Chapter 251: The Beginning
Imu stood amidst the sea of flowers. In the respectful gazes of the God of Justice, Topman Warcury, and a female member of the God's Knights, they slightly lowered their head.
Their scarlet eyes reflected the one after another photos in their hand. When their detached gaze fell on the giant mermaid with long pink hair and the man with flawless white wings, who exuded a holy aura, a subtle change flashed in their originally calm eyes, as if they had fallen into thought, into memory. But under the watchful eyes of the two present, Imu's expression did not change in the slightest, remaining as detached and merciless as ever.
Then, they opened the documents in their hand and coolly swept their gaze over the information regarding the royal family of Fish-Man Island. Imu's slender fingertips moved slightly, and the documents related to Fish-Man Island fluttered down as they flipped to the next page.
The next moment, a series of documents about Terra once again attracted their attention. From the terrain, which was far higher than the sea level, to the continuously expanding area, the newborn Treasure Tree Adam, and the massive Island Cloud... all of it made Imu's brow furrow slightly.
Gradually, one after another, the documents and photos slipped from their hand and fell to the ground.
Nearby, the young God's Knight knelt on the ground and picked up the scattered documents and photos.
When only two photos were left in Imu's palm, they raised their head, and their detached gaze fell on Topman Warcury, saying nothing.
Seeing this, the latter instantly broke out in a sweat, and his already lowered head drew even closer to the ground.
Just as he was in a state of terror, the female God's Knight turned and left. But she quickly returned to her original spot and respectfully handed a map to Imu.
...
After a long while, the tightly closed doors of the "Flower Room" opened again. The bald man in the black suit with a graying handlebar mustache walked out.
Outside the door, the other members of the Five Elders, who had been waiting for a long time, saw him and all stepped forward to ask, "Warcury, what was Lord Imu's decision? Are we going to impose sanctions on Fish-Man Island?"
Facing the one after another questions from his colleagues, Topman Warcury took a deep breath and then showed them the map in his hand.
The group was taken aback, and then a subtle change came over their expressions. They completely understood Lord Imu's meaning.
On the map, which had a geography identical to Fish-Man Island, was a red 'X', the crimson ink flowing slightly like blood.
In a certain manor in the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
In an exceptionally magnificent garden, four different figures were gathered together. Before them, on the table, were plates of delicacies cooked from ingredients that were extremely rare in the world.
A man with long, graying hair and glasses on his face, wearing a white tank top and floral shorts, was sprawled on a sofa. His gaze swept over the others, and finally stopped on the exceptionally petite young woman. He raised a hand to pick his teeth.
"Hey, Junko! I heard that the higher-ups are going to have the agents and the Marines wipe out Fish-Man Island. Is that true?"
The petite woman, wearing a military cap and a special military uniform, with only a pair of panties on her lower half and half her face covered in bandages, slightly averted her gaze and replied in an emotionless voice, "That's right. This time, they have crossed the line. To actually seek refuge with the last remnants of the Lunarians... the higher-ups cannot tolerate such a thing."
Nearby, another man, also in a military uniform but always in his Zoan form, looking like a humanoid giraffe but with a head of wild, long hair, extended a hand in a white glove, cut a piece of steak with a knife and fork, and put it into his long, crocodile-like snout.
"Saint Somazu, you seem to be very concerned about this matter," Saint Limosiver Quilinguame said, chewing slightly, his eyes revealing a harmless look.
To this, Saint Shepherd Somazu, who was dressed like a friendly, neighborhood old man, laughed. "I just think... for those fish-men and merfolk to die under cannon fire just like that... it's such a waste! This incident is a perfect opportunity to hold a great hunting competition! That way, we can all have fun, and our ordinary kinsmen can also replenish some of their rare-race slaves! You have to know, they're about to become an endangered species!"
Somazu's words made Quilinguame and Junko turn their heads slightly, falling into a brief thought.
However, the red-haired man, who had not spoken until now, expressed his opinion at this moment. "Not this time. If we delay for too long, that last remnant probably won't just sit by and watch this happen. And that Golden Lion, who snatched the Space-Space Fruit and also got some benefits from God Valley, will probably also come sniffing around. In that case, the great hunting competition will turn into a second God Valley incident. With only half of our manpower left, plus those who were chosen for training... we can't stop such a thing from happening." With that, the man named Figarland Shamrock shook his head at Somazu.
