"Milords, the enemy has entered the Holy Land!"
A CP0 member with a grave expression strode in and pushed open the door to the office of the Five Elders.
However, amid the chaos and panic, the scene inside the office of the Five Elders appeared strangely eerie.
Saint Peter and Saint Warcury, who were stationed there, still sat calmly on their soft sofa, their postures even appearing leisurely.
On their faces, there wasn't the slightest trace of the expected fury or panic, only the icy chill within their deep eyes, capable of freezing all.
The invisible pressure emanating from them explained their emotions more than any words could.
How long has it been?
How long since the Holy Land had been attacked?
No, since the founding of the Holy Land, it had never faced an invasion of this scale.
To the two of them, this group of lowly pirates was simply courting death.
"Send all defensive forces to face the enemy."
Saint Peter spoke in a deep voice, his tone void of fluctuation, cold like polar ice.
"Summon the Marine and have them rush here as fast as possible."
He did not think that a mere group of pirates could pose any real threat to the Holy Land.
His tone carried a deeply ingrained arrogance.
In his eyes, even the forces stationed in the Holy Land were more than enough to utterly crush these insolent intruders.
"Yes, milord!", CP0 bowed respectfully and quickly left to carry out the order, as if the "calm" of the two Elders had brought him a sliver of consolation.
———
[Marine Headquarters]
Sunlight poured through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows into the spacious, bright office of the Fleet Admiral. The air carried a faint scent of coffee and paper.
Rosse leaned back leisurely in the large office chair, his fingertips tapping at the mountain of documents, handling those daily tasks he deemed trivial.
"Pururururu!"
Suddenly, a sharp and urgent Den Den Mushi ring rang out, like a sign of ominous fate, shattering the peace.
Rosse's eyes flickered. He didn't reach out himself but simply gestured to Moa standing nearby.
At this moment, Moa's expression was visibly off, her hands trembling slightly, more nervous and uneasy than at any time before.
As if… she already knew what had happened.
Moa took a deep breath, as if summoning tremendous courage, and pressed the connect button with a trembling finger.
On the other end of the line, CP0's voice came instantly, laced with unmistakable urgency and deference, ["Saint Rosse! The Holy Land needs reinforcements!"]
The voice of CP0 came respectfully, yet slightly anxious.
Had it been any other Marine Fleet Admiral, CP0's tone would have surely been arrogant and condescending, like a superior issuing orders to a subordinate.
But Rosse was one of the Celestial Dragons, CP0 dared not show the slightest disrespect.
"Be specific. Panic won't solve anything," Rosse replied blandly, his voice calm. As if the report wasn't about a crisis threatening the World Government, but something trivial.
["The Holy Land has been attacked by pirates. The two lords command that you lead the Marine to reinforce them,"] CP0 said anxiously.
"The Holy Land is under attack?", Rosse feigned a surprised look, "What's the current situation?"
Although things were urgent at the Holy Land, with Celestial Dragons and guards dying every minute, CP0 knew he had to report the situation clearly. He hurriedly said, ["The enemy is a pirate force led by Golden Lion. Others include Pirate King's crew Rayleigh, Gaban, Bullet, as well as Dragon, and several major pirates from the New World and their subordinates."]
CP0's voice carried a faint tremor. Every name on that list was enough to shake the world. He paused, then continued, ["Currently, Bullet has been stopped by Saint Sommers. Gaban and Rayleigh are also being held off by CP0. Golden Lion is fighting against members of the God's Knights. Dragon's whereabouts are currently unknown, he seems to be freeing slaves. The rest of the New World pirates are engaging with the Celestial Dragon family guards…"]
"The two saints, have they taken the field?", Rosse suddenly asked.
["Not yet. They believe the situation is still within control,"] CP0 answered honestly.
"That's good. That means things aren't that serious yet," Rosse seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, though there was a hint of something like regret.
What exactly, CP0 couldn't tell, nor did he dare to try.
Then he heard Rosse continue, "Understood. I'll lead a team back immediately. Sakazuki will stay to guard the headquarters."
This sentence, like a sound from the heavens, instantly lit up CP0's face with joy.
At last, the order had been passed down.
On the other side, Rosse leisurely hung up the call, his expression neither pleased nor angry.
The people who had come this time were more or less what he had expected.
But overall… still somewhat lacking.
S-Class fighters only included Golden Lion, Rayleigh, Dragon, Gaban, and Bullet.
That number seemed large, but even excluding the highest-ranked figure, there were still six S-Class fighters stationed in the Holy Land. These few alone weren't enough to deal with that.
Only the A-Class pirates were somewhat more numerous this time. Many New World pirates had been pulled in, which was the only reason the balance wasn't immediately lost.
But that was assuming the two Elders hadn't entered the battlefield.
Rosse estimated that those two probably hadn't taken this assault seriously at all.
A few minor losses weren't enough to attract their true attention.
After all, it was only guards and some low-ranking Celestial Dragons who had died.
However…
Rosse glanced at Moa, who had her back to him.
If he remembered correctly, among the summoned powerhouses this time, there were still a few more.
'They haven't appeared in the Holy Land yet, are they preparing to intercept me?'
'Or perhaps… they are hiding somewhere, waiting for the perfect moment?'
But no matter what, it had nothing to do with him. He feared no interception.
If they really tried to stop him, then don't blame him for leading his forces straight into the Holy Land.
Rosse slowly stood up, preparing to head out.
Since the Holy Land had requested reinforcements, appearances had to be made.
"Master!", Just as Rosse was about to step toward the office door, an urgent yet complicated voice called from behind him.
"What is it?", Rosse stopped, slightly tilted his head, and in his eyes gleamed a trace of amusement.
He was quite curious, what would Moa say at this moment?
"Wishing you great victory in battle," Moa gave a small bow. There was no attempt to block him, only a wish.
She didn't believe Rosse's life would be in danger this time.
Even if the Holy Land was damaged, it had little to do with Rosse.
Since that was the case, better to keep lying low, until the day she could truly strike him from the shadows.
What Rosse had done to her, she would return it all in full.
She would turn Rosse into her slave, force him to kneel and serve her every day.
All that humiliation, she would make him taste it too.
'There will definitely be such a day!'
"Thanks for the kind words," Rosse laughed heartily at that, as if he didn't see the hatred in Moa's eyes at all. He turned and wrapped his arm around her, gave her a deep ki-ss, then walked out of the office with flair.
Moa's little schemes, he understood them all too well.
'But don't worry, there will never be such a day. Never.'
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