The sun rose over the horizon.
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the auction.
The Strongmen's Gathering had officially begun.
Over the past three days, every major figure who was expected to attend had arrived. There had even been quite a few clashes.
But they'd all been settled through gambling, drinking contests, and fights in the arena. The leaders of the various factions hadn't gotten involved; only their subordinates had fought.
Without a doubt, the Golden City's dazzling, decadent lifestyle had left everyone amazed—or entranced.
The countless golden buildings alone were enough to show everyone just how wealthy the Richest Group was.
And Gild Tesoro was rightly known as the richest man in the world.
At that moment, in the Holy Land Mary Geoise, the Five Elders—the World Government's public face of power—had been eating and sleeping poorly in recent days. They kept relying on Sengoku to learn about the situation in the Golden City.
They were afraid these lawless pirates would join forces and cause trouble.
In truth, the Five Elders knew perfectly well that these arrogant bastards would never work together.
Because none of them would submit to another.
Or rather, there was no central figure whom everyone trusted, nor any overlord powerful enough to keep all the strong in check.
Whitebeard and Golden Lion were among the strongest in the world.
But there would always be people who refused to accept them, much less submit to them. At most, they'd be wary!
Even if the Four Emperors or some other pirates reached Laugh Tale in the future and completed that so-called Pirate King trial, none of the people here would accept them.
Even if Roger were here now, it would be the same.
There was only one way to make these monsters accept