"Unprecedented destruction?"

Shamrock instinctively glanced up at the sky, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Could a single Rumble-Rumble Fruit user really bring about such devastation to the Holy Land?

Was that even possible?

Sensing Shamrock's thoughts, Garling subtly raised his hand and patted his shoulder, speaking calmly.

"Don't doubt it. The moment you attack, forget whether you can even reach them at that height—even if you do, you won't be able to defeat them in one strike. And once they retaliate, with so many Celestial Dragons living in the Holy Land, losing a few wouldn't matter. But if too many die, who will bear that responsibility?"

Hearing this, Shamrock's lips twitched slightly.

Now that the balance of power in the Holy Land had been disrupted, whether it was the Figarland family, the Ethanbaron family, or any other ruling Celestial Dragon families, all were shrouded under the shadow of that Fleet Admiral.

One misstep could bring catastrophic ruin upon their respective houses.

The reason was simple.

The Marine Fleet Admiral had long planned to gradually weaken or even abolish the privileges of the Celestial Dragons and the power structure of the World Government.

At this point, any mistake made by a ruling Celestial Dragon family would become an excuse for the Admiral to eliminate them.

At this moment, he finally understood why Ethanbaron had suddenly reached an agreement with Sengoku and decisively turned to leave when Guernica appeared.

Perhaps, even his father had only realized at that moment what Ethanbaron and the others were scheming.

Otherwise, his father would never have stepped in to interject when Ethanbaron and Sengoku were locked in confrontation.

This also meant his father had nearly fallen into their trap.

*****

Meanwhile.

Ethanbaron, who had entered the Chamber of Power with Sengoku, immediately walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Through the glass, he looked down at Garling and his son.

Seeing the father and son alternately looking up and whispering to each other before ultimately leaving Pangaea Plaza without taking any action, a flicker of disappointment flashed in his eyes.

As an old fox who had presided over the Chamber of Power for so many years, how could he not know who was aboard the Ark hovering high above?

Shiki, the notorious pirate who had caused quite a stir in the Grand Line, was no longer a threat.

As for who had accompanied Shiki, he didn't care and had no reason to worry.

But if the Figarland family could stir up some trouble, he would be more than happy to see it!

After all, neither he, Saturn, nor Topman wanted Garling's power to grow unchecked.

It was no exaggeration to say that between promoting someone from Marine Headquarters to rotate as one of the Five Elders and allowing Garling to become one, they would prefer the former.

The former would have no roots in the Holy Land, whereas the Figarland family—after the fall of the Marcus and Shepherd families—had already become the foremost Celestial Dragon family in the Holy Land.

If this continued, they would all be reduced to mere stepping stones for Garling.

Most importantly, the Figarland family now enjoyed the favor of Imu-sama.

Not only had Garling been promoted as a candidate for the Five Elders, but Shamrock had also been made the leader of the God's Knights.

Under such circumstances, if they didn't act soon, Garling would soon be trampling all over them!

"Sengoku,"

At that moment, Saturn suddenly looked up at Sengoku, who had gone to brew tea nearby, and said gravely.

"You know Shiki well. Have you come up with any countermeasures? If we do nothing and let that Ark hover over the Holy Land, it will severely undermine the authority of the World Government!"

"Let Ethanbaron handle it!"

Sengoku leisurely poured himself a cup of tea and replied.

"His swordsmanship is unparalleled. A few thousand meters is nothing. Even if he can't harm Shiki, he should at least be able to cut down that Ark, right?"

"?????"

Ethanbaron caught off guard by Sengoku's continued targeting even back in the Chamber of power, was instantly covered in question marks and immediately turned to glare at him.

"What are you looking at?"

Sengoku narrowed his eyes, sipping his tea, his tone still unhurried.

"Don't tell me such a trivial matter requires bothering Orion?"

"Sengoku, do you have a problem with me?"

SinceGarling and his son had already left Pangaea Square, Ethanbaron decisively turned and strode up to Sengoku, speaking in a low voice.

"Ever since you took a seat in the Chamber of power, you've been targeting me at every turn! Is it all because I once investigated Orion, which led to his imprisonment?"

"No, no, don't misunderstand me!"

Sengoku waved his hand, his expression serious.

