If they refused, these images recording the "bleeding of gods" would disappear forever from the World Government's control, spreading wildly into every corner of the internet.
But by accepting the deal, these images would become a "controllable narrative."
Saint Mars's avian eyes stared fixedly at Ron.
Jet-black flames flickered uncertainly on his wings.
A long silence followed.
This "god" who ruled over the world's environment and ecology spoke slowly, his voice cold enough to freeze the soul:
"You said earlier... you could stabilize Satan Saint's injuries?"
Ron smiled.
He pulled a thumb-sized glass bottle from his pocket. Inside was a flowing liquid emitting a soft white light.
"Life Skill Essence, a system specialty," he introduced. "It cannot heal rule-based injuries, but it can maintain vital signs and prevent the wounds from worsening. It's enough to hold on until you return to Mary Geoise and find... well, other solutions."
He lightly tossed the bottle into the air and caught it again:
"As a down payment."
On the sea, a Hippopotamus Sea King let out a long, low moan.
The sunset had completely dipped below the horizon, and the last rays of twilight stained the battlefield a dark red.
Above the ruins, where blood and fire, gods and emperors, rules and wills intertwined—
A deal with gods.
Was about to be struck.
The glass bottle traced a faint arc in the air, its flowing white light resembling a falling star in the twilight.
Saint Mars's beak opened slightly, and a tendril of black flame precisely wrapped around the bottle, pulling it deep into his wings. He did not check it immediately, but those void-like pupils remained locked onto Ron.
"Rule-based injuries," Ron added, his tone as casual as if he were describing product features, "are essentially rejection reactions caused by being 'overwritten' by higher-priority rules. The Life Skill Essence doesn't repair; instead, it forms an 'isolation membrane' on the surface of the wound to prevent the rejection from spreading—it's like patching a leaking ship cabin. While it can't fix the hole, at least the ship won't sink immediately."
He paused and looked at Satan Saint, who was still bleeding from his chest: "Of course, this is just a temporary solution. True repair requires you to find your own way; after all... I wouldn't dare mess with Lord Imu's 'national treasure' authority."
"Imu."
The moment that name appeared, the air pressure across the entire battlefield seemed to plummet.
Saint Nusjuro's giant boar body tensed abruptly, Saint V. Warcury's sand worm mouthparts stopped moving, and even the dying Satan Saint struggled to lift half of his shattered head.
The veins on Shanks's hand gripping his sword bulged.
Aokiji's ice spread silently.
Kaido's dragon pupils constricted to pinpricks.
This name was the taboo of taboos. It was the ultimate existence that even the Gorosei dared only whisper about in the deepest depths of the Hall of Authority.
And yet, Ron had said it so casually.
And even added the line, "I wouldn't dare mess with it."
Saint Mars was silent for a full ten seconds.
Black flames flickered around him, as if suppressing an anger capable of incinerating everything. But in the end, he did not explode, only slowly retracting his Mythical Zoan Type form.
The massive strange bird body collapsed and reorganized in the gloomy light, transforming back into the image of that old man in gold-trimmed robes with a rigid, serious face. He landed on the ground, the hem of his robe stained with scorched earth, yet he still maintained a cold majesty.
Seeing this, the other three Gorosei also successively ended their transformations.
Saint V. Warcury's boar form turned into a pool of flowing shadows, re-coalescing into a human shape; Saint Nusjuro's skeletal horse shattered into bone dust, merging into his black robes; Saint Pitou's sand worm body collapsed into a vortex of yellow sand, finally returning to human form.
The four old men stood in the ruins, locked in a standoff with Shanks, Kaido, Aokiji, and Beckman in the distance. Meanwhile, the dying Satan Saint was lifted by a dark energy, hovering behind Saint Mars.
"Three years," Saint Mars spoke, his voice returning to that aloof, indifferent tone. "Uta shall be under your supervision. She must not leave your controllable range, and she must not use her abilities to influence the world."
"Open the Seventh District of Mary Geoise as an entertainment pilot zone, but all content must be pre-screened by CP9."
"As for those who participated in the battle today, apart from the Marine who will undergo internal investigation, the rest will not be pursued."
"All live broadcast data must be handed over, including the raw footage."
His tone grew colder with every point he made:
"And—you yourself, Ron, must travel to Mary Geoise within three months to report for duty and accept the position of'Special Advisor' to the World Government."
The last point made Yamato's expression change drastically: "No! Mr. Ron—"
"That's acceptable."
Ron interrupted her, even smiling. "Special Advisor, sounds good. Does it come with benefits? How are the social insurance and housing fund contributions handled?"
Saint Mars ignored the joke. "Who do you think you are bargaining with?"
"Just a joke," Ron waved his hand. "Then, in exchange, in addition to the public opinion guidance and technical support I promised earlier, I'll throw in one more thing—"
He raised his hand, and the virtual panel unfolded again. This time, it displayed dense user data:
[Global User Behavior Analysis Report]
Keyword "Gorosei" search volume: surged by 1824% post-battle.
Associated emotions: Fear (62%), Curiosity (28%), Skepticism (10%).
Information dissemination nodes: 178,000 high-influence user accounts locked.
Ron swiped his finger, and a set of algorithmic models appeared on the panel:
"Public opinion control cannot rely solely on deleting posts; that only creates more of a 'forbidden fruit effect.' The real way is—to overwrite old memories with new stories."
"Over the next 72 hours, I will push the following content across all platforms including TikTok, Tomato Novel, and honor of kings:"
"Admiral's Glory: Akainu's Death Battle Against Kaido" (Edited Version)
—Highlighting Akainu's bravery, downplaying shots of his hesitation.
"The Descent of the Gorosei: The Supreme Will Maintaining World Order"
—Portraying the Gorosei's transformation as a "sacred form," rather than a "monster."
"The Red Hair Pirates' 'Mutiny': The Ambition and Threat of the Four Emperors"
—Redefining Shanks's act of god-slaying as a "pirate's challenge to order."
"Uta: The Pitiful Diva Exploited by Pirates"
—Portraying Uta as an innocent victim, downplaying the threat of her abilities.
honor of kings limited-time event: "Guard Mary Geoise"
—New hero 'Knight of God' released, with a story mode telling the tale of the Gorosei protecting the world.
The algorithmic model began to run, and the prediction curve showed: After 72 hours, the public's fear index toward the "Gorosei" would drop by 15%, the skepticism index would drop by 8%, and the approval rating for the "necessity of order" would rise by 12%.
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