"Speak!"
As soon as the call connected, the commanding voice of the Five Elders echoed through the line—the tone of those who had sat at the peak of power for far too long.
It didn't matter which one of them was speaking.
"It's me, Sisolak!"
"What is it?"
"Well, it's like this..."
Sisolak quickly recounted the events, a smug expression plastered on his face as he glanced over at Akainu.
He had no idea that on the other end of the line, five old men were absolutely speechless.
It had only been two days!
They were already harassing Sean again?
And this time it was even more absurd—they had concocted some mindless game and were trying to bring Sean back as a slave for some inexplicable reason?
Where did these brats get these ideas?
Even if it weren't Sean, but just an ordinary Marine Vice Admiral, this would be unacceptable.
The Marine might be the watchdogs raised by the Celestial Dragons, but even a dog will bite if pushed too far. If the Marines were to revolt, the balance of the entire world would collapse.
Those damn brats...
"The five of you—get your asses back to the Holy Land immediately!"
Sisolak, who had been beaming with pride, nearly had his eardrums shattered by the explosion of rage coming through the Den Den Mushi.
He realized the person on the other end had changed; that roar was far too familiar.
'Crap, isn't that the head of my family?'
All his arrogance vanished instantly. In the presence of his family head, Sisolak became as obedient as a well-behaved child.
"Yes! We'll return immediately!"
"Wait!"
"Head of the Family, is there something else?"
"Charlos is with you, isn't he?"
"Yes... did he encourage you to do this?"
In the Room of Authority, the blonde member of the Five Elders suddenly remembered something and asked.
Sisolak was one of the direct descendants of their family's current generation, and the blonde Elder knew him reasonably well. While Sisolak was unreliable, he wasn't stupid enough to undermine his own foundation by targeting a Marine Vice Admiral for such a trivial reason.
Then, recalling the events of two days ago, the blonde Elder remembered. Charlos was one of the five present.
Though he believed that idiot pig Charlos lacked the intelligence to play such a game, he asked just to be safe.
"Now that you mention it, Head of the Family, Charlos really was different today. He seemed... much smarter when he spoke."
"Hmm? What exactly did he say? Repeat it to me immediately—not a single word missing!"
"Yes, Head of the Family. After Sean won the auction for the Devil Fruit, I hesitated because..."
"Get to the point!"
"... after that, Charlos told me..."
Sisolak quickly reported Charlos's words to the blonde Elder, verbatim.
Inside the Room of Authority, the eyes of the blonde Elder and the long-bearded Elder practically burst into flames.
They were trying to use the bloodlines of their two great families to kill a man?
Based on their previous deductions, Sean likely had a connection to Lord Imu—and a blood-related one at that.
If Akainu hadn't stepped in, and if those brats had actually succeeded...
Damn it...
It wouldn't just be those five little bastards; their entire families would suffer the consequences.
Charlos... and Rosward, was it?
You've got some nerve, trying to manipulate even us, especially regarding Sean...
"Akainu is beside you, correct?"
"Yes!"
"Akainu, in the name of the Five Elders, I am giving you a direct order!"
"What order?"
Akainu frowned slightly. He had been enjoying himself; though he didn't know why, seeing those five Celestial Dragons get scolded by the Five Elders felt incredibly satisfying. But now, the focus had shifted to him.
"Take the Rosward family into custody immediately, and bring Sisolak and the others back to the Holy Land with them!"
"Uh... you're asking me to lay hands on Celestial Dragons?"
"This is a joint authorization from the Five Great Families of the Celestial Dragons. Proceed without hesitation!"
"Understood!"
Akainu nodded and accepted immediately. He had found those Celestial Dragons eyesores for a long time, but he had never been allowed to act. Now that the Five Elders had given him the green light, he wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away. Only a fool would refuse!
The Den Den Mushi clicked off.