"Regarding this matter, I was indeed very displeased with you at first, but that was just because I was angry. After calming down and thinking it over, I realized you were right back then. If you hadn't investigated Orion, he might not have launched a coup so quickly, nor would he have so swiftly crushed two Yonko in the New World and completely subdued the once-rebellious Seven Warlords. I wouldn't have accidentally become one of the Five Elders either, sitting here discussing philosophy with you all."

"On this matter alone, I am deeply grateful to you!"

"The reason I'm targeting you everywhere isn't because you've offended me in some way—it's simply because I can't stand the sight of you! Remember back in the day when you and Saturn sat high and mighty in the Chamber of Power, sipping tea, playing chess, then picking up the Den Den Mushi to boss me around? Now that I've become one of the Five Elders, who else should I pick fights with if not you? Of course, if you really can't take it anymore, we can go find a place right now to settle this—both our superiority and our lives!"

"You said it yourself!"

Ethanbaron was so furious he gritted his teeth and said.

"You choose the place!"

Sengoku: "The plaza!"

Ethanbaron: "Let's go!"

Sengoku abruptly stood up, "Fine, let's go!"

"Hey, hey, hey—"

Before Sengoku and Ethanbaron could turn around, Saturn, who had been sitting quietly nearby, quickly spoke up to stop them.

"You two, that's enough! Ethanbaron, calm down first! Sengoku, you should know when to stop too. As one of the Five Elders, you should maintain the dignity befitting your station!"

Hearing this, Sengoku immediately turned his head to look at Saturn.

"You want dignity?"

"Fine, I'll give you dignity right now!"

Before the words had even fully left his mouth, Sengoku didn't hesitate for a second—he raised the teacup in his hand and hurled it straight at Saturn.

Saturn clearly hadn't expected Sengoku to actually attack so suddenly.

Caught off guard, the teacup hit him square in the face, splashing tea all over him.

Well, that did it.

Saturn's anger was now fully ignited.

He stood up with a roar: "Sengoku, have you lost your mind?! This is the Chamber of Power!"

"Even if we did boss you around in the past, it was our right as the Five Elders to issue you orders! As a military man, you should have obeyed them!"

Sengoku flung off his robe and began rolling up his sleeves as he spoke.

"Enough talk. If I don't fight someone today, I won't feel right! Are you two coming at me one by one, or together? I'll take you on either way!"

"I'll go!"

"See you at the plaza!"

Saturn had also lost his composure.

He immediately grabbed a Den Den Mushi and, without caring whether anyone was on the other end to receive the call, growled.

"Clear out Pangaea Plaza immediately! No one is allowed near it without my orders!"

With that, he tossed the Den Den Mushi aside and stormed out in a rage.

Ethanbaron was clearly thoroughly provoked as well.

Clutching his katana, he followed closely behind.

As he brushed past Sengoku, he provocatively drew his sword slightly.

Oddly, Sengoku didn't follow them out.

After the two had left the Chamber of Power, he leisurely returned to his previous seat and sat down.

Then, under the watchful gaze of Topman Warcury—who had remained silent the entire time—he pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and dialed.

Soon, the call connected.

"Hey, Orion? It's Sengoku!"

"I can't take being one of the Five Elders anymore! Saturn and Ethanbaron are ganging up on me everywhere!"

"My heart is full of bitterness~"

???

Topman Warcury's eyes instantly widened, his expression gradually descending into chaos.

Who was targeting who here?!

Just as Warcury instinctively opened his mouth to defend Saturn and Ethanbaron, a familiar voice immediately came through the Den Den Mushi.

"Playing the victim first, are you?!"

Never had he expected Orion to be so reasonable.

Warcury let out a sigh of relief.

Such perspective, such magnanimity—truly deserving of praise, praise, and more praise.

"Ahaha, of course not!"

"Topman can testify that Saturn and Ethanbaron have already ordered the clearing of Pangaea Plaza. Once I leave the Chamber of power, they definitely won't let me off!"

Again?

Topman's facial muscles twitched violently.

This level of distortion of truth was truly unparalleled!

Fortunately, Fleet Admiral Orion could distinguish right from wrong.

Just as Topman thought Orion wouldn't believe Sengoku's nonsense, the voice coming through the Den Den Mushi instantly froze him on the spot.

"Since the plaza has been cleared, go beat them up first. If you can't win, I'll come back and hang them up for you to pummel."

"But before that, you need to watch out for Shiki and Enel in the sky."

"Their targets probably aren't the Holy Land, but Marineford or Impel Down."

-----------------------------

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