The Room of Authority, Holy Land Mary Geoise.
"The Rocks Pirates are splitting up again?"
"Kozuki Fang Huo is still in Ohara?"
"Rocks is asking about a family called Barlorick?"
"Excellent! This is the perfect chance to ambush the Rocks Pirates and capture Kozuki Fang Huo!"
Such pirates are truly arrogant! To dare separate—They're doomed to be wiped out by us."
Quick, investigate this Barlorick Family—see if they boast any strong fighters or heirloom blades!"
—The Gorosei coldly commanded the den den mushi on the table.
They hadn't expected that only recently Golden Lion Shiki, Silver Axe, Smuggler Ganzi, and Bolo Gram had left the Rocks Pirates to act independently.
Yet so soon, even Fang Huo, Charlotte Linlin, and Stussy had parted from the crew and stayed on the Scholars' Island, Ohara.
The mighty Rocks Pirates had actually split into three parts—an ideal opportunity to hunt them.
With its formidable intelligence network, the World Government swiftly uncovered information on the Barlorick Family.
They turned out to be nobility—an earl's house of a kingdom.
A single island served as the earldom's domain.
"No famous swords in their legacy? No powerful fighters?"
"Just an ordinary earl?"
"Why would that make Rocks personally head to Ohara to scout and put out high-bounty intel?"
"Could the Barlorick Family be hiding some secret?"
"Don't tell me they're the D Clan in disguise?"
"Red Line Island? The Barlorick earldom shares its name with the Red Line."
"The whole island is red soil—could it be a fragment of the ancient Red Line?"
—The Gorosei were astonished by how ordinary the Barloricks seemed; a tiny island earl was still too insignificant.
To ordinary Celestial Dragons, such a kingdom earl was no better than a stray dog.
Let alone to the supreme authority of the Gorosei!
Only kings of allied nations held any utilitarian value in their eyes.
Dukes, marquises, earls—all were mere servants.
Merely being granted an audience with a Celestial Dragon was these nobles' greatest honor.
In the future Goa Kingdom, Sabo's biological father, Duke Outlook III, would burn the Gray Terminal to create a beautiful landscape and successfully host Saint Charloss.
His status skyrocketed overnight.
Later he married his adopted son, Sterry, to Goa's princess, and through various "accidents" the boy ultimately became the new king, inheriting the kingdom.
Thus, should the Celestial Dragons so much as hint at a visit, nobles of every allied nation would swarm like flies.
"No matter what secrets the Barloricks or Red Line Island hold, we can't miss this chance to eliminate Rocks."
"Since Rocks wants them, we'll simply wipe them out along the way."
"A mere earl and island—if they're gone, they're gone!"
—Each Gorosei dismissed the Barlorick Family, treating them only as bait to ambush the Rocks Pirates.
Even if the family and island truly concealed secrets, a Buster Call would erase everything.
Regardless of importance, all would be buried.
The Gorosei quickly drafted a plan against the Rocks Pirates.
But when they phoned the Fleet Admiral, they learned Admiral Kong had already led his men into the New World to seize chances of capturing Golden Lion Shiki, Silver Axe, and other Rocks Executives.
Copper-Skin Admiral, recovered from the Omaha Sea Battle, and the newly promoted Admiral Iron Hand were both at Marine Headquarters—Marineford.
Yet sailing from Marineford to the West Blue would take too long.
After all, the Rocks Pirates were already in the West Blue and possessed sky-warships; there was no catching up.
With no Marine heavyweights available, the Gorosei had to dispatch the God's Knights.
Conveniently, Rocks's recent disappearance had led them to suspect his homeland lay in the West Blue, so the knights had been transferred there for the search.
If necessary, the Gorosei themselves would move out to annihilate the Rocks Pirates.
The God's Knights already possessed the ability to Summon Teleportation Arrays.
At the future God Valley battlefield, Figarland Garling would have his knights summon others of their order, replacing the Marines as the main combatants.
Back then, Gunko was only a young Divine Blade; she too joined the Human-Cleansing Operation, massacring the people of God Valley.
—The Gorosei reported all intel and plans to Imu.
Imu, however, prioritized Kozuki Fang Huo, relegating the elimination of Rocks to secondary importance.
Within the Void Century Palace of Pangaea Castle.
"Mu wants Kozuki Fang Huo!"
Imu's cold declaration instantly overturned every plan to ambush on Red Line Island; capturing Kozuki Fang Huo became the primary objective.
Still, they did not discard the Barlorick Family as a vital pawn.
Having received Imu's orders, the Gorosei returned to the Room of Authority for heated discussion.
"Dispatch half the God's Knights and every CP0 Agent in the West Blue—wipe out the Barlorick Family before Rocks reaches Red Line Island, and have CP0 Agents completely replace them!"
"So long as one agent successfully infiltrates the Rocks Pirates, we'll have constant intel and can bide our time to destroy them."
The other half of the knights will head to Ohara to seize Kozuki Fang Huo!"
"Carry it out! Imu-sama's command must be fulfilled!"
—The Gorosei swiftly finalized their second-phase plan.
Indeed, killing a Rocks is difficult, but capturing a lone Kozuki Fang Huo should be manageable.
The Gorosei could then teleport to Ohara, assisted by several God's Knights, and surely secure the top-priority target, fulfilling Imu-sama's order.
—At the Gorosei's command, all God's Knights and CP Agents in the West Blue mobilized.
Those near Red Line Island rushed to the unremarkable isle at once.
Those near Ohara sped to the Scholars' Island to capture Kozuki Fang Huo.
On a non-aligned island somewhere in the West Blue, Figarland Garling expressionlessly slew a local tyrant.
Still no intel on Rocks.
Following the Gorosei's directive, Saint Garling studied the West Blue chart; Red Line Island was too far, so he chose the nearer Ohara.
"To think Imu-sama values this Kozuki Fang Huo so highly!"
"So long as I capture him, the post of Commander of the Gods Knights is mine!"
The young Figarland Garling burned with ambition; becoming a God's Knight no longer sufficed.
He wanted to be Commander of the Gods Knights—he even dreamed of becoming an immortal Gorosei!
He would stand supreme beneath Imu alone, above all others!
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