Chapter 66: The First Assignment
Red Line, Marie Geoise.
This is the center of the World Government, the residence of the descendants of the creators, but this place is not as sacred and inviolable as ordinary people imagine. Those living here are not just Celestial Dragons and their servants and slaves; there are also a large number of World Government officials living on this land.
The Celestial Dragons, as World Nobles, reside in the most central position of Marie Geoise.
The outer perimeter, separated by vast artificial forests and gardens, is the residence of the World Government officials.
Marie Geoise,
Southwest direction.
This is a three-story villa with a swimming pool, garden, and lawn.
This is the residence of the current Director of the Gun Barrel Manufacturing Bureau, Sokachio. At the poolside behind the villa, a lively welcome party is currently being held right now. Sokachio invited colleagues and neighboring residents to welcome the arrival of his lovely grandchildren.
This is the third day that Prince Elus has arrived in the Holy Land.
First day: conversation with the Five Elders.
Second day: meeting with family living on the Red Line, bonding.
Today is the third day,
“El!”
Sokachio held a wine glass and found Prince Elus sitting on the roof.
“You’re still the same as when you were little! You like the liveliness of parties but hate the noise. It’s so willful that it’s impossible to deal with. I thought you’d improve once you grew up and matured, but you’re still the same as always······”
“How is it? Does the Holy Land feel okay to you?” Sokachio sat down on the roof, mimicking Prince Elus’s posture.
“If there weren’t that astonishing number of massive slaves underground, it would indeed be a nice place!”
Prince Elus looked at the crowd playing and laughing by the pool below.
“Hahaha! So you noticed after all!”
“How could I not notice?”
“Noticing is fine, but El, don’t do anything unnecessary.”
“I know, I’m not stupid.”
Prince Elus rolled his eyes. This is the World Government’s headquarters; causing trouble here would be like Orochimaru eating arsenic—purely asking for death. His Neuro-Scan captured more than twenty extremely terrifying aura fluctuations, basically all at the level of a Vice Admiral at Navy Headquarters.
But······there’s a question!
“That time, how did Fisher Tiger make such a huge commotion in the Holy Land?”
With the level of defense forces in the Holy Land, even an invasion by one of the Four Emperors would encounter considerable trouble! Yet Fisher Tiger single-handedly broke into the Holy Land Marie Geoise, set fires everywhere, freed a large number of Celestial Dragon slaves, and in the end, even retreated unscathed with the slaves.
Simply,
an unbelievable miracle.
Although he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, from past records, Fisher Tiger had defeated a Navy Rear Admiral but was later ambushed and injured by a Navy Rear Admiral, ultimately dying due to refusing a human blood transfusion. His strength was probably around Rear Admiral to Vice Admiral level—possibly threatening a Vice Admiral in underwater combat, but on land, likely just Rear Admiral level.
To be honest, with that kind of strength, it’s really hard to understand how he caused such a huge commotion in the Holy Land?
“Oh? You mean that incident! That······actually, the Holy Land didn’t have this level of defense forces back then.” Sokachio took a sip of red wine from his glass. “Fisher Tiger, that Fish-Man, can be said to be the first person in history to attack the Holy Land.”
“The Holy Land has stood for eight hundred years without any such incidents before, so that night, when Fisher Tiger charged into the Holy Land and caused chaos, everyone was scared—totally freaked out!”
Sokachio gazed at the blue sky, his mind replaying the chaotic scene from that night. “For eight hundred years, no matter how chaotic the sea below was, the Holy Land Marie Geoise was as stable as the Red Line under our feet. So when Fisher Tiger charged up, wreaked havoc, freed slaves, and set fires everywhere······
“As embarrassing as it is to say, everyone was really stunned at the time.”
“No one believed a mere Fish-Man would dare commit such an atrocity. Everyone thought there was a more powerful force behind this Fish-Man, so the Holy Land guards focused only on protecting the Celestial Dragons, wary of that non-existent even more terrifying enemy, and no one had time to deal with that Fish-Man······”
“In the end, everyone watched helplessly as that Fish-Man escaped with the freed slaves.”
