The Mysterious Organization of Celestial Dragons

Linlin turned and shot Silver Axe an undisguised look of contempt.

Then she summoned Thundercloud Zeus. Only after climbing aboard did she speak lazily, "Give it up, Silver Axe. I know exactly what you're plotting."

Having his thoughts exposed in front of so many people, Silver Axe's facial muscles twitched slightly. He retorted irritably, "Linlin, you bastard, don't make me sound so awful! Isn't my reputation enough for you to trust me?"

"Mamamama."

Linlin merely laughed twice without refuting him, but her laughter said more than any words could have.

Honestly, in the Rocks Pirates, aside from Rocks, who had any credibility at all?

The "credibility" among this bunch was, in Blue Star terms, so bad you couldn't even use it to rent a power bank.

"Hey, Rocks." Silver Axe was left somewhat embarrassed by the laughter and turned to Rocks beside him. "Help me vouch for myself."

Rocks was leaning against the rail, a bottle of fine liquor in hand. Hearing that, he readily replied, "Sure, I'll vouch for you, Linlin."

"Uh."

Linlin rolled her eyes and fixed her gaze on Rocks's smiling face. "Cut it out, Rocks. Do you even know how many debts you've piled up?"

Rocks spread his hands, his smile as calm as ever. "Don't be like that, Linlin. Doesn't everyone have nothing right now? If I had it, I'd definitely pay it back."

Linlin ignored him and turned to the thundercloud. "Zeus, let's go!"

"Yes, Mama!"

"Worororororo!" Rocks burst into loud laughter. Shaking his head in Linlin's departing direction, he complained, "Linlin really is something. She doesn't show the slightest bit of consideration."

Boom!

Below, several speedboats ignited and launched at the same time, the roar of their engines echoing through the air.

John stood at the bow of one of the speedboats, a bottle of fine liquor in hand. He waved farewell to Silver Axe, who was still standing dazed on the deck, and said with a hint of smugness, "Rather than relying on others, it's better to rely on yourself!"

Silver Axe watched the speedboats depart one after another, then looked up at Linlin and Golden Lion, who had already flown far away. After a moment of silence, he clicked his tongue and showed no intention of setting off himself.

The sea breeze swept past, carrying away the distant silhouettes of ships and the sound of laughter alike.

Holy Land Mary Geoise.

The magnificent castle cast enormous shadows beneath the afternoon sun. The white complex stood atop the Red Line like silent mountain peaks.

Sengoku emerged from the castle with a gloomy expression, his cape of justice billowing behind him.

Because of the failure involving the Heavenly Tribute, he had just endured wave after wave of pressure from the Five Elders. If Kong had not stepped in to mediate, Sengoku truly would have quit on the spot.

Kong caught up with him then, strolling unhurriedly at Sengoku's side, his expression calm and unruffled.

"Still sulking, Sengoku?" Kong asked.

Sengoku did not respond and simply kept walking.

"Heh heh." Kong chuckled, his tone carrying the indulgence of an elder toward a junior. "You're still too inexperienced. It was only one failed mission, yet you put yourself under so much pressure. You're still not steady enough in your work."

Sengoku finally could not hold back. He turned his head and shot Kong a glance. "Of course you're steady. They weren't the ones scolding you."

Kong choked on his words for a moment, then broke into loud laughter. "Hahaha! Go on, curse all you want. You'll feel better once you get it out."

After laughing for a while and catching his breath, he adopted a slightly more serious tone. "From what I heard you say in there, that young man named Ron was able to keep both you and Garp from gaining any advantage. He really does have some skill."

Sengoku's steps paused slightly, though they soon returned to normal. Rather than following Kong's line of thought, he asked, "I remember you've seen the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. Based on my description, can you tell what Devil Fruit his ability came from?"

"Hmm." Kong considered it for quite a while, his brows furrowing faintly. "We previously guessed it was a Mythical Zoan, Nine-Tailed Fox form. But those abilities you described... when I spoke with the Five Elders, I found that the two differed greatly."

Sengoku suddenly stopped and looked at Kong. "What do you mean? It looks similar, but it isn't?"

Kong nodded. "More accurately, the form matches, but the abilities don't. Didn't you turn that man named Ochoku? You can keep gathering more information about Ron from him."

Sengoku gently shook his head, his gaze darkening slightly. "Forget it. Contacting him too often over this kind of information would only increase the risk of exposure. That piece... is very valuable."

Yes, compared to figuring out Ron's Devil Fruit ability, he was more inclined to focus his energy on monitoring the overall movements of the Rocks Pirates.

Ochoku had to be used where it mattered most.

"That works too."

Kong nodded lightly and did not press further. He reached out and patted Sengoku twice on the shoulder. "Work hard. Don't slack off just because of one failure. I think highly of you, Sengoku. Sooner or later, the position of Fleet Admiral will be yours."

Sengoku stepped forward and spread his hands slightly. "Don't place your hopes on me for the Fleet Admiral position. That seat... I can't handle it."

After a pause, Sengoku asked, "What did the Five Elders mean when they said, 'It's time to let them act'?"

The smile on Kong's face faded somewhat, and he lowered his voice. "They are a mysterious organization of the World Government. At the end of the day, Rocks's group has robbed the Heavenly Tribute so many times. If the World Government doesn't recover some dignity, every stray cat and dog will start jumping out."

"And this time, we not only have to win, we have to win beautifully."