Outside Pangaea Castle.
The first to step out were the Five Elders and Garling, who stood in front of the members of the God's Knights. Following closely behind were Sengoku and his group, who walked straight to the opposite side.
The Five Elders' hearts were filled with complexity at this moment. Among the conditions proposed by Orion, none of the others had much impact on them. Except for the rotation of the Five Elders' seats—this was something they genuinely couldn't accept.
Because Orion intentions were crystal clear. As the one who had full control over the Navy, Orion didn't need to come to the Holy Land at all. He could simply lead the Navy to break away from the World Government.
The reason Orion didn't do this was simple: directly leading the massive war machine of the Navy to break away from the World Government and turn against it would bring immense sacrifices to both sides, possibly even mutual destruction, which would only benefit the Revolutionary Army, the lawless pirate forces on the Grand Line, and all the member nations.
Of course, this was also a problem their Im-sama had to face. It was precisely because both their Im-sama and Orion didn't want to reach this point that they chose to sit down and negotiate.
One side wanted to retain the Navy massive war machine.
The other side sought greater benefits and power from this coup.
Even so— They all understood the stakes, but why did it have to be the rotation of the Five Elders' seats? Rotation meant that any one of the five could be replaced. Having held the highest authority in the Chamber of Power for so many years, they had grown accustomed to and enjoyed their power.
Suddenly facing rotation, it was only natural that they found it hard to accept. However, things had come to this, and they had no choice but to face reality.
Observing the reactions of the Five Elders, Gunko first glanced in confusion at the Navy Headquarters' group of six across from them, then turned to look at their leader, Garling. Seeing that he also wore an unhappy expression, she blinked in bewilderment before finally settling her gaze on Shamrock.
Although Shamrock didn't show much reaction, from his father and the Five Elders' expressions, he had mostly guessed that this negotiation meeting would likely end with Orion complete victory.
Still, he was curious about the outcome of the negotiation meeting. He stepped forward to stand beside Garling and asked.
"Father, is it over?"
Garling nodded. Unlike the Five Elders' reactions, the introduction of the rotation of the Five Elders' seats wasn't a bad thing for him as the leader of the Holy Knights.
Because who knows? Maybe the rotation would eventually land on him!
The reason was simple. Im-sama could accept the conditions proposed by Orion for two main reasons.
Firstly, they could not afford to lose the massive war machine that was the Navy, and secondly, they were dissatisfied with the Five Elders' inaction over the years. Even without Orion intervention, the Five Elders might have undergone a reshuffle in the near future.
....
Half an hour later.
The tightly shut palace doors opened once again. Shortly after, Orion strode out with a radiant expression. Glancing at the crowd waiting in front of the gates, Orion ignored the Five Elders and the members of the God's Knights, walking straight to Gion and handing her the document in his hand.
Then, he walked alone to the edge of the steps, turned his back to the crowd, and slowly spread his arms, taking a deep breath of the fresh air of the Holy Land.
Orion sudden actions left the six members of the Navy Headquarters, the Five Elders, and the God's Knights utterly bewildered.
However, Orion soon stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at his surroundings, and spoke as if to himself.
"Such a vast expanse of the Red Line, yet so much land lies unused. What a waste!"
Before the words could fade, Orion suddenly turned to the six members of the Navy.
"Teacher Zephyr, when you take your turn as one of the Five Elders in the Chamber of Power, remember to arrange for some people to cultivate a piece of land and plant something. In my hometown, almost everyone enjoys farming, and I'm no exception."
Zephyr chose to ignore Orion fondness for farming and was caught off guard, his eyes widening.
"Me? Taking turns as one of the Five Elders?"
Orion nodded, "You and Sengoku-san."
Before Zephyr and Sengoku could react, Orion immediately shifted his gaze to the Five Elders across from him. Seeing the Five Elders' faces twisted as if they had eaten something bitter, Orion couldn't help but laugh.
"What's wrong with you all? It's just giving up two seats. Why the long faces?"
"Hey hey, Nusjuro, do you need a mirror to see your expression right now? Especially your eyes, they're bulging like copper bells, be careful or they gonna pop out."
"And you, Saturn—" At this point, Orion, who had been smiling just a second ago, suddenly turned serious.
"I know you're not happy about this, but have you ever thought about why Im agreed to the rotation of the Five Elders? At the end of the day, it's because of your incompetence."
"Especially in the past few decades, first with the Rocks Pirates' raid on God Valley, followed by the dawn of the Great Pirate Era. What have you done in the face of increasingly lawless pirates?"
"Besides issuing bounties, what else can you do?"
"Since you don't have any better methods, step aside and let the capable take over!"
Without giving the Five Elders a chance to retort or react, Orion waved his hand decisively and turned around.
"Let's go!"
Seeing this, Gion quickly gathered her documents and hurried to follow. Immediately after, the three Admirals also turned and followed without hesitation.
Zephyr and Sengoku didn't leave right away but stood in place, looking at each other. After several seconds of stunned silence, they both spoke in unison.
"We're becoming Five Elders?"
Orion, who had already walked some distance away, glanced back at Sengoku and Zephyr, who were still in shock about their upcoming rotation as Five Elders, and suddenly called out.
"Sakazuki."
Out of reflex, Sakazuki instinctively straightened his posture. Seeing this, Orion couldn't help but chuckle.
"It's not work hours, no need to be so serious!"
Sakazuki remained silent, his body still rigidly upright.
"Alright, if that's what you like" Orion shrugged slightly.
"Next time it's your turn, you'll rotate as one of the Five Elders and give Topman and Nusjuro a hard time."
"Me?" Sakazuki reaction mirrored Zephyr, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Not just you" Orion said seriously. "From now on, the Five Elders' seats will be rotated among you three and Gion."
At these words, Gion, Borsalino, and Kuzan all looked up, caught off guard. They wanted to say something but found that anything they could say now would seem inadequate. In the end, like Sakazuki, they straightened their bodies, faced Orion, raised their hands in salute, and shouted in unison.
"LOYALTY!"
"Hahaha, good!" Taking one last look at the four saluting him, Orion turned and walked out, his bold words echoing in their ears.
"The winds of the Grand Line gather, the seas churn with fury. Eliminate all harmful pests. Become Invincible."
"Hmm, that has the right vibe..."
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