After Madara and the others left—
about ten minutes later—
footsteps echoed once again through the corridor.
Soon—
a bald elder hurried in.
"Bang!"
He shut the door behind him and walked forward with a faint smile.
"Well? My plan worked, didn't it?"
…
"It worked… in theory," the long white-haired elder replied calmly.
"But on them?"
"It was completely useless."
…
The bald elder froze.
"…You mean it failed?"
"That's impossible. There's no reason it should fail."
"…Don't tell me—those guards are like Is?"
"Not interested in power, money, or status at all???"
…
The silence from the other four elders—
was the answer.
…
"Wait… are you serious?"
"Who in this world isn't interested in power?"
"How many of them did you call over?"
One of the elders poured himself a cup of tea and sat back down.
Only after taking a sip did he speak slowly:
"You're not entirely wrong."
"Ordinary people… would never refuse power."
"But…"
"Those around Is…"
"…are not ordinary people."
Another elder added:
"We originally planned to pressure them."
"To make negotiations easier."
"But the moment they walked in—"
"they pressured us instead."
"These young people…"
"…are absurdly strong."
…
"What do you mean??"
The bald elder was now completely confused.
He had only been gone for half an hour—
yet everything felt different.
…
"In simple terms—"
"One of them alone…"
"could rival a Marine Admiral."
"And there are five of them."
…
"..."
"?????"
The bald elder stared at them in disbelief.
"Where did he even find these monsters???"
"Our Navy has been recruiting for years—why have we never seen people like this???"
…
"Who knows?"
"But one thing is certain—"
"Is did it."
…
The bald elder rubbed his head.
"…That kid…"
"…is like a walking miracle."
…
Meanwhile—
Is was still on his way back, unaware of what had just happened.
What puzzled him, however—
was his own meeting.
He had expected something important.
Instead—
the elder he met asked things like:
"How was your trip?"
"Did the king greet you properly?"
The questions became more and more absurd.
It left Is completely confused.
…
But as he walked—
a thought struck him.
There was no way someone at that level—
would waste time on meaningless talk.
And only one elder had met him.
The other four were missing.
That could only mean one thing—
they were handling something else.
…
Sure enough—
when he returned—
Madara and the others told him everything.
…
The result—
was slightly different from what he expected—
but not by much.
…
"What will you choose, Is?"
Yoriichi asked calmly.
"I want to hear your answer."
At that moment—
everyone's attention fell on Is.
…
He was silent for a few seconds.
Then he gestured for the maid massaging him to step away.
Only then did he speak:
"I don't need anyone telling me how to live."
"I won't follow their arrangement."
"And I have no interest in joining that so-called 'power structure.'"
…
"As expected," Madara smirked.
"The moment those old men brought it up, I already knew your answer."
Acnologia nodded.
"Makes sense."
"Power structures are just systems they created."
"Why should we follow their rules?"
The others agreed.
…
"Alright, that's enough of this topic."
Is turned slightly.
"Minian, prepare two rooms for Unohana and Yoriichi."
"Yes, Master."
…
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye—
two days went by.
Unohana and Yoriichi had fully integrated into the group.
The atmosphere—
became even livelier.
…
As for Is—
nothing changed.
He continued focusing on training his body.
…
Meanwhile—
under Madara's guidance—
Yoriichi and Unohana began learning Haki.
The most practical power in this world.
And then—
something unexpected happened.
The moment Yoriichi mastered Armament Haki—
he awakened Conqueror's Haki.
Just like Madara and Acnologia.
…
Which meant—
including Is—
there were now four Conqueror's Haki users in the group.
As for Tatsumaki and Unohana—
they hadn't awakened it yet.
No one knew why.
…
Another morning—
just like always—
Is was already training.
"Is—newspaper!"
Tatsumaki walked over, holding bread in one hand and a newspaper in the other.
"There's something interesting."
Is stopped and took it.
After a quick glance—
he chuckled.
"Golden Lion attacks a World Government nation… encounters the Roger Pirates… battle ensues."
…
He read further.
The report explained—
Shiki attacked a government-affiliated country—
then ran into the Roger Pirates—
and a battle broke out.
No mention of Rocks or Big Mom.
Which confirmed one thing—
the Rocks Pirates were operating separately.
Just like when he encountered Whitebeard earlier.
…
This strategy—
allowed them to cause chaos more efficiently.
As for the result—
it was obvious.
Shiki alone couldn't defeat the Roger Pirates.
If not for his Float-Float Fruit—
he wouldn't have escaped.
…
Is flipped to the back pages.
There—
were the latest bounty posters.
He set the newspaper aside—
and focused on them instead.
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