Over the years, the God's Knights had lost half of their members in one major incident after another. Even the easiest mission had resulted in one death. With the new forces not yet ready to be put on the table, the God's Knights had no confidence in being able to guarantee the safety of the Celestial Dragons from the monsters.
Nearby, Quilinguame also thought of something. While taking a glass of water and pouring it into his mouth, he added, "Shamrock is right. And the fish-men have ten times the arm strength of a human, right? Hunting millions of fish-men might lead to casualties among our own people. If the gods are injured on a large scale, or even killed... that would be a terrible thing! Hunting is better done in small, non-member nations."
"Tch. That's such a pity!" Hearing their words, Somazu said no more, his face full of regret.
Then, a flash of inspiration went through his mind, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Since our own people can't go hunting, then we can have the slave traders go and capture them, right?! Since the higher-ups are going to wipe out Fish-Man Island anyway, then there's no need to hold back on the capture of rare races, right?!"
"Have the slave traders make a move?" Shamrock lowered his head, falling into a brief thought. "This matter cannot be made too big. If Fish-Man Island cannot control the situation, it will attract that last remnant's people."
Quilinguame crossed his arms, a strange light in his harmless eyes. "If we attract that monster known as the Angel, the situation will become very ugly, won't it? If the annihilation plan is not completed because of this, or if a large number of fish escape the net, the higher-ups will definitely have your hide!"
"Then let's forget it." Hearing this, Somazu's smile disappeared, and his whole body shivered.
"That last remnant of the Lunarians..." On another sofa, Junko, half of her face covered in bandages, had a hint of confusion in her detached eyes. "Is he more difficult to deal with than Whitebeard, Kaido, or Red-Hair? He's the youngest one, isn't he?"
"..."
As her words fell, the expressions of Quilinguame and Somazu became strange. Only Shamrock's gaze remained as detached as ever. After a brief silence, Quilinguame raised a hand and gently stroked his long, crocodile-like snout. "Although I haven't fought him," he said thoughtfully, "those who have are basically either dead or crippled. The deaths of Aokiji and Zephyr already speak volumes." At this moment, even Somazu became unusually serious, his eyes filled with apprehension. "Now, compared to Kaido, I think he is the one who can be called the strongest, both in terms of individual strength and the power of his forces."
Unlike the other two, Shamrock had a different view. "The so-called 'World's Strongest'? That's just a joke praised by the lower world's people who have no clear understanding of true military might." Shamrock's originally detached expression was now tinged with a sarcastic sneer, his entire being disdainful of the so-called "strongest."
"..."
Quilinguame and Somazu looked at each other, feeling a little confused. They didn't know if Shamrock's words meant that he himself possessed a power greater than the Archangel's, or that the upper echelons had a military force that surpassed people's understanding.
A strange light appeared in Quilinguame's eyes, as if he had suddenly become interested. "Shamrock, are you confident you can defeat that last remnant or Kaido of the Beasts?"
Shamrock raised a hand to the hilt of the sword that extended from his waist, his eyes as if on fire. "Without a real fight, who can know the outcome?"
Shamrock believed that his reason for stopping Somazu's proposal was to prevent any accidents in the plan above, which would lead to its ultimate failure. It did not mean that he was afraid of certain people in the depths of the New World.
However, Shamrock's words made Somazu, who had been clamoring for a hunt on Fish-Man Island, frown slightly. "Shamrock, I think your mentality is not very good!" As an older God's Knight, Somazu had witnessed and even personally experienced the power of those monsters in the depths of the New World. He knew very well that when facing that kind of monster, one could be confident, and one could be proud, but one could absolutely not be careless. He was worried that Shamrock would face those monsters with the wrong mentality.
Shamrock glanced at him. "Relax. I'm not some little brat who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth."
"I hope so!" Somazu shrugged, then bent down to pick up a glass of wine from the table, swirling it gently. "But speaking of which, that last remnant's force is quite astonishing! The Buccaneer race, the Lunarian race, a team of powerful giants, and many strong executives! This has already far surpassed the former Whitebeard Pirates or the Roger Pirates!"
Somazu believed that the combined strength of these powerful races was so overwhelming that it was already enough to make the whole world wary.
Nearby, Quilinguame heard him, stood up, took out a stack of bounty posters from inside, and placed them on the table, flipping them over one by one. "The Tearer of Meat, the Snow-Fiend... they are also quite incredible figures. Plus those executives... they are indeed quite powerful."
