After subduing Morgans, Caelan returned to the group.

"Is it settled?"

Seeing Caelan come back, the girls asked one after another.

"Yeah, we've secured another partner. We're one step closer to establishing our new force."

"Now, we need to take care of the remaining issues in Dressrosa."

Caelan was in a good mood, and his tone was cheerful.

Defeating Doflamingo was only the first step.

The people of this country were still unaware of the truth, and King Riku was still imprisoned.

There were still properties and assets that needed to be settled.

"Mm!"

Violet nodded excitedly. Her spirit was high.

With their greatest enemy, Doflamingo, gone, the remaining tasks didn't seem difficult at all.

So, Violet helped Caelan and the others begin the post-battle efforts in full swing.

They took control of the Donquixote Family's territory, rescued the imprisoned King Riku, and began explaining Doflamingo's conspiracy to the people…

With Caelan supporting everything behind the scenes, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Meanwhile, the Five Elders urgently summoned Sengoku to their new office for a meeting, preparing to reprimand him once again.

The battle between Caelan and Doflamingo had been broadcast live by Borsalino, and many things were clearly seen.

"Doflamingo was truly useless. He didn't uncover anything."

Saint Nasujuro leaned on the First Generation Kitetsu, his tone full of irritation.

Swordsmanship and Haki were things Caelan already had, or would inevitably master. They were not the information the Five Elders were after.

What they truly wanted to witness was the God Slayer Spear that Caelan had displayed back in the East Blue.

That power, comparable to the Celestial Dragons' hidden treasure, was the secret they were eager to uncover.

"Don't worry. It's not like we got nothing out of it. At the very least, we gathered some intel on his subordinates."

Saint Saturn's expression was dark and clearly unhappy.

"Two Warlords of the Sea, one admiral candidate, and several others with powerful Devil Fruit abilities."

"These people make up a complete Yonko-level lineup."

Saint Mercury summarized the strength of Caelan's forces, his expression becoming increasingly grim.

Uta's Song-Song Fruit, Tashigi, Kalifa, and Vivi's Mythical Zoan Fruits—all of them had tremendous potential.

"Before this, we only focused on Caelan himself and ignored the people around him. That was a mistake."

Saint Peter spoke with a bit of frustration.

Caelan's brilliance made the others around him seem insignificant.

But in the clash between Caelan's forces and the Donquixote Family, his subordinates had shown overwhelming performance. It was total domination.

This wasn't a good sign. It meant that Caelan no longer wanted to fight alone. He was building real ambition.

"This isn't good news. He'll be even harder to deal with than Rocks ever was."

Saint Saturn assessed Caelan's power, his face darkening further.

Back then, even Rocks didn't have a weapon like the God Slayer Spear, something that rivaled the Celestial Dragons' national treasure.

"Caelan has become our top threat. He must be dealt with."

The other Five Elders all agreed with Saint Saturn's judgment.

Even Rocks at his peak didn't bring as much pressure as Caelan now did.

"Let the Marines test him again. We must find out the God Slayer Spear's limitations."

"Once we understand how it works, we'll strike immediately!"

Saint Saturn made the final decision.

The Celestial Dragons' hidden treasure could destroy an island with one blow, but required an unknown amount of time to charge.

They had reason to believe that if Caelan used the God Slayer Spear, he would have to pay a significant price.

If they could force him to use it again, they would have the opportunity to eliminate him.

"Seconded."

"Agreed."

"I agree."

The other Elders all voiced their support.

They didn't want Caelan to continue developing unchecked. Their goal was to destroy him in one swift strike.

When the time came, all five of them would personally intervene, along with the Knights of God. Caelan would not escape!

At that moment, Sengoku arrived at the Five Elders' new office.

He didn't question why they had moved offices—he knew he was there to be reprimanded, and wasn't in the position to ask questions.

"Sengoku, explain the defection of the G-5 Marine Branch."

Saint Saturn crossed his arms and questioned coldly.

Sengoku's expression turned bitter, and he admitted fault straightforwardly. "Yes, I failed to discipline my subordinates properly. I will reflect on it."

Truthfully, he wanted to criticize the Five Elders instead.

Smoker had reported the situation: a large part of the reason those Marine officers defected was the Celestial Dragons' disgusting behavior.

Sengoku himself thought the same. But he couldn't say such things openly.

If he did, it would be equivalent to saying that the entire Navy was against the Celestial Dragons. That would be disastrous.

"Sengoku, an apology isn't enough. I want you to execute the families of those defected Marines. Let the world see the consequences of betrayal!"

Saint Nasujuro gripped the Kitetsu tightly, his tone murderous.

Sengoku's face turned stiff, and he stayed silent.

"What? You don't want to do it?"

Saint Nasujuro narrowed his eyes, his voice threatening.

"After investigation, most of those Marines were orphans with no families. The few who had relatives are now in Caelan's sphere of influence."

Sengoku had anticipated this problem before coming.

He feared the World Government would target the defectors' families. But after looking into it, he realized his worries were unnecessary.

Most of those Marines had joined out of hatred after pirates destroyed their families.

The others who had families were located near Dressrosa, well within Caelan's territory of influence.

It could be said that these Marines had made their decision after careful consideration.

"…"

The Five Elders fell silent, as if they had just punched air.

"Let's move on from the G-5 Branch. Let's talk about the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

"There are only two remaining—Hawkeye and Kuma. We must replenish the ranks immediately."

Just bringing up the Warlords made the Five Elders uncomfortable.

Seven had gone to sea, three were captured by Caelan (Gecko Moria, Jinbe, and Hancock), and two were defeated.

This system was originally created to counterbalance the Marine Headquarters and the Four Emperors, but now it was all but useless.

"I've tried my best, but I haven't found any suitable candidates."

Sengoku raised his hands in helplessness.

Nowadays, pirates were either extremely violent or obsessed with freedom.

The Navy didn't want bloodthirsty criminals.

And those who valued their freedom looked down on the Marines.

Since the capture of Crocodile, he hadn't found a single viable replacement.

"You can't find them? I think you just don't want to."

Saint Saturn's face darkened further, increasingly displeased with Sengoku.

This Fleet Admiral was useless and only caused more problems.

The more he looked at Sengoku, the more annoyed he became.

They couldn't keep him in power much longer.

"I really have tried!"

Sengoku once again raised his hands helplessly.

"Hmph, let's say you have. Since you can't find anyone, we'll handle it ourselves!"

"We'll issue a global call. Any pirate who wants to be a Warlord can apply. I think Weevil and Blackbeard are solid options."

Saint Saturn stared at Sengoku and sneered.

They didn't care how ruthless the pirates were. As long as they submitted to the World Government, they were acceptable.

"What?! Absolutely not!"

Sengoku lost his composure and shouted.

Blackbeard might be acceptable. After all, he had killed one of Whitebeard's captains.

But Weevil? No way.

Weevil had cut off Zeff's arm and slaughtered an entire ship of Marine trainees.

How could such a bloodthirsty maniac become a Warlord?!

"Sengoku, this is a directive, not a suggestion."

"You may leave now. Go back and think about how to eliminate Caelan."

The Five Elders ignored Sengoku's protest and directly dismissed him.

"Yes…"

Sengoku left the office, feeling dejected and full of worry.

He couldn't reverse the Five Elders' decision, and it was already set in stone—Weevil would become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Sengoku felt extremely uneasy. He had no idea how he'd explain this to Zeff.

He had a sinking feeling… that he was about to lose another comrade.

(To be continued.)

***

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