“It wasn’t until the Navy reinforcements arrived that everyone snapped out of it. Turns out there were no ambushes or Hidden Pawns—it was all the work of that bold Fish-Man alone from start to finish······After that, the Holy Land’s defense forces were strengthened to the current level.”
The story,
is finished.
Not particularly interesting, but it satisfied Prince Elus’s curiosity.
“Fisher Tiger······he really had guts!”
Prince Elus clicked his tongue in admiration.
“El, you can’t say it like that! Remember, Fisher Tiger is an outright villain. At least while in the Holy Land, you have to say it that way.” Sokachio corrected Prince Elus’s misguided statement.
“Tch! Such a hassle.”
“Anyway, El, you’re already one of the Seven Warlords now. Have you thought about what to do next?” Sokachio didn’t want to dwell on such dangerous matters and changed the subject, showing concern for Prince Elus’s future.
“I want to go see Water Seven.”
“Water Seven, that shipbuilding city? What are you going there for?”
“Sea Train, heard of it?”
“······Sort of, maybe,” Sokachio racked his brains hard for a while but ultimately shook his head. “No idea!!!”
“Anyway, Water Seven has quite a few interesting things. Once things here in the Holy Land are done, I plan to go play around Water Seven. It’s rare to leave the New World once, so it’d be a shame to miss this chance.”
Sea Train, Pluton Blueprint—both very interesting things.
“Water Seven, huh! Come to think of it······” Sokachio suddenly rubbed his chin and stared fixedly at his eldest grandson beside him. “El, you’re already twenty this year, right?”
“Hm? What’s up?”
“It’s about time to settle your major life event.”
“······Why bring this up suddenly? It has absolutely nothing to do with the previous topic, does it?”
“Because you’re about that age? Berville······your father got married at that age. Even if you don’t want to marry right now, you should at least find someone to get engaged to.” Sokachio thought seriously about it.
“El, do you have anyone you like······Huh? Where’d he go?”
————
Navy Headquarters.
“Do we still have to continue? Even knowing this is just the government’s wishful thinking?”
“Sengoku, this is an order.”
“Portgas D. Ace—why this kid? Why go to such great lengths to recruit this kid into the Seven Warlords? Fleet Admiral, what’s going on with this that I don’t know?”
Fleet Admiral’s office,
Sengoku held the microphone, talking with his superior in Marie Geoise, the Commander-in-Chief, Kong.
“Sengoku.”
The Den Den Mushi transmitted a voice full of majesty.
“I don’t know the specifics here either. This is the Five Elders’ order. Just follow the command. Don’t forget a soldier’s duty.”
“······Understood.”
Dark clouds swirled between Sengoku’s brows. He didn’t argue further with his superior and instead asked about the order’s details: “Sending Vice Admiral Dolo to invite Fire Fist—but why have the Black Prince go along too? Isn’t one Navy Vice Admiral enough?”
“Once joined the Seven Warlords, they must shoulder corresponding responsibilities. This is adaptive work.”
“Vice Admiral Dolo can depart anytime, Black Prince······”
“I’ve already contacted Prince Elus. He will take the government’s letter to Marineford to rendezvous with Vice Admiral Dolo. You arrange the ship for them to go to Sabaody Archipelago to contact that Fire Fist. That’s the plan. I have other matters to attend to here, so that’s it.”
Call ended.
Sengoku held the microphone, silent for a few seconds, before placing it back on the Den Den Mushi.
Portgas D. Ace, Fire Fist, pirate superstar from East Blue······ He looked at the bounty poster on the table. The young man in the photo wore an orange cowboy hat, and his freckled face bore a brilliant, proud smile like flames.
Kind of baffling how this photo was even taken?
