A person must rely on themselves.
Precisely because he knew that the seemingly reliable old man in front of him had ultimately managed to get himself killed in the original story—
From the very beginning, Valthior had never intended to entrust his life and future to Mary Geoise.
Everything he was doing now was, in the end, relying on himself.
Of course, if at this stage he could receive some covert support from his grandfather, that would be even better.
In any case, he had no intention of tying himself to Mary Geoise. If something really went wrong in the future, he wouldn't be dragged down with it.
At worst, he would just abandon his identity as a Celestial Dragon—that wasn't a fundamental issue.
Similarly, from the start, Saint Saturn had not placed great expectations on what Valthior might accomplish.
His current arrangements were merely adapting to the situation as it stood.
If things truly spiraled out of control, with Saturn's ruthlessness, handing Valthior over to Imu and placing all the blame on him would be a decision he would make without hesitation.
Just as he had said—once Valthior and his group entered the New World, he would no longer restrain the Marines. He would let them deal with them as pirates.
If, in the future, the Roger Pirates managed to withstand the pressure and achieve their goal, Saturn would benefit by obtaining an answer alongside them.
If they failed and were destroyed because of it, then it would simply return to square one—he would confine Valthior back in Mary Geoise and act as if none of this had ever happened.
At the end of the day, while the two of them did share genuine feelings, neither had any intention of letting emotions dictate their decisions.
Valthior would make use of his grandfather's influence—but he had no intention of sacrificing himself in the process.
Saturn would use Valthior to probe and uncover parts of the truth—but if anything went wrong, he would discard him as a pawn without hesitation.
Countless thoughts flashed through their minds—but in reality, only a moment passed.
"Understood, Grandfather. From now on, I won't underestimate the Marines," Valthior said softly, setting down his teacup.
"Mm." Saturn nodded in satisfaction, then added, "The commander of CP-9 is named Spandine. He's a smart man—and one of mine. If needed, you can use him."
Valthior smiled. "Thank you, Grandfather."
As expected, the old man would still provide some support behind the scenes.
"Roger's crew is no simple group. You must learn how to manage and use people. The fact that you were able to bring Gaban to Mary Geoise shows there is sufficient trust between you. Perhaps in the future, they may become your strength. You should pay more attention to this," Saturn said, shifting from serious matters to instructing his junior.
Clearly, in his eyes, whether pirate, Marine, or CP agent—the identity didn't matter.
What mattered was whether they could be used.
If Valthior could gain control over the strength of the Roger Pirates, then why care about the label of "pirate"?
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind," Valthior replied respectfully.
Saturn took another sip of tea. After a brief silence, he spoke again:
"There is one thing you must remember."
"Please, Grandfather," Valthior immediately said.
"You may take on the identity of a pirate, or any other identity. You may even discard them entirely. Even the identity of a Celestial Dragon—even your status as the young master of the Jaygarcia family—none of these matter at critical moments."
"But there is one thing you must always hold onto. No matter what happens, you must never abandon it!"
Valthior was slightly stunned, not immediately understanding what he meant.
Saturn didn't explain. Instead, he said in a deep voice:
"Only one thing must never be discarded—the fact that you are a descendant of the Twenty Kings."
After saying this, Saturn leaned back slightly against the sofa, his tone growing somewhat complex.
"Whether it's D… or 'David'… for hundreds, nearly a thousand years, we have been entangled with them without end. The seas are filled with countless outstanding figures. Yet I have seen too much."
"In the end, that island… has a threshold."
"Ordinary people, no matter how talented, may stir the winds and clouds for a time—but they cannot step inside."
"This is the understanding I've gained after observing the seas for hundreds of years."
"Valthior, you must remember—what you possess that is most valuable… is the blood of the Twenty Kings' descendants flowing within you!"
"Blood…" Valthior murmured softly.
"Without that blood, no matter what you achieve, you are merely a fleeting hero. But with it, what gives you an advantage over others… is legitimacy!" Saturn said, his gaze deep and unwavering.
Perhaps he felt that Valthior was finally qualified to hear such things.
As for what conclusions Valthior might draw from it—that was no longer his concern.
How pitiful, Saturn thought to himself. Trapped for hundreds of years before realizing that every 'gift' had long since had its price marked in secret…
After more than a century of struggle, will I even see any results?
He couldn't help but recall the letter Valthior had left him three years ago at God Valley.
The sea has always favored the brave. Fate always smiles upon the mad.
At just eighteen, Valthior was sharper and more resolute than he himself had been.
If back then he had possessed the courage to seize fate by the throat—
What would things look like now?
He didn't know. He couldn't even imagine it.
But perhaps… he would get to witness it through Valthior, the descendant he favored most.
Meanwhile, Valthior was still pondering Saturn's words.
Saturn, too, pulled himself out of his thoughts and asked:
"What are your plans after entering the New World?"
"Ah—we're planning to go to Linderland Island to find Byrnndi World. According to our intel, he has a Poneglyph," Valthior replied, setting aside his thoughts.
"Linderland …" Saturn smiled faintly. "A grand stage play is about to unfold there. If you want to take on a role, you'd better hurry. Otherwise, you'll miss the show."
"Oh?" Valthior asked curiously. "What's about to happen there, Grandfather?"
Although Spencer's intelligence network was quite capable, most of its focus was on ancient ruins and Poneglyphs.
Aside from that, the Roger Pirates hadn't paid much attention to other developments.
Their understanding of the New World was mostly superficial—limited to information gathered from newspapers.
They had no idea what was about to unfold.
"Whitebeard and the Golden Lion will clash there. Perhaps their battle will decide who stands above the other. Naturally, the Marines will also head there in search of an opportunity. If you go there looking for Byrnndi World, you'll likely be dragged into the chaos," Saturn said, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation.
"That does sound troublesome…" Valthior clicked his tongue.
"If you find it troublesome, you can avoid the conflict," Saturn suggested with a raised brow.
"My captain isn't the type to avoid conflict," Valthior replied after some thought. "And if we back off, and World ends up sinking at Linderland Island, that would be a problem. What if the Poneglyph is lost? We'll have to seize it ourselves."
"You haven't witnessed much of the true storms of the sea these past three years. Back at God Valley, you weren't qualified to take the stage. But this time… I'm rather looking forward to your performance," Saturn said, his tone carrying a hint of expectation.
"Then please watch closely, Grandfather. Valthior won't disappoint you," Valthior said with a confident smile.
With Whitebeard, Shiki, and Roger present, the leading role in this grand play would likely not fall to him.
But securing a major supporting role?
That, Valthior was confident in.
Using this great battle as the starting point for his debut onto the New World stage—as a pirate—
That sounded quite interesting, didn't it?
...
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