Back in the palace, Rosede IV had been sighing nonstop.
It was as if…
He'd just watched billions of Berries slip through his fingers.
Like he'd missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime fortune.
A once-in-a-century, unprecedented monster of a genius had slipped right past Rosede Kingdom.
As king, Rosede IV couldn't help feeling a deep, gnawing sense of regret.
Just then—
His eldest son entered the hall and happened to see his father's gloomy expression.
"Father, what troubles you so?" the prince asked, genuine concern in his eyes.
Rosede IV hadn't planned to tell him.
But after a moment's thought, he couldn't hold it in and spoke anyway.
"I missed my chance with a once-in-a-century genius," he said with a bitter smile. "He rejected my attempt to recruit him."
"It's… quite a shame."
"A peerless genius?" the crown prince blinked. "He turned down your offer, Father?"
"Yes,"Rosede IV nodded.
He then explained everything that had happened that day, from beginning to end, without hiding a thing.
When he finished—
The crown prince finally understood.
"So that's how it is," he murmured. "A four-year-old who wiped out that pirate crew that's been threatening us all this time…"
"That really is a terrifying genius."
"No wonder you were so focused on him, Father."
He sighed with sincere admiration.
Then his gaze sharpened, the look of a schemer slowly waking up.
"Actually, Father," he said, "even if your personal invitation was rejected, there may still be another way."
"Oh?"Rosede IV's eyes lit up. "What way? Quickly, tell me."
"Since that genius comes from the Marines, that means he's under the jurisdiction of the World Government," the prince said slowly.
"In that case, all we need to do is contact the World Government and offer them enough benefits."
"I imagine…"
"For a small request like ours, they'll most likely agree."
"At the very least, it'll be hard for them to refuse."
He smiled, full of confidence.
"We can increase the annual tribute we pay to the World Government by double," he continued. "With that as a condition, plus one small request attached…"
"I doubt they'd turn us down."
Rosede IV's heart leapt.
"You're right!" he said excitedly. "If the World Government gives the order, then that genius would have to obey and join Rosede Kingdom."
"And then Rosede Kingdom's future would gain an invincible powerhouse!"
"To trade double the yearly tribute for someone with limitless potential…"
"That's a bargain."
In his eyes—
Kai's value far outweighed the resources they sent up as tribute each year.
For Kai's sake…
Forget double.
Even triple tribute felt worth it to him.
He knew better than anyone…
Just how monstrous that four-year-old truly was.
"We'll do as you say,"Rosede IV decided immediately. "I'll contact the World Government right away and negotiate."
He pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
And dialed.
Brrrrp… brrrrp…
The Den Den Mushi's strange, grating ring echoed through the hall.
Before long—
The line connected.
"King Rosede," came a calm, majestic voice from the other end, "to what do we owe the pleasure today?"
Rosede IV's heart clenched.
His expression grew tense and extremely respectful.
The one on the other end of the call…
Was a being even a king had to treat with absolute reverence.
Someone standing at the very top of the world's power structure.
A true overlord of the seas—
The highest authority in the World Government…
One of the Five Elders.
A man standing at the summit of the world, overlooking countless lives below.
Even as a member nation's king, Rosede IV was painfully aware of his own smallness in front of such power.
Naturally—
He didn't dare show a single hint of disrespect.
"It's like this…"Rosede IV began carefully.
"First of all, I'd like to thank you for sending those two geniuses to help resolve our crisis."
"Among them, there was a four-year-old named Kai."
"I think extremely highly of his talent and potential, so I wanted to request…"
"That you allow him to join us here in Rosede Kingdom."
"For that, I'm willing to double our yearly tribute."
"I only ask that you grant permission for that child named Kai to become part of Rosede Kingdom."
He spoke quickly, laying everything out.
The moment he finished—
Silence.
The other end of the line went quiet.
As if the one listening was weighing his words…
Or perhaps…
Had been genuinely startled by what Rosede IV had just said.
"I cannot make that decision," the Elder finally replied.
Hearing that, Rosede IV gritted his teeth and pushed his offer to the limit.
"I'm willing to increase our tribute by three times over," he said hoarsely. "Every year, I will pay four times our current total."
"All I ask is that you approve having Kai assigned to Rosede Kingdom."
That…
Was his absolute limit.
Triple extra tribute—
Meant paying four times as much as they did now every single year.
Even for a king as rich as Rosede IV…
That felt like slicing off chunks of his own flesh.
"Triple the tribute?" the Elder murmured. "You really are willing to bleed for a single four-year-old genius."
