"Sorry, Sir Guernica, but I can't make that decision. If Saint Ross truly needs an Admiral to serve as his guard, there must be a transfer order from the Five Elders."
Fleet Admiral Kong was an old hand. With a single sentence, he kicked the ball right back.
Kong sat calmly in the Fleet Admiral's seat, his gaze sweeping over the somewhat uncomfortable subordinates below as he secretly laughed.
Why else was he the Fleet Admiral while those beneath him were merely Admirals and Vice Admirals?
It wasn't as if they didn't already know what Celestial Dragons were like. Why bother arguing with them?
Could they really drag an Admiral off to become a private bodyguard? The Five Elders and the World Government would never agree to that.
Still, Kong had no desire to offend a Celestial Dragon.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would be promoted in a few years.
Once he went to Mary Geoise, he would inevitably have plenty of dealings with these people.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, correct?"
The Den Den Mushi on the conference table suddenly changed slightly, and the voice it emitted became Ross's.
"That's correct. May I ask who you are?"
Kong's expression grew more serious. The other side changing speakers at the last minute meant this person was the real master.
"Saint Jaygarcia Ross. Fleet Admiral Kong may not have heard my name, but I'm sure my surname is not unfamiliar to you," Ross said calmly.
"Your Highness, the Scientific Defense God-Warrior is your..."
Kong's expression changed slightly. He had not expected the Celestial Dragon seeking him out to possess such an identity. As an ambitious Fleet Admiral, he knew a thing or two about the Five Elders' surnames.
In the minds of officials at every level of the World Government, Celestial Dragons were not all the same.
For the ordinary sort who only knew how to indulge themselves, they only needed to put on a show of compliance. They could simply report any excessive demands and be done with it; there was no need to take them too seriously.
Of course, they still needed at least an Admiral or someone of Garp's caliber to deal with them. If a Rear Admiral or another Marine tried to brush them off, imprisonment or execution would follow as appropriate.
But for a Celestial Dragon like Ross, who had the Five Elders behind him, even Kong had to treat him cautiously.
They were not Celestial Dragons and had no idea what things were really like among them. They could only speculate based on conventional reasoning.
A direct descendant of one of the Five Elders—wouldn't that make him a future Five Elder?
"The Scientific Defense God-Warrior is my grandfather."
Ross knew this, which was why he gave his surname and borrowed the Five Elders' prestige.
In truth, all Celestial Dragons knew that aside from a small number of elites, the Five Elders regarded the rest of them as little different from pigs. Blood ties meant nothing to them.
There were only twenty Celestial Dragon families in total. One had left at the very founding of the World Government, and over the past eight hundred years, only descendants born from intermarriage among the remaining nineteen families counted as Celestial Dragons.
After eight hundred years of such selection, every family was somewhat related by blood.
Forget sharing the same ancestors—two generations up, they might even have been the same family.
But only Celestial Dragons knew this. To outsiders, every Celestial Dragon was supreme.
Besides, Kong was not yet the future commander of the Three Armies permanently stationed in the Holy Land. This possibility would never cross his mind.
"Your Highness, was it your grandfather's intention for an Admiral to serve as your guard?"
Kong asked carefully, conveniently shifting the blame away from himself.
Whether this was Saint Saturn's idea or not, as long as Ross dared to admit it, it would have nothing to do with Kong.
Even if Ross was later found to have borrowed Saint Saturn's name, that would still be a Celestial Dragon family matter.
"There are only two Admirals in the Marines right now, and one of them is semi-retired. Is that correct?"
Rather than answer directly, Ross brought the topic back to the Marine Admirals.
Originally, he had planned to use the Admirals as an excuse to recruit some younger talents and slowly cultivate them.
But since Guernica had happened to call Marine Headquarters, coupled with Kong's reaction, perhaps he could be bolder.
"That's right. Admiral Sengoku is responsible for the safety of Paradise and the Four Blues, while Admiral Zephyr is responsible for training new Marine recruits."
Kong cursed the little fox inwardly. Since when did Celestial Dragons play word games?
Weren't Celestial Dragons supposed to be straightforward?
