Meanwhile, within Mary Geoise.
Gawain and Whitebeard followed closely behind the Five Elders, walking step by step through the corridors of Sabaody Castle.
As he walked, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro turned his head back, his cold gaze falling on the Whitebeard.
Noticing Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's gaze, Newgate's mustache twitched involuntarily.
"Hey, why are you looking at me like that...?"
"Hmph, you dare to call yourself 'this old man' in front of me, you brat!"
As expected of a lowly commoner, even after becoming the so-called number one in the world, they still don't understand a shred of etiquette.
Even your former captain, Rocks, was more than seventy years younger than me!
Edward Elric Newgate, I despise your arrogant condescension.
"Stop following us!"
At this point, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro turned and glanced at the CP members not far away.
Immediately, someone rushed over, grabbed Newgate, and twisted him away in another direction.
Upon seeing this, Gawain coughed softly.
"Cough cough!"
"Don't worry, Little Gawain. Since he's one of your men, even if he makes a big mistake, we can forgive him."
We won't do things like that brat Gelinggu.
Newgate will at least have a place to rest, and might even get to enjoy some Mary Geoise etiquette!
After saying that, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro turned around and continued walking forward.
After nodding, Gawain continued to follow in Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's footsteps.
As they walked, the old man who had fought alongside Garp in the God Valley Incident, and who bore the scars on his face as a result, stepped forward and spoke.
"Gawain, the person we're going to meet next..."
That is someone we absolutely cannot take lightly; we should even respect them as if they were our parents!
In any case, be sure to maintain sufficient politeness and humility in her presence!
I know your personality; getting you to kneel down would be incredibly difficult.
But you should know that even the most ruthless king should respect the mother who created him and gave him life.
To us, she is our mother and ancestor.
Can't even a child bow their head slightly in front of their mother?
In short, once you meet that person, you must watch our actions carefully!
Because her decision to see you was rather sudden, we, the old man and the others, did not have time to arrange for you to have an audience with her.
I had thought this moment would happen a few years later, or perhaps when you stood before me with even more confidence.
Hey kid, I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.
Even if you continue to politely follow my advice, I still feel that you might do something that goes against my wishes at the last minute.
Alright, alright, just trust me as much as you can.
If you do not do as I say, and instead anger that person...
I am an old man...
Well.
In that case, although we can no longer place our hopes on you, we will still exchange our years of hard work for your life.
Of course, I'm not teaching you how to go against that person's wishes.
Just think of it as me trying to put pressure on you by appealing to your emotions, hoping that you'll give us face and safely complete the final step of your journey to becoming one of the Five Elders, out of consideration for our deep concern!
At this point, the old man with the scar let out a long sigh.
Beside him, old man Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, who was holding a knife, laughed nonchalantly.
"Alright, Saturn, don't make it sound so scary."
Lady Imu is, after all, our elder. As long as we respect her as we would our elders, she will always treat us like children.
Although Gawain harbors a dangerous fire within Gawain that even we find perilous, it is not a fire that Lord Imu needs to extinguish.
Lady Imu felt as happy as if she were seeing her children grow up and become sensible when she saw a junior like Gawain showing promise.
As for anger and such.
Even if Gawain doesn't kneel before Gawain Imu, as long as he says a few nice things that he should say to his grandparents, there won't be any problem.
After saying that, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro suddenly spun his knife, causing the scabbard to slice into Gawain's wrist.
After giving it two light pats, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro gave Gawain a mischievous look.
Looking into Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's eyes, Gawain seemed to hear what the old man was thinking.
Kid, I've already taught you all the tricks.
Now it all depends on how sweet your words are!
Nearby, someone noticed Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's actions.
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, with his blond hair, sighed helplessly.
"Hey, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, why do you make something so serious sound so simple and laughable?"
That's Lady Imu! Even if she might forgive our disrespect, that doesn't give us the right to disrespect her!
At this point, Shepherd Ju Peter came to Gawain's side and gently patted him on Gawain shoulder.
"Our relationship with Lord Imu is roughly that the five of us need to meet with Lord Imu once or twice a year."
