Kuzan and Borsalino had also not expected the Chamber of the Five Elders to ask Sakazuki to go and give an explanation. After hearing Mazu's voice transmit, both men looked up, completely taken by surprise.
However, they quickly came to an understanding.
It was obvious that the Gorosei were preparing to make Sakazuki shoulder the responsibility for this incident.
Because this incident was different from any previous major event—it was a major operation directly involving Saint Ian, the Young Master of the Nerona Family—the Gorosei, who had always treated Ian with utmost respect, naturally needed to find someone capable of handling the consequences to take the blame.
Of course, the most important thing was that Sakazuki's loyalty to the World Government was unquestionable; the Gorosei had him firmly under control and could reprimand him however they wished. The two of them, however, were different. If Saint Ian went too far, the Gorosei worried about provoking their dissatisfaction, causing them to leave the Marine in anger and resentment, just like Dragon did back then, and become a threat.
Sengoku clearly understood the meaning of the Chamber of the Five Elders and accepted the arrangement after only a single objection.
After ending the call with Mazu, Sengoku secretly sighed.
Although Sakazuki's adherence to Absolute Justice was criticized by many colleagues at Marineford, the Gorosei always used Sakazuki as a shield, a scapegoat, and even reprimanded him recklessly, which Sengoku felt was deeply unfair to him.
Most importantly, this incident was no small matter.
If Saint Ian decided to pursue this matter further, Sakazuki might not merely be reprimanded this time, but could potentially be demoted.
"You two may leave. Have Sakazuki come to my office."
After a brief silence, Sengoku waved his hand toward Borsalino and Kuzan.
Just as the two men walked out of the office, the den den mushi on the desk rang again.
Before Sengoku could react, a cold voice transmitted from the den den mushi, "Sengoku, is there anyone else in your office?"
"Hmm?"
Hearing the voice coming from the den den mushi, Sengoku was stunned for a moment, then his expression suddenly changed, and he quickly stood up and said, "Gunzogū? I am the only one in the office now!"
"It is I, Gunko!"
The voice coming from the den den mushi was indeed Gunko's. "The Young Master has commanded a secret investigation into Borsalino immediately. The Young Master suspects he is involved in Dragon's escape!"
"Furthermore, the Marine no longer needs to interfere in the pursuit of Dragon. This matter will now be handled entirely by the God's Knights!"
"The Marine doesn't need to interfere?" Sengoku's eyes lit up, and he cautiously asked, "Regarding Dragon's escape, Saint Ian is not going to pursue it...?"
Before Sengoku could finish speaking, Gunko cut off the communication.
Immediately after the call ended in the Fleet Admiral of Marine Headquarters' office, the den den mushi in front of Saturn in the Chamber of the Five Elders rang.
Before the five supreme authorities of the World Government could react, Gunko's voice immediately transmitted from it. "Young Master's command: the capture of Dragon will no longer involve the Marine, and the God's Knights will take over completely! The Young Master also said, do not attempt to shirk responsibility or use the Marine as a scapegoat. You must bear the primary responsibility for Dragon's escape! Five Elders, may you... fend for yourselves!"
... Because Syrup Village already had the hull prototype, the going merry only needed the completion of various supporting facilities and cabin decorations to set sail.
Coupled with the fact that heavy rewards are sure to attract brave men, all the young and strong villagers of Syrup Village participated, and the going merry was successfully completed in just two days.
Just like the going merry that appeared in the original work, it used a lateen sail on the aft mast, had a fast sailboat design with a central rudder at the stern, was equipped with four cannons, and had an orange grove on the deck.
Of course, there were differences. The figurehead was no longer a goat's head, but an arrowhead personally designed by Ian based on Gunko's Devil Fruit ability.
Another difference was that there was no flag on the mast.
Through their time together over the past two days, Kaya was no longer afraid of Ian.
Initially, she worried that the Syrup Village villagers might be disrespectful to Ian, unaware of his Celestial Dragons identity, thus inviting disaster.
However, her worries were clearly unnecessary, because during these two days, Ian stayed quietly within the house, reading a book or enjoying a sunbath in the courtyard during the day, making it difficult to associate him with the Celestial Dragons who enjoyed all privileges in the Holy Land.
Nevertheless, while Ian was quiet during the day, he was busy with something unknown at night, as strange noises constantly emanated from his room.
Especially last night, the strange noises lasted almost the entire night, making it impossible for Kaya to sleep peacefully, causing her to oversleep until noon today.
Kaya, wearing a light blue dress and house slippers, had just finished washing up and entered the living room when she saw Ian sitting properly at the dining table eating lunch with Gunko, while Princess Sally and the others were busy packing up their belongings.
Seeing this, Kaya hurried to the dining table and politely said, "Good afternoon, Mr. Ian!"
"Mr. Ian?"
Gunko turned her head sharply, frowning slightly as she asked, "Who taught you to address the Young Master like that? Although you have not yet received the Young Master's favor, you are already the Young Master's woman, and you must change your address to Young Master. Also, the reason the Young Master has not favored you is that your body has not yet recovered. Once we return to the Holy Land and you are well, you must serve by the Young Master's side at all times, just like Anna and the others. Understand?"
Kaya dared not say no, and quickly nodded, saying, "Yes, Gunzogū!"
"Have your meal."
Ian was in a good mood today because Sally was becoming increasingly 'moist' under his cultivation, and her performance last night had been very satisfying to him. "The going merry has already been launched. We will set off after the meal. This large house in Syrup Village will be left to Merry to guard. Of course, if you are afraid of being lonely, you can also take Merry back to the Holy Land."
"No need, let Merry stay here."
Kaya shook her head, then spoke in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, "With the Young Master here, Kaya is not lonely."
After speaking, Kaya's cheeks instantly flushed red, and she buried her head in her chest, not daring to look at Ian.
Over the past two days, Anna had taught her a lot of new knowledge, and she now knew exactly what kind of existence Ian was in the Holy Land.
"Young Master~"
Just then, Anna, who had finished packing her luggage, suddenly ran over, hooked onto Ian's arm, and asked for credit: "Considering how diligently I taught Kaya these past two days, could this concubine receive a reward?"
Ian smiled and said, "Yes, what reward do you want?"
"Could the Young Master accompany this concubine back to the Oykot Kingdom for a trip? The oranges in the Oykot Kingdom are ripe now, and this concubine wants to personally pick some to take back to the Holy Land!"
"This concubine remembers that the oranges produced in a place called Cocoyasi Village are large and sweet. If the Young Master tastes them, he will definitely love them!"
"Cocoyasi Village?" Ian's eyes lit up.
Now that the going merry had been launched, Nami, the navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates, could not be allowed to escape; she must be abducted onto the ship.
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