In everyone's mind, their image only existed in the newspapers, so many people had always assumed they were mostly a bunch of "civil-servant type" leaders.
Who could've thought that what Shiki and Big Mom said today would directly expose their true strength, shocking everyone present.
If CPO was the Celestial Dragons' strongest shield, then the Five Elders were undoubtedly the greatest pillar of the World Government. As long as they didn't fall, the World Government would never collapse!
Creed didn't say a word, but in his heart, the level of the Five Elders instantly rose by a whole tier.
Perhaps… they weren't any weaker than Kaido?! Were they SSSS+-rank as well?
Of course, even among SSSS+-rank, there was still a hierarchy. Without a doubt, Kaido's SSSS+ was at the very top! In a one-on-one fight, this so-called "Beast Emperor" basically had no equal!
However, all of that was just speculation. Only after seeing the Five Elders in person would he be able to truly gauge their strength clearly.
"The Five Elders… they're really something to look forward to."
Creed said calmly.
That arrow they had shot at him before—that grudge was one he would definitely repay!
"Redfield-senpai, help me contact Dragon. I want to meet him immediately."
Having considered everything, Creed made his decision.
"Understood, my captain."
The aloof Redfield immediately went off to take care of it.
At this time, Big Mom spoke up.
"By the way, Robin-san has already finished translating and deciphering the Poneglyphs…"
"Really?"
Creed was pleasantly surprised.
Robin's efficiency was obviously higher than last time.
In that case, one Road Poneglyph was already in hand, and there were still three more.
One was in Kaido's possession, another was closely tied to the Kozuki clan—no one knew whether it was in Wano Country or on Zou Island—while the last one's whereabouts were completely unknown.
In other words, one Road Poneglyph was already secured, with three remaining.
One was with Kaido, one was bound up with the Kozuki clan, though it was unclear whether it lay in Wano Country or atop the giant elephant Zou, and the last one's location was utterly unknown.
"Next… are we going to crusade against Kaido?"
Creed frowned slightly.
He truly didn't have even a shred of goodwill toward Kaido.
The sins Kaido and that Orochi guy had committed in Wano were countless; they were both the kind of scum that deserved heavenly punishment!
If the overall situation stabilized and the Navy stopped putting such heavy pressure on him, the very first target Creed wanted to crusade against would absolutely be Kaido!
In Robin's room, Creed received the translated Road Poneglyph.
In addition to the Road Poneglyph, there were translations of two other Poneglyphs.
It turned out Big Mom actually had a total of three Poneglyphs in her hands.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining three Poneglyphs. Mission progress: 4/30."
The system prompt quickly sounded in his mind.
"System, what exactly is that World Treasure Chest you're going to reward me with once I complete the mission?"
Thinking of the reward, Creed asked out of curiosity.
"The World Treasure Chest can unveil the truth of this world…"
The system's response took him by surprise.
But after that single line, the system fell completely silent.
It seemed that if he wanted to know what it really was, he'd have to complete the mission himself.
"Unveil the truth of this world? What truth is there left in this world that still needs unveiling… Hm? Could it be the Devil Fruit tree?!"
That one vague, illusory sentence from the system gave Creed a bit of a headache, but the moment he thought of a certain possibility, his whole body jolted.
There was no doubt that Devil Fruits were the most mysterious things in this world. Once a host mastered a Devil Fruit's power to the deepest level, they would obtain terrifying abilities akin to the very laws of reality.
And the fact they were called "fruits" meant that the thing that produced them was very likely a tree—a single, unimaginable Mother Tree!
A Mother Tree that bore so many of this world's "laws"—its very existence could indeed be called the truth of this world, its essence and its origin!
In other words, the name "Devil Fruit" itself hinted that there might be a single, incredible Mother Tree that produced them all. A Mother Tree containing so many of this world's laws—its existence might very well be the true nature and fundamental source of the world itself!
"It looks like I need to get my hands on the Road Poneglyph in Kaido's possession as soon as possible. Since the third one is related to Wano, defeating Kaido might just give me a lead on its location…"
In Creed's heart, the plan to crusade against Kaido instantly shot up to the very top of his priority list.
Beside him, Robin watched him silently as he held the translated Poneglyphs and sank into deep thought. Her bright eyes stayed fixed on his profile for a long time.
Back when she first met Creed, he was already a man whose name shook the world. But never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that, in just a few short years, Creed would rise in one go to the throne of Emperor of the Sea, and even faintly have the momentum to become the strongest among all the Emperors.
What a heaven-defying man he was.
What was even more terrifying was that Creed wasn't even twenty years old yet; his future still held countless possibilities.
Even someone like Robin, whose mind was never on romance, couldn't help but feel her heart stir a little at this moment.
As the saying went, beauties loved heroes. And the man who had given her the chance to decipher the Poneglyphs and fulfill the greatest wish of her life—Creed—was undoubtedly the great hero in her heart.
There was no way Robin could treat him as if nothing at all.
"But… just quietly watching him like this is probably good enough. After all, he already has Ain-chan…"
Robin wanted to say something, but found she didn't know how to open her mouth.
The path she'd walked had been so rough that she had seen just about everything. Yet when it came to being with someone she liked, she had absolutely no experience.
A moment later, she realized she'd been staring at him for a bit too long. She hurriedly shifted her gaze away, a burning heat spreading across her cheeks, her usual calm and composure gone.
In that instant, she even had a faint feeling that deciphering the Poneglyphs wasn't that important anymore—so long as she could stay by Creed's side, it would be enough.
"So this is what it feels like to like someone…?"
She felt a little lost.
After chatting with Robin for a bit, Creed took his leave, leaving her feeling somewhat empty and dazed.
With his special ability to read people's hearts, how could Creed not know what she felt for him?
To be honest, he was a little surprised.
He had known Robin had a good impression of him, but he hadn't expected that, after slowly building up, that goodwill would actually change into genuine affection and admiration. Although Robin hadn't fallen that deeply yet, Creed had no idea how to respond for the time being, so slipping away was the best option.
As for gentle, intellectual "onee-san" types like Robin, he didn't exactly have much resistance. But he hadn't reached the same level of feelings she had; plus, he had only just gotten that far with Ain not long ago, so he felt it was better to keep some distance for now.
Still, when it came to romance, he preferred to just let things take their natural course. He didn't really have any notions about "devotion to one person only."
After all, as a transmigrator, being able to have those peerless beauties he had admired and liked back in his previous life was something any normal man both would and should do.
Of course, romance and such were far from the most important thing to Creed right now.
Reaching the supreme height of this world, becoming the strongest, suppressing everything, and seeing through the truth of this world—that was his greatest pursuit at the moment!
Creed also understood very well that if he wanted to one day live a peaceful, blissful life with Ain and the others, he needed power capable of crushing this entire world.
Otherwise, everything would ultimately be nothing more than a mirage.
After parting from Robin, Creed conveniently went to visit Shirahoshi nearby.
(End of Chapter)
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