"Oh? So, are you planning to return what you took from me?"
Kizaru chuckled lazily. He had to admit, the effects of Pure Gold were truly remarkable. It had been less than a month since Kong had obtained it, yet his voice already sounded at least ten years younger!
While Pure Gold couldn't literally reverse aging, for a former top-tier powerhouse like Kong, halting the decline of his body was enough for him to restore his vigor.
"Dream on. Once something's in my hands, you think I'd just give it back to a brat like you? Out with it—what do you need this old man to handle for you?"
Kong sounded both rejuvenated and irritable, half scolding and half amused.
Back when he had accepted Pure Gold from Kizaru, Kong had known it wouldn't be a simple gift. He had been prepared for trouble. But when the reality hit, regret still gnawed at him.
Not that it mattered—there was no way he could give it back now.
Had he never experienced Pure Gold's miraculous effects, he might have had the resolve to refuse it.
But after tasting its power, even a man like Kong couldn't bear the thought of losing it.
All he could do was secretly pray that Kizaru's requests wouldn't be too excessive—or beyond his current capabilities.
"It's nothing much that needs doing. I mainly just want some information. What's happening in Mary Geoise? The Five Elders seem very concerned about this Boros and his Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates."
Kizaru naturally wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for old man Kong. After all, Kong was half his teacher and also a former superior, and during his tenure, even though he wasn't favored in the Navy, he never went out of his way to target rising stars like Kizaru.
But Kizaru's question wasn't easy to answer. If it were exposed that Fleet Admiral Kong had taken the Pure Gold, he would immediately lose the trust of the Five Elders.
And now, if he revealed such a secret to Kizaru, once the Five Elders found out, Kong would instantly be branded a traitor deserving death!
"…Why are you asking this kind of question?"
Hearing Kizaru's inquiry, Fleet Admiral Kong couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
Even though he had somewhat prepared himself for the difficult demands Kizaru might make, he hadn't expected it to be such a thorny problem.
If given the choice, Kong would rather fight the Red Count again than leak such information to Kizaru.
"Curiosity. Pure curiosity."
A faint smile appeared on Kizaru's face. That idle move he had made long ago had proven useful at a crucial moment after all.
And it seemed the Five Elders trusted old man Kong even more than he had anticipated—something he might be able to use to his advantage later.
"It's related to Rocks. The rest, you'll have to figure out yourself."
After a long silence, Fleet Admiral Kong finally gave up his resistance, choosing the option that was more favorable to himself.
One could say that integrity is something easy to abandon a second time once you've already abandoned it once—even a man like Kong wasn't immune.
Meanwhile, in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise—
The Five Elders, who had just hung up the Den Den Mushi, sat in silence. After a long while, the Elder dressed in samurai robes finally looked at the others.
"So far, CP0 still hasn't been able to trace the origins of that madman. For now, it's unclear whether he's one of the D-clan…"
Saint Nusjuro's voice was raspy, his tone unusually heavy.
"To make Kaido and Big Mom submit willingly, and his appearance is seventy percent similar… plus his age lines up. Are all these coincidences?"
Saint Mars muttered grimly. The alliance of two Emperors was shocking, but not enough to make the Five Elders panic like this.
It was Boros's actions that reminded them of the Rocks Pirates from decades ago.
Back then, Rocks D. Xebec had done exactly what Boros was doing—gathering a group of notorious pirates under his banner, building a massive force to declare war on the World Government.
And, coincidentally, Rocks's height, hairstyle, and even appearance bore a certain resemblance to Boros.
By sheer irony, the Five Elders began to suspect that Boros was Rocks's son—using Rocks's name to subdue Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, preparing to complete the mission Rocks had once failed to accomplish.
"But the time of the prophecy… there are still several years left… Besides, don't we know whether Rocks had any descendants?"
Saint Saturn frowned as he spoke. He didn't believe Rocks could have left behind an heir right under the World Government's nose.
"And what about Roger? If Roger could hide it from the world, why not Rocks?"
Saint Mars grew even more convinced of his theory. Even if it turned out to be wrong, it didn't matter. When it came to the menace of the D-clan, the Five Elders' policy had always been the same—better to kill the wrong person than let one escape.
"Let the Navy handle it first. Even if he really is a D, there's no way he'll be a match for Kizaru."
Saint Peter took the initiative to propose this, as he was already swamped with countless affairs and simply didn't have the energy to deal with the sudden appearance of Boros.
At the mention of Kizaru's name, even Saint Mars—who was the most anxious of them all—allowed his expression to ease slightly.
Indeed, in the eyes of the Five Elders, Kizaru had always been a troublemaker and an unstable factor, but they had never once doubted his strength.
