Two weeks passed. On the evening before the scheduled secret meeting, Yemu brought Zephyr and the others back to Wenmigudan Island, the island that housed the capital of the Rainbow Kingdom.
Although word that Zephyr had joined the Rainbow Kingdom had already spread across the seas, Yemu still chose not to make it fully public, all to maximize its impact.
So after resting for the night, the secret meeting held the next day became Zephyr's first appearance in the Rainbow Kingdom.
At dawn, as the sky began to brighten, the Rainbow Tree on Wenmigudan Island also began to awaken. Multicolored morning light not only enveloped Wenmigudan Island, but also cast a brilliant glow across the surrounding sea.
Twenty years had passed, and the Rainbow Tree had grown fully into a World Tree. Its trunk was so thick it nearly occupied half the central inner island of Wenmigudan Island, while its branches and leaves spread like a vast umbrella, covering the entire main island.
The population had already surpassed three million, proof of the island's vitality. The buildings rising everywhere, each in a different style, were proof of its inclusiveness.
On the streets, one could see all kinds of races.
Humans, Fish-Men, Dwarves, Giants, and many more. Everyone wore a happy smile.
But the rapidly growing population had already exceeded the island's capacity eight years ago.
Because of this, Yemu had no choice but to use his Devil Fruit ability to move three more islands over, placing them to the left, right, and lower side of Wenmigudan Island, finally resolving the problem.
Even so, Wenmigudan Island remained the sacred island in the hearts of all people of the Rainbow Kingdom.
The only place that could rival it in status was Jinwu Island in the North Blue.
One island lay in the New World, the other in the North Blue.
Countless Sea Train tracks connected them, bringing convenient transportation as well as immense wealth.
And above Wenmigudan Island, near the crown of the Rainbow Tree, floated a small and exquisite island.
A building full of Amazon Lily style stood on the island, with the Twin Goddesses docked beside it.
This was a place only the upper ranks of the Rainbow Kingdom could reach.
It was a secluded paradise, and also the personal residence of Fire Dragon Yemu, the creator of the Rainbow Kingdom.
Countless secret meetings that shaped the development of the Rainbow Kingdom had been held here.
Just like today...
Looking out across the open field, all the major figures of the Rainbow Kingdom had gathered as if for a family meal.
Among them were Enel, the Thunder God and one of the Emperors of the New World, who possessed formidable military power; Fisher Tiger, the hero of the Fish-Men; Killmonger Erik, the savior of Flevance; Anu Gar, Emperor of Amazon Lily; and Vinsmoke Judge, ruler of the Vinsmoke family. These five great legions supported the Rainbow Kingdom's entire military strength.
Then came those responsible for the nation's operations: Ayala, head of the administrative and medical departments; Tadas Fes, head of the finance department; Flare, head of intelligence and logistics management; Saranojo Minsen, head of the police department; Vinsmoke Reiju, head of the foreign affairs and commerce department; Dana Harlot, head of national construction; Professor Clover and Dr. Olvia of the culture and education departments; Erza, head of weapons and equipment; the Kuro Brothers, heads of the technology department; Gaos, head of land resources; Stussy and Tesoro, heads of the news media department; Tom the Fish-Man, head of transportation; and Griffin Cock, head of industrial construction.
Next were the representatives of various races and peoples: Jinbe of the Fish-Men, Rebellio Lina of the Giant Race, Modlin of the Lohart, Ron of the Dwarves, Elder Nyon and Hancock of Amazon Lily, and Shimotsuki Kuina of Wano Country.
Finally, there were the newest additions: former Navy Admiral Zephyr and his two disciples, Ain and Binz.
It could be said that everyone present stood at the very top of the Rainbow Kingdom. Besides them, there were also some people who could not conveniently attend this meeting, yet remained extremely important.
For example, Dr. Furumi of the Science Department and Dr. Myskina, the creator of Pure Gold. In truth, those two were the real managers of the Science Department, but both were scientists with no interest in power. On top of that, their identities were far too important. They could be considered Yemu's greatest trump cards. For the past twenty years, to prevent them from being discovered by spies from the World Government, Yemu had never allowed them to leave the moon.
Then there was Morgans. That fellow had, in fact, completely sided with the Rainbow Kingdom, but to make intelligence gathering easier, he still retained his position as president of the World Economic News Agency.
Twenty years was enough to change many things. The most obvious change was that Ayala, Erza, Reiju, Hancock, and the others, who had once been little girls, had all grown into beautiful young women. They now held high positions and great authority, and both their bearing and their insight had matured.
In front of outsiders, they were absolute female devils. In fact, these four young women, together with Kuina, were compared to the five Emperors of the New World and came to be known as the Five Empresses of the Rainbow Kingdom.
That was enough to prove how cold and ruthless these five young women seemed in the eyes of the outside world.
But at this moment, in front of their own people, they were completely adorable young girls. They had become the chefs of the banquet, grilling all kinds of delicious food for everyone together with Flare.
No one stood on ceremony as they enjoyed the food, and the atmosphere across the small island was cheerful and harmonious.
By all rights, this was a secret meeting that would decide the future direction of the Rainbow Kingdom, so it should have been solemn and serious. Yet Yemu had deliberately turned it into something like a family banquet.
First, these people were his family in this world.
Second, it also served as a welcome ceremony for their new partner, Zephyr.
Third, it was meant to bring everyone's hearts together.
Everyone had their own selfish concerns, especially when they carried the interests of so many departments, races, and nations on their backs. So over the past twenty years, although everyone had worked together toward the same goal, small arguments had still happened along the way.
Yemu did not intend to avoid that. It was only human nature. But that did not mean he would do nothing.
A small banquet like this was one of the best ways to help everyone relax.
After all, aside from Zephyr, everyone here had once been a pirate.
As for Zephyr, their newly joined partner, and his two disciples, after some initial discomfort, they quickly blended in.
They had all been old rivals, and had clashed countless times before. Each side acknowledged the other's strength. They had simply belonged to different camps in the past. Now that they were all on the same side, a few cups of wine were enough to get everyone drinking freely.
As for Ain, those young girls pulled her into the barbecue group. Seeing girls around her own age and feeling the lively, joyful atmosphere left Ain a little dazed, but she did not dislike it. On the contrary, she liked it very much, and soon joined in.
As for Binz, after his initial restraint faded, he showed off his talent for dancing. He used his Fruit ability together with his dance moves in a performance that drew constant cheers from everyone.
That was the charm of a banquet...
And as the banquet was about to end, the real discussions of the meeting finally began...