The door to the Seat of Power slowly opened.
As soon as Ian stepped out, a fragrant breeze rushed toward him.
Hancock, who had been completely conquered by Ian, ignored the other women present and rushed into Ian's arms first, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and pressing her cheek against his chest.
Her movements were practiced and intimate.
"Young Master..."
Her voice was charming and carried a slight, triumphant tremor.
Seeing this, Saint Shalria stamped her foot in anger and wanted to rush forward too, but she was stopped by a single look from Ian.
"You stay."
Ian's voice was flat, yet it froze Saint Shalria's movements where she stood.
He glanced at Nami, Princess Sally, and the others nearby, and stated plainly, "All of you stay in the Holy Land. This Young Master is not going sightseeing this time; having Hancock accompany me is enough."
As soon as he said this, Saint Shalria's mouth immediately pouted in grievance, and her eyes quickly filled with moisture, making her look like a kitten whose favorite toy had been snatched away.
It must be said that without the arrogant temperament of a Celestial Dragon, Saint Shalria was truly lovely—with fiery red lips, comfortable without the Celestial Dragons' bulky attire, she was a true beauty who could be either mature or youthful!
Meanwhile, Hancock beside her was like a peacock that had won a battle, subtly straightening her posture.
She lifted her head slightly from Ian's embrace, raised her chin proudly, and swept her gaze over Saint Shalria, her eyes full of showmanship.
As if saying, only this concubine is worthy of accompanying the Young Master at all times.
Ian was too lazy to bother with the petty schemes between women, and he walked straight out with Hancock.
As the group walked out of the magnificent World Government Headquarters building, Shamrock was already standing solemnly outside the door with a group of figures.
He quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Young Master, the God's Knights are all present, except for Gunzogū."
Ian nodded, his gaze sweeping past Shamrock and resting on the eight figures behind him.
The eight individuals varied in appearance, but their aura was uniformly as deep as the sea.
Some were as burly as mountains, wearing ferocious metal masks that covered their entire faces, while others were tall and slender, holding a giant scythe that was disproportionate to their height.
There was also one who looked like a little old man, but carried a huge gourd on his back; his eyes were cloudy, yet occasionally flashed with brilliance.
They were all members of the God's Knights, originating from the Celestial Dragon families in the Holy Land.
However, although each of them represented a Celestial Dragon family, they only followed Ian's orders.
Between their families and Ian, they would all choose Ian without hesitation.
The moment Ian's gaze swept over them, the eight members of the God's Knights uniformly knelt on one knee and said in unison, "Greetings, Young Master!"
"Mm." Ian nodded in satisfaction.
"You will remain in the Holy Land and await orders.
If the war at Marineford spirals out of control, deploy directly via the teleportation array to Marineford and turn the tide of the battle."
"Understood!"
...Meanwhile, at the Figarland Family residence.
In the luxurious living room, Shanks sat upright in a chair, looking seriously at Gringo across from him.
Gringo, however, was completely relaxed, holding a small knife and slowly peeling an apple, the peel forming a single, unbroken long strand.
After a period of quiet sitting, Gringo suddenly smiled and spoke, "Shanks, now that you're back this time, stop being a pirate.
Stay in the Holy Land and work together with your brother Shamrock to assist the Young Master.
When the Young Master eventually ascends the void throne, you two brothers will be second only to him."
"What do you mean?" Shanks' pupils contracted slightly, and his voice deepened.
"Saint Ian is going to sit on the void throne? How is that possible!
Eight hundred years ago, twenty kings made a covenant that no one should ever sit on that throne!"
Hearing this, Gringo paused his hand movements, then chuckled softly and looked up, his eyes showing a detached understanding of the world.
"You said it yourself—that was a covenant from eight hundred years ago. What does that have to do with the Young Master eight hundred years later?"
"You!" Shanks laughed in exasperation.
"This world doesn't need a dictator! Once Saint Ian sits on the void throne, the world is bound to fall into unprecedented chaos!"
"Dictatorship?" Gringo shook his head, stood up, and placed the peeled apple on the table in front of Shanks.
"I used to think so too. But the Young Master said that it's not dictatorship; it should be called centralized power."
"The World Government has stood for eight hundred years, yet no one has ever thought of initiating internal reform, leading to widespread corruption from top to bottom.
The privileges enjoyed by the Celestial Dragons have long since soured.
If this continues, the World Government will collapse on its own, without needing trouble from pirates or the Revolutionary Army."
Gringo paused, returned to his seat, and continued, "Although the Young Master mentioned these things casually, I wholeheartedly agree.
The Young Master also said that the Celestial Dragons have enjoyed privileges for eight hundred years without engaging in production; their consumption in a single day is equivalent to ten years of tax revenue from an affiliated kingdom.
When affiliated kingdoms cannot pay the tenryūbito tribute, they increase the exploitation of their own citizens, and unrest naturally arises."
"Before, we just took it for granted, but we never considered: what should we do when the entire world falls into crisis?"
"The Holy Land doesn't produce anything; all supplies rely on continuous shipments from the lower world."
"The Young Master said that for the World Government to achieve long-term stability, and for the Celestial Dragons to continue enjoying their privileges, they must look further ahead.
They must appropriately grant some benefits to the lower world citizens so they don't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, or constantly fear pirate attacks."
"To achieve all of this, not only must the World Government undergo massive internal reorganization, but the privileges of those Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land who only know how to eat, drink, and play must also be curtailed.
Most importantly, order on the high seas must be effectively controlled."
After speaking all this in one breath, Gringo suddenly stopped, looked up at Shanks, and asked with a smile, "Shanks, do you think a dictator like this counts as a true dictator?"
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes shining with an almost fanatical light.
"To be honest with you, for years I've been dissatisfied with the Gorosei monopolizing the Seat of Power while doing nothing.
I merely chose to remain silent due to my status and position. But now, I don't need to anymore."
"Because the Young Master has appeared. All I need to do is follow the Young Master's lead and help him complete this centralization of power.
By then, the Figarland Family flourishing for another eight hundred years will be far from a pipe dream!"
Hearing this, the anger on Shanks' face slowly faded, and he fell silent.
After a moment, Shanks looked up at Gringo and asked in a deep voice, "Are these all things that Saint Ian wants and plans to do?"
Gringo nodded, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Our Young Master is truly extraordinary."
After a slight pause, Gringo met Shanks' gaze and asked, "Shanks, do you know the biggest difference between the Young Master and Roger, whom you once followed, and that group of so-called kings or Yonko on the high seas?
Everyone in this world, including me, is obsessed with the past.
Some live in the glory left by their ancestors, others rack their brains trying to find the history of the Void Century, and even more people are simply blindly following..."
"Only the Young Master—he never cares about the past!"
"In his eyes, there is only the present, and the future!"