After the Sea Train matter was settled, Saint Saturn finally asked, "What do you need Sengoku to help you with?"
"It is not anything major. I want some Dyna Stone. That stuff is all kept under Marine control, right? So I planned to discuss it with Admiral Sengoku," Valthior chuckled seamlessly.
"Dyna Stone?" Saint Saturn asked in confusion. "What do you need that for?"
"Very soon, I will build a brand-new battleship to replace the Oro Jackson. That warship has places where Dyna Stone can be used," Valthior said openly.
Dyna Stone was said to be precious, but in truth, it was not that rare. There were large reserves of it. The difficulty lay in mining it.
If one was careless and let it come into contact with air while separating it from the rock layer, it would produce a violent explosion.
When used in large quantities, its power was extremely great. Because of that, the World Government listed it as a controlled material, and it did not easily circulate on the market.
But again, that was only for ordinary people.
For a top-level Celestial Dragon like Valthior, this was not a problem at all.
Saint Saturn looked at Sengoku.
Sengoku was also very tactful and immediately said, "May I ask how much Dyna Stone Saint Valthior needs? And where would it be convenient to receive it? I will arrange people to escort it there."
There was no room to refuse.
"I need roughly…" Valthior quickly gave Sengoku a number.
This amount had been decided after several discussions between Buggy, Caesar, and Master Tom.
After confirming that the delivery location would be Frost Island, Sengoku immediately agreed and said he would arrange the matter as quickly as possible.
"The Devil Fruit you mentioned last time—Sengoku has already obtained it and handed it to me," Saint Saturn said once there was nothing serious left to discuss.
"Is that so? That is great. But as I said before, do not let Robin become an ability user before she awakens the Sharingan," Valthior reminded him again.
"You do not need to worry about Robin," Saint Saturn replied, somewhat displeased.
Very soon, he shifted the topic back to having children.
The two of them were not on the same page at all. Valthior laughed it off, said he still had other matters to handle, then hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Looking at the disconnected Den Den Mushi, Saint Saturn sighed helplessly.
"Once children grow up, they stop listening…"
"Saint Valthior has noble character and outstanding ability. The fact that he can share your burdens is already commendable," Admiral Sengoku said carefully, offering reassurance.
He also understood that Saint Saturn wasn't really discussing Saint Valthior.
It was a gesture of goodwill—a way of drawing closer to Sengoku.
Naturally, Sengoku would not reject this kind of approach.
After a moment, Saint Saturn asked again, "Has Vice Admiral Garp returned? And regarding his child, Dragon—how much do you know about him?"
"According to the reports, Vice Admiral Garp has already received Headquarters' transfer order and is heading toward the South Blue Red Port. He should return very soon. As for Dragon… to be honest, I do not know much about the child. Back then, Garp had him join the Marines starting from the bottom. He never revealed Dragon's identity to the outside, and Dragon only called himself 'Dragon.' He did not rely on Vice Admiral Garp's surname," Sengoku said immediately.
"Is that so?" Saturn nodded. After a short silence, he said, "I have already ordered CP to arrest and eliminate the Revolutionary Army. When you return, also tell Vice Admiral Garp to relax. Once Dragon is captured, he will be handed over to Garp to deal with personally."
"Yes. On behalf of Vice Admiral Garp, I thank you for your grace," Admiral Sengoku said, slightly relieved.
The current Revolutionary Army had not yet gained momentum, nor had it caused any especially great chaos.
It had merely overthrown the government of one kingdom in the South Blue.
Again, in the eyes of the Five Elders, this was only a minor matter.
Therefore, they were more than willing to do Garp a favor and pardon Dragon.
Saint Saturn was simply using this opportunity to draw Admiral Sengoku closer.
Meanwhile, at Frost Island's harbor in the New World—
Valthior sat on a reef covered by a thin layer of ice along the shore, a cigar clenched between his teeth. A notebook rested in his hand, and he was writing and sketching in it.
This wasn't another article meant to pin the blame on Roger.
Instead, he was jotting down scattered notes as he analyzed and planned for the future.
"Judging from the current stage, the Marines are not my enemy, nor do they pose a threat. In fact, I can rely on authority and influence to borrow the Marines' power to a certain extent. From this perspective, it seems I do not need to possess military power capable of fighting the Marines. I can even consider how to bring the Marines under my command…" Valthior wrote.
However, after leaving two lines of space, Valthior circled two words with emphasis—
"Root cause."
"What is the root cause of the Marines acting this way? Is it because I am a Celestial Dragon? No, not at all. It is because the old man is the Warrior God of Science and Defense, the highest leader of the World Government's armed forces. For hundreds of years, the Marines have grown used to obeying orders from the Warrior God of Science and Defense. They have grown used to obeying the old man's commands…" Valthior wrote.
Authority was something invisible and intangible, but that did not mean it did not exist. On the contrary, its influence was deeply rooted.