Otherwise, they would never have held their noses and tolerated Kizaru's recklessness. If it had been Kuzan or Sakazuki who had obtained the Pure Gold, not only would they have failed to use it to pressure the Elders into increasing the Navy's budget, they might not have even been able to secure the position of Fleet Admiral in the first place.
"I'll urge Kizaru to take action as soon as possible… But the Divine Army also needs to be ready. If he really is a D…"
Saint Warcury didn't finish his words, but everyone present understood his meaning.
When it came to the D-clan, one could never be too cautious. After all, they were the ones known as the "enemies of the gods"—the most troublesome foes of all.
"Don't worry. The Divine Army can be deployed at any time!"
Saint Nusjuro, his hand tightly gripping the sword at his side, spoke without hesitation. Eradicating the D-clan had always been the Divine Army's foremost duty.
Even if Boros truly was Rocks's descendant, there was no way he could escape the Divine Army's hunt. On this point, Saint Nusjuro's confidence was absolute.
"A pity the Seraphim still need time for their final adjustments…"
Saint Saturn shook his head, his tone full of regret.
While they were still far inferior to top-tier powerhouses, the Seraphim had one overwhelming advantage—they could be mass-produced.
With the World Government's vast resources, it was entirely possible to overwhelm quality with sheer quantity.
Moreover, the Seraphim's potential had yet to be fully developed; in theory, they even carried the possibility of surpassing their originals.
Most importantly of all, the Seraphim were tools completely under their command. There was no risk of these artificial beings disobeying.
"Can't the process be accelerated?"
Saint Mars frowned. In the foreseeable future, with Kizaru at the helm, the Navy would only grow more and more "rebellious."
The World Government urgently needed to seize control of a new force to make up for the power that had been effectively weakened when Kizaru took the Fleet Admiral's seat.
"Perhaps it can… but it would require additional research funding…"
Saint Saturn's eyes shifted toward Saint Nusjuro. The words he left unspoken were already perfectly clear.
The other Five Elders all turned their eyes toward him as well—if the Seraphim could be made battle-ready ahead of schedule, the benefits for the World Government were obvious.
"But the kings of the allied nations will never agree. Counting in the massive increase in military expenditure that Kizaru demanded, this year's Heavenly Tribute is already several times higher than in previous years. If we add another round of funding, even if we squeeze them dry, they simply won't be able to produce it."
Saint Nusjuro's face darkened as he firmly rejected his colleagues' probing suggestion.
It wasn't that he sympathized with those kings of the allied nations. Rather, as the Financial Warrior God, he knew perfectly well how much more could realistically be extracted.
No matter how ruthless those kings were toward their own people, there was simply no way to wring more wealth from a mass of penniless commoners.
"The Celestial Dragons, then…"
Saint Warcury was still unwilling to give up. The other Elders could at worst turn a blind eye, but among them, he was the one most closely tied to the Navy, and matters concerning it generally fell under his responsibility.
Back when Sengoku was still Fleet Admiral, Saint Warcury could do whatever he pleased with the Navy thanks to Sengoku's cooperation.
But now, with Kizaru in that position—the very man they had long since branded a troublemaker—things were different.
Without the Seraphim as a military counterweight, it was likely no longer he who commanded the Navy at will, but rather Kizaru using the Navy to extort him.
"You willing to hand over your share of the Pure Gold?"
Saint Mars shot back sharply.
As the one who had traditionally been closest to the Celestial Dragons, overseeing Mary Geoise and handling all matters related to them, he had once held an implicit primacy among the Five Elders.
But now, those same Celestial Dragons, driven by greed for Pure Gold, opposed him at every turn. Some had even gone so far as to deliberately create disturbances in Mary Geoise itself to force him into concessions!
Fortunately, the Celestial Dragons were far from united. Since the total amount of Pure Gold was limited, the more participants there were, the less each could claim.
So far, fewer than one-third of the Celestial Dragon families had involved themselves in the scramble for Pure Gold, and of those, fewer than one-tenth of the total number of Dragons even knew of its existence.
The most crucial point was that the figure at the head of the God's Knights had not yet learned of the Pure Gold. If he were to step in as well, the Five Elders might not be able to withstand the pressure.
It was precisely for this reason that they had the leeway to sit here and deliberate over Boros. But that did not mean they could rest easy.
The Celestial Dragons' patience was not infinite. And among those currently vying for the Pure Gold were several already advanced in years, some even nearing death.
Once those Celestial Dragons realized that, by their own strength alone, they could never wrest what they wanted from the Elders, they would undoubtedly spread the word, rallying more Dragons into the "battle."
At that point, the Five Elders would truly be riding a tiger with no way to dismount. The very thought sent a chill down Saint Mars's spine.
Just as Sengoku had once been easily manipulated by Kizaru, the Five Elders—whose temperament was far less steady than Sengoku's—were even less likely to give up the Pure Gold in their hands.
°°°
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