire ship. So, all the Marines he encountered along the way didn't dare to provoke him, merely saluting respectfully before quietly stepping aside.
But in reality, Zephyr was far less angry than the Marines imagined. On the contrary, he understood Sengoku very well. Zephyr also knew that even staying in the New World wouldn't change anything. In fact, if not for the Government's aid, and the help of the Holy Knights and the Five Elders, if the Marine Grand Fleet were to truly engage the Pirate Alliance, it would likely result in their complete annihilation. The enemy was too strong, and more importantly, they had no bottom line. It was obvious that Roa orchestrated the pirates' plan; that guy wasn't even human.
In such a situation, besides compromise, there seemed to be no better option. Would they rather see the pirates destroy all Marine high-level bases and plunge the world into chaos?
But even so, Zephyr still chose to loudly question Sengoku. It might sound somewhat despicable, but Zephyr truly believed this was an excellent opportunity.
Very, very good.
After he pushed open his office door, the chaotic noise inside suddenly stopped. Some Marine generals who had heard about Zephyr's argument with Sengoku had hastily gathered there.
"Sensei Zephyr, are we really just retreating?"
"Retreat? Isn't it running away?"
"Did Fleet Admiral Kong die for nothing?"
"My family is in Marineford! Is this just going to be forgotten?"
"My wife, my children! It can't end like this! How can it just stop here!"
Zephyr took a deep breath, walked into the office, and closed the door. He surveyed his enraged colleagues, a thought inexplicably forming in his mind: Now, do you finally understand me?
Then came a wave of sorrow. Zephyr, what have you become? Has the pain of your colleagues and the triumph of the pirates made you somewhat joyful instead?
No!
But in the blink of an eye, his resolve hardened again. It's not my fault, it's the World Government's! What I've chosen is the true justice!
Justice of Z, forever walking the path of justice!
"Sensei Zephyr! Say something!" A young and hot-blooded Kuzan, filled with righteous indignation like everyone else, shouted angrily. "Just give the word, and we'll all go with you to protest to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, to protest to the World Government!"
"Protest?" Zephyr shook his head. "It's meaningless. The Government and Roa have already reached an agreement. The pirates will no longer cause trouble, and we will surrender the New World. This is a fact and cannot be changed."
"What a joke!" Kuzan, who had joined the Marines less than a year ago and was still a hot-blooded young man, felt his worldview collapse.
"Kuzan," Zephyr looked deeply at this disciple he admired so much, "Do you also think this is wrong?"
"Of course!" Kuzan roared without hesitation. "This compromise now, isn't it betraying the sacrificed Fleet Admiral Kong, betraying all those killed by pirates, betraying the affiliated nations of the New World?"
It wasn't just him; the crowd was inflamed. Everyone's faces were filled with anger and unwillingness.
"Since that's the case, we'll have to seriously consider what to do in the future!" This world was about to enter an unprecedented period of chaos!
Although the pirates' actions had stopped, what they had done had deeply shaken the entire world and would undoubtedly bring immeasurable negative consequences!
The Marines had to make a choice!
The agreement reached between the World Government and the Pirate Alliance was naturally unknown to anyone for the time being. However, this didn't prevent newspapers worldwide from frantically spreading the news of the battle, or rather, the public execution, that took place in Marineford.
And so, the world went crazy.
People who didn't have access to the live broadcast felt their world crumbling when they got their hands on the newspapers.
"They, they attacked Marineford?"
"The Marine Fleet Admiral was killed! How is that possible! Has anything like this happened in eight hundred years?"
"It's over! This world is over! Who else can stop them now!"
In an instant, despair spread throughout the world. The great fortress of justice was destroyed, and the supreme commander of justice was killed in a near-humiliating manner. People truly didn't know where this world would go next.
Although the Government vehemently claimed in their controlled newspapers that they would never compromise and would fight the evil pirates to the end, the bewilderment in people's hearts was not lessened in the slightest. Because Roa said that the previous victories were all fake.
Those with insight had already realized the bluff behind the Government's declarations.
In the North Blue.
"The pirates have finally won a great victory," Dragon's face was solemn. "The World Government had no choice but to compromise. What will the New World face next? And where will this world go?"
Where will the wind blow?
"At least there's good news," Dr. Trafalgar said with a bitter smile. "Sensei Zephyr has gained a lot of supporters."
"..." Dragon's mood became very complicated. The increase in Zephyr's supporters in the Marines was certainly good news and something to be happy about. But the cost of this matter saddened Dragon's heart.
At the same time.
Dressrosa.
King Riku's face was ashen, his hands trembling as he held the newspaper. "This is bad!"
"Your Majesty, is something wrong?" Cyrus, a young man in a soldier's uniform, asked from below, confused. "Although Marineford was destroyed, the Government still says they will never compromise with the pirates."
"Roa said that the previous victory was fake! So, is this 'never compromising' true?" King Riku painfully closed his eyes. "The World Government probably can no longer bear the consequences of continuing to wage war with the pirates!"
Cyrus's face gradually paled.
In Sphinx.
The Whitebeard Pirates were silent. Whitebeard quietly closed the newspaper, his chest heaving violently.
"Pops, it seems those guys carving up the New World is already a done deal," Marco said, sweat beading on his forehead. "What should we do now? After they're done with the World Government, we'll probably become their thorns in the side!"
Although Pops and they were once part of the Rocks Pirates, now, in front of this new Pirate Alliance, what good was past camaraderie? Especially since the Whitebeard Pirates and Roa, the mastermind of the Pirate Alliance, were completely antagonistic!
Whitebeard was silent. Yes, what should we do next?
In the Giant Kingdom.
"Hahahaha! The kid that Rocks brought along back then has caused such a stir? Interesting, carving up the New World? Then let them come! Elbaf awaits them!"
In the first half of the Grand Line, Paradise, Water Seven.
"Wow! They actually killed the Marine Fleet Admiral! The newspapers all say it was all planned by Roa! Roger, you've met that guy, haven't you? What kind of guy is this 'Calamity Boy'?"
"Wahahahaha! Didn't I tell you? He's a calamity! Don't get close to him, or you'll become unlucky!"
The impact of this event was far from over. The destruction of Marineford and the death of the Marine Fleet Admiral also had a most direct consequence.
"Hahahaha! The Marines are so weak! What's there to be afraid of now! I'm going out to sea!"
"That's right! Even the Marine Fleet Admiral was killed! The Marines are nothing special! No one can stop me from going to sea now!"
"I'm going to join the Pirate Alliance! It's the New World now, but one day, they'll surely take over the entire world!"
"I'm going to sea too! I want to be famous throughout the four seas, just like Roa and Golden Lion Shiki!"
The prestige of the Marines suffered a devastating blow, while the fanatics of the Pirate Alliance became idols to countless people overnight. Immeasurable numbers of people set sail, aiming to emulate them.
As Zephyr said, the actions of Roa and his group had an incalculable negative impact on the people of this world. People had not yet reacted, but in the future, the world generally believed that this moment was the very beginning of the Age of Pirates.
At the same time.
The Grand Snail Fleet rumbled into a thick fog.
Before reaching the sky island, let's make a detour to Water Seven.
The blueprints for Pluton, no reason not to take them, right?