It was only natural.
While the sea trembled over what had happened at the Sabaody Archipelago and the legends of the past conversed in Elbaf... the true centre of this incident, Mary Geoise, could hardly remain calm.
"Piercing through the Red Line... what kind of insolence is this?!"
"Unforgivable! This is a threat to us!"
"Was Saint Ambokam of the Rimoshifu Family really taken away? Couldn't Saint Rimoshifu Killingham stop them?"
"Are the Admirals all useless? Couldn't they even capture a single person?!"
The Celestial Dragons were clearly in genuine panic at this moment.
As descendants of the gods who reside in the Holy Land and stand far above the common world... Their rule had never once been shaken.
Even when, on rare occasions, someone attempted to harm them, the threat was always eliminated before anything could happen. The massive chaos caused in the past by Fisher Tiger, the Fish-Man who set fire to Mary Geoise and freed countless slaves, had never truly threatened them either.
In the end, however, Fisher Tiger died under the relentless pursuit of the World Government.
That was the reality.
The Celestial Dragons could act with absolute impunity. Anyone who opposed them would be killed. Even if disturbances arose, they would never threaten the Celestial Dragons directly.
But now, that rule had been broken.
Saint Ambokam had truly been taken away, reportedly already injured before being abducted. The one responsible escaped the encirclement of Marine Admirals and God's Knights, vanishing without a trace.
One could easily imagine the Celestial Dragons' fury and unease at that moment, their loud shouting merely masking their true feelings.
This is a feeling that should never arise in the hearts of World Nobles, the most primitive instinct of all living beings:
Fear.
At the same time... In the highest chamber of the Coiling Ancient City, in the Room of Authority... The world's most powerful beings, the Gorosei, had gathered.
"A bunch of trash."
The Warrior God of Justice, Topman Warcury, stood by the window looking down at the gathered Celestial Dragons below and evaluating them coldly.
"They don't even understand the truth, yet they panic over mere rumors... Garbage like that should be eliminated."
His words were sharp and ruthless. Yet the other four members of the Gorosei did not disagree with him.
They shared the same view, after all.
Though, nominally, they were also Celestial Dragons... World Nobles who once belonged to certain households. After becoming the Gorosei, however, they had become something else entirely.
They did not age. They did not die. They possessed immense power and limitless authority, existing solely to serve Imu.
Thus, they viewed ordinary Celestial Dragons in the same way that those nobles viewed the people below.
For them, these Celestial Dragons were no different from ants.
"There's no helping it. They are also part of the 'agreement'." At this moment, the Warrior God of Science and Defense, Jaygarcia Saturn, spoke calmly.
"More importantly, has Sakazuki been secured?"
As he spoke, he turned to the other three seated on the large sofa.
"Yes. He and his subordinate Marines have already been brought to the Holy Land."
The Environmental War God, Marcus Mars, nodded.
"He didn't hear Sir Imu's name, but he did hear "Star Lord"."
That's right. After that battle, Akainu and his subordinates, who had overheard certain secrets, were brought to the Holy Land. The excuse was naturally an information investigation, but in reality...
"Now we only need to wait for Sir Imu to hear Killingham's report and make a decision. Then we will decide whether to release him or execute him."
That was the truth.
They were simply waiting for the command of the true King of the World.
Once that decision had been made... Even a Marine Admiral like Akainu could be executed immediately.
Such was their authority.
Whether they were Admirals, the Fleet Admiral, or even the entire Marine force... Ultimately, they were all just extensions of that power.
As they spoke, their gazes seemed to pierce through the walls and look towards the depths of the Coiling Ancient City.
There was a room known only to them:
The Room of Flowers.
"He said to pass on his greetings to me?"
Butterflies fluttered through the air, and lush green grass swayed with vibrant life.
The King of the World's voice seemed to echo from every corner of the room, neither male nor female. As the words were spoken, a butterfly landed lightly on the tip of that slender finger as though resting on a branch.
"Y-yes..."
Before them, Saint Rimoshifu Killingham knelt on the ground, his forehead nearly touching it.
He did not dare to look directly at that being.
In this world, no one had the right to do so.
"You took one of his attacks?" Imu continued to ask.
"Yes... it was a terrifying strike. If not for your blessing, I would already be dead..."
"Wrong." Before Killingham could finish speaking, Imu interrupted him in a calm yet utterly cold voice.
