Back on the Sabaody Archipelago, Kuzan looked at Aeridar, then waved his hand lazily. "Well, that's enough for today. I'm going to take a nap."
With that, Kuzan let out a long yawn, turned around, and walked away.
Watching Kuzan's retreating figure, Oliver jumped down from the rooftop. "What did he mean by that?"
"Hehe~ Interesting, very interesting!" Aeridar didn't answer. He just chuckled and waved his hand. "Come on, let's go. We can talk about it later."
....
Mariejois, the Holy Land on the Red Line.
Inside a magnificent palace hall, five old men, the Gorosei, sat on a central sofa.
Tap, tap, tap, tap...
The sound of crisp footsteps echoed through the hall, growing closer, until a figure stepped into the hall.
"Sengoku, what's so important that you had to come here yourself? Is it about Eanriel-sei?" The Gorosei with the fluffy beard asked the newcomer.
The person who had arrived was none other than the Marine Fleet Admiral, Sengoku the Buddha, wearing his frog-style glasses and braided beard.
"Yes. Golden Ring Aeridar used Conqueror's Haki to knock out Eanriel-sei and Raynera-gu. Afterward, Kuzan arrived on Sabaody Archipelago and fought him," Sengoku said, his expression emotionless.
Upon hearing that Marine Admiral Kuzan and Warlord of the Sea Aeridar had fought on the Sabaody Archipelago, the Gorosei couldn't help but frown.
"That's reckless. I don't recall Kuzan being so hot-headed," the bald Gorosei with the curved mustache said, staring at Sengoku.
"I stopped him and had Kuzan return," Sengoku replied. Hearing his answer, the Gorosei's frowns relaxed slightly.
"Then how did you handle the issue with Eanriel-sei and Raynera-gu?" the blond Gorosei asked.
"I didn't handle it. I let him go," Sengoku said calmly.
"Nani?!" The Gorosei stared at Sengoku in shock.
The Gorosei with the long mustache quickly reprimanded him. "You Marines are supposed to protect the Celestial Dragons! How can you not deal with this more severely?! What are you thinking?!"
Facing the Gorosei's questions, Sengoku looked them over and retorted, "That man is still on Sabaody Archipelago. How do you want to handle him?"
"..." The Gorosei were about to say something, but they couldn't find the words. They were speechless.
Indeed, this was not an easy situation to handle. Normally, if a king were to offend a Celestial Dragon, they would be arrested and punished. In severe cases, their country would be destroyed.
But Aeridar wasn't just the king of a World Government-affiliated country; he was also a Warlord of the Sea, a key figure in maintaining the balance of the seas. Not to mention his immense combat power, any move against him could cause a worldwide ripple effect.
According to World Government intelligence, the new emperor of the underworld, King, was probably connected to this man, or perhaps was even him.
According to investigations by CP agencies, the Clifford Kingdom produced large quantities of weapons and ammunition every year, but nobody knew where they were being sold.
King, on the other hand, was a major arms dealer, selling his high-quality weapons all over the world. Even many weak affiliated countries and even the World Government's own CP agents would secretly buy weapons from King.
The timing of King's appearance was too coincidental, having occurred shortly after the man had finished consolidating the Clifford Kingdom.
So, if they made a move against him, a worldwide upheaval wasn't just an empty threat.
"The SS drug!" Sengoku's words were shocking. "We Marines suspect he is involved with the SS drug, so I proposed a deal with him: the Celestial Dragon incident in exchange for information."
"What?! The SS drug!!!" The Gorosei were stunned.
They had their own suspicions, but they were not certain. They hadn't expected the Marines to be thinking along the same lines.
The SS drug was an incredibly tempting prize. Its astonishing ability to mass-produce super soldiers without side effects had made every person in power go mad. If they could get a large supply of the SS drug, they could significantly bolster the ranks of the Marine elites and CP agents.
While these elites might not be able to defeat monsters in the New World, they would still be very effective against rookie pirates and other criminals, at the very least curbing their numbers in the future.
"What did he say?" the Gorosei holding a sword urgently asked.
"He said he needed to think about it, and that whether he could get in touch with the sellers or not was a different story," Sengoku said with a slight smile.
Hearing Sengoku's words, the Gorosei felt a sense of relief, their faces relaxing. As long as he hadn't outright refused, there was still a chance to negotiate. The rest was likely just a matter of bargaining chips. And based on his reply, they were almost certain that the seller of the SS drug was either him or someone he was very closely associated with.
Pere pere pere... Pere pere pere...
Suddenly, a ringing sound came from Sengoku's pocket. While the Gorosei didn't react, Sengoku frowned. Who would be calling him at a time like this?
"This is..." Sengoku took out the ringing Den Den Mushi from his pocket and was surprised. It was a rainbow-colored Den Den Mushi.
Normally, when Sengoku came to Mariejois to report, he only carried a blue-and-white Marine-specific Den Den Mushi that only a handful of people like Garp, Tsuru, and Zephyr could reach.
This rainbow-colored one, however, was one he had brought today for a specific purpose. Only seven people could call this Den Den Mushi: the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Click!
"This is Sengoku." He answered the call.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, it's me!" Aeridar's voice came from the Den Den Mushi.
The moment they heard the voice, both the Gorosei and Sengoku's eyes lit up.
"Looks like you've made up your mind!" Sengoku said with a smile.
"Three conditions!" Aeridar said bluntly, without any pleasantries.
"Alright, lay it on me!" Sengoku glanced at the Gorosei, who nodded at him.
"First, you need to provide a portion of the raw materials for the SS drug. Second, the Clifford Kingdom will be a neutral zone for the World Government and the Marines, with no unauthorized use of force. Third, the price will be three million Berries per dose." Aeridar laid out his three conditions in a single breath. The World Government and the Marines were rich, so he wasn't afraid to squeeze them for all they were worth.
Upon hearing Aeridar's three conditions, the Gorosei and Sengoku all frowned.
After a moment of silence, the Gorosei exchanged glances and spoke to each other in low voices. Then, the Gorosei with the long mustache waved at Sengoku, motioning for him to hand over the Den Den Mushi, signifying that he wanted to negotiate personally.
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