At this time, around one o'clock in the afternoon, Elior had already returned to Paradise Island.
Not long after, his figure appeared within the Marine's surveillance network.
This was exactly what Kong and the others wanted their spies to confirm — whether Elior was truly on Paradise Island. Now, those spies had discovered that he was indeed there.
In fact, the Marine Headquarters and the World Government would always deploy agents to monitor the movements of the Yonko.
Therefore, the moment they confirmed Elior's presence, the information was reported immediately.
After Kong and the others found out, they became even more uneasy.
Because Elior was confirmed to be in the Paradise, while Mary Geoise lies on top of the Red Line, just beyond the new Marine Headquarters. From that sea region to Paradise Island, even the most advanced warships would need at least two days of sailing!
If Elior had been the mastermind behind last night's Mary Geoise incident, then even if he had managed to escape, he would have needed a ship to return!
It was impossible to travel from Mary Geoise to Paradise Island in just one night and one morning.
After all, the fastest vessels in existence are Marine warships!
But now, only a night and a morning had passed. Apart from warships, no ship could possibly move that fast!
So, in other words — Elior never left Paradise!
From this fact, Kong and the others concluded that the Mary Geoise incident had nothing to do with Elior.
That could only mean one thing — someone else was behind it.
And that realization made Kong and the others extremely uneasy.
They fully understood that whoever caused last night's destruction must be an existence far beyond terrifying.
Everyone began to realize that, aside from Elior, there were other powerful enemies hidden in the shadows — ones they would eventually have to face.
In truth, they had no idea who this mysterious mastermind could be.
Just moments ago, all clues pointed toward Elior… but now, every lead was gone.
However, Kong and the others didn't know that Elior not only possessed the ability to fly — he could fly at high speeds, which was how he had already returned to Paradise overnight.
In this world, the ability to fly is exceedingly rare!
When Gion learned that Elior had returned to Paradise, she finally felt relieved.
Now, it seemed that he was no longer under suspicion by the Gorosei.
It was said that this time, not only had many Celestial Dragons died, but extremely important items had also been stolen from Mary Geoise — driving the higher-ranking Dragons into a frenzy.
However, even the Marine Headquarters had no idea what those "extremely important" stolen items were.
Meanwhile, the five informants who had secretly infiltrated Paradise were quickly discovered by the locals. Although they weren't Elior's direct subordinates, as residents of Paradise Island, they instinctively protected Elior's interests.
As a result, once their identities were exposed, the five spies were swiftly executed.
After all, it only takes capturing one to make the others talk.
But that was just a small incident.
After Elior returned, he rested briefly before deciding to hold an important meeting that evening.
When the women saw Elior return, they couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"Where's Hiyori?" they asked.
Elior simply replied that she was training on Amazon Lily.
Of course, some of them mentioned wanting to visit the island someday — to which Boa Hancock was more than happy to agree.
As night fell, Elior's meeting began.
The core members of the crew gathered — including RedfielD and World.
"Captain, did you really go to Mary Geoise?"
"Is that... the eternal pose to the God Valley?"
"And there's even a Devil Fruit Encyclopedia? This one looks ancient — and thicker than usual!"
Everyone looked at Elior at the head of the table with astonishment.
None of them had expected that his short trip would lead him to infiltrate Mary Geoise itself — and even bring back the so-called eternal pose to God Valley. It was hard not to be surprised.
Of course, if they knew what Mary Geoise looked like now, "surprised" wouldn't even begin to cover it.
The matter was too serious — more than two hundred Celestial Dragons had been killed. Such an event couldn't possibly be covered up. Sooner or later, news of the catastrophe would spread across the entire world.
However, no one outside would know that Elior was the one responsible.
And everyone present had a mutual understanding: nothing discussed at this meeting was to be leaked to outsiders.
"That's right," Elior confirmed. "I went to Mary Geoise and obtained this eternal pose. I also gathered some important information."
World raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure this is the eternal pose to God Valley?"
Redfield leaned forward. "It seems so. The material is certainly unusual. But this is the first time I've seen a five-pointed eternal pose."
"Same here," another said.
"Does having five points mean it's more accurate?"
"No" Red Earl replied. "If all five needles point in unison to one place, it means this pose locks perfectly onto a single island. That island must be God Valley!"
"The Captain's terrifying — he really infiltrated Mary Geoise! Tch tch..."
"By the way, Captain," Shiryu spoke up, "what exactly did you find out in Mary Geoise? You mentioned some important information."
Elior leaned back in his chair and began to recount everything he had learned from Vegapunk and Stussy.
He explained the power of the Gorosei, the composition and estimated number of high-ranking Celestial Dragons — those elite nobles whose strength rivaled that of Marine Admirals.
Then he spoke of Im, the mysterious sovereign who ruled from the shadows, and the terrifying ancient weapon under her control.
But there was one thing Elior didn't reveal — that Vegapunk was now completely under his control.
Elior never spoke of his ability to dominate others' wills.
That was his greatest trump card — one he would never reveal, not even to his most loyal subordinates.
And certainly not to his women.
Elior's words left the entire room stunned. The more he spoke, the quieter everyone became.
When he finally finished, he let silence hang in the air, allowing the crew to process everything.
After several minutes, Bundy broke the silence.
"Elior, you mean to say there are over twenty top-tier powerhouses among the Celestial Dragons?"
Elior nodded calmly.
Redfield crossed his arms. "It seems the Celestial Dragons aren't as simple as the world believes. They're surrounded by monsters! And beyond them, even more powerful forces are at play."
"So the Gorosei weren't chosen for immortality after all," someone murmured, surprised.
Bullet shook his head, his expression dark. "That's not the real problem. The true threat is that woman — Imu — and the weapon she possesses."
"Yes," another agreed. "That's the most terrifying part of all."
Everyone nodded grimly in agreement.