"What?!"
In Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Kong was surprised by the report from Ah Xing.
He spoke through a Den Den Mushi (snail phone) to Ah Xing, who was in a non-World Government affiliated country on the northern border, "If you find a trace of him, use Rosinante, whom he took, as a way in. Don't alert anyone!"
The sudden mention of "tens of thousands of years" made Kong very wary.
Because the World Government itself had been searching for other devil hunters, and if Makima was telling the truth, then more than just her should have been released from the Shikon Jewel.
After all, so many devils have appeared, but she's the only devil hunter. That's a little strange.
Even though people and devils have different lifespans.
Humans only live for about a hundred years, even giants only live for over three hundred years, but devils seem to live forever. Recently, devils of varying strengths have appeared around the world, so it doesn't seem to be related to strength, it's just that devils have long lifespans.
But still, Makima shouldn't be the only devil hunter in existence, right?
And if it's always just one person acting alone, people will eventually become suspicious.
But, it would be good if another devil hunter appeared.
And now, there's at least one clue.
Kong didn't report directly to the Five Elders (Gorosei), since the information wasn't clear yet. He should at least confirm the truth before submitting a report.
.........
Meanwhile, Ah Xing and Tsuru were following them.
They didn't reveal themselves directly, but planned to observe Aqua of the Rear's movements. But obviously...
Their tracking couldn't hide from Aqua of the Rear.
Aqua of the Rear walked to a wooden hut, located by the sea, far from the nearest town.
Unless absolutely necessary, people in this era didn't want to live by the sea.
Because appearing by the sea would inevitably attract the intrusion of the pirates, the tumors of the sea.
He took Rosinante into the hut, and soon came out again.
He looked in one direction and walked slowly.
"Could he have found us?" Ah Xing said awkwardly behind a tree in the distance.
After all, following someone is never a good thing, especially when you seem to have been discovered.
Because Aqua of the Rear was heading straight for them.
Behind another tree nearby, Tsuru didn't speak, because Aqua of the Rear was getting closer.
And in the next moment, a figure suddenly and abruptly appeared in front of them.
Ah Xing and Tsuru's pupils shrank!
Because they hadn't noticed how Aqua of the Rear got here at all!
Even though they hadn't used Observation Haki (Kenbunshoku Haki) for fear of attracting attention, this speed was still too fast!
"You..."
Tsuru was about to ask, but Aqua of the Rear was faster. He said calmly, in his usual tone, "Who are you two?"
He doesn't even recognize us? He seems more and more like an ancient devil hunter.
Tsuru thought to herself. She and Ah Xing were somewhat famous figures in this world.
"Marine Vice Admiral, Tsuru."
"Marine Admiral, Ah Xing."
They weren't trying to be hostile to Aqua of the Rear, so their tone was gentle.
"Marine..." Aqua of the Rear frowned, seemingly thinking. He said slowly, "Hmm, so you're soldiers of this world's government."
"Yes... that's right." Ah Xing explained, "We came to protect the Donquixote family, but it seems we were too late. Only Rosinante was left, and you took him away."
After speaking, Ah Xing paused, then asked, "Could you tell us, who are you?"
"Aqua of the Rear."
Aqua briefly introduced himself, then said, "Since you're here to protect Rosinante, then take him with you."
"Oh? I thought you were going to adopt him," Tsuru said in surprise.
Aqua replied, "I have my own things to do."
"...Like what?" Ah Xing asked tentatively. "Earlier, on the way here, I couldn't help but overhear you saying 'tens of thousands of years ago.' May I ask, are you a 'devil hunter'?"
"..." Aqua of the Rear's expression finally changed a little, becoming slightly surprised. But he didn't confirm it, and shook his head.
"I am not a devil hunter, but a Saint."
Saint?
The two were confused. Then they heard Aqua of the Rear say,
"While being a Saint, I am also a member of God's Right Seat."
Saint? Member of God's Right Seat?
It seems like a new organization has appeared. Ah Xing quickly asked, "Do you know about the Eight Great Devils? You know, the Eight Devil Lords?"
Aqua of the Rear frowned. "Eight Great Devils? No, I've only heard of the Four Great Monarchs."
"?!" Tsuru's pupils shrank. "They're devils too?"
"The four strongest devils, at the pinnacle of all devils, each wielding the power of 'Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind.' The only ones who can contend with them are the four members of 'God's Right Seat.'"
Tsuru took a deep breath.
Because Aqua of the Rear's words contained too much information.
The description of the Four Great Monarchs and the Eight Great Devils was exactly the same. Both were at the pinnacle of all devils. But Aqua only knew about four, while from Makima and the Jaltzburg incident, they knew there were eight Devil Lords.
Was it because of different eras?
No, because Tsuru suddenly remembered something in the intelligence reports.
Xi Miec Tian Lai later entered the Demon World, and supported the Demon World rift. He later became a Devil Lord.
Aatrox was similar. He also later became a Devil Lord. According to Sakaki, he was the seventh Devil Lord.
So Devil Lords naturally came before and after. If they were to divide the eras of devils based on current information...
The era of the Four Great Monarchs that Aqua of the Rear spoke of was the first part. In this era, there were only four Devil Lords. Judging from their control over Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind, these four must have been from the same time.
Then came the era of the emergence of the later four Devil Lords. Either they entered the Demon World and closed the Demon World rift like Xi Miec Tian Lai, or they fought in the Demon World like Aatrox, and eventually became Devil Lords with the agreement of the devils.
Finally, there was the era of the Gathering of the Eight Great Devils…
From this perspective, Aqua of the Rear should be even older than Makima. But the question then arises, if he's from the first era, why has he appeared now?
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