Saint Saturn had served as the Warrior God of Science and Defense for hundreds of years. The Marine high command had changed again and again. Fleet Admirals had come and gone in batches. Yet no matter who rose to power, they all ultimately had to obey orders from Saint Saturn.
Because of that, the authority of the Warrior God of Science and Defense, and Saint Saturn's personal prestige, had an extremely terrifying influence over the Marines.
It was simply impossible to see on ordinary days.
If Saint Saturn maintained this position forever, then Valthior would not need to worry about the Marines becoming an enemy, nor would he need to worry that this true overlord of the sea would threaten him.
Because for now, and even looking toward the distant future, he and Saint Saturn would remain part of the same interest group for a very long time.
"But what if the old man dies?" Valthior suddenly stopped writing and murmured softly.
He could not control the old man's actions. He also did not know what that old man was doing or planning now. On top of that, Valthior had already changed many original developments, and that would definitely have a major influence on Saint Saturn as well.
Whether that influence was good or bad, Valthior did not know.
Precisely because he could not see through it and could not control it, Saint Saturn had to remain a variable in his eyes.
That meant Saint Saturn could be suddenly killed by Imu at any time.
In the original story, the old man had already been killed once. So if he suddenly died one day, Valthior would not be surprised at all.
Then, if the old man—Valthior's greatest backer—suddenly died, what kind of impact would it have on him?
Thinking positively, there would be no one above him anymore.
Valthior would even have another banner in his hands. He could completely raise the name of avenging Saint Saturn and, at the right time, launch his forces toward Mary Geoise.
Thinking negatively, his position within the World Government would plummet. He might not even be able to keep his identity as a Celestial Dragon.
Marine Headquarters, which he could currently influence and use through the old man's authority, would also be completely cut off from him.
And the one most likely to inherit the position of the Five Elders would still be Figarland Garling, the man who was publicly known as his sworn brother.
Whether from his personal stance or from Shanks's side, Valthior had never intended to truly stand together with Garling.
That man could only become an enemy.
So once the old man died, then for Valthior, it would almost mean a complete split between him and the World Government's power structure.
Every cooperation he had with the World Government could be swallowed up quickly.
Thinking of this, Valthior began writing in his notebook again.
"I absolutely cannot place my hopes on using the old man's authority to control the Marines. I must seize the power I currently have and draw as much blood as possible from the World Government through large-scale cooperation. I need to obtain massive benefits quickly, convert those benefits into my own strength, and be ready at any moment to completely separate from the World Government!"
At this thought, Valthior called out, "Lincoln."
"Young Master, I am here!" Lincoln, who had been waiting not far away, quickly stepped forward. "What are your orders?"
"Sort out the projects we currently have that can cooperate with the World Government. Make me a list. Then contact Alfred and have him send me the World Government's investment project plans from the past two years. Let's see which ones we can get involved in," Valthior instructed.
Power unused would expire.
While he was still the young master of one of the Five Elders' families, while the old man was still one of the highest-ranking figures in the World Government, he had to borrow these authorities and powers and squeeze the World Government's pockets hard.
"Yes, Young Master," Lincoln first nodded. Then after hesitating for a moment, he said, "For you to personally handle this kind of thing is rather beneath your dignity. Perhaps those in Mary Geoise might…"
"I am already a pirate. Do I care about that? Just do it," Valthior said, waving his hand indifferently.
As the young master of a Five Elders family, Valthior personally involving himself in so-called "business" did indeed seem somewhat beneath his status.
But he did not care about such things.
Just then, Valthior's Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
He took it out and looked at it, then said in surprise, "Captain Roger?"
Without delay, Valthior quickly answered the Den Den Mushi.
Before he could speak, Roger's noisy voice came from the other side.
"It finally connected! Your line was busy the whole time. I thought you had blocked me."
"Why would I block you for no reason?" Valthior complained, then asked, "Why are you suddenly contacting me?"
"I am preparing to head to the New World. I am almost at the South Blue Red Port now. I want you to help me get a passage permit," Roger said, somewhat embarrassed.
"Coming to the New World? What are you coming to the New World for? Not being a landlord anymore? And why not go through Reverse Mountain? Are you in a hurry?" Valthior asked in confusion.
"Ahem. I told you before, didn't I? I made some investments in Garp's son. But not long ago, that guy suddenly changed the Freedom Fighters' name to the Revolutionary Army and launched an armed rebellion against the World Government in the South Blue. I did some quick thinking and realized this matter would sooner or later be traced back to me. So the South Blue definitely is not safe anymore. I am going to the New World to avoid the storm for a while. I already agreed with Gaban—he will meet me on Binites Island, and then we will go settle in Elbaf together," Roger said casually.
As for why he did not take Reverse Mountain—
Of course it was because traveling alone with his wife and child was inconvenient!
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