"Who did you say was discovered?!"
Saint Shepherd Peter hurriedly asked. Due to his extreme shock, his voice had even become somewhat shrill.
"The Emperor of the Sea, 'Rampage' Fate Roldy!"
The agent trembled with fear.
In truth, when he had first learned of this information, even he himself had not dared to believe it. He could be considered one of the longer-lived agents of the World Government, and he had personally experienced the so-called darkest moment of the World Government.
That great battle at Sabaody Archipelago might be unfamiliar to newcomers, but to veterans like them, it had practically punched a massive hole through their entire worldview.
After his words fell, there was no response for a long time.
Cold sweat streamed down the agent's forehead.
Only after a long while did he finally hear the faint voices of the Five Elders.
"I truly didn't expect this. Roldy, who disappeared for seventeen years, has actually returned…"
"Although we don't know what level that brat's strength has reached now, after all, we still have a friendly agreement with him. Return all the shares of Roldy's that we occupied before."
"Prepare a gift and send it over in the name of the World Government! It must be something precious!"
The Five Elders discussed among themselves, but not a single one of them brought up the previous matter again.
Saint Warcury's face was especially livid, so ugly it looked as though he had eaten a ton of shit. Seeing that the agent was still kneeling there, he roared irritably,
"What are you still doing here? Didn't you hear us? Hurry up and make the arrangements!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
The agent felt as though he had been granted amnesty and hurriedly withdrew.
Before leaving, he glanced at the expressions of the Five Elders. They were shockingly ugly.
He did not ask whether Saint Warcury's previous plan was still to be carried out. That would have been stupid, and he had not lived long enough yet.
Since the lords were unwilling to mention it, then it was probably being shelved.
As for the deadline…
He would just treat it as permanent.
...
Roldy's return once again stirred up waves across the sea!
His title as king of the previous era was known only to some old figures, but the name of an Emperor of the New World was famous and resounding.
The countries and forces under Roldy's command all offered generous gifts one after another. Some fellows who had been harboring crooked thoughts hurriedly withdrew those fatal ideas.
However, among them, there were also some who made small moves in secret.
After all, Roldy's most capable subordinate, Crocodile, was currently not on Sabaody Archipelago and was not handling those financial affairs. The one currently in charge of finances was a deputy Crocodile had trained.
This deputy did have some ability, but compared with Crocodile, he was still far inferior.
The profits offered by those giants of the Underworld had been reduced.
Money could move people's hearts. As long as they deliberately arranged a few accidents to silence outsiders, the savings would naturally enter their own pockets.
Roldy had disappeared for so many years, and they had always done things this way.
But now that fatal god of slaughter had returned. Some people restrained themselves, while of course, others chose to take the risk.
They would pay the price for this.
But that was a story for later.
...
Marine Headquarters.
Marineford.
In front of Sengoku, the intelligence report on Roldy's return had already been placed on the desk.
Sengoku, who rarely smoked, had unusually lit a cigar. The green tea before him was so strong it could make a person die of bitterness.
Roldy's return gave him a headache.
During the time Roldy had been gone, Marine Headquarters had developed to a considerable degree. Countless elite officers had risen to prominence, greatly making up for Marine Headquarters' lack of mid-level combat power.
But now, the Admiral-level powerhouses were still only those few people.
That old bastard Garp was still fine, but people like Sengoku and Zephyr had long since declined greatly in strength. Some development plans that had originally been decided now had no choice but to be shelved because of the return of an Emperor.
Of course, what gave him even more of a headache was Zephyr's family matter.
That brat An was also someone Sengoku had watched grow up.
Under the joint witness of countless high-ranking officers at Marine Headquarters, that boy had already grown into a rather outstanding Marine. He could even be worthy of the rank of Brigadier General at Marine Headquarters!
Admittedly, some of this was due to the convenience brought by Zephyr, but it was undeniable that the boy had already become the unquestioned leader among the children of military officers in Marineford.
Precisely because of this, An's departure was so troublesome.
Zephyr's hair had even turned much whiter from worry.
"Report!"
A young voice came from outside the door.
After Sengoku responded, the person pushed the door open and entered.
The one who walked into the office was an extremely tall and graceful figure. A pair of breathtakingly long legs were exposed, white as jade, though one leg bore a spider-shaped tattoo. Her fiery figure was paired with a beautiful face.
The person who had arrived was one of Marine Headquarters' Admiral candidates, codename "Momousagi"—
Gion!
The little girl from back then had already become a powerhouse capable of standing on her own.
"Oh, it's Gion! Weren't you helping Little Tsuru?"
As an Admiral candidate, Gion usually stayed by Vice Admiral Tsuru's side to assist her while also learning some valuable knowledge. After all, Marine Headquarters had far too few intelligent and strategic talents.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I believe you need to take a look at this!"
Part of Gion's duties also involved the intelligence department.
At this moment, she was holding a wanted poster. It was clear that her expression was not very good.
"Oh? Let me see."
"A bounty of thirty million Berries … just some nameless little pirate. Straw Hat… Monkey D. Luffy? Wait! Monkey?! This brat is—?!"
As Sengoku read, he had originally assumed this was just an unknown little pirate from the East Blue.
In that weakest of seas, a bounty of thirty million Berries was already quite impressive, but he was not worried. After all, another rising star of Marine Headquarters, Smoker, was stationed in the East Blue.
As a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, very few pirates could escape from his hands and enter the Grand Line.
But as Sengoku continued reading, something felt wrong.
"That's right. Vice Admiral Garp is already on his way back to the East Blue. This Straw Hat boy is Vice Admiral Garp's grandson…"
"Nani?! That brat Dragon actually has a son? Wait, Garp didn't even give me a heads-up about something like this and ran back to the East Blue by himself? Bastard!"
"Mm, I know you're anxious, but please don't be anxious just yet, because there is one more thing!"
Looking at the furious Sengoku, Gion thoughtfully added another stab.
"Straw Hat Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates! At present, aside from the captain, there are five other members!"
"Roronoa Zoro, a swordsman with some fame in the East Blue. A navigator named Nami. The sniper Usopp. The cook Sanji. And…"
"Combatant, An!"
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789