"I never thought it would be this much…"
Only a few people are allowed to enter the Room of Authority, the place where the Five Elders, the highest rulers of the World Government, gather.
Guards wait outside to protect the five, but there is no other sign of people.
"The rebuilding that was supposed to take years is moving forward at an unbelievable speed."
"He must be using the connections he had back when he was a merchant. He is bringing in a huge amount of supplies and skilled people from the East Blue and managing everything perfectly."
"…We tried a few ways to slow him down, thinking they would make good excuses. But he avoided all of them."
"It is reassuring if we look only at the rebuilding of the Holy Land, but…"
The Five Elders were looking at the work of Kuro—the guest who was a 'pirate' unlike any other in history—after the recent attack by the Golden Lion.
"What about the people he took under him?"
"It seems those sent to him were the ones each division thought were useless or unmotivated. But a few of them are now starting to stand out. With Kuro running the site, they are getting better results than many officers."
"The rest are also doing more work than they used to in their old divisions."
"So the previous commanders were either too useless, or else—"
"Hmph. These piles of reports make it obvious. It seems we raised far too many worthless bugs."
"Forget the bugs! The problem is Kuro!"
Bang!
Saint Warcury, the Five Elder with the grand Kaiser mustache, slammed Kuro's wanted poster on the desk.
"We cannot leave him alone! If someone with such skill is set free, he will become a great enemy to us! No—he already is! If this goes on—!"
"But if we lock him inside the Holy Land, his main force in the West Blue might move. Knowing him, he must be prepared for the worst."
Captain Kuro, a pirate.
A complete outsider who earned trust from the Navy's upper ranks—something that should never happen with a sworn enemy.
The photo on the wanted poster was taken during his fight with the Golden Lion.
The faint scar over his left eye was new, and the trace of youth still on his face at that time was now completely gone. His expression showed the presence of a true pirate.
But the bottom half of the poster—
The bounty amount was still blank.
"So it really is hard to make him obey the Government."
"We sent CP9 to look into him… It seems he is trying to build his own power so he can stand equal to us."
"Impossible! We cannot allow something like that—!"
"But he is the reason the damage has been kept low. The West Blue is now almost as stable as the East Blue… If so, then maybe that plan of his…"
The Warrior God of Agriculture, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, who controls all of the World Government's food supply, spoke. The others made bitter faces. Warcury, who had spoken with Kuro alone, breathed out and nodded.
"…No one in the Government could have produced these results."
"If we had stirred up the food crisis, we could have swallowed up several non-member nations while keeping the Navy in line."
"But the fact that he stopped member nations from growing more dissatisfied is huge. His unusual talent is not something we should ignore."
Around Kuro's poster were posters of his allies.
All of them had updated photos, yet every bounty line was blank.
"What about the West Blue?"
"Even after Aokiji left, their cooperative system hasn't broken."
"We thought they would lose their balance without Kuro… but nothing is out of order."
"The Guard is especially troublesome. They swear loyalty to Kuro and carry on his beliefs. So of course they understand his way of doing things."
"To think a merchant's child would grow into such a man that he affects the World Government…"
If they wanted to crush him by force, they had the means.
But they didn't have enough reason to move that much military power.
And dealing with him secretly was also hard because he was too closely tied to the Navy.
"…Did we learn anything about his childhood? Before he joined the Spangled Trading Company?"
"He was an orphan who lived on a small islet south of Feinsten Island, where the company is. They say he was thrown out in a small boat. He led the other abandoned orphans from that ship and built a small settlement."
They had gathered Kuro's old records from his East Blue days.
The photo attached showed a cave on the side of a cliff.
"What is this?"
"It seems that was their shelter, a cave they used to stay out of the rain… but the unbelievable part is that the inside, from the floor to the ceiling, was covered with children's footprints."
"…Kuro."
"It must be him. He must have been training his legs even back then."
"No wonder he could fight the Golden Lion with nothing but his feet, even with Haki. He lied so easily about 'disarming' himself."
The three ships Kuro had moved using only his legs in the main plaza were already gone.
When the Celestial Dragons complained that they looked ugly and wanted them removed, Kuro simply kicked them back into the Sea.
"A brave and clever commander who can win people's trust… If he were our ally, he would be the strongest help we could ask for…"
"Curse that Saint Jalmack for his foolishness…"
His talent was extremely rare.
Rare enough that they wanted him under the World Government no matter what.
"I think we should accept the terms he offered."
"Are you sane, Saint Peter!?"
"…No, I agree with him,"
"You too, Saint Warcury…?!"
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, who had valued Kuro from the start.
Saint Topman Warcury, who had spoken with him alone.
Two of the Five Elders—the highest among the Celestial Dragons—were now saying they should accept a pirate.
The other three stared at them in shock.
"We couldn't trap him inside the Holy Land, but that also means his beliefs won't spread inside it."
"Hmm. That way of thinking makes sense. Letting him build power outside might not be bad."
"My only complaint is that the bugs in his land will increase…"
"That can be handled later! If he is a Celestial Dragon, then all lands under his power belong directly to the World Government!"
The two who wanted to accept Kuro as a Celestial Dragon—not as a trick, but truly—stood firm, while the other three frowned deeply.
"But he demanded that his officers be given the same level of authority as him."
"That is something we absolutely cannot allow!"
"…I doubt the people under Kuro would misuse their power. And if they did, they would make the perfect sacrifice in front of the Navy and the public."
"Wait. After rumors spread about making him a Celestial Dragon, some royal families have already started sending us money and slaves."
"If we carelessly increase the number of Celestial Dragons or people with similar authority, more foolish bugs will get the wrong idea!"
"…Hmm…"
Warcury, who had spoken openly with Kuro without tricks, began to think about what Kuro himself would do.
As the one in charge of justice, he felt strongly that someone who could think of Government-level strategies from the outside was a rare and valuable person.
If they gave his people authority and brought them in once, they could at least use him as a skilled manager of the common "bugs."
"I never thought our opinions would split this much."
"…If so, we must receive His words."