Author's Notes
Alright, before we begin with the next chapter, there are a few things I want to say—or rather, ask you all.
First and foremost: Naruto isn't trying to build a harem exclusively from One Piece characters. Remember, he's a Celestial Dragon; in his eyes, the vast majority of people in that world are little more than trash beneath his feet.The fact that he's smarter than the rest and doesn't hunt them like rabbits doesn't mean he holds the slightest affection for them.
He's very much like Udgard in that regard—so classist that, if your family isn't at least of ducal or marquess rank, he'll just pretend you don't exist. Nerona is the same way: if you're not a Celestial Dragon or don't possess some rare, unique ability that makes you worthy of his attention, then you're simply an inferior being.
So please stop suggesting characters like Hancock. Yes, she's beautiful and strong, but being beautiful and strong is practically the norm in the New World. I mean, have you seen young Big Mom? Or Gloriosa, Shakuyaku, Yamato, and a long list of others? Exactly.
Second: his goal is to recreate the Greek pantheon, but reformed in his own image. In other words, the god of the sky wouldn't be the most important one—after all, the sun is the true celestial king, even above the heavens.He aims to become the god of the sun—Apollo.
He'll be looking for people to fill out that divine group—Hades, Poseidon, Zeus, Hera, Athena, and so on. So I'm open to suggestions to complete that lineup. They don't necessarily have to be men, since his plan is for Shirahoshi to serve as Poseidon's equivalent—she commands the Sea Kings, after all, making her perfect as a goddess of the sea.
With that said, let's move on to the chapter.
Chapter 4: The Government's Plan
Time had passed, and the week granted by the Five Elders for all those summoned to arrive at Mariejois had finally come to an end.
At that moment, all those individuals were gathered around a large oval table inside one of the many conference halls within the Pangaea Palace.
The main figures seated there—besides the empty chair at the center—were naturally the Five Elders themselves, followed by the Supreme Commander of the World Government, the former Fleet Admiral Kong, and the current Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who had only just managed to arrive a day before the deadline.
The three Marine Admirals were seated beside them, followed by Tsuru, the Chief of Staff, and finally the heads of all the Cipher Pol divisions, with the exception of CP0, who—as protectors of the Celestial Dragons—had been informed earlier than anyone else… except for the Kami no Kishidan, about what was happening.
Not that most of those present knew anything about that particular detail—but it had, indeed, happened.
Putting that aside for the moment, Sengoku was noticeably uneasy, visibly tense. He hadn't been Fleet Admiral for long, and being suddenly summoned by the Five Elders to such an important meeting—one filled with so many of the World Government's most powerful figures—couldn't possibly mean anything good.
Of course, he had attended important meetings before—mostly when he was still a regular admiral, and a few after his promotion—but none of those could compare to what was about to begin.
After all, normally it never went beyond the Fleet Admiral meeting personally with the Five Elders—perhaps with one or two admirals present.
So he couldn't help but wonder what in the world had happened to justify a meeting involving so many high-ranking officials of the World Government.
So much so that he couldn't help but wonder if there was actually any truth to those ridiculous rumors—that the World Government was preparing to take measures to counter the growing power of Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and Newgate, who were already beginning to be known as the Emperors of the Sea.
In fact, he was about to ask the Supreme Commander what was going on. After all, if anyone in that room knew the truth—aside from the Five Elders—it had to be Kong himself.
However, the old man, having felt his former subordinate's gaze on him, simply shook his head, easily guessing what Sengoku had been about to ask.
Naturally, seeing that only made Sengoku even more nervous.After all, if even the Supreme Commander wasn't in the loop, that could only mean the meeting was far more important than he had originally imagined.
That realization only made his anxiety grow worse.
Finally, after a few more minutes, the Five Elders, no longer willing to wait for any stragglers, decided it was time to begin the meeting.
It was Warcury who, with a brief clearing of his throat, drew everyone's attention.
"Listen carefully, because this meeting will likely be the most important one we've had in a very long time. Here, we will decide the future of the World Government."