As those two words fell, so too did the corpse of a butterfly. It fell slowly into the lush green grass below, its body seemingly crushed to pieces.
But the next moment, it suddenly fluttered back up, beating its wings as if trying to escape Imu's side.
A closer look would reveal that... everything about it had returned to normal.
Killingham could not tell whether the dead butterfly had come back to life or whether that Being had casually created an identical one.
But clearly, that distinction did not matter.
To the entity known as 'Imu,' life and death, insects and beasts, flowers and birds were all the same... all things in the world were nothing more than servants.
"If it really was him…" Imu spoke softly. "With his Haoshoku and his power, you wouldn't have had the chance to be revived through a "blessing.'"
There was a faint sense of recollection in his voice as he spoke, as if he were recalling something from the distant past.
"But that ability you described... it is him. Has he grown weaker?"
At this point, a trace of eerie delight and coldness seeped into Imu's tone.
Imu slowly turned around.
"There's no need to hide it any longer. Let that Marine, let the entire world, know of the existence of the "Star Lord"."
"And then… go confirm it."
Dragging the long train of his robe, Imu walked deeper into the Room of Flowers.
"Confirm the identities of the Twelve Zodiac. Confirm whether he truly is that 'Star Lord' from back then. Confirm..."
The words trailed off.
At that very moment, flames ignited out of nowhere on the butterfly that had flown away.
'Fwoosh!'
It fell from the sky.
This time, it did not rise again.
"Where is he hiding?"
The voice that followed was so cold that it scarcely seemed human.
In the eternally spring-like Room of Flowers, everything returned to stillness. Killingham, lying prostrate on the ground, still did not dare to raise his head.
He backed away as he left the room. It was only after he stepped outside that he finally let out a deep breath.
"...Haa..."
He knew very well that... If there had been even the slightest flaw in his answer or behaviour... Or if that being had been in a bad mood... he would have become that butterfly.
Killingham quickly turned and left.
But as he walked away, he hesitated slightly.
"…Did I forget something?"
…
"Spare me! Spare me! My father will pay you… however much you want!"
"I've told you everything! The location of my private treasury… there's over 70 billion Beli in it, and two Devil Fruits! I collected them myself, I didn't hand them over to the Family!"
"That slave named Cori… I played her until she was broken, but she still wouldn't obey, so I had her thrown onto 'Plague Island' to continue tormenting her! I don't even know if she's still alive! Please, no…!"
"You can't kill me! If you do, the world will be enraged! I'm a Celestial Dragon, you can't…!"
The wails of Saint Ambokam echoed within the pocket dimension. At this moment, the Celestial Dragon, whose limbs had already been severed, looked even more miserable than before.
His body was covered in horrific wounds. His nose bridge had been shattered, and one of his eyes had been blinded. It was clear he had already been subjected to ruthless torture.
And standing before him… Alan clenched his fists tightly. His nails had dug deep into his palms, drawing fresh blood. Yet he seemed completely unaware of the pain, staring at Saint Ambokam with eyes filled with pure hatred.
As mentioned before… Saint Ambokam's "pleasure" did not lie in lust, but in tormenting and utterly destroying beautiful things.
So the truths extracted from his mouth… Were enough to make Alan want to devour him piece by piece.
"…Plague Island…" He muttered the name under his breath.
Beside him, Youji silently examined the intelligence gathered from Baroque Works.
"…"
He said nothing.
Just read.
Plague Island… An island located in the Grand Line.
It belonged to the non–World Government affiliated nation, the Adi Kingdom. It was said that the island was filled with dense miasma, crawling with deadly toxins and poisonous creatures.
For a normal person, surviving even a month there would be nothing short of a miracle.
Yet strangely… This completely hazardous, seemingly worthless island was treated as a treasure by the Adi Kingdom. The royal family stationed a considerable number of guards there, strictly prohibiting outsiders from entering, under the pretense of "preventing casualties."
Meanwhile, the kingdom itself had been growing increasingly prosperous.
In recent years, there were even rumors that it was on the verge of becoming one of the World Government's affiliated nations.
At first glance… It appeared to be a nation that truly cared for its people.
But the truth was clearly far darker. From Saint Ambokam's confession, Youji had learned the reality…
In fact, the Adi Kingdom had once served as the host nation for a Celestial Dragons' "Hunting Competition."
And the royal family had directly sold all the citizens of Plague Island… As prey for that hunt.
