Inside the Hall of Authority at Pangaea Castle in Mary Geoise, the atmosphere was heavy. Five elderly men sat and stood around a round table, a document stamped "Navy Secret" lying in the center.
"Damn Gin," said one of the Five Old Stars. Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, the God of Defense and Science wielding a staff, snorted harshly. "He dared to hide something this big from us."
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, the God of Finance wielding a sword, interjected calmly. "Calm down. Gin has served the Navy and the World Government for a very long time. He might be contemplating a new pillar for the Navy's future after the era of Zephyr, Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru has passed."
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, the God of Agriculture, studied the document. "But this young man named Quentin Seven… a Mythological Zoan Devil Fruit user capable of withstanding a blow from Garp, even though he ultimately lost. And don't forget his potential. He's still very young, but he already has two Logia users under his command."
"Do you want those three young monsters to follow the same path as Garp?" retorted Saint Topman Warcury, the God of Justice with a thick mustache. "Even Kong, who's just been promoted to Fleet Admiral, is still struggling to control that Mad Dog."
The room fell instantly silent. Warcury clenched his teeth, his jaw tightening.
Their thoughts drifted to Monkey D. Garp, a bearer of the "D" name who had strangely chosen to join the World Government, yet never truly submitted to them.
"Is this young man named Seven also from a 'D' family like Garp?" Warcury asked in a cold tone.
Saint Marcus Mars, the tall God of Environmental Warriors, shook his head slowly. "No. His background shows no sign of a 'D' name."
Hearing that, the tension in the room eased slightly. They calmed down again. As long as the young man wasn't a bearer of the 'D' will, his immense power could still be controlled by them.
"Let's set aside the issue of that young Navy officer for the time being," said Nusjuro, his tone turning far more serious. "Rocks D. Xebec. That madman who managed to infiltrate the place during the Reverie incident and saw Her Majesty… now he's gathering a large number of extremely powerful subordinates under his banner."
"Most likely," Saturn added with a murderous glare, "he'll soon declare the formation of his own pirate crew. We must keep a close eye on him."
---
Three days later, the Sabaody Archipelago.
Thanks to the brutal crackdown in Groves 1 through 29 and the inspections at the bases, for three full days, the entire Sabaody Archipelago felt incredibly calm and peaceful. Even in the Lawless Zone, not a single pirate brawl dared to break out in the open.
That morning, a magnificent ship bearing the World Government's Cross emblem docked at the special port. From the ship, five figures in eccentric attire disembarked and made their way toward Grove 1.
Inside the Human Auction House, the portly auctioneer stood on the stage with a forced, wide smile. Behind him, dozens of fierce-looking pirates were chained and shackled using Sea Stones. Burn scars from Sakazuki's magma were still clearly visible on their bodies.
In the VIP area, five Sky Dragons sat casually. Two of them wore full white astronaut suits complete with glass domes on their heads. However, the other three were dressed very differently. They wore elegant military attire, without bubble helmets, exuding an aura of arrogance and toughness rarely seen in ordinary Sky Dragons.
They were the Elite Sky Dragons.
In this era, the three of them had just been promoted from the rank of 'God's Sword' to God's Knight. They were still young, having not yet faced the harshness of the outside world or experienced the harsh realities of society.
"Your Excellencies!" exclaimed the portly man on stage, trying to sound enthusiastic even as cold sweat dripped from his forehead every time he recalled the illusion of Tsukuyomi. "Slaves from exotic races may look appealing, but they're incredibly fragile and boring! Imagine riding a slave that moves so slowly, often stumbling from exhaustion."
The auctioneer paced back and forth, pointing at the line of pirates behind him. "But with these new slaves, you won't experience any of that! They are powerful pirate captains from the Grand Line! Among them are even Zoan users! They can withstand beatings, work fully under high pressure, and do anything for you!"
In the VIP seats, Satchel Maffey, a tall female God Knight, propped her chin on her hand. Her eyes weren't fully focused on the stage. She turned to her companion beside her.
"Have you heard the latest news?" Maffey said in a casual tone. "The Navy Base Commander securing this place… I hear he's a very young and powerful Navy officer. Rumor has it he's incredibly handsome. He might even be more handsome than you, Garling."
Figarland Garling, a young man with thick, crescent-shaped hair, merely snorted softly without turning his head.
Next to Maffey, Shepherd Sommers, wearing a high-collared military uniform, chimed in. "I heard that news too. That Navy officer is like Vice Admiral Sengoku, a user of a Mythological Zoan Devil Fruit. And what makes him interesting is that he has two subordinates with the strongest Logia Devil Fruits... magma and lightning."
"That's making the Navy even more arrogant," Maffey muttered. "Especially after he was reported to have withstood an attack from Garp the Mad Dog."
While his two companions were busy discussing this and that, Figarland Garling remained silent, staring straight at the pirate captains being auctioned off on stage. There was no smile on his face. Only a sharp ambition burning in his eyes.
Garling was dead serious. His ambition wasn't merely to become a member. He wanted to vie for the position of Supreme Commander of the Knights of the Gods. If he succeeded in securing that position, the Figarland Family would remain an upper-class family standing on equal footing with the Five Old Stars family. A status that would place them just one rank below the Nerona Family.
"You two, stop," Garling cut in coldly, crossing his legs.
Maffey and Sommers turned to look at him.
"I don't care how strong the Navy is," Garling said, pointing toward the auction stage. "I'm going to buy those pirate slaves. They're tough and can fight. I'll train with them… until I become the strongest."