Celestial Dragons Had a Price Too

"Is that so..."

The other Five Elders exchanged glances, then could only smile wryly in silence.

When it came to the Celestial Dragons, bloodlines were important—but not that important.

Those in power had never been compassionate or merciful.

Only profit was eternal.

Besides, they could always have a few more sons.

"What a sensible little brat."

"That saves us quite a bit of explaining."

"One billion Beli is no small sum."

"Indeed."

The Five Elders offered their comments one after another.

Saint Damocles smiled.

"Darren is a clever little brat. Perhaps after this incident, we can maintain a long-term connection with him."

At that, the other Five Elders' eyes lit up slightly.

It was a good idea.

Anyone could see that Rogers Darren, the North Blue Admiral, would sooner or later join the ranks of the Navy's highest decision-makers.

With his talent and ability, becoming a Marine Admiral was perhaps only a matter of time.

When that day came, they would have a Marine Admiral who took orders directly from the World Government. Their control over the Navy would increase considerably, and he could also "keep an eye on" the Navy's other officers.

Seeing his colleagues' expressions change, Damocles sneered inwardly.

He already stood among the World Government's highest authorities, wielding immense power. A casual order or even a glance from him could bring a country to ruin.

But he wasn't satisfied with that.

His name was Damocles, after all!

The legendary sword that represented the authority of "God"!

His ultimate goal was the seat of "first among the Five Elders."

However, unlike the other Five Elders, the family behind Saint Damocles had little influence or power in the Holy Land.

He was far behind his colleagues in terms of support and resources in the Holy Land.

If he wanted to claim the position of "second only to one," he had to secure support from outside.

The Navy, the World Government's largest armed law-enforcement agency, was his opening.

He would start by backing Rogers Darren, helping him rise quickly to a position of real authority in the Navy, then gradually bring its power under his control, step by step.

By then, his influence within the World Government would naturally increase substantially.

"But before that, let us first look over the results of this investigation."

Saint Damocles smiled as he changed the subject, then slowly opened the file in his hands.

North Blue, Branch 321.

Base Commander's office.

After seeing Sengoku off, Darren returned from Batia Island with Momonga and the others.

"So... the Holy Land definitely won't be a problem?"

Momonga looked at Darren, who sat there calmly smoking a cigar, and finally couldn't hold back his curiosity.

Darren breathed out a stream of white smoke like a dragon and smiled with narrowed eyes.

"I sent the Saint Childers family a very sincere expression of sympathy. They couldn't refuse."

He deliberately stressed the word "sincere."

"What expression of sympathy?" Momonga asked blankly.

"One billion Beli."

"What!?"

Momonga sucked in a sharp breath, hardly believing his ears.

One billion Beli... That was no small sum.

It was the annual tax revenue of many small and medium-sized kingdoms!

Across the whole North Blue, the taxes Darren and his men collected each year by propping up countless Mafia families and underworld forces amounted to only a little over two billion Beli!

And now, to send an "expression of sympathy," the North Blue Navy had just worked for nothing for half a year!

That was without even considering that, in their original plans, establishing the North Blue Navy fleet would require an endless supply of resources and funding.

"Have you gone mad?"

Momonga looked at Darren, who remained unruffled, his face full of helplessness.

As Darren's adjutant, he served as both "steward" and "strategist."

Watching Darren "squander" money as though it grew on trees made Momonga feel as if his heart were bleeding.

"It was worth it."

Darren flicked away some ash.

"Money can be earned again once it's gone, but not everyone gets the chance to give a gift to a Celestial Dragon."

"If I hadn't gotten Saint Damocles on my side this time, the merchant ship I sent wouldn't even have been allowed into the inner sea of the Red Line."

One billion Beli was indeed a terrifying sum.

After all, it was only the year 1492 of the Sea Circle Calendar. The Great Pirate Era hadn't begun yet, and inflation was nowhere near as bad as it would be in the future. The purchasing power of Beli was still strong.

Even a legendary pirate like Byrnndi World, known as the "World Destroyer," had a bounty of only 200 million Beli.

One billion Beli was equivalent to five Byrnndi Worlds.

Still, Darren thought the money was well spent.

In this world, strength always came first.

The next most important thing was power—not money.

After hearing Darren's answer, Momonga considered it carefully and realized it made sense, though he still felt a pang of regret.

"It's still too expensive..."

"Is it?"

Darren glanced at him, then suddenly smiled.

"At least I think it's pretty interesting."

Momonga asked in confusion, "What do you mean...?"

Darren tilted his head back and took a puff of his cigar.

"The Celestial Dragons hold the highest authority in this world. They can plunder and trade people—anyone—as if they were livestock. To them, money is the measure of everything."

"But this time, it proves one thing..."

He paused, then smiled mockingly.

"So a Celestial Dragon's life has a price after all."

Momonga fell silent, smiling wryly.

Only a freak like Darren, with rebellion and madness in his very bones, could come up with such a peculiar way of thinking.

A moment later,

Momonga remembered something and asked slowly,

"What about the investigation within the Navy...?"

Darren smiled.

"I've submitted the report. I've provided the Government with everything it asked for, without conditions."

"The routes of every warship at the time of the incident, the whereabouts of every Navy officer... Yes, that includes the North Blue Navy too."

Momonga frowned. "And you?"

"Me?"

Darren's smile was hard to read.

"As the North Blue Admiral, I was naturally stationed on Batia Island when the incident happened... doing my duty."

"Everyone in the North Blue Navy fleet can vouch for me. So can the members of the Inspection Team from Marine Headquarters... Major Gion and Major Gion's partner."

"Hmm. A perfect alibi."

Darren stubbed out his cigar and put on his Marine coat.

"Let's go. Now that the bigwigs from Headquarters have left, it's time for us to get to work."

Momonga stared at him in surprise.

"Where are we going?"

Darren didn't slow his stride as he pushed open the door.

The cold sea wind whipped the coat behind him like a raging dragon.

"We'll make back the money we lost to one Celestial Dragon from another."

Momonga was stunned at first, then immediately understood.

A name flashed through his mind.

—Donquixote Doflamingo.