The following morning, Fleet Admiral Kong hurried aboard a Marine warship bound for the Holy Land of Mariejois, perched atop the Red Line.
Inside the grand chamber known as the Room of Authority, the Five Elders sat solemnly on their sofas, awaiting Kong's arrival.
One of them wore a black suit. His white, curly hair and bushy beard matched the scar etched across his left cheek beneath his flat cap.
Another wore a deep blue suit. His long, straight white hair and goatee resembled that of a mountain goat.
A third, in a crimson suit with no tie, had golden hair, a golden beard, and a noticeable scar on his chest.
The fourth Elder, clad in dark green, was bald with a pronounced birthmark on his forehead and downward-sloping mustache whiskers.
The fifth sat in white traditional robes, bald and spectacled, the only one not wearing a Western suit or facial hair. He held a katana in his arms that pulsed with a strange, ominous aura.
These were the rulers who held absolute power within the World Government, the Five Elders.
Standing firmly at the center of the chamber, Kong addressed them with unwavering resolve.
"Concerning the matter of the Flevance Kingdom, I believe you're all aware of the situation. The Amber Lead is indeed toxic, and I trust you're fully informed. So then, do you approve of the Navy's proposal?"
He had just reported everything he knew about the crisis and relayed the Navy's official position on the matter.
The Five Elders exchanged glances. The one with the drooping mustache finally scowled and spoke.
"The toxicity of Amber Lead... The World Government was truly unaware. It appears the royal family of Aryel bribed, or replaced, the government inspectors sent to Flevance. The inspection reports must've been falsified. We've been deceived."
A faint smile crept onto Kong's face. Their stance was clear now, they would distance the World Government from all liability.
He nodded. "Then I ask the Five Elders to dispatch agents to Flevance to contain the situation, and issue an official statement."
"Though the Reverie is currently underway, orchestrating the murder of a Marine high command officer is a grievous crime. Even a king of a member nation cannot be forgiven," said the mustached Elder in a cold, clipped tone. "From here on, the World Government will take over this matter."
"In that case, I'll leave it in your capable hands." Satisfied, Kong bowed slightly and turned to leave.
But just as he reached the door, the white-haired Elder in the flat cap called out.
"Kong, during the Reverie, the assassination of a member nation's king will cause major diplomatic ripples. I trust this won't happen again."
Kong didn't break stride.
"And the attempted assassination of a Marine high command officer is equally egregious," he retorted. "I expect that won't happen again either."
With that, he exited the Room of Authority, never looking back.
The chamber fell into silence as the Five Elders stared after him.
Moments later, the mustached Elder snarled in frustration.
"Damn it... That brat, Amphitrite Cross, how did he find out about the toxicity of Amber Lead?!"
The golden-haired Elder replied, voice low and grim.
"How he learned the truth doesn't matter. We were never going to be able to hide it for another hundred years. Anyone could test Amber Lead and discover its poisonous nature. And with Amber Lead Syndrome on the brink of a mass outbreak, this situation gives us the perfect opportunity to extricate the World Government from direct blame."
The Elder in traditional robes added sharply, "The entire Aryel royal family must be wiped out. We can't let them reveal the full truth."
"But many of Flevance's ministers, generals, and royal guards also know the truth," the curly-haired Elder said hesitantly.
"No matter," the goat-bearded Elder said calmly. "The syndrome itself will be more than enough to silence Flevance. They'll have no way to spread the truth beyond their borders."
"We'll release a statement that Amber Lead is the root cause of the syndrome, but provide no technical explanation," the robed Elder continued coldly. "Then we'll send agents to neighboring countries to spread rumors that it's a contagious disease. Stir them into panic. Force them to close their borders. Let Flevance rot in isolation."
The golden-haired Elder nodded. "Very well. Assign the task to CP."
"Bring me a paper."
...
Two days later.
A massive Marine warship cut through the waves.
Cross stood on the deck, facing a news coo, a bird native to the Grand Line, resembling an albatross, wearing a small red messenger bag and a cap. It hovered before him, ready to sell the latest edition of the newspaper.
These birds were exclusive to the sea-faring world of pirates and Marines, delivering news to ships far from land.
With a flap of its wings, the news coo pulled a paper from its pouch and passed it to Cross.
Cross handed over a 50 Berry note. The news coo took the payment, then soared away.
Cross unfolded the paper. His eyes immediately landed on the front page headline:
"Monstrous Treachery! The Aryel Royal Family Deceives the World Government, Murders Marine Leadership!"
The article spared no detail, outlining how the Aryel royals had concealed the toxicity of Amber Lead from the World Government, how they orchestrated the attack on Black Arm Zephyr, former Admiral and now Chief Instructor at Marine HQ, and how their people had risen up in revolt.
The message was clear: the World Government was an innocent victim. The blame rested solely with the Aryel family.
"Oh? So the news is out already, huh."
Smoker approached, chomping on his cigar. He leaned over Cross's shoulder to get a better look.
"What? They actually reported on what happened in Flevance?"
"Let me see that!"
"Me too! I want to know how they're spinning this!"
Hearing the commotion, the other Marines on deck quickly crowded around. Cross, alarmed, shoved the paper at Smoker and backed away.
Watching from nearby, Hina shook her head and sighed as she saw Smoker get swallowed up by the throng.
She turned to Cross, who had managed to slip free.
"We just went out for drinks, and you and Zephyr-sensei ended up executing a king! Especially Zephyr-sensei... To think he shot Aryel XIII in cold blood. Hina is still in shock."
Cross shook his head slowly. His gaze drifted toward the sealed door of the captain's quarters.
"When a man values profit over the lives of his own people, it's not strange that Zephyr-sensei would be pushed to kill."
Hina's expression turned hard. "To think there exists such a vile king... willing to sacrifice his entire kingdom for money."
Her normally graceful features were contorted in anger. "They used silverware and normal food for themselves, but served visitors off Amber Lead dishes, seasoned with toxic lead-based sweeteners! It's disgusting. Hina is furious!"
"I'll be honest, when I first told Zephyr-sensei the truth about Amber Lead, he didn't believe me," Cross said with a helpless smile. "Even when I suggested testing Aryel XIII to confirm it, he insisted the royals wouldn't be foolish enough to serve toxic tableware to Marine officers."
He paused.
"But I didn't expect them to be this stupid. They handed us the evidence themselves."
He turned to Hina and added grimly:
"All I can say is, he who brings ruin upon himself, deserves no mercy."
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