However,
Sengoku stared at the bounty poster, slightly furrowing his brow. It felt······ somewhat familiar? Like he’d seen this young man somewhere before? Ah! Couldn’t remember. Freckles, freckles—none of the freckled people in his memory matched······
Though called a strategic genius,
Sitting in the Fleet Admiral’s seat, he had to handle countless official duties every day. Honestly, he felt his brain had been overworked for ages. In rare moments of leisure reminiscing about his youth, he found many events and people from his younger days had become so blurred.
“Five Elders······what exactly is the reason?”
After much thought, he still couldn’t figure out why invite this young man into the Seven Warlords. Sengoku sighed.
“Ding bell~~~”
The service bell on the desk rang.
Two seconds later, the office door opened, and the secretary entered. “Fleet Admiral, what are your orders?”
“Notify Vice Admiral Dolo to come to my office. Also, have the port prepare a warship, one ready to depart at any time.” Speaking of which, Dolo······who would’ve thought this guy would side with those Celestial Dragon scum.
To get revenge on pirates, has he gone completely unscrupulous?
Sengoku pondered inwardly.
“Yes, Fleet Admiral.”
The secretary withdrew.
Sengoku put away the bounty poster and began handling the mountain of official documents piled high on his desk.
————
Holy Land, Marie Geoise.
Prince Elus, who had retreated from that unpleasant topic, hadn’t gone far from the villa when he was blocked on a nearby path in the artificial forest by CP0 members wearing masks.
“Here to settle the score?”
Looking at the two CP0 members blocking his way, one of whom was exactly the one he had defeated before.
“Prince Elus, we have orders for you.”
“Not here to pick a fight!” Prince Elus was a bit disappointed and pursed his lips, then asked: “What orders? What do the Five Elders want me to do?”
“Please go to Navy Headquarters, and with the Navy’s Vice Admiral Dolo, go to Sabaody Archipelago to recruit Fire Fist Portgas D. Ace into the Seven Warlords.” The CP0 member said respectfully.
“Huh?”
Prince Elus widened his eyes.
It was as if two little question marks were about to pop into his eyeballs.
“Recruit Fire Fist into the Seven Warlords? Hey, you’re joking, right? Aren’t the Seven Warlords already full? Adding another would make it Eight Warlords? Sounds super weird! Not cool at all.”
He’d thought that with his involvement in joining the Seven Warlords, there wouldn’t be this recruitment of Fire Fist······Unexpectedly, it still happened!
Could it be,
because of Fire Fist’s identity?
“Not so.”
This CP0 member, clearly higher in status than the one who fought Prince Elus, shook his head lightly. “If Fire Fist accepts the recruitment, tomorrow’s newspaper will announce the news that Moonlight Moria has been removed from the Seven Warlords.”
“And if he doesn’t accept?”
“In that case, please trouble you to arrest Fire Fist and send him to Impel Down.”
Prince Elus furrowed his brow slightly.
He looked at the two masked men before him and fell silent, his mind racing with thoughts on how to handle this matter.
Fire Fist—Portgas D. Ace, this short-lived True Chosen One would become the fuse igniting world-shaking changes in the original trajectory, completely different league from fringe characters like Umit. If he acted here and altered Fire Fist’s destiny trajectory, the future······haha!
Interesting!
If he sent Ace to Impel Down right here, what would the future become? Kind of want to see it!
The future had long been smeared by him, losing its original color. Might as well make it even more unrecognizable— the unknown brings more fun, doesn’t it?
“Do I have to go?”
Prince Elus asked.
The two CP0 members didn’t speak, but the silence itself was an answer.
“Got it. Really know how to order people around! I haven’t even enjoyed the perks of being a Seven Warlord yet, and they’re already making me work······Is it now? To Navy Headquarters.”
“Yes, Fleet Admiral Kong has already contacted Navy Headquarters. After you arrive at Marineford, Prince Elus, just find Fleet Admiral Sengoku there. They will handle the preparations.”
“Talk about thorough arrangements!”
Prince Elus laughed.
He waved his hand. “Go tell those old men I’ll take the job.”
