The appearance of Sengoku and Garp made Doflamingo and the others knit their brows deeply.
Was the Navy planning to make a move as well? Doflamingo felt a surge of tension.
The Navy protecting the Celestial Dragons was perfectly normal. What was not normal was the timing of Sengoku's appearance.
That timing, coupled with his words, was far too ambiguous.
It did not sound like the stance of a protector at all. Instead, it felt more like someone deliberately stirring up trouble.
Sengoku's words were practically giving the Celestial Dragons their backing, openly supporting them in making trouble for the Gray Nation.
Completely opposite to Doflamingo's reaction, the moment Sengoku and Garp appeared, the faces of all the Celestial Dragons lit up, their courage instantly swelling.
After all, standing before them were Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Navy's top combat force, and the Navy's Hero Garp, whose strength was said to surpass even that of an admiral.
With these two present, who could possibly threaten their lives?
Freed from any lingering worries, arrogance once again appeared on the faces of the Celestial Dragons.
"A Navy admiral is here? If I remember correctly, Doflamingo is still a wanted pirate. Since the admiral is here, why not capture him as well?" Roswald said in a tone that sounded like a command.
"Indeed. There are quite a few pirates here with extremely high bounties. Should we just take all of you in one sweep?" Sengoku said as he glanced toward the surrounding crowd.
Under Sengoku's gaze, the pirates nearby immediately grew tense.
A man's reputation was like the shadow of a tree. Admiral Sengoku and Hero Garp represented the Navy's strongest forces. Even with the seas in turmoil, the Navy's position as the world's number one power remained unshaken.
Even Doflamingo and his group grew nervous. If Sengoku and Garp made a move, no one present could stand against them.
With Sengoku, Garp, and the two admiral-level CP0 agents protecting the Celestial Dragons, there were four top-tier fighters on the scene. If a fight truly broke out, that level of strength would be enough to wipe out the Gray Nation completely.
"Unfortunately, this is the City of Nightless. I have not received orders to arrest pirates here for the time being. However, if anyone threatens the World Nobles, then we will have no choice but to intervene. After all, Navy regulations state that if a Celestial Dragon is attacked, an admiral from Marineford will lead forces to respond," Sengoku said afterward.
Those words made all the pirates present breathe a sigh of relief.
However, Sengoku's statement did nothing to ease the tension for the people of the Gray Nation.
The Navy's intentions were obvious. They were here to stand behind the Celestial Dragons.
If they could use the Celestial Dragons to suppress the Gray Nation, that would be ideal.
They would not act as the Celestial Dragons' vanguard, but they certainly would not hesitate to kick someone while they were down. If the situation turned unfavorable, the Gray Nation could face collapse today.
Thinking of this, cold sweat began to form on Doflamingo's face.
"Fine then. In that case, you'd better do your job properly and ensure our safety," Roswald said with dissatisfaction.
By all rights, the Navy's arrival was extremely beneficial to the Celestial Dragons, yet Roswald and the others were still displeased.
In their view, as long as they gave the order, the Navy should obey unconditionally.
The Navy should capture everyone from the Gray Nation and hand over the City of Nightless to them. That was what the Navy ought to do.
Now they were brushed off with a single line about lacking orders. Truly disappointing.
"Enough. Let's get to the point. I'm tired of waiting. Where is Rosinante? Tell him to come out and face me," Roswald said.
"Rosinante is busy with other matters. He will appear once the opening ceremony of the City of Nightless officially begins. He is not here right now," Doflamingo replied calmly.
"Rosinante isn't here? Isn't today the opening day of the City of Nightless? The host isn't even present. Hm, the food here is really quite good," Garp said beside Sengoku as he ate the food in his hand.
Garp frowned slightly and shot Sengoku a glance. Rosinante's absence truly disrupted the Navy's plans.
The Celestial Dragons were supposed to provoke Rosinante, and the Navy planned to seize the opportunity to take him down, or at least eliminate some of the Gray Nation's core combat power, such as Bins and Enel.
Borsalino had already departed for Sky Island. Once fighting broke out here, Borsalino would strike at Bins from Sky Island, eliminating the greatest threat the Gray Nation posed to the Navy.
But if Rosinante was not here, then where was he?
A Rosinante hiding in the shadows was far more dangerous than one standing in the open, making it impossible for the Navy to carry out their plan.
"Not here? Fine. It doesn't matter whether Rosinante is here or not. Listen carefully. I hereby announce that after deliberation among us Celestial Dragons, the City of Nightless will become the second residence of the Celestial Dragons, akin to the Holy Land itself. Without permission, no one is allowed to step foot into the City of Nightless. Heh. As a reward for Rosinante's contribution to the Celestial Dragons, I will bestow upon him one hundred million Beli," Roswald declared arrogantly, as if proclaiming a divine decree.
The moment his words fell, everyone present erupted into gasps, faces filled with disbelief.
They had all heard rumors that the Celestial Dragons would make trouble for the Gray Nation, but no one had expected them to openly seize the City of Nightless like this, so domineering, so utterly unrestrained.
King Neptune of the Ryugu Kingdom and Queen Otohime, who had only just arrived, also turned pale upon hearing this announcement.