Look, doesn't it resemble a lower-class family in the outside world?
Their children work far from home and can only visit their parents a few times a year.
Many people may not even have the chance to go home once every few years.
Even so, those lower-class people who return to their hometowns may not even give their parents a proper kneeling ceremony.
The reason I consider them inferior is not just because they were born less noble than the Celestial Dragon.
It's also because, at a time when even the five of us, the Five Elders, were still willing to kowtow and pay our respects to our elders.
Only the lower classes would, after returning to their hometown after a long absence, simply enjoy the care and comfort of their parents and elders.
Lord Imu has granted us the highest authority in the world, which is far more precious Koby any red envelope.
And you...
If you want to take over the power from us, then you should know this first.
Those rights were not handed to you by us.
Those rights are a gift that Lord Imu has transferred to you through us!
So, you must show some respect later, Gawain.
When the five of us elders knelt down.
You need to join us, understand?
At this point, Shepherd Ju Peter looked intently into Gawain's eyes.
Meeting Shepherd Ju Peter's gaze, Gawain smiled and nodded.
"Of course, seniors, do you really think I'm such an arrogant person?"
After saying that, Gawain gently patted Shepherd Ju Peter's hand that was on his shoulder.
Seeing this, Shepherd Ju Peter finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He was genuinely worried about Gawain because of his past...
Well, just as he was pondering this, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, who was not far away, burst out laughing.
While laughing, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro patted his sword and said.
"Haha, Gawain, do you know why Shepherd Ju Peter keeps emphasizing this to you?"
Because when he first met Imu after becoming one of the Five Elders.
Haha, he really gave Lord Imu a good scolding!
What... I am Celestial Dragon. Even if I may not choose to enjoy the privileges that come with being Celestial Dragon, it doesn't mean I will voluntarily give up the legitimate rights that Celestial Dragon possess!
Celestial Dragon will never kneel, never! Hahahahahaha!!!
Anyway, that's what he said. His appearance really startled us old folks.
But as you later learned, he was beaten by Lord Imu for almost three days, until he looked like a minotaur, ahahahaha!!!
"Damn it, shut up!"
Hearing what Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro said, Shepherd Ju Peter was extremely ashamed, while Gawain, who was standing to the side, seemed to understand him quite well.
After all, no matter how special these five Five Elders are, they were still born into ordinary Celestial Dragon families... pure Celestial Dragon!
For the Celestial Dragon, maintaining compassion and kindness is already an incredibly difficult task.
Not to mention, there were even people who wanted the Celestial Dragon to kneel down!
Peter was naturally furious when Shepherd Ju Peter encountered something like this for the first time. Even though the other party was a senior figure who was clearly superior to the Five Elders, Shepherd Ju Peter had no reason to obey orders for no reason.
Gawain even speculated.
The reason why Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro told himself that even if he didn't want to kneel, it was okay, as long as he said some nice things, it would be fine.
Perhaps it's because each of the Five Elders makes a mistake regarding whether or not to bend their knees when they first meet Imu?
As for kneeling and bowing...
How to describe it? Gawain really doesn't care much about this kind of thing.
Kneeling is merely a form of etiquette, and as etiquette, it should not be demonized into something more burdensome.
Gawain detested the humiliating form of kneeling, mainly because of the humiliating meaning it conveyed!
Even on Earth itself, many countries still maintain the custom of kneeling in worship.
Thailand was the first to be affected.
Just think about it, which Thailand king didn't kneel down when he was young?
Thinking about it this way, could it be that the First Emperor never had a relationship with anyone else in his entire life?
How could that be!
Even when humiliated by Imu, Gawain would not easily admit defeat.
Even if he is no match for Imu now, his chakra system can still provide Gawain with an opportunity to escape due to its uniqueness.
Even when they were trapped on the Seastone ground, if the Five Elders hadn't come to their aid, Gawain would have already unleashed his ninjutsu.
From the powerful teleportation to Yomotsu Hirasaka to the weaker force of Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, there are countless ways to send Gawain and Newgate out of the Seastone's range!
Therefore, Gawain was not afraid of the impending arrival of Imu.