The tone in which the elder spoke made everyone glance at one another, silently wondering what in the world had happened for him to say something like that. They understood that the Age of Piracy was a serious problem—yes—but none of them believed it could threaten the very continuity of the World Government itself.
"First of all—and before we move on to the truly important matters—we need to inform you of three immediate action plans. So, simply listen quietly, and we'll answer your questions as best we can."
After saying that, the old man lifted one of the documents laid out in front of him and began reading aloud.
"First of all, we'll be opening recruitment for a new branch of the military—this time, a ground force—which will receive the same amount of annual funding as we currently allocate to the navy."
"What?"
That single word was uttered collectively by nearly everyone present, as none of them had expected such an announcement in the slightest.
To them, the idea of creating a new branch of the World Government's military from scratch was completely unexpected—almost absurd. It wasn't that they were unfamiliar with the concept of a ground army; after all, one already existed, stationed primarily in Mariejois, and there were several nations large enough to maintain their own standing forces independent from the navy—to protect their territories from pirates and the occasional rebellion.
But the idea of establishing a World Government army that would receive equal funding to the navy... that was beyond anything most of them could have imagined.
Naturally, everyone began to wonder what exactly the Five Elders had in mind.
Why would they need such a large ground army?Or worse—were they planning to intervene in the sovereignty of nations allied with the World Government?
After all, there would be no reason for such a force to exist… unless they intended to meddle in the affairs of sovereign states.
"Silence,"
spoke Ju Peter, his voice subtly reinforced with Haki, enough to silence every person in the room at once.
And so, the hall once again fell into absolute silence, allowing Warcury to continue his address while everyone waited—hoping the next announcements wouldn't be as unsettling as the first… or at least wouldn't leave them with even more questions.
"Secondly," he went on, "we'll be increasing the navy's funding. This is intended to strengthen our forces, increase patrol frequency, and curb the rise of piracy throughout the Four Blues and Paradise. In addition, we aim to ensure greater safety for civilian and commercial vessels. We estimate that an additional fifty percent of the current budget should be sufficient for an initial recruitment round and the construction of several new ships."
Once again, as soon as the elder made his new announcement, everyone in attendance was completely stunned—more confused than before.
In fact, Sengoku himself was so bewildered that, for a brief moment, he wondered if Garp had slipped something into his biscuits to make him hallucinate and "relax" a bit. After all, there was no rational reason to increase the navy's budget. If anything, their failure to contain the onset of the Great Age of Piracy should have warranted punishment and cutbacks—not the opposite.
Moreover, the navy was already enormous, and the World Government had long been deliberately restraining its expansion—specifically to prevent its power from growing too large and one day posing a threat to the Government itself.
To make matters worse, while figures like Garp enjoyed the admiration of civilians, the Five Elders themselves didn't hold him—or others like him—in particularly high regard.
Therefore, hearing that they now intended to increase funding, allow a new recruitment campaign, and even build more warships was something that, under different circumstances, might almost have brought tears to his eyes.
But what truly threw him off balance was the second half of the announcement.
The fact that the elders claimed the World Government sought to "ensure greater safety for civilians and merchants throughout the Four Blues and Paradise" was something he would have never imagined hearing in his lifetime.
After all, the Five Elders had never cared in the slightest about civilian lives; their only concern had always been that the people paid the Heavenly Tribute on time.
He was so convinced of that notion that, if not for his professionalism—and, in part, for how utterly baffled he was—he might have laughed outright at the idea of those people suddenly caring about the common folk, dismissing it as a bad joke or something simply impossible.
However, the Five Elders were not joking in the least. In fact, they appeared completely serious… and perhaps even slightly afraid of something.
That alone led Sengoku to assume they knew something he didn't—at least, not yet. So he decided to hold his questions for later.
"And finally," Warcury continued, "we'll be establishing a new department within the World Government, one that will oversee civil affairs, including recruitment for both the navy and the new army. The purpose of this department will be to manage the living conditions of civilians and to negotiate treaties with non–affiliated nations, so that—hopefully—those nations may eventually join the World Government. In addition, it will be tasked with resolving disputes, whether legal or of any other nature. This department will operate directly under the World Government's authority—specifically, under the supervision of one of the Celestial Dragons.
