Just like those billions of belly exchanged with treasure in the Water Capital, they haven't been used up till now.
But in the future…
When things expand, having no money is absolutely out of the question.
"I understand."
Saturn took a deep breath, "There's one last thing, let's finish it together."
"Aura!"
Shano grinned, "I want something that allows me to familiarize and grasp the aura of you five old men. Simply put, I want each of you five old men to give me a personal item that you cherish."
This kind of request is completely unheard of and unprecedented.
"Did I… hear wrong?"
Even Saturn couldn't help but be shocked, "What… what do you want such things for?"
"Didn't I give the reason at the very beginning?"
Shano glanced at the Radio Snail, "You five, just like those from the Divine Knight Order, can all use the power of the Demon to teleport and arrive, right? Now you may want to express goodwill, but what if things turn sour in the future? I'll need to take precautions, right?"
"By remembering your aura now, in the future, if you dare to trespass into my territory, I can react immediately."
...
Mary Geoise, in the halls of power.
The Five Elders looked at each other and fell into silence.
"Inexplicable…"
The Kimono Elder squinted his eyes and snorted:
"Arrogant little brat, what makes him think that, considering our status, we would personally descend into the mundane world? This reason is quite perfunctory, and in my opinion, there might be some other schemes hidden behind it."
"What scheme is there to worry about?"
The Blond Elder dismissed it, "Are you afraid he might have consumed the Mark-Mark Fruit or something, and periodically throw things into the Holy Land? That poses no threat to us."
An undying body, a power beyond mortal imagination, what fear is there of petty schemes?
"Just agree to him."
The Long-bearded Elder calmly said, "Among the three requests, this one is the easiest to fulfill, isn't it?"
Saturn nodded, speaking coldly to the Radio Snail:
"Fine, we will agree to all three of your conditions."
"The truth about Dressrosa will be made public, the Celestial Gold will be returned in full and an equal share will be given to you, and as for the items you requested…"
"Ten days, within ten days, we will send someone to Dressrosa, and you can take them away."
"Agreed then!"
Shano immediately hung up the call.
Looking at the slowly closing eyes of the Radio Snail, his smile faded, revealing a thoughtful look.
The attitude of the Five Elders was too strange.
He could be certain that back then, the goal of the Holy Land was the same as that of the Navy Headquarters, which was to completely erase his group from the seas.
But now, the strategy suddenly took a 180-degree turn, even the Navy Headquarters couldn't figure it out.
Even if they were wary of his current strength and didn't want to further escalate the war, it shouldn't result in such a compromise.
The more he thought about it, the more bizarre it seemed.
And since it felt strange and irrational, the answer naturally became obvious…
"Imu, is it?"
Shano looked deeply in the direction of Mary Geoise.
The Navy Grand Admiral is just a dog of the Five Elders, and the Five Elders are nothing more than dogs raised by Imu. The only one who could cause such a change in their attitude could only be the master of the Void Throne.
No one can truly understand what Imu was thinking.
But on the surface, Shano could perceive that the current World Government seemed quite willing to push him into the limelight, to clash with the other Four Emperors, perhaps even to rewrite the power structure of this New World.
While he could just stand aside, condescendingly watching and waiting in silence.
Waiting for what?
Is it only the World Government waiting, or is Imu also waiting?
The lack of intelligence felt like a thin membrane blocking Shano's clarity, making him disinclined to ponder further.
After all, his plans were long set in place, the Endgame was taking root and expanding in the New World, and clashes with the other Four Emperors were inevitable.
It would be best if the World Government didn't interfere; if they did, they would be dealt with as well!
More than overthinking and brain burn, he trusted his fists!
Returning to his thoughts, Shano then looked into the distance, "Hey, Old Man Garp, and you Yellow Monkey, you can come back!"
——Whoosh!
A golden light approached, and Kizaru landed on the ice first, looking at Shano with a grim face: "Has the Holy Land reached some agreement with you?"
"This isn't something a lackey like you should know, is it?"
Shano casually tossed the Radio Snail over, glancing at him, "Do lackeys get involved in their master's conversations?"
"You!"
Kizaru's anger first flared up, then he seemed to realize something, and asked with suspicion, "Have you… been invited to become a Heavenly Celestial Dragon?"
"Very clever."
Shano laughed heartily, "I'm still considering it, but you should already give me the due respect. If you call me Saint Shano in advance, maybe you'll be able to keep that remaining arm of yours."
"..."
Kizaru stared at him, contemplating for a moment but said nothing.
He couldn't fully trust the other party's words, but they couldn't be completely baseless either.
Previously, Sakazuki had mentioned to him about a private meeting between the deputy head of the Divine Knight and Shano, and now the Five Elders had personally dismissed everyone to have a private conversation with him.
Thinking about the Holy Land's ambiguous attitude towards the Endgame, and the terrifying talent Shano had displayed...
Kizaru began to suspect whether this kid originally came from the Holy Land, similar to the rumors about Red-haired Shanks's background…