After receiving authorization from the Gorosei, Saint Garling's face showed the excited smile of a hunter before the chase. The previous "hunting tournaments" had been far too dull; this time, he could finally have some real fun.
Garling immediately bowed deeply.
"Honored Gorosei-sama, we will make those rebels fully understand just how foolish it is to provoke the descendants of 'gods'!"
At the same time, the Gorosei's orders were swiftly transmitted to the World Government, and from there delivered into Sengoku's hands.
Looking at the order in his hand, Sengoku had a bad feeling.
An admiral and five Marine Headquarters vice admirals—no matter how he looked at it, that was a lineup on the level of a Buster Call, and this was supposed to be just to protect Celestial Dragons?
The order did not mention anything about the Hunting Tournament. It only instructed Sengoku to dispatch the navy to escort the Celestial Dragons along the way and ensure their safety.
What on earth was the World Government trying to do?
Headquarters currently had only one admiral stationed there. Could the World Government really be unaware how hollow Marineford's combat strength would be after this move?
But no matter how he looked at it, it did not seem like they were preparing to move against the Lulusia Kingdom—after all, the Celestial Dragons themselves would be on site. Even so, Sengoku still felt uneasy. He, more than anyone, did not want to personally make a move against Lulusia Kingdom.
It was a direct order from the highest authority, and Sengoku had no way to refuse. He could only notify the admiral currently stationed at Headquarters, Kizaru, to come at once.
"Sengoku-san, you called this old man over in such a rush… did some troublesome thing happen?"
Kizaru appeared in Sengoku's office, as lazy as ever.
Sengoku looked up at Kizaru's appearance and did not bother to nitpick his attitude. Instead, he pushed the document from the World Government in front of him.
"I'm afraid your vacation is going to end early, Borsalino."
Kizaru raised an eyebrow, picked up the document, and skimmed it carelessly at first.
But after seeing the contents, his expression finally grew a bit more thoughtful.
"An admiral and five Headquarters vice admirals… this lineup is almost enough to trigger a Buster Call already. Sengoku-san, just which Celestial Dragon are we going to protect this time?"
After all, under normal circumstances, escorting Celestial Dragons only required a single vice admiral.
With such a high-spec combat configuration, anyone could see this was not a simple escort mission.
Sengoku rubbed his temples, his face full of helplessness.
"The command on that order is signed directly by the Gorosei. As for the details, they refused to disclose anything in advance, so I don't know either. They only demanded we carry it out unconditionally."
"So you're saying, we send out an admiral and five vice admirals from the navy, and we don't even know the destination or the specifics of the mission. If we end up causing some huge disaster in the process…?"
Sengoku shot Kizaru an exasperated look.
"What kind of huge disaster could you even cause? You only need to ensure the Celestial Dragons' safety!"
"Even so, if the Celestial Dragons order us to do something, it won't exactly be easy to refuse, right?"
Kizaru knew those people's personalities all too well.
Sengoku massaged his forehead again.
"Don't pay them any mind. Your only duty is to protect the Celestial Dragons. As long as no one is actually threatening them, you don't need to make a move under any circumstances. Even if the Celestial Dragons give you orders, you can turn them down directly!"
"…Got it."
Kizaru nodded. His gaze swept around the office, and suddenly he seemed to remember something.
"By the way, where's Garp-san? I haven't seen him at all these past few days."
At the mention of Garp, Sengoku's expression grew even uglier, even a bit teeth-gnashing.
"That old bastard! A week ago he said he was going to the G-5 Branch in the New World for an inspection and to 'hunt down a few pirate crews with bounties over a hundred million'! He ran faster than a rabbit! Right now he's probably tucked in some corner munching senbei and watching the show!"
Kizaru was stunned for a moment, then almost burst out laughing, only managing to hold it in with some effort.
"Garp-san sure has 'foresight'."
It was obvious that with all the uproar surrounding Lulusia recently, even Garp had run off to the New World to hide. Sometimes Kizaru felt that if he weren't an admiral, he wouldn't have to worry about so many things either.
"Doberman, Stainless, Strawberry, Yamakaji, Momonga…"
When Kizaru saw the list of vice admirals participating in this operation, he couldn't help but sigh. Among the many vice admirals, these were all considered relatively strong.
"These names were also decided from above?" Kizaru asked Sengoku, puzzled.
After receiving Sengoku's confirmation, Kizaru chuckled softly.
"Looks like those higher-ups are dead set on leaving nothing to chance. This operation is anything but simple."
He spoke lightly, but the sense of foreboding in his heart only grew heavier.
Kizaru also suspected this might have something to do with Lulusia Kingdom. But seeing Sengoku's expression right now, it was clear Sengoku knew nothing either, so Kizaru swallowed his questions back down.
"In that case, Sengoku-san, I'll go make the preparations. Let's hope this mission ends quickly."
Kizaru did not say anything more. The time window left for him by the order was not large; he still needed to go back, gather the vice admirals, and head to Mary Geoise as soon as possible to receive the Celestial Dragons.
As Kizaru walked out of the Fleet Admiral's office, the lazy look on his face gradually faded away, replaced by deep solemnity.
No matter what, an order was an order. As a Marine admiral, he had to carry it out. As for what might happen along the way… he could only take it one step at a time.
Watching Kizaru's back as he left, Sengoku let out a long, heavy sigh.
How could he not know how strange this mission was? But he had no power to resist the Gorosei's command. He could only hope that Borsalino would handle things with care and not let the situation spiral into the worst possible outcome.
At the same time, invitations for the "Hunting Tournament" were delivered into the hands of the Celestial Dragons, quickly arousing intense interest and anticipation among these so-called "descendants of the creators of the world."
Many Celestial Dragon families submitted names to participate in this tournament. They did not know where Lulusia Kingdom was, but the idea of capturing a king and turning him into a slave was very appealing to them.
And after seeing the photos of Teresa and Beth, the Celestial Dragons only grew more eager to make them slaves as well.
As for the prizes the Gorosei had prepared for the tournament—Devil Fruits—they barely gave them a second glance.
Elsewhere, under Garling's summons, the God Knights also began to move in secret.
A so-called "feast," one that took the destruction of a country and the slaughter of its people as entertainment, was slowly pressing down upon Lulusia Kingdom under the careful orchestration of the World Government's highest rulers.
(End of Chapter)
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