After the irrelevant people left, only Ross and Saint Saturn remained in the palace.
Saint Saturn had no intention of getting up; he simply sat behind the huge desk and sized up Ross.
Neither of them intended to speak first; they simply sized each other up.
The palace was silent, but two invisible, domineering auras were faintly swirling within, constantly colliding and consuming each other.
After a long while, Saint Saturn finally looked away.
As one gets older, one's eyes get dry easily after looking at things for a long time, unlike when one was younger.
"Not enough."
Saint Saturn spoke calmly.
Ross frowned slightly; he hated riddle-makers more than anything in his life.
Once he could surpass this old man, he'd definitely come back with riddles every day.
It's such a simple thing, just ask.
Why bother testing Guernika and playing a game of Conqueror's Haki?
"What about this one?"
Ross snapped his fingers, and a current surged up beneath his feet, slowly lifting him up and suspending him in mid-air as he looked down at Saint Saturn.
"You actually ate that fruit raw?"
Seeing the change in Ross's demeanor, Saint Saturn suddenly stood up and looked at Ross in shock.
He thought that after his reminder, Ross wouldn't risk his life for the sake of his own safety.
Unexpectedly, Ross actually risked his life to eat it.
He wouldn't have even dared to consider trying that fruit that symbolized the sea god back then.
Ross simply smiled and watched as Saint Saturn lost his composure.
So even old Saint has his moments like this.
It is understandable that Saint Saturn was unaware of his situation.
Aside from the unusual phenomenon that occurred when he consumed the fruit, he never used it in public. Instead, he always practiced with Gion or Zephyr in a safe place.
Moreover, the Celestial Dragons have their own arrogance, believing that the ocean beneath the Red Line is the lower realm, and that the lower realm is completely unworthy of attention.
Unless it involves matters fundamental to the World Government, even the Five Elders are the same.
"Cough Cough."
Saint Saturn took a while to calm himself down before slowly sitting down, leaning on his cane.
"Now that you've eaten the fruit, that's enough."
"Does this fruit hold any secret?" Ross asked, seizing the opportunity.
The Kingdom of Jaygarcia was established more than 1,300 years ago, and the discovery of this fruit likely dates back more than a thousand years, so they must have a very deep understanding of it.
"Do you know about the three ancient weapons?" Saint Saturn asked in return.
"Uranus, Pluton, Poseidon. Is this related?" Ross became interested.
"It doesn't matter."
Hearing Saint Saturn's nonchalant words, Ross's temper flared up immediately.
It's okay, why are you making such a fuss?
"Don't rush."
Saint Saturn shook his head and slowly added:
"You should be able to sense that this fruit holds the power over the sea."
"That's right."
Ross nodded; he understood this without Saint Saturn needing to say it.
"The so-called Sea Kings are merely sea creatures that can control the ocean; they are far inferior to this fruit. This fruit represents the true Sea God."
"1300 years ago, our ancestors made a guess."
Saint Saturn looked up at Ross and sighed softly:
"This world is composed of three parts: the sky, the earth, and the sea, each symbolizing a supreme deity."
"The god of the sky hangs high above the sun, the god of the earth rules the land, and the god of the sea dwells in the ocean."
"It sounds like a myth."
Ross appeared unconcerned, but he knew perfectly well what Saint Saturn was talking about.
Before he came, his understanding of the pirate world was limited to Monkey D. Luffy's journey through Egghead.
But within this limited information, there is a message about the sun god Nika.
It goes without saying that Monkey D. Luffy represents the sun god.
"Hehe, it is indeed a myth to us now, but our ancestors experienced it firsthand. When our ancestors established the country, the end of the world was not far away."
Saint Saturn gave a soft hum, his tone tinged with emotion:
"There are few records of that period among humans, but it is recorded in the divine scriptures of the giants: First World: Flames appeared on the earth. Humans, driven by desire, touched the forbidden sun. Slaves prayed, and the sun god appeared. The earth god was furious and, together with the serpent of karmic fire, shrouded the world in death and darkness. They could never see each other again."
"It seems to have nothing to do with the sea god."
Ross may have seemed indifferent, but he remembered this information very well.
The sun god Nika is a foregone conclusion, so he wouldn't be surprised if a god of earth or a serpent of karmic fire were to appear one day.
Even if Sakazuki were to awaken his Devil Fruit one day and discover that he didn't have the Magma-Magma Fruit, but rather the Mythical Zoan Fruit of the Fire Serpent, Ross wouldn't find it strange at all.
"The Sea God is recorded in the second world of the divine canon. In the void, breath surges. The Forest God sends demons, and the flames of war of the sun continue to spread. The people of the half-moon had a dream, and the people of the moon also had a dream. Humans killed the sun and became gods. The Ocean God was furious, and they could never see each other again."
As he recited it, Saint Saturn spoke calmly, but Ross could hear the disdain in his tone, as if he were a witness.
The Jaygarcia family were not merely witnesses, but participants.
Ross sighed inwardly.
This is where the advantage of having a long family history comes in; you never know which ancestor might have been a key figure in history.
The Second World describes a situation that is clearly a blank period in history from eight hundred years ago.
Whatever happened in that period of history, the Jaygarcia family were the victors.
"In the minds of the giants, it seems that killing a god and ascending to the throne is a heinous act," Ross said meaningfully.
He was referring to the Giants, but he was actually referring to the World Government.
Ross didn't understand.
If he were to ascend to godhood by killing a god, even if he used the most despicable means in the world, it would still be widely praised.
In his inherent mindset, the act of humans killing gods is always something to be celebrated.
But it seems that apart from the people born in that country, other races place the gods on a pedestal and regard the act of killing a god as the most despicable betrayal in the world, which will surely be punished by the gods.
What, are humans not worthy of becoming gods? Does one have to be reincarnated to be a god?
"The history of the giants is longer than that of humans, and because of their strength, their footprints are all over the world. They arrogantly believe that humans have stolen the authority of the gods, which is why they have become the world's overlords," Saint Saturn chuckled.
"Then what are you afraid of?"
Ross looked up and uttered a soul-searching question.
"My family and I have never feared the dead gods." Saint Saturn's words were pointed.
"So that's how it is." Ross sneered. "Someone actually fears the dead coming back. They've lived eight hundred years in vain."
Be careful what you say!
Thump!
Saint Saturn slammed his cane heavily into the ground, and a powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki enveloped the entire palace.
"I understand, I won't bring it up again."
Ross chuckled softly, completely unaffected by Saint Saturn's Conqueror's Haki.
What Saint Saturn had said to him was enough; it was enough for him to understand some things.
The tallest Celestial Dragon is not only his enemy, but also the enemy of Jaygarcia.
This is also the survival strategy of the Jaygarcia family: if they are not strong enough, they will temporarily retreat and do whatever the person above them thinks.
But once you have the power, you won't be able to control things anymore.
This isn't the first time Jaygarcia has killed a god!
...
30+ Advance chapters already live!
Read ahead instantly on P@treon/Ren_Saga