After Orion and his group left, Im immediately summoned the Five Elders and Garling.
In the dimly lit palace hall, Im sat motionless on the Empty Throne like a statue, their dark red ripple eyes devoid of any emotion, gazing down at the Five Elders and Garling from above.
The Five Elders were not standing but instead knelt on both knees, prostrating themselves before the Empty Throne. Garling, naturally, was no exception, though as the leader of the God's Knights, he performed a single-knee salute.
"I know what you're thinking!" After a brief silence, Im voice slowly echoed in everyone's ears.
"You're all wondering why Orion, who committed treason, wasn't sent to the execution platform. Instead, I agreed to a series of his conditions, not only giving up two seats in the Chamber of Power but also granting him the same privileges as you all?"
Hearing this, the Five Elders stiffened. They indeed harbored such thoughts, but they dared not voice them.
"The reason is simple. If Monkey D. Garp, a member of the D clan, could become a Navy hero, and if you, who should have died long ago, could become the Five Elders wielding the world's highest authority, and if so-called Emperors of the Sea keep emerging in the New world, why can't I cultivate a Marine King?"
"As more and more people become aware of my existence, the world will inevitably stir again, and it might even accelerate the reappearance of Nika in the Grand Line. Eight hundred years ago, twenty original kings allied to oppose Nika. Eight hundred years later, the World Government is already in a precarious state. Can you handle it alone?"
"Orion has ambition, and a great one at that. But this isn't entirely a bad thing!"
"Ambition means he has desires. As long as he's not a member of the D clan or Nika, we can satisfy his desires."
"Not just two seats among the Five Elders—if he can be of use to me, I might even let him replace you all."
These words immediately caused the Five Elders to break out in cold sweat, their bodies tense, not daring to breathe. Clearly, Im was not entirely satisfied with their performance over the years and wanted to use this opportunity to issue a warning while testing whether they could cultivate new replacements.
If they continued to achieve nothing, their fate would not be a peaceful retirement from the Chamber of Power. Instead, they would face only death. Because if Im wanted them to live, they could live for a very long time. But if they deemed them useless, even if they were thousands of miles away, Im could easily reduce them to ashes.
Observing the Five Elders' reactions, Im stopped at just the right point. Immediately, they stood up, took a step forward, and turned to gaze at the Empty Throne, narrowing their eyes as they spoke to themself.
"Do you also desire to become the master of this throne? Then let me see how far you can go—Orion!"
.....
At the same time.
At the port of Sabaody Archipelago leading directly to the Holy Land.
"Attention, all!"
"Stand at ease!"
"Salute!"
As Orion and his group stepped out of the elevator and onto the stairs, Strawberry and Bastille, who had been waiting on either side of the stairs leading to the port, stepped forward and raised their hands in salute.
As their voices fell, the Marine soldiers standing on both sides of the stairs straightened their bodies, and a resounding cheer echoed across the port, lingering in the air for a long time.
Orion raised his hand in return and quickly walked over to Strawberry and Bastille, hooking his arms around their shoulders and pulling them close, giving them both a big hug!
"Eh—"
"Fleet Admiral!" Caught off guard by Orion sudden gesture, Strawberry and Bastille widened their eyes in unison, then, feeling both honored and flustered, they exclaimed.
"No... this is improper."
"What's improper?" Orion released them and said with a serious expression.
"During work, I am the Fleet Admiral, but in private, we are still brothers! Come, follow me back to headquarters!"
With that, Orion took one of them by the hand and began to descend the stairs. Bastille and Strawberry were initially pulled down the stairs by Orion, but they soon regained their composure and, with a tacit understanding, turned their heads to look at the young Marshal walking between them, their backs gradually straightening.
During Orion journey to the Holy Land, they had been worried that he might encounter some mishap there. They had also begun to speculate that if their Marshal managed to rise even higher through this military coup, they feared that Orion might gradually drift apart from them as his status climbed.
As it turned out, they had worried for nothing once again.
When Orion took their hands and said 'We are brothers' it felt as if sand had gotten into their eyes, and their eye sockets instantly turned red.
—This glory, I will not keep it to myself.
The Marshal they had sworn to follow had not broken his promise.
...
"Damn it, the World Government has compromised!"
"It's simply unbelievable that Orion left the Holy Land so quickly. Judging by his expression, he clearly got everything he wanted!"
"Quick, report this situation immediately!"
The intelligence agents from various factions who had been closely monitoring this major event since Orion departure for the Holy Land hadn't even had time to eat lunch before they were back at their posts due to Orion sudden return from the Holy Land.
In no time at all, news outlets around the world, as well as the Revolutionary Army, the Four Emperors of the New World, and the complex underground forces of the world, all received this news.
....
Sabaody Archipelago, Area 13.
Inside the Rip-off Bar, Shakky pulled a cigarette from her pack, lit it, and exhaled a slow puff of smoke. She then tilted her head slightly to look at the figure standing outside the bar door and said leisurely.
"Rayleigh, in the truth you saw when you followed Roger to Laugh Tale, was there any trace of this young Marshal?"
Standing outside the door, Rayleigh gazed through the dense trees at the massive warship returning to Marine Headquarters and shook his head.
"There was no record of him."
"Then the plans you laid out back then might need some adjustments" Shakky walked out of the bar, leaning against the door, and said calmly.
"Back then, you chose to stay on Sabaody Archipelago, while Gaban remained in Elbaf, all to wait for the person Roger anticipated to appear. Now, that person hasn't shown up, but the Marine Headquarters has produced a young Fleet Admiral who forced the Holy Land to compromise. With his swift and decisive takeover of the Marines, and his successful negotiations with the Holy Land, it's clear that his next target will be the eradication of pirates!"
"If he truly intends to launch a sweeping campaign against the pirates of the Grand Line and the Four Seas, the person Roger hoped for might very well be nipped in the bud."
Hearing this, Rayleigh turned his head to look at Shakky and smiled.
"Although I was once a pirate, if he can truly eradicate the pirates and bring peace to the world, I'd be more than happy to see that day come."
"Oh?" A flicker of surprise passed through Shakky eyes, as she couldn't quite believe these words were coming from the former right-hand man of the Pirate King.
"Rayleigh, you've changed after all these years of living in seclusion on Sabaody Archipelago."
"Have I?" Rayleigh paused for a moment, then laughed with a sense of relief. "Perhaps it's because these years have been too peaceful, haha~"
Just then, the Den Den Mushi on the bar counter suddenly rang. Without hesitation, Shakky turned and walked to the bar, speaking first.
"It's me!"
A somewhat anxious voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
"Orion has signed the Mary Geoise Treaty with the Five Elders. The treaty is now being mass-printed and will be sent to all World Government-affiliated nations within the day."
"As for the contents of the treaty, I didn't dare read it all, just skimmed through it!"
"I remember one clause stating that the Five Elders' seats will now rotate, with two of them belonging to the Marine Headquarters!"
"Additionally, Orion will enjoy the same privileges as the Five Elders."
"Also, the authority to recruit the Seven Warlords of the Sea will now belong solely to the Marine Headquarters. Orion will have full control over the appointment and dismissal of the Warlords, as well as the power to abolish the Warlord system!"
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