Akainu looked at Charlos, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Saint Sisolak, the order from the Five Elders was to take the Rosward family into custody, correct?"
"Yes, that's right!" Sisolak nodded.
He was feeling quite bitter now. After being called out by the blonde Elder, even he realized he had been played. No wonder Charlos seemed so much smarter today.
Sisolak glared viciously at Charlos. However, someone was faster. A fist slammed directly into Charlos's face, sending him flying dozens of meters.
His bubble helmet shattered, and foam leaked from his mouth. Charlos was knocked unconscious instantly.
"Good. That's one down. Next, we find Saint Rosward and Lady Shalria."
Akainu clapped his hands, feeling a surge of relief and satisfaction.
Sisolak stood there, stunned.
'The head of the family said to take them into custody, not punch them unconscious! And what is with that excited look on your face?'
The next moment, Akainu pulled out another Den Den Mushi.
"Listen up! All units move to Saint Rosward's palace immediately. Surround it. Do not let a single soul escape!"
"Admiral, but that's..."
"I know, but this is a direct order from the Five Elders. Remember, until I arrive, no one leaves."
"What if Saint Rosward's guards attack us...?"
"Aside from the Celestial Dragons themselves, anyone who dares to resist or attempt to break the perimeter is to be shot on sight!"
"Yes, Admiral!"
Listening to the conversation between Akainu and the Marines of the Sabaody branch, Sisolak could have sworn the Marine's voice sounded just as excited as Akainu's by the end.
Meanwhile, Sean gave a wry smile.
Akainu was truly letting himself loose.
When the Five Elders gave that order, they probably didn't expect Akainu to "broadly interpret" the command to such an extreme degree.
'I've... discovered another side of Akainu.'
'A side that was never shown in the original story!!'
'''
Sean didn't get involved in the aftermath. After leaving the auction house, he notified Shakky and Rayleigh and then led everyone to set sail.
Inside the captain's cabin...
Sean looked at the Electric Flower Fruit before him, a flicker of hesitation crossing his mind.
After all, the experience of eating the last two Devil Fruits... had left a significant psychological scar.
But...
Determined to achieve Bankai as quickly as possible, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to take a large bite of the fruit.
Instantly, a taste akin to pure torture assaulted his taste buds. It was so repulsive that he nearly gagged and spat it out.
[Ding! Unknown energy intrusion detected. Beginning conversion...]
[Ding! Conversion complete. The host's Zanpakutō, Hekireki, has been significantly enhanced. Bankai progress increased by 33%.]
[Ding! Current progress: 101%. Zanpakutō Hekireki has achieved Bankai.]
Although it wasn't as massive a boost as the 68% he had received from the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, 33% was enough to max out his progress—and even exceed it by 1%.
'I can finally use Bankai!'
According to the laws of the Shinigami, most Zanpakutō could increase the user's Reiatsu by 10 to 15 times after achieving Bankai. As for how much Hekireki could boost his own power, he would have to find an opportunity to test it.
'Open personal status panel.'
[Ding! Personal status panel expanded.]
[Sean Campbell]
[Zanjutsu: Lv. 8 (6,160/100,000)]
[Hakuda: Lv. 6 (0/10,000)]
[Hohō: Lv. 6 (0/10,000)]
[Kidō: Lv. 6 (3,250/10,000)]
[Reiryoku: 31,800]
[Physique: 5,980]
[Zanpakutō: Hekireki (Bankai Achieved)]
[Special Ability: High-Speed Regeneration Lv. 4 (650/3,000)]
After reviewing his attributes, Sean nodded in satisfaction.
He believed that even if his Zanjutsu hadn't reached Level 9 yet, once he unleashed the Bankai of Hekireki... he should possess enough combat power to clash with an Admiral for a considerable amount of time.
And once he squeezed every last drop of experience out of Rayleigh...
Then, his targets would no longer be the Admirals, but rather...
Garp, Sengoku, or the likes of the Four Emperors.