"Does that mean…"Rosede IV asked cautiously, "you're willing to agree?"
"No," came the calm reply. "Even so, I still cannot agree."
Rosede IV panicked.
Four times the tribute—
And that still wasn't enough?
Was the World Government really that greedy?
"May I ask… why not?" he said through clenched teeth.
"That is the very limit of what I can pay."
"It won't be enough, no matter how much you pay," the Elder said slowly.
"I can tell you the reason."
"Because…"
"This is something even I cannot interfere with."
"You understand what that means, don't you?"
Rosede IV froze.
His pupils shrank. His face drained of color.
Those few simple words—
Contained a terrifying amount of information.
Anything involving Kai…
Was beyond even that person's ability to meddle in?
What did that even mean?!
It was beyond anything he could imagine.
His worldview—
Was cracking.
He knew better than anyone—
Just how terrifying the identity and status of the man he was speaking to really was.
And yet.
Even he—
Couldn't decide whether or not Kai could be sent to Rosede Kingdom?
What kind of concept was that?
The more he thought about it, the more shaken he became.
He was stunned.
All he'd wanted was help from the World Government.
He never expected…
To stumble onto such a terrifying secret.
A secret that smashed his understanding of the world.
A four-year-old monster…
Had such a background that even the Five Elders didn't dare interfere?
Are you kidding me?!
That was the Five Elders—
The rulers of the world.
Gulp…
Rosede IV couldn't stop himself from swallowing hard.
His face turned pale, his eyes wide and trembling in disbelief.
His heart pounded wildly in his chest, refusing to calm.
After a long moment—
He managed to rasp out, "What… what exactly do you mean?"
The answer that came back—
Was even shorter than before.
"It means this," the Elder said.
"That brat…"
"Is someone even we don't dare provoke lightly."
"Unless it's absolutely necessary, if we were to interfere with him, it could trigger something extremely troublesome."
"Potentially even…"
"A massive upheaval within the Marines themselves."
"And that would make things far more complicated."
"Do you understand now?"
Those words—
Came from one of the Five Elders.
That was why—
Rosede IV completely froze.
His mind went blank.
His ears rang with the echo of the Elder's voice.
We don't dare provoke him.
He was stunned.
"M–My god…"
"Even the Five Elders don't dare touch him?"
"Is that… is that for real?"
"Have they all gone mad?!"
"A four-year-old brat—"
"And even the Five Elders don't dare mess with him?"
"What kind of terrifying background does he have?!"
"That's the Five Elders we're talking about!"
Rosede IV's thoughts were in chaos.
In his mind—
The Five Elders were the ultimate authority.
The rulers of the entire sea.
He had never once imagined—
That one day, he'd hear one of them personally say:
There is someone on this sea even they don't dare provoke.
It was too terrifying.
His understanding of the world had been flipped upside down.
"That four-year-old genius named Kai…"Rosede IV whispered, his throat dry and his lips trembling.
"What kind of background does he have…?"
"That someone like him exists in this world—someone the Five Elders themselves fear to touch…"
"And I was actually trying to recruit that kind of existence into Rosede Kingdom?"
"How ridiculous…"
For a moment, he wanted to bury his face in his hands.
Someone like that—
How could he ever be interested in a little member kingdom like Rosede?
No wonder he hadn't even glanced at the offer.
Rosede IV suddenly felt a cold sweat trickle down his back.
It all made sense now.
That four-year-old monster had a background that pierced the sky itself.
"If there is nothing else," the Elder said, "then this conversation ends here."
"Allow me to give you one last piece of advice…"
"Do not set your sights on that brat."
"Otherwise, the consequences will be beyond your imagination."
"Remember this well."
"That brat is not someone you can afford to provoke."
"You're nowhere near qualified."
And with that—
The call cut off.
Rosede IV slowly lowered the Den Den Mushi with shaking hands.
His face was frozen, completely pale.
His eyes were glassy and unfocused, as if his soul had flown out of his body and left only a shell behind.
Beside him—
The crown prince looked no better.
His face was white with shock, eyes wide with horror.
"F-Father…" he stammered.
"It sounds like we almost provoked… something truly terrifying."
"Something that could've brought disaster on Rosede Kingdom."
"I know,"Rosede IV whispered.
His voice trembled as he set the Den Den Mushi down.
Someone who could make the Five Elders hesitate…
What kind of background was that?
What kind of storm would follow in his wake?
In that moment—
After one short conversation with one of the Five Elders—
Rosede IV's entire worldview…
Completely shattered.
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