Although meeting Imu requires kneeling as a price, it is at least a rule that has been passed down for eight hundred years by the highest authority in Mary Geoise.
Imu had no intention of humiliating him, so would kneeling down even slightly cause him to lose a piece of flesh?
Although Gawain is still at the age of being an angry young man, his profession and personality mean that he will not easily reveal his angry young man's heart.
Therefore, very quickly.
With a gentle smile, he followed the Five Elders to the entrance of the Flower Room.
The Five Elders didn't even need to push the door open; as soon as they approached, the door to the Flower Room swung open with a roar.
After a moment, Gawain couldn't help but take a deep breath.
An indescribable fragrance of flowers wafted from his nostrils!
Then turn your gaze forward.
Wow!
Countless flowers and plants are arranged in neat rows in the huge room.
Even though it was surrounded by a profusion of flowers, and birds and butterflies vying for attention.
Gawain's gaze immediately fell upon the shadow at the very center of the Flower Room.
It was a figure that was approximately 195 cm tall.
Of course, the enormous crown she wore on her head raised her shadow to nearly four meters.
At this moment, her gaze shifted from the flowers and birds to Gawain's gentle eyes.
Noticing the tenderness in Gawain's eyes, she paused slightly, then pursed her lips thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, in front of Gawain.
The five Five Elders immediately knelt down on the ground after entering the Flower Room.
Seeing the Five Elders kneel down, Gawain didn't think much of it. He followed the rhythm of the Five Elders, bent his waist, and then bent his knees.
However, just as Gawain was about to kneel down...
Imu waved his hand sharply.
"No need for such formalities."
She said coldly, and Gawain and the other six suddenly felt their bodies freeze...
They were all brought to a complete stop by Imu's single move!
Before the Five Elders could say anything, Imu on the other side continued.
"Today is not the time for an audience, nor has Gawain reached the point where he can approach the throne."
"Don't waste my time with your kneeling. You can all leave. Gawain can stay behind."
After saying that, Imu turned around and strolled away along the small river near the center of the meadow.
The five Five Elders quickly left, Gawain, after a moment of silence, followed Imu's footsteps.
Imu's steps are small, which suits her figure perfectly.
Even dressed in a loose, divinely-inspired robe, Imu's silhouette still exuded a touch of alluring charm.
As for the butterfly perched on Imu's shoulder, and the vibrant birds that flew around Imu, reflecting the sunlight.
Those small creatures added a unique quality to Imu.
And Imu...
After walking about eighty meters, she suddenly spoke without turning her head.
Seeing the look in your eyes, I thought you would pay more attention to etiquette.
But you just looked at my buttocks, three times.
I don't want this to happen a fourth time...
This is the fourth time already.
As he said this, Imu slowly turned his head back as he walked away.
Meeting Gawain's gentle smile, which showed no embarrassment whatsoever, Imu took a light breath and continued.
"Could it be that my gentleness gave you some kind of illusion?"
Or perhaps you were already harboring intentions to offend me.
Gawain, when we first met, I thought you would be even more worthy of my anticipation than you are now.
But you disappointed me, not because of your eyes, but because you didn't do either respect or arrogance to the fullest extent.
You are so boring.
After saying that, Imu turned around and continued walking deeper into the jungle.
Following behind her, Gawain pondered for a moment, then smiled.
"Thank Imu the compliment, Senior Im. After all, being moderate is also a good character trait."
"Heh, you've become interesting again. It wasn't for nothing that I made a special trip to see you."
Come on, kid, keep up with me and pay attention to what you see next."
Hearing Gawain's reply, Imu gently clapped his hands.
Then, she slightly gestured forward with her slender fingers.
A moment later, a raging fire suddenly ignited in Gawain's eyes!
Before Gawain could even express his surprise, Imu frowned in confusion.
At the same time, the fire in Gawain's eyes inexplicably dissipated until it was completely gone.
Just as the fire completely disappeared, Imu took a deep breath.
You clearly have the ability to light a lamp.
But before I could decide to extinguish it, the flame vanished without a trace.
Ah... Gawain.
You should really feel lucky!