Big Mom watched the intimate way the two of them interacted, clearly with no distance between them anymore. Old hands like her and Shiki didn't need to ask what had happened between them.
But that was nothing to fuss over. Anyone who wasn't blind could see the two were in love. Ain had defected from the Marines for Creed's sake, giving up her status as an Admiral candidate and sacrificing so much.
If those two still couldn't end up together, that would be what people couldn't stand to see.
"How's things on the Marine side?"
Creed asked.
On the way back, he hadn't received any urgent messages from Shiki and the others, which meant the Marines hadn't done anything big yet. But given the situation, he still needed to keep tabs on them.
"In the New World, the Marines haven't made any major moves yet. But they've already started a second round of world conscription—and a new selection for the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
Redfield shared a piece of news that genuinely surprised Creed.
"World conscription? They think the forces they've gathered still aren't enough?"
Creed's eyes narrowed slightly.
Now that was interesting.
Looked like the Marines' top priority… was still him.
This was the World Government's advantage—they could summon top–class powerhouses from all across the world to serve them at any time.
Last world conscription, the Marines had recruited Aramaki as a new Admiral, as well as several Admiral candidates and quite a few elite Vice Admirals, greatly boosting Marine strength.
If this round of conscription brought in another Admiral—or even more…
In the past, Creed might have worried.
But now, to be blunt, Admirals and Emperor–level combatants no longer really caught his eye—especially now that he possessed an awakened Tremor-Tremor Fruit. No matter how many strong people they stacked up, he wouldn't have much reason to fear them.
Right now, the only ones he truly acknowledged were SSSS+–level monsters—existences like Whitebeard and Kaido.
Whether the Marines had anyone like that yet… was another matter.
"Still, if the three Admirals are about done reaching their peak, that could be interesting. I wonder if they can show me something new."
Creed's thoughts shifted.
At their peak, Admirals who could clash evenly with a sick and aging Whitebeard clearly possessed SSSS–level strength.
With the added boost from Logia abilities, their power should be able to approach SSSS+–level.
And once their Devil Fruits fully awakened, there was a real chance they could step into SSSS+–level.
"I really want to see what magma, ice, and light look like after complete awakening…"
Creed was genuinely curious about what a fully awakened Magma, Ice, and Light Fruit would be capable of.
"Captain, all of our divisions have already relocated to Totto Land and settled in. Also, the Revolutionary Army's leader, Monkey D. Dragon, contacted us personally…"
Redfield gave a quick status report and then dropped a bombshell that shocked everyone.
"Dragon, huh? That guy's no small fry…"
Shiki muttered.
Even while hiding away and managing his floating islands, he'd kept a close eye on world events.
There was no doubt—in the years before Creed's rise, the Revolutionary Army had been the absolute darling of the headlines.
Reports about the Revolutionary Army were almost always on the front page.
They'd not only toppled countless tyrannical regimes, but also spread ideas like "harmony, equality, freedom, and dreams," loosening the World Government's grip on the world at its very foundation.
However, judging from the recent news, the Revolutionary Army had suffered a devastating blow at the hands of the Blood Shadow Organization, taking massive losses. The World Government's mouthpiece newspapers had even used the word "annihilation" to describe their "victory."
When that big event broke, everyone on Creed's side had felt a deep sense of regret.
If the Revolutionary Army could keep the World Government tied up, Creed's chances of winning the coming final war in the New World would increase drastically.
But now that the World Government could free up their hands on the Revolutionary Army front, the pressure on Creed's side only kept growing.
And today, Dragon had suddenly reached out—that carried a very different meaning.
Of course, if Dragon was asking for help, Creed wouldn't just stand by and watch.
After all, there was a sort of familial connection between them.
But based on what Creed knew of Dragon, this was much more likely to be about cooperation. Dragon was a man with unbending pride—he wasn't the type to easily beg for aid.
"Given the situation, if we can team up with Dragon, then the Marines won't be worth fearing. At the very least, both sides could fight on equal footing."
Creed decided to deal with this matter first.
That said, there was one awkward detail.
When Bartholomew Kuma had visited before, Creed had more or less guessed what he'd come for—but he'd ended up knocking Kuma out for the sake of a purple treasure chest.
When Creed said he was going to contact Dragon, both Shiki and Big Mom nodded their approval.
"If we can form an alliance with the Revolutionary Army, then no matter how many troops the Marines gather, it won't matter," Shiki said. "Unless the Five Elders themselves show up!"
That sentence sparked Creed's curiosity.
"The Five Elders, personally? Are they really that strong?"
Back when Creed rampaged through Mariejois, he hadn't encountered the Five Elders. But as he'd been escaping, a strange arrow had shot toward him out of nowhere.
If not for his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) being able to glimpse the future, he would likely have died right then and there from that arrow that pierced space and locked directly onto his heart.
If his guess was right, that arrow had been loosed by one of the Five Elders.
When the time came to attack Mariejois, he would definitely have to go through the Five Elders first, so it was only natural he'd want to know their true strength ahead of time.
"The Five Elders are extremely strong. I've never fought them myself, but I've heard what the old–timers said. No matter how many big–name pirates managed to fight their way to Mariejois, none of them ever got past the Five Elders…"
Shiki rubbed his nose with a hint of frustration.
"Among those pirates, there were even one or two who could fight me to a standstill. If I'd managed to defeat Garp and Sengoku back when I hit Marineford, I absolutely would've gone to Mariejois afterward to stir up some chaos—just to see those Five Elders for myself. Those rotten Celestial Dragons… they all deserve to die!"
"The Five Elders are Mariejois' absolute pillars of stability," Big Mom added. "Their strength is such that even my old captain, Rocks, didn't dare provoke them lightly. He once said this himself: no matter how he rampaged through the New World, no matter how he became the strongest ruler on the seas—in front of the Five Elders, he was nothing."
Rocks had been the previous generation's Sea Overlord—he'd practically unified the New World. In a sense, he was even more terrifying than the current Four Emperors.
If words like that had come out of his mouth, they were as good as the truth.
"Hiss…"
Everyone present, except for Creed, drew in a sharp breath.
(End of Chapter)
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