The Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Looking at the Den Den Mushi that had fallen back into a deep slumber after issuing a blunt busy signal, the five old men—some standing, some sitting—wore expressions of utter fury. As the highest leaders of the World Government's public face, when had they ever been treated with such blatant disrespect?
"Do these fellows truly believe they can turn the world upside down?!"
"Enough. Stop losing your temper. What's done is done; getting angry now is useless."
"Are we really going to let them defy orders like this?"
"What else can we do? Can we truly fire them all?! Except for Zephyr, which one of them isn't a pivotal pillar of the Navy? The new generation has yet to mature; we cannot move against them for the time being."
"What's the next move?"
"Call the three Admirals directly. There are currently two CP0 members on the scene to control the situation, but the Navy Admirals cannot stay idle either."
"Hmph, what's the point of calling those three? The result will be the same. Sengoku made it clear: if anyone touches Rowan, they will choose to leave the Navy immediately."
"What a troublesome man... Marine Vice Admiral Rowan..."
"Then we have no choice but to take a step back. Let a Navy Admiral go and bring Vaskeriel back. That should suffice, shouldn't it?"
"Heh, I never thought the day would come where we'd have to compromise so heavily with a lowly commoner over such a troublesome matter."
"Fine, stop discussing it and make the call. If we can't even bring the person back, those families will start pestering us again."
A short while later, in a certain sea of the Grand Line, aboard Akainu's warship:
Akainu's raspy voice rang out: "Rowan? Celestial Dragons? I'm busy right now. Whatever happens to a Celestial Dragon has nothing to do with me. I joined the Navy to kill pirates, not to serve as a bodyguard for World Nobles."
With a cold snort, Akainu hung up the Den Den Mushi with a sharp click, moving on to his duties without a second thought.
"That Akainu!" "To dare be so insolent!" "Does he not understand his own position?!"
The five old men, having been rebuffed by Akainu as well, were even more enraged. These Marines—one after another—had they forgotten who they worked for?! But there was nothing they could do to Akainu.
Next, Kizaru's personal Den Den Mushi rang.
Pulling out the receiver and listening to the orders, Kizaru scratched his ear lazily before speaking with feigned embarrassment: "Oh~ so it's about the Celestial Dragons? And it involves Mr. Rowan? Now that is scary and very troublesome indeed."
"You know Mr. Rowan's status in the Navy. As a junior, I can't really do anything against that old gentleman. After all, the Master's background is quite terrifying."
After listening to the Five Elders grumble for a bit, Kizaru eventually hung up, declining the mission. He glanced at the sleeping Den Den Mushi, shrugged, and muttered softly:
"Master Zephyr's mentor... Mr. Garp's father... wouldn't that make him Dragon's..."
Shaking his head, Kizaru didn't dwell on it and returned to his business.
Finally, it was Aokiji's turn.
"Arara... Sabaody Archipelago? Celestial Dragons? Akainu and Kizaru both refused? Still, if this involves Old Man Rowan, it's difficult for me too."
"I just need to bring him back to Mary Geoise? Very well. Someone has to do it, after all. But I can only promise to do my best. If Mr. Rowan's attitude is too stubborn, there won't be much I can do."
After speaking, Aokiji, who was still cycling across the ocean, hung up. He looked toward the Holy Land and sighed. "These guys are truly a handful..."
With that, Aokiji turned his bicycle around and began pedaling toward Sabaody.
At the same time, the alarms at two Marine branch bases in Sabaody blared piercingly. Two Rear Admirals gathered their forces, leading over a thousand Marines each in a frantic mobilization. They had received a direct order from the World Government to head to Grove 26 and arrest a "mad criminal" who had attacked a Celestial Dragon.
"Who could it be? To be so bold as to move against a Celestial Dragon."
The two Rear Admirals were bewildered. Attacking a World Noble was tantamount to summoning a Navy Admiral. Upon receiving the order, they tried to contact Vice Admiral Toller, who held a higher rank in the neighboring base, but were told that Toller had already rushed to the scene.
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 26.
"He... he actually killed a Celestial Dragon?!"
From a rooftop a safe distance from the tavern, "White Horse" Cavendish peered out with half his head exposed. A moment ago, when he saw Rowan's fingers—acting as blades—thrust toward the Noble, his heart felt as if it had been squeezed by a giant hand, momentarily stopping.
Though he hadn't been at sea long, Cavendish knew the status of the World Nobles. Attacking a Celestial Dragon and actually killing one were two completely different concepts. If you hit one, you've merely slapped the face of the World Nobles; if you have enough influence, the Government might let it slide. But if you actually kill one, the World Government will never show mercy.
It wouldn't matter if Rowan was a retired Vice Admiral; even if he were the current Fleet Admiral, the Government would brand him a traitor and send powerhouses on par with Admirals to hunt him down.
Did the 'Marine Godfather' Rowan just kill a Celestial Dragon in broad daylight?
"No, wait... the Celestial Dragon isn't dead yet..."
Thank God...
Rowan wasn't truly insane enough to slaughter a World Noble in the street. For some reason, seeing that the Noble still had a breath in him, Cavendish felt a wave of relief. If Rowan had actually killed him, Cavendish feared he wouldn't be able to leave this island alive either.
In the next moment, Cavendish saw the Celestial Dragon, who had been lying in the ruins like a dead dog, suddenly begin to heave. Vaskeriel-sei was gasping for air, his face deathly pale. He stared in sheer terror at Rowan, who was crouching beside him. The arrogant sneer from before had vanished, replaced entirely by infinite, soul-shaking fear in his wide eyes.