If you have something to say, just say it. You're a Celestial Dragon, so act arrogantly already.
Kong wasn't most afraid of Celestial Dragons being arrogant. If they acted arrogant, he only had to grovel, and at worst he would receive a minor punishment afterward.
But if he got trapped in some massive scheme and something really happened, he would be finished.
"Using an Admiral to train Marine recruits—since when have the Marines become so extravagant?" Ross said flatly. "Anyone can train Marine recruits, and none of them would do a poor job."
"I heard that Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan, who have recently become quite famous in the Marines, were all taught by him. But without Zephyr, would those three not have their current strength?"
"This..."
Kong was rendered speechless.
Seeing Sakazuki and the other two below relax slightly at the praise, Kong felt even more miserable.
You don't think the Celestial Dragon is praising you, do you?
This is obviously a threat!
If Zephyr isn't sent, then the three of you will take his place.
Sakazuki and the other two had already begun to stand out. Though only in their early thirties, their strength had reached its peak and was not the least bit inferior to Marine Admirals.
One semi-retired instructor Admiral, or three future Marine Admirals—the choice required no thought at all.
"Your Highness, I can arrange for you to meet Admiral Zephyr."
As for what happened after the meeting, that would have nothing to do with him.
If Ross could keep him, that was Ross's ability. If he failed and Zephyr ran off, that would not be Kong's problem either.
"Fine. Have the Marines had any major operations recently?"
Ross agreed without hesitation. As long as he met the man, he had a way to keep him.
Everyone had weaknesses, especially an Admiral like Zephyr, who was clearly at the height of his strength yet had gone semi-retired due to his state of mind.
Since the Marines were being so accommodating, he did not mind using his status to do them a favor.
There were benefits to dealing with the Marines as well. In the future, when the Marines captured pirates, he could have them sent over for him to execute.
He wanted his combat power to grow, and killing strong opponents was undoubtedly the fastest way.
Massacring an island of a hundred thousand people might not yield as much as killing a B-rank powerhouse.
If he wanted to kill more strong opponents, the Marines' channels were still the fastest route.
The World Government had its own methods, but he was merely an ordinary Celestial Dragon, not a Five Elder or the commander of the Knights of God. He simply could not mobilize the World Government's power.
"Your Highness, Ohara's scholars intend to fabricate history detrimental to the Celestial Dragons. The World Government recently issued a Buster Call. Would you be willing to serve as the executor of this Buster Call and let the Four Blues sing of your great name?"
Others might not have understood, but Kong immediately grasped Ross's implication and was overjoyed.
Wasn't this perfect?
If the Marines carried out the Buster Call alone, destroying Ohara, a sacred land of history, Kong had been worrying over how to deal with the resulting public pressure.
But if Saint Ross led the operation, the problem would be solved at once.
There were several reports every year of Celestial Dragons destroying islands, and they never caused much of a stir. The Marines acted as accomplices every time, yet no one ever said anything about the Marines.
When working for the World Government, the Marines had to take the blame. When working for Celestial Dragons, they treated destroying an island as an achievement. The nature of it was entirely different.
"A Buster Call..."
Just as Kong's heart rose to his throat, Ross said casually:
"I've never seen a Buster Call before. I'll treat it as a sightseeing trip."
"With your arrival, this grand event will surely shine all the brighter!"
Ignoring the strange looks from his subordinates, Kong immediately offered sincere flattery.
Hah! What the hell do you know? I'm doing this for your sake.
If it weren't to spare you from public pressure, would I have let Ross get involved in the Buster Call?
Do you think I want to carry out a Buster Call?
A Buster Call was a military order led by at least five Vice Admirals, meant to erase or completely destroy an island or even a nation. Only a select few were qualified to initiate one.
Under normal circumstances, even a Celestial Dragon like Ross was not qualified to initiate a Buster Call.
But if a Celestial Dragon was injured, then for the World Government's dignity, a Buster Call would most likely be launched to erase the place where the Celestial Dragon had been harmed.
This was not twenty years later. The World Government and the Marines were currently at the height of their power.
A Buster Call issued now signaled a catastrophe.
Before you continue