"If it weren't for Doflamingo and his crew being so sharp, I'd have messed up the seating arrangements for these pirates. Even though they're cowed by Caesar-sama, some of them are bound to be discontent."
"The Tea Parties only invited a few ordinary folks we were on good terms with. How could they compare to a gathering of this scale?" Katakuri replied calmly, sipping his red wine.
Doflamingo raised an eyebrow and whispered, "Katakuri, what's the deal with Morgans? He actually dared to skip the Tea Party? Without him, the influence of our pirate conference will be significantly diminished."
"Hmph! Morgans. That guy was originally rooting for Straw Hat, but now the spotlight belongs to us. Let's send him another message. If he still refuses to come, we'll wipe the World News off the seas!" Katakuri's expression turned cold, his words cutting like a frigid wind.
"He's just a newsman. He used to have the backing of our Totto Land, but now that he's grown wings, it seems he's cozying up to the World Government."
Doflamingo couldn't help but smirk wickedly.
"Fufufufu, why not just take him out? This Morgans guy always presents himself in that bird form—who knows what his true face looks like? He might even be with the World Government or the Revolutionary Army. If we eliminate him, our Beast God Pirates can start our own news agency. We'll find some Beast Speakers to train News Birds."
Katakuri's eyes lit up, "That's a brilliant idea, though Beast Speakers are hard to come by. We should scout some out first. If we can establish our own newspaper, we'll control the narrative across these seas."
"Fufufufu, now that would be a beautiful thing!"
After drinking for hours, Caesar suddenly turned to Rayleigh who was seated beside Kaido and shouted.
"Rayleigh! Care to tell us what you guys in the Roger Pirates saw when you reached that so-called final island, Laugh Tale? Borororo, I'm dying to know!"
The moment Caesar's booming laughter rang out, the entire noisy plaza fell into silence, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing.
Pirates everywhere burned with eager anticipation, their gazes fixed in this direction.
Not just the other pirates—even those at the main table stiffened, their heads snapping towards Rayleigh.
Especially Blackbeard and Crocodile, whose eyes practically blazed with intensity.
Rayleigh took a swig of booze and laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, what if I told you there was nothing there at all? Would you believe me, Caesar?"
"Borororo, now that's no fun, Rayleigh! If you won't spill the details, at least drop a few hints! Like Laugh Tale's location, what it looks like, what's on it—some things are fair game, right?"
Caesar gave Rayleigh a meaningful look: "What? Don't tell me it's that 'the time isn't right' nonsense again?"
Rayleigh and Gaban, along with the other Roger Pirates present, froze, frowning at Caesar.
Rayleigh set down his cup, his voice grave: "Caesar, you—"
Blackbeard's eyes gleamed sharply as he stared at Caesar, his mind reeling.
'What's going on?'
'Why does Caesar seem to know so many secrets?'
'He's never been to Laugh Tale!'
For the first time, Blackbeard felt both deep curiosity and wariness towards Caesar's mystery.
The plaza was utterly silent, every ear straining to catch the exchange between Caesar and Rayleigh's group.
"Borororo, I hate people who speak in riddles! 'The time isn't right,' 'the moment hasn't come,' 'the fruit isn't ripe yet,' 'can't harvest it now'—"
"Enough, Caesar!" Rayleigh suddenly barked, his tone unusually agitated.
But Caesar wasn't offended.
He threw his head back with a booming laugh.
"BORORORO! Since you won't talk, I'll be the one to share some truths about this so-called Laugh Tale—and the secrets of the Celestial Dragon. My knowledge is limited, but consider this a welcome gift for all our comrades here!"
"Now that's the Captain Caesar we know! Long live Captain Caesar!"
"Hmph! These Roger Pirates—even twenty years after Roger's death, they're still hiding things. What a bunch of infuriating bastards."
"Take your secrets to the grave, Roger Pirates! Hahaha!"
The pirates burst into laughter, showing no respect for Rayleigh and the others.
"These bastards, do they have a death wish?" Gaban gritted his teeth, almost ready to raise his axe and start swinging.
Rayleigh and the others also wore grim expressions.
While Rayleigh didn't care about the pirates' insults, he was more concerned about what Caesar would say next.
Caesar, as expected, lived up to his reputation as the ultimate spoiler.
The moment he opened his mouth, he dropped another bombshell.
"Laugh Tale is a moving island. Listen up, everyone—the text on the four Road Poneglyphs changes over time. Otherwise, the island's location would've been fixed long ago and exposed to the world."
Gasps filled the air.
"What? So that's how it is? The final island has been constantly moving?"
"That makes sense! The seas of the New World have been sailed countless times over hundreds of years. If Laugh Tale were a fixed island, there'd be no mystery left!"
"Does that mean even the Roger Pirates can't find Laugh Tale now?"
"But they still know way more than we do!"
The pirates erupted into chaos, stunned by Caesar's revelation.
At the same time, the looks they gave Caesar grew even more fervent.
This was a true legend—someone who knew so much, and all of it earth-shattering secrets.
"Borororo! Now, let me ask everyone here—does anyone know who the highest authority of the World Government is?" Caesar laughed as he posed the question.
A pirate captain excitedly shouted, "It's the Celestial Dragons!"
A weathered middle-aged man said solemnly, "The Five Elders—those old fossils are the true core of the World Government's power. I used to be a royal guard captain in a kingdom and visited the Holy Land Mariejois."
At the table, Shanks and Doflamingo both stiffened, realizing what Caesar was about to reveal.
They wanted to stop him but remained silent.
Just as expected!
Caesar met the crowd's gaze and wagged a finger.
"Wrong."
"Not the Five Elders? Impossible! They're the ones who reside in the Chamber of Power and oversee the World Government's operations!" the middle-aged man retorted, frowning.
Caesar smiled faintly. "You might know about the Twenty Kings who founded the World Government 800 years ago. Even today, their weapons remain embedded before the Empty Throne in Mariejois. But do you know who their true leader is?"
The pirates' eyes widened, their hearts pounding.
Even the man who had visited Mariejois hung on Caesar's every word, afraid to miss a single words.
"Even among the most outstanding Twenty Kings, there was one who stood above them all—the Original King."
"The progenitors of the Donquixote, Manmayer, Figarland, Shepherd, and Rosward families—they were the true leaders, the ones who have held the core power of the World Government for the past 800 years!"
"And what you don't know is that the Empty Throne, said to be purely symbolic, has been occupied by an immortal being since 800 years ago—right up to this very day!"
Gulp.
The pirates paled, swallowing hard.
"That person is the true king of the World Government! The leader of all Celestial Dragons. His name is—Imu!"
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