And, naturally, as soon as Warcury delivered that final announcement, many of those present promptly spat out the water they were drinking, prompting disapproving looks from Sengoku, Tsuru, and Kong alike.
Setting the idiots aside, the rest turned their attention back to the main announcement. After thinking it over for a moment, they could somewhat understand the first two statements—but this last one was utterly incomprehensible.
The idea of a "Department of Civil Affairs" was, in itself, perfectly logical—even admirable—especially if it would handle negotiations with unaffiliated nations. A noble and positive purpose, to be sure.But to place it under the authority of a Celestial Dragon?That had to be some kind of sick joke.
After all, it was common knowledge across all the seas that the Celestial Dragons were monsters—vile creatures who delighted in inflicting pain and death purely for amusement. Naturally, everyone reached the same conclusion: there was no way they were truly interested in improving the lives of civilians.
Of course, the Five Elders remained composed, even under the suspicious gazes of those present. They had expected such a reaction. But as the young master had pointed out to them, it was their own fault.By failing to rein in the so-called "Children of the Gods," they had allowed the Celestial Dragons to gain such a disgraceful reputation that changing public perception would be difficult—if not impossible.
Still, they weren't about to let these people speak ill of him without knowing who he really was.
"This Celestial Dragon is not like the ones you're used to dealing with,"said Nusjuro, crossing his arms."He's far more reasonable and level-headed than even we are in certain matters… though, admittedly, a bit blunt and curt in his manner of speaking."
Nusjuro still felt rather embarrassed after being lectured like an ignorant child over the past week—during which the young master had pointed out numerous obvious flaws they had been ignoring for years.Damn it, he had even shown them how they could have handled the Ohara incident in a way that discredited Joy Boy, rather than simply erasing him from history altogether.
"That being said," Nusjuro concluded, "there's no need to worry. He won't make civilians' lives a living hell."
Unconsciously, everyone let out a deep sigh of relief at those words and nodded in quiet understanding.They wouldn't assume he was a good person or anything of the sort—but if he truly intended to ensure that civilians wouldn't live in misery, then they had no real reason to distrust him.
However, that brought them back to the original problem: the sudden creation of the Department of Civil Affairs, and the fact that no one truly understood why it had come into existence so abruptly.
Which, in turn, brought them back to the previous point—they couldn't grasp why the World Government had suddenly changed its attitude toward civilians so drastically.
Up until now, its stance had been one of near-total indifference—so long as the Heavenly Tribute was paid on time.In fact, some even said that, in the eyes of the World Nobles, affiliated civilians were little more than numbers on a ledger.
The nobles didn't care if hundreds or thousands of people died—let alone the infamous "rabbit hunts," which most of those present preferred not to mention at all.
But now, this abrupt shift—this sudden and total reversal of attitude toward the common people—was so extreme that it was impossible not to feel suspicious.
Even so, once again, the Five Elders had no intention of addressing those suspicions.They would leave that explanation to the young man who had been scolding them relentlessly throughout the past week.
"It's time to begin the real meeting," said Saturn in a solemn tone. "But this is something we cannot explain ourselves."
As he spoke, he turned toward one of the guards stationed by the door and gave a simple gesture.
"Go fetch the young master.""Understood, sir," the man in black replied, bowing respectfully before turning on his heel and heading toward the main residence of Naruto.
Once again, everyone seated around the conference table was left utterly dumbfounded.
Young master?
They had heard the term before, of course, but never—never—had they expected the Five Elders to acknowledge someone above themselves.
After all, they were recognized as the highest authority in the World Government, and the mere admission that someone existed above them was a revelation that left everyone even more stunned than the previous three announcements combined.
Naturally, one question filled every mind in the room:
Who in the world was this person?
End of ChapterFinal Notes
Well, that wraps up another chapter.What did you think?Leave your comments and suggestions—I'll be reading them all.