The news of Ace's capture and impending execution swept across the world like a violent storm, carried by the newspapers of the World News Agency.
Every major media outlet reported it.
From bustling streets to remote alleys, from teahouses to taverns, people whispered, argued, and shouted about it endlessly.
It was as if a massive bomb had been dropped into calm waters—ripples spreading outward, stirring unease across the entire world.
Everyone knew one thing clearly:
The Whitebeard Pirates were famous not for cruelty, but for something far rarer—
their bond.
"Father and sons."
To outsiders, it looked childish, like a group of grown men playing house.
But to the Whitebeard Pirates, it was everything.
Whitebeard treated every crew member as his own child.
And they called him Dad—not out of obligation, but from the heart.
This was not merely a pirate crew.
It was a home.
A sanctuary for people with nowhere else to go.
And among them, Ace, captain of the Second Division, stood just below Whitebeard himself and Marco. His status was unquestionable.
Now, that son had been shackled—
and was to be publicly executed.
The humiliation alone was unforgivable.
The anger of the Whitebeard Pirates ignited instantly.
There was no need to guess what would follow.
To save Ace, Whitebeard would wager everything.
An all-out war.
Life against life.
Pirates versus the Navy.
An unprecedented conflict, gathering the strongest monsters of the era.
The curtain had already been lifted.
All that remained was for the war drums to sound.
This would be—
The War of the Summit.
The war at the very peak of the world.
Six days remained before Ace's execution.
In the meantime, the Seven Warlords of the Sea were forcibly summoned to the Holy Land—Mary Geoise.
The Navy feared leaks.
After all, the Warlords were pirates themselves. If even a hint of the encirclement plan reached Whitebeard, the entire strategy could collapse.
At such a critical moment, even the Five Elders could not afford restraint.
This battle had to be fought head-on.
Any mistake would mean catastrophic losses for the World Government.
Thus, the order was absolute:
All Seven Warlords were to remain in Mary Geoise and stand by.
With nothing to do, Xiao wandered through the Holy Land at leisure.
This place truly was the core of the World Government—the residence of the Celestial Dragons.
The city layout, architectural style, and material selection all embodied absolute extravagance.
Every detail had been crafted by top designers selected from billions of people.
It was the crystallization of world power, built to worship a single lineage.
Mary Geoise itself was a miracle.
Time had polished it smooth over thousands of years, erasing harsh edges and leaving behind a gentle, natural elegance.
It was no longer merely a human construction, but a masterpiece of harmony between civilization and nature—
a place soaked in the charm of history.
Standing within it, one felt an unnatural sense of peace.
Even Xiao—someone who had seen countless wonders and possessed treasures rivaling nations—could not help but marvel.
He looked around like a country bumpkin entering a grand estate for the first time, a faint sense of disbelief rising in his chest.
Everything here exceeded the limits of ordinary imagination.
And greed followed naturally.
After all, Xiao had been born at the bottom.
Strength could be seized—but foundations like these were built by generations, tempered by time.
They could not be stolen by force alone.
"Please stop, Lord Blackbeard."
A butler in black attire, wearing sunglasses and neatly parted hair, raised an arm to block Xiao politely.
"His Majesty the Celestial Dragon's residence lies ahead."
As a Celestial Dragon's butler, he possessed pride enough to face kings of the lower world without bowing.
But standing before Xiao—
He felt that any hint of disrespect might cost him his life.
And not a pleasant one.
Several government officers in brown suits and righteous cloaks hurried forward, positioning themselves carefully to prevent conflict.
"Relax," Xiao waved casually.
"I'm just taking a walk. This place really is… remarkable."
"Of course it is—"
Hearing praise for Mary Geoise, the butler instinctively straightened his back and began enthusiastically describing its glory and the greatness of his master.
Xiao listened for a moment, then casually twisted the gem ring on his finger.
A golden particle, glowing softly, fell into the butler's palm.
"Good butler," Xiao said lightly.
"This is for you. Whether you can go one step further… depends on how you use it."
"Hiss—!"
The butler sucked in a sharp breath.
That glow.
That texture.
He recognized it instantly.
Pure gold.
The legendary Heart of Gold sought by ancient alchemists.
A treasure his old master had exhausted himself searching for—yet it had appeared so effortlessly in his hands.
"Please wait, Lord Blackbeard…"
The butler hurried after him, lowering his voice.
"Is there… more?"
He wasn't asking only for his master.
The Celestial Dragons' population had long since exploded.
Main families, wives, concubines, sons-in-law, favorites—
millions in total.
Even within the main lineage alone, there were thousands.
This amount of pure gold might sustain one person.
But a family?
Not even close.
If this gold were distributed unevenly, it wouldn't bring blessing—
It would bring civil war.
Immortality for one, while others aged and died?
That was not a gift.
It was a catastrophe.
"Guess?"
Xiao glanced back with a strange grin.
"Thief hahahaha~~~~~"
Hands clasped behind his back, he laughed loudly and walked away.
The butler remained frozen in place, hesitation and fear warring in his eyes.
In the end, he clenched his teeth.
This matter was far beyond him.
As a servant, he could only consider how to explain it to his master.
"What a source of chaos."
High above, unseen eyes observed everything.
The Five Elders were fully aware of Xiao's actions.
Even the pure gold offered to the Celestial Dragons had already been delivered to them.
Placed atop a purple gilded cushion, the gold radiated a warm glow.
As the light washed over them, the elderly "Martial Gods" felt their vitality stir once more.
For an instant—
A trace of obsession flickered in their eyes.
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