Shhh!
Just as Rosse snatched the sword, Mihawk didn't stay idle either. He swung his blade at Rosse's back.
But with his current level of attack, he couldn't even break through the Armament Haki on Rosse's back; it was no different from scratching an itch.
Rosse wasn't like that brute Garp, he had Armament Haki plus the iron-body technique as divine skills. With Mihawk's current strength, still slightly below the vice-captains of emperor crews, it was impossible for him to break Rosse's defense.
"Pretty decent strength, almost broke through," Rosse chuckled lightly, holding Gryphon, commenting on Mihawk's recent slash.
In the pirate world, strong fighters usually prioritized physique above all else.
From A-level physique upward, every sub-rank difference was extremely significant.
Shanks and Mihawk teaming up might give trouble to someone like Zephyr, who was S- rank.
But against someone at S-rank, the two of them could at most defend themselves.
And against someone with an S+ physique like Rosse, if he launched full-power attacks, anyone who didn't dodge would suffer devastating damage.
Even if they attacked him, he could stand there without dodging and still not take much damage.
At his current strength, he wasn't the slightest bit weaker than Kaido twenty years later.
Facing Shanks and Mihawk, who hadn't grown up yet, there was no pressure at all.
But then again, he didn't want to support the Holy Land too early either. Now he had a perfect excuse to stay behind.
"Come on! If you don't go all out, you'll die, you know," Rosse laughed heartily and, lifting Gryphon, charged toward Mihawk.
Since they were already here, he might as well use them to practice his weakest skill, swordsmanship.
———
[World Government, Five Elders' Office]
"What's the current situation? Why hasn't Saint Rosse arrived yet?", Saint Peter looked unhappily at the CP0 who had just reentered, his tone scolding.
It had already been nearly three hours. The Holy Land was still in chaos, and there was still no word from Rosse. This made him increasingly displeased.
"Reporting, my lord. Saint Rosse has been intercepted midway by Shanks and Mihawk," CP0 replied respectfully.
"Shanks? That one from the Figarland family?", Saint Warcury asked coldly, eyes frosty.
Shanks showing up at this time with that identity, he couldn't pretend it didn't matter.
Moreover, things had gone far too quiet on the side tasked with besieging Whitebeard.
Though they hadn't proactively contacted that side, the Holy Land was in this much chaos, he didn't believe no one had reported to Saint Saturn and the others.
But until now, not a single message had come through. That alone said plenty.
"A bunch of bastards. The Holy Land gets invaded by a bunch of lowly scum, and they're still thinking about infighting," Saint Peter cursed furiously. He understood what Warcury was thinking, he thought the same.
Not only were they inactive, but they were even intercepting Marine reinforcements to the Holy Land. What their intentions were, couldn't be more obvious.
"That Saint Rosse shouldn't be too heavily trusted either," Warcury said, narrowing his eyes.
Saint Saturn was also in that squad, and likewise, no news had come from them. It was hard not to overthink it.
"He shouldn't be a problem, otherwise they wouldn't have sent Shanks to intercept him. But that Shanks is said to be even better than Shamrock, with even stronger power. Add in a new-generation Hawk-Eyes, and Saint Rosse likely won't be able to get away anytime soon," Saint Peter analyzed.
He didn't believe there was an issue with the Jaygarcia family, because there was no motive.
No matter how strong the Jaygarcia family got, the other Celestial Dragons would never allow them to hold two Elder seats.
At most, when Saint Garling replaced one of them, they might let Rosse become Commander of the God's Knights.
But the commander position didn't hold much real power, it was more like a reserve Five Elder. He didn't think that'd be too attractive for Rosse.
In his opinion, the Jaygarcia family was at best like Saint Nusjuro, a neutral faction dragged along by Saint Mars and Saint Garling.
"Hmph! Garling thinks too much. Once this is over, we still need to give him a warning," Warcury said with obvious displeasure.
"What's the situation in the Holy Land now?", Saint Peter ignored the venting Warcury and turned his gaze toward CP0.
"The current battle has reached a stalemate. The invading enemies are all strong. Taking them down will require time. Only, Dragon is moving freely across the battlefield, slaughtering World Government officials, and we're unable to stop him," CP0 reported respectfully.
"Dragon...", Saint Peter's brow tightened ever so slightly, he understood the subtext in CP0's words.
This so-called stalemate was a nice way of putting it, it didn't mean the enemy was being wiped out. It meant they hadn't yet been defeated.
Although the Holy Land had strong defensive forces, this time the invading enemies were even stronger.
They only had the home advantage. If they could hold their ground long enough, time would tilt in their favor.
But among them, Dragon was the exception.
Because there was no one of equal rank to balance him, he moved like a ghost, free to slaughter at will inside the Holy Land.
Right now, it was just World Government officials dying, they didn't really care how many.
But if this kept escalating, Dragon would likely start targeting Celestial Dragons, that was something they could not allow.
His momentum had to be stopped.
"You or me?", Saint Peter turned to look at Warcury beside him.
Given the current situation, reinforcements weren't arriving anytime soon.
In that case, they'd have to take the field themselves.
"I'll go. You stay here and guard the elders," Warcury said slowly, rising to his feet, cold aura emanating from his body as he stepped toward the door.
He had had enough.
Enough of the clamor from these lower lifeforms.
Enough of the Holy Land's order being trampled.
Enough of Celestial Dragon blood being tainted.
Eight hundred years of peace and authority had been smashed to pieces in a short time.
Since these ants dared invade the forbidden land, none of them would leave alive.
Saint Peter simply nodded lightly, watching Warcury depart.
Now that Warcury was moving, the battle would soon shift.
As long as they stalled until Marine reinforcements arrived, none of the enemies would escape.
But just as Warcury stepped out of the Elder's temple, someone who had been lurking nearby, Kozuki Oden, immediately picked up the signal.
Observation Haki could influence each other, not only probing opponents but also concealing oneself.
From before the battle began, Kozuki Oden had, according to Dragon's plan, hidden himself among the charging pirates, infiltrating the area around the Five Elders, always ready to gather intel.
This was a mission Dragon assigned to him, and one he was glad to take on.
Though not as exhilarating as fighting, some more important tasks needed someone to do them.
Kozuki Oden never imagined he'd work so well with someone he had only just met.
Mysteriously, many of Dragon's ideas aligned exactly with his own.
It felt as if they were blood brothers.
Too bad Dragon didn't have a son, otherwise they might've called each other godfather.
"Dragon, one of the Five Elders is on the move. Be ready on your side!"
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