"Dressrosa... the Land of Love, Passion, and Toys. For that old fox Umit to choose such a place, what kind of game is he playing? Does this involve Joker? Or perhaps... the Beasts?"
"Regardless, it shouldn't have anything to do with the Beast Pirates. Umit and Kaido have no history together."
Among the Four Emperors, Umit had aligned himself with Big Mom; he never missed a single one of her Tea Parties. In fact, most of the Underworld's giants felt a closer affinity to that mad sovereign, Charlotte Linlin, maintaining a respectful distance from the other three. This wasn't because they were fools or had a peculiar desire to grovel at the feet of a woman who would slaughter her own children in a fit of hunger.
In truth, it wasn't a lack of intelligence that drove them—it was a lack of options.
Of the Four Emperors, Whitebeard and Red-Hair frankly didn't fit the mold of traditional "pirates." They never engaged in indiscriminate slaughter or pillaging; their greatest "sins" were merely collecting protection fees from their territories. These two Emperors possessed a bottomless pit of personal principles that left no room for the filth of the Underworld. Many illicit businesses that the World Government might turn a blind eye to would suddenly find themselves dismantled if either of those two happened to be in a meddling mood.
With those two excluded, that left Big Mom and Kaido. Both, strictly speaking, were choices riddled with insanity.
Yet, necessity dictated their paths. Kaido, who preferred to handle matters with solitary, overwhelming violence, was eventually scratched off the list by the Underworld moguls. One by one, they found themselves crawling—however reluctantly—to the feet of Big Mom, using her shadow to shield themselves from the gaze of the other three Emperors.
"El, are you truly planning to go next month?"
"Of course. The man invited me by name. It would be quite rude of me to decline such a formal gesture."
"I swear, you..."
Bovill, the King of Echemondo, let out a helpless sigh, pointing a finger toward his son across the air.
"That is Umit, the 'Deep Current.' Do you think he's some low-level thug like that Ghost Sword or Black Beast? That old man is infamously shameless. For the sake of profit, there is no depth of depravity or dishonor he won't sink to. And don't let his lack of recent headlines fool you—not a single person who has ever underestimated him has met a pleasant end."
They were in the palace gardens. Having annihilated the Amento fleet, reclaimed the Toothed Whale Sea, and dispatched his adjutants to dismantle Umit's subsidiary interests, Elus had led his fleet back to Arabica, the capital.
The day was clear, the sky an endless, cloudless blue.
With the news of Elus's victory spreading, and following a massive celebration that benefited every citizen in the city, a small family banquet was being held within the palace walls. It was called a "family" banquet, yet the Soccachio clan was small. Excluding those stationed at the World Government headquarters on the Red Line, only Elus's parents and his younger brother and sister remained on Bikashi Island. Five people in total—the term "small" was an understatement.
"Father, you can set your mind at ease. Let's put it this way: unless I'm facing a monster on the level of the Yonko, the Three Admirals, or Hawkeye Mihawk, your son truly has nothing to fear," Elus said, grabbing a bright red apple from the fruit platter and taking a savage bite.
It was a Soccachio tradition to avoid formal titles like "Lord Father" or "Your Majesty" in private. Father, Mother, Brother, Sister—in a place as treacherous as the New World, if one couldn't even be close to their own family, life would be far too desolate.
"El, be careful. Talk that big and the wind might catch your tongue."
Bovill felt a headache coming on. His son was perfect in every regard except for one: his confidence bordered on—no, it had completely crossed into—sheer arrogance.
"I'd very much like to see what kind of wind is strong enough to do that."
Elus continued to banter, his mouth full of apple.
Bovill shot his unfilial son a glare, huffing as he grabbed a pear and began to chew sullenly. It wasn't that he lacked the dignity of a father; it was simply that his son was too exceptional. Aside from that touch of ego, he was faultless. A man couldn't exactly rant and rave without a shred of logic, could he? He was a reasonable father, not a dictator.
"Father, about Dressrosa... do you have any specific advice regarding the place?" As a "filial" son, Elus offered a conversational olive branch, despite being the one who had just provoked his father.