And this island itself had not always been like this.
In the past, it was a perfectly normal island. It only became what it is today because, after that "Hunting Competition," some of the losing Celestial Dragons refused to accept their defeat, and dumped vast quantities of deadly, unsolvable toxins onto the island.
Since then, the island had also become a place where the Celestial Dragons exiled their slaves.
It was precisely because of this connection with the Celestial Dragons that the Adira Kingdom's national strength had flourished over the years.
"…That's the World Government for you. Anyone with even a shred of humanity couldn't do something like this."
Youji muttered under his breath.
And at that moment…
"Youji… sir." He heard Alan's voice beside him.
Turning his head, he saw the firm determination in Alan's eyes beneath the mask.
"I… I want to go to Plague Island. I want to confirm whether Cori is still alive… I think she… she might still…"
His voice choked.
Clearly, he understood… Given Cori's condition, the chances of survival were almost nonexistent. But even so, he still wanted to confirm it.
And beyond that…
"…And him."
He looked toward Saint Ambokam nearby, took a deep breath, and clenched his fists again.
"He's right… he's valuable. If we use him as leverage, we can exchange him for a huge ransom. I… even though I'm only a trainee, I'm still part of the organization."
"For the sake of the organization, I should hand him over to you."
His gratitude toward Youji needed no words. And toward the Twelve Zodiac, he felt a deep sense of belonging.
But he also felt that he had always been receiving from the organization, never giving anything in return.
And now, once again, it was the same.
Youji had kidnapped a Celestial Dragon for his sake, and through this, he had learned of his younger sister's whereabouts.
To Alan, that was already more than enough.
Now… It was his turn to repay the organization.
Kidnapping a Celestial Dragon was already a grave crime.
But killing one… Was an unforgivable sin.
Saint Ambokam could be exchanged for an enormous ransom, holding immense value for the organization.
So even though he was unwilling… He still believed he should make that choice.
'They're going to let me live… they'll use me to get ransom from my father… they really don't dare kill me!' Hearing this, Saint Ambokam revealed a look of joy.
But in the very next moment…
"Don't say such stupid things, kid!" Before he could finish, Youji cut him off.
Alan raised his head and met Youji's gaze.
It was calm… Yet it seemed to conceal a burning fire.
"You've made two mistakes." He spoke evenly.
Setting aside the fact that, now that Killingham had clearly heard of the "Star Lord," using Saint Ambokam as ransom was extremely dangerous…
Just this matter alone…
"First… who do you think I am?"
Youji's eyes burned as he stared at Alan.
"I'm 'Youji.' Garbage like him… I can't stand letting him breathe even one more second."
"Let him go back? If I did something like that, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night!"
"Second… who told you you're just a trainee?" As he spoke, he raised his hand and tossed something toward Alan.
Alan instinctively caught it and only then realized what it was.
A Sea Beast mask. At the top of the mask was a small crow emblem.
"From today onward, you are an official member of the Twelve Zodiac… assigned under my Rooster Division, 'Moon Raven.'"
Youji looked at him.
"In other words, you're my direct subordinate. If you say something this stupid again, I'll kill you."
After that threat, he continued:
"As for your younger sister… we've been drawing a bit too much attention lately. The leader told us to keep a low profile for now."
"And a place like Plague Island… you'd only be putting yourself in danger if you went."
At this point, Youji paused slightly.
"…However, I do have a colleague who's quite skilled in this area. I'll have him handle your sister's situation."
Hearing this… Alan stood frozen. Holding the Sea Beast mask in his hands, feeling its weight, his nose stung.
"Youji… sir…"
"Shut up!"
Then he saw Youji turn around and walk away with effortless ease. As he left, he pointed at the completely stunned Saint Ambokam nearby.
"I don't like the look of this guy… but you've got more reason than I do to kill him. So I'll leave him to you."
"This is also your first official mission… Don't let him die too easily."
As the words fell… Youji's figure turned into light and vanished.
"…."
Left behind, Alan took a deep breath. He removed his mask, then turned his head to look at Saint Ambokam, who was struggling desperately to escape.
Tears and a smile appeared on his face at the same time, making his youthful expression look almost twisted.
"Yes… sir."
He placed the new Sea Beast mask upon his head, like a soldier performing a ritual of allegiance.
"I guarantee I will complete the mission!"
(End of Chapter)
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