It took Guernika more than ten minutes to return to the palace.
"Saint Ross, it's all done! Your new furniture will be delivered within an hour."
"Very good." Ross leaned back on the sofa and casually asked, "What major events have happened at sea lately?"
Having just transmigrated to the world of One Piece, he needed to understand the current situation.
He had no memory of anything on the high seas; all he remembered were scenes of him slave fighting with other Celestial Dragons. He wasn't particularly interested in those kinds of things.
Playing with other Celestial Dragons too much could really ruin a person's life.
If there were no pressure to survive, Ross wouldn't have minded playing around until he died.
But if he did nothing, he'd definitely be eliminated in 20 years. It was a tough situation!
Moreover, this wasn't something that could be solved simply by killing Luffy. Who knew what Joy Boy and Nika's situation was? What if they randomly appeared and awakened at the appointed time?
Just in case, Ross had to take precautions to avoid the situation ending after only a few years of enjoying his newfound wealth.
Besides, if it was about enjoying life, Ross wouldn't even look down on what the other Celestial Dragons did.
Now that he was a Celestial Dragon, hunting the strongest slaves and enjoying the most passionate women—that was true exhilaration!
What was the point of bullying ordinary people? You couldn't even earn many rewards that way.
"Saint Ross, since the Pirate King Roger was killed, nothing major has happened recently, and everything is under the control of the World Government," Guernika replied respectfully.
That's it?
Ross frowned slightly upon hearing this answer.
His first reaction was that Guernika was hiding something.
The Great Pirate Era had been going on for two years now—how could there still be no news?
Considering the plight of other Celestial Dragons, which was akin to being kept in captivity, it wasn't surprising that he had this thought.
But when he saw Guernika's matter-of-fact expression, he understood somewhat.
From the perspective of ordinary pirates and even the Marines, the Great Pirate Era seemed to have ushered in a new era.
But in the eyes of the World Government, and in the eyes of CP0, the strongest shield of the Celestial Dragons, the Great Pirate Era might not be such a big deal.
If Guernika hadn't been so arrogant, he wouldn't have foolishly gotten involved in Kaido's battle.
"Which major pirates are at sea right now?" Ross asked, rephrasing his question.
"'Red the Aloof' Patrick Redfield, 'Whitebeard' Edward Newgate, 'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh, 'Beasts' Kaido, 'Big Mom' Charlotte Linlin."
"Saint Ross, great pirates all possess Conqueror's Haki, making them difficult to capture and enslave," Guernika added.
"Hmm?"
Ross glanced at Guernika. Had he ever said he wanted to capture them and enslave them?
"My lord, I deserve to die! I beg Your Highness to punish me!"
Guernika shuddered and slapped himself hard across the face. His clown-like face quickly swelled up, making it even more comical.
How dare he presume to guess the Celestial Dragons' intentions?
[C-rank defeat achieved!]
[Strength +10,000]
[Special Reward: C-Rank Physical Skill]
Is that all it took to defeat them?
Even a C-level reward, which was a step down, was still too extravagant.
[Host: Ross]
[Strength: 10163/30000 (D-Rank, Academy-Level Strength)]
[Skills: E-rank Marksmanship, C-rank physical skills]
Ross's eyes lit up as he felt the surge of power within his body.
In just a few hours, he had achieved the level of an academy trainee; his future looked promising.
"This will not be repeated."
Ross waved his hand casually. Guernika was being so sensible; he certainly wouldn't blame him.
Is this what power tasted like?
It was so tempting to succumb to temptation...
Getting back to the main point, through Guernika's account, Ross had a fairly clear understanding of the situation at sea.
It was now the year 1500 of the Sea Circle Calendar. Redfield had not yet fought against Fleet Admiral Kong, Shiki had entered Impel Down, Roger was dead, Whitebeard was at the height of his power, and Kaido and Big Mom were beginning to emerge.
This was the beginning of the Great Pirate Era, the most chaotic time in nearly a hundred years. The future power structure of the Four Emperors in the New World had not yet been established, and the whole world was full of pirates who wanted to find Roger's treasure.
"What a wonderful era!"
With so many pirates, there was no way he could kill them all; it'd give him enough time to grow rapidly.
Ross's lips curled into a slight smile as he slowly walked towards the enormous fish tank, where the mermaid slaves he had purchased in the Sabaody Archipelago swam leisurely.
As soon as he approached the fish tank, the once tranquil underwater world instantly came alive. The mermaids seemed to sense his arrival and swam closer, dancing gracefully like water sprites.
Ross knew perfectly well that the merfolk were not dancing of their own volition, but rather because they had been trained to dance too well.
But these were four mermaids with colorful hair, stunningly beautiful faces, and uniquely graceful figures, and they were dancing for him right now.
This scene was truly a feast for the eyes.
Meanwhile, as he admired the swimming fish, Guernika, kneeling on the ground like a loyal servant, showed no sign of disrespect.
Guernika wasn't particularly tall or imposing, but Ross had no doubt that he could easily wipe out a non-affiliated kingdom.
What CP9 Lucci could do, all CP0 could do.
Even such a powerful figure could only kneel before the Celestial Dragons, slapping himself for a single slip of the tongue and considering himself inferior to them.
Unfortunately, these were just advantages brought by one's status. One's own strength could not be neglected; otherwise, when facing the Celestial Dragons who were of higher rank in the future, Ross and Guernika would be no different.
"Guernika!"
"Saint Ross! What are your orders?"
"My slaves died, and I need a new batch. I need a list of headquarters Marine personnel, as well as a list of Impel Down prisoners."
Ross calmly instructed that he needed more helpers to fulfill his ultimate vision of pleasure.
"Yes, sir!" Guernika accepted the order.
When could he give it to him?
"Your Highness, the mission will be completed within one hour!"
After receiving the instructions and confirming that Ross had not given any further orders, Guernika vanished instantly.
The palace returned to silence after his departure, with only the sound of the waves from the swimming mermaids remaining.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Ross tapped the fish tank, a slight smile playing on his lips.
After the mermaids finished their dance, they stood timidly in a row, their smiles extremely forced and ingratiating.
The previous slave fighting by Ross had gone too far and killed most of the slaves.
The four ornamental fish in front of him were his only remaining 'pets'.
Ross had kept fish before, but this was the first time he had kept a mermaid, which made him extremely surprised.
Compared to fish, which were completely mindless creatures, mermaids were much more obedient and intelligent.
In his past life, he had always said that his family had several fish that could do backflips.
Today it actually happened.
Watching the four ornamental fish perform a synchronized backflip, Ross smiled with satisfaction and pressed the green button below the aquarium.
A bag of fish food was poured from the top of the aquarium, and countless tiny pearl-like pellets of food were scattered all over the tank.
The mermaids were overjoyed at the sight and rushed to the food, opening their mouths to bite the small pearls one by one.
"It really does feel like raising fish," Ross said, feeling even more satisfied.
These feeds he used were no cheap stuff; the price of just this one bag was more expensive than the food a human ate in a lifetime.
Expensive had its advantages. This special mermaid food from Mary Geoise could make mermaids fair and radiant, improving their appearance and figure, and it also had anti-aging properties.
Besides slave fighting, beauty pageants were also considered one of the daily activities of the Celestial Dragons.
However, Ross was a selfish person and didn't like to share.