"Dressrosa, eh?" Bovill chewed on the pear. "The royal line there used to be the Riku Clan. Five years ago, Joker appeared, and the Riku line fell from the throne. The Donquixote family became the new royalty. Of course, your grandfather once mentioned that Dressrosa originally belonged to the Donquixote line eight hundred years ago... but that kind of history is meaningless now."
"Currently, Dressrosa is Joker's territory. He's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, an Underworld broker, and a giant in his own right. He controls the arms trade in the New World. Weapons are incredibly lucrative—they bring in far more Berries than our coffee beans ever could. In short, the man has a foothold in both the light and the dark, and his personality is... twisted. According to your grandfather, it's best not to provoke him if it can be avoided."
Bovill took another bite of his pear, eyeing Elus sideways.
"As for you going there... I don't have much to say. After all, in your eyes, no one exists besides the Emperors and the Admirals."
"I am merely speaking the truth," Elus emphasized.
"It's because I know you're speaking the truth that I'm not stopping you! Otherwise, I would have locked you in your room long ago!" Bovill glared again, tossing his pear core into the bin. "When do you plan to set out? And El... are you truly intent on killing Umit?"
"Of course. If I don't kill him, how am I supposed to inherit his estate?"
Elus reached out and caught his younger brother as the boy charged toward him. He tossed the six-year-old into the air like a ball and caught him, repeating the cycle as the boy dissolved into fits of giggles.
"Umit's shipping empire, hm? Ah, it is a tempting prize. I say... El, how about I abdicate right now? While I can still move, I'd love to go see the sights in the 'Paradise' and the Four Seas. If I wait until I have to move to the Red Line, I'll never get the chance."
"Stop joking. Once you're no longer King, you won't be able to just wander around for fun anyway. Besides, you were thirty when you took the throne. You owe the kingdom at least another ten or fifteen years."
Elus rejected the suggestion with absolute finality. Being a King was a chore; being a Prince was freedom. Besides, the newspapers had just given him the moniker of the "Black Prince." If he ascended now, would they change it to the "Black King"?
[It doesn't sound quite right,] he mused. [Better to wait until I can step directly into the title of 'Black Emperor.']
"Tch," Bovill clicked his tongue in disappointment. He had been genuinely serious. In his youth, his adventures had been confined to the New World; he had never seen the horizon of the first half of the Grand Line.
"Fine. So, when do you leave?"
"In another two days. It's only the beginning of the month; there's no rush. If I go too early and accidentally end up in a fight with Joker, I'm afraid Umit would die of laughter." Elus ended the game with his brother, setting the dizzy child down and watching him stagger away like a drunkard.
"..." Bovill rolled his eyes. "Are you planning to annex Joker's arms business as well?"
"Not for the moment. Let's focus on absorbing Umit's logistics first. To be honest, I'm more interested in Joker's status as a Warlord than his weapons... Father, what do you think about me acquiring a Shichibukai title?"
"A Warlord of the Sea? Why bother? Our family doesn't engage in piracy, and we're already a member of the World Government. There's no need to wrap yourself in that particular shroud." Bovill looked at his son, his head beginning to throb again.
"It's for the sake of taking over Umit's shipping lanes. Don't you think the title of a Warlord is more useful than our family's reputation for that kind of expansion?"
Elus stroked his chin, the idea gaining weight the more he considered it. "There are many member nations of the World Government, but only seven Warlords. Scarcity breeds value. If we could secure that protection, our business might even expand into Paradise."
"It's a beautiful dream, but the World Government isn't that easy to fool. Even with your grandfather working for them, he doesn't have the authority to hand out Shichibukai titles. Besides, the roster is full. Where is there any room for you?"
"Things are only as they are until someone changes them. If the seats are full... I'll just kill one of them and vacate a spot."
Elus spoke with effortless calm.
"...Joker is off-limits. He has a very close relationship with the Beasts. I don't know how he secured Kaido's favor, but it's best not to test those waters. If we provoke that unkillable monster, our entire family might have to pack up and hide on the Red Line just to survive."
"I told you, for now, my only target is Umit. Until I've fully absorbed his influence, I have no intention of reaching for anything more."
"Then that is for the best. You can't become a fat man in a single bite. These things cannot be rushed; if you can take your time, do so."