Quilinguame flipped to a bounty poster and, looking at the mermaid with red and white hair, raised an eyebrow. He then picked up the poster, and showed it to Shamrock. "Shamrock, does this Siren also have the blood of your Figarland family flowing in her? She is also quite a troublesome character. It is said that she has not shown any signs of using her full power at all!"
Quilinguame's words made the other two also quietly prick up their ears. When it came to gossip about the Figarland family, they simply could not refuse.
Facing the group's hidden gazes, Shamrock did not have a particular reaction, but he also did not hide his thoughts. "We are not sure if she possesses the blood of the Figarland family. But as long as she has enough value, whether she has it or not is not a very important matter. If she doesn't, we can also treat her as if she does. However, that person is quite hostile to us. In order to stop us from finding the Siren, he even went so far as to fight me—" Shamrock buried half his face in shadow, subconsciously pressing a hand on the faintly aching wound on his shoulder.
The group heard him, and a strange light appeared in their eyes. However, before they could say anything, a series of footsteps approached, attracting their attention and interrupting their conversation. The group subconsciously turned to look. A tall old man with his hair, beard, and sideburns combed into a crescent moon shape and spikes, sunglasses on his face, dressed in magnificent noble attire, and a saber at his waist, was striding toward them.
"Yo, Garling!"
"Saint Garling."
"Commander—"
In an instant, the group had already recognized the newcomer's identity: the current Commander of the God's Knights, Saint Figarland Garling.
Garling stopped in front of them. His eyes, from under his sunglasses, first swept over the group, and finally stopped on Junko. "There is a mission that requires you few to carry out," he said in an unhurried voice.
"A mission?" Somazu raised an eyebrow, then stood up and picked up his clothes from the sofa to put them on. "It's a good thing Junko is here this time! Otherwise, I might have been summoned away without even getting dressed!"
Nearby, Junko's mouth twitched, and she once again averted her gaze.
Garling ignored his actions and casually took out a photograph, placing it on the table. "The Mermaid Princess, Shirahoshi. Bring her back alive. According to Gernica's report, they have discovered bombs of considerable power in certain locations on Fish-Man Island. They have already been secretly cleared, but you still need to be careful. You must be careful not to get entangled with that last remnant's people. After you have captured the Mermaid Princess and brought her back to Mary Geoise, you will go to Elbaf to support our comrades."
Quilinguame stood up, put his head into a resin bubble, and held his weapon in his arms. "Two consecutive missions? It's really busy lately!"
"Elbaf?" Somazu, who was now fully dressed in a special military uniform with a sword at his waist, crossed his arms. "Are we going there to sweep Harald's grave?"
"It's not important," Shamrock stood up, one hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword, a look of complete indifference on his face. "As long as the mission is completed, that's all that matters."
Garling looked around at the group, and in their eyes, he lightly pushed up the sunglasses on his face. "Naturally, we are to turn all the giants of Elbaf into our mercenaries. And then, with a pincer attack from both sides, we will level the so-called Terra. The world will perish without anyone knowing. That land must not be an exception." Figarland Garling slightly lowered his head, letting his profile be buried in shadow, the sunglasses that covered his eyes reflecting a cold light.
In the seas near the entrance to the New World.
In the lower stratosphere, an irregular crack suddenly appeared in the air, as if it had torn a hideous scar in the sky. Immediately after, the extremely long crack emitted a chilling light and rapidly expanded, revealing a scene as deep and dark as a starry sky.
An indescribable behemoth, as if composed of countless irregular crystals, swam out like a whale and came to a stop above the pale sea of clouds. A space of several thousand meters was compressed to one meter, surrounding it on all sides, and distorting the air like a desert's heat haze.
It was the Fantasy Species, Avant Heim.
At the time, Louis had ultimately chosen the fruit he had traded from Shiki and had obtained an unexpected harvest. This fruit, combined with Avant Heim and an almost indestructible crystal mineral, had formed a new form.
Inside it, in a space that was immeasurably larger than its external form, Yelena looked at the powerful army gathered in front of her, fastened her gas mask, and turned to Uta at her side. "On Terra's side... are you sure you left a 'split body' of Avant Heim?"
"Yes, it's already been left. As long as Avant opens a space gate, even if it can only be maintained for an instant, it's enough for Louis to arrive here."
Yelena heard this and nodded. Then, without further ado, she took a deep breath and said again, "In that case, then we will take Avant Heim's split body and head for Fish-Man Island first, to prevent any accidents from happening. As for the others, they will wait for Avant Heim's teleportation."
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