"It's truly unbelievable how formidable the Headquarters Vice Admiral is; I can't even imagine how treacherous the road ahead will be..."
Hmm... is that guy... Shepherd from headquarters? Does he want Jonathan to take the blame for him?
Haha, that's hilarious!
Standing atop the mountain above them, Luo Chen witnessed this scene. Initially, he felt somewhat confused and bewildered, and spoke with a mix of emotions, but he quickly regained his composure.
After a while, Luo Chen saw Shepherd rushing over angrily. Seeing his expression, Luo Chen guessed his intentions.
"Hey, Commander Jonathan, you're entirely responsible for this. Your poor command allowed the Straw Hat Pirates to escape. I will report this to my superiors and have you relieved of your post."
Don't think you can escape punishment this time just because you're an old friend of Admiral Akainu...
Colonel Shepherd pinned the whole thing on Jonathan, preemptively questioning him in this way.
But he hadn't expected Jonathan's status to be so high. As Headquarters Vice Admiral and an old friend of Sakazuki, the headquarters wouldn't punish him too severely, at most giving him a warning.
But his attitude angered Jessica, who was having a tender moment with Jonathan. She picked up a frying pan, stormed over to him, and glared at him fiercely.
"What do you want? Do you want to kiss me? Don't think I'll let you off the hook just like that..."
Faced with Jessica's behavior, Shepherd was still confused and thought she was trying to seduce him to save her husband, Xin, from trouble.
Thump...
"Kiss my foot... If you hadn't been causing trouble, we would have caught those pirates long ago! And now you dare to come here and question us?"
Jessica slammed a pot over his head, knocking him to the ground, and angrily recounted all his mistakes.
"Phew... Honey, is this okay?"
Jessica finally breathed a sigh of relief, looked at her masterpiece, and turned to ask her husband.
"Hmm... It's alright. I'll personally explain the situation to headquarters, so there's nothing wrong with doing so. Don't worry..."
Jonathan responded with a sly grin, completely unconcerned that Shepherd had been beaten to a pulp by his wife.
"Heh, really..."
After seeing the reckless Shepherd beaten to the ground, Luo Chen shook his head, speechless at the conversation between the couple.
Meanwhile, on the Red Line, the dividing line of the Grand Line, atop the highest mountain peak, stands a group of magnificent palaces, and within one of the castles at the very center of the palace complex.
An elderly man with soap bubbles on his head sat on a throne, leaning on a golden cane inlaid with dazzling gems, symbolizing supreme power.
He was attended to by several stunningly beautiful maids.
Directly below him stood a handsome young man who bore a striking resemblance to him, listening motionless as he listened to his instructions.
" Orange, do you know why your father has summoned you here?"
After an unknown amount of time, the old man finally spoke to the young man below.
"Yes, Father, you called me here because of my fiancée, didn't you?"
The man did not look up, but answered respectfully.
"That's right, the reason I called you here is because of this. Twenty years ago, our Gustav Family and the Glücksburg Family made a marriage agreement."
The object of your affections is your little princess. The deadline has arrived, and it's time for you to go and marry her. Do you understand?
The old man nodded and explained the whole story to him.
"But Father, wasn't the Glücksburg Family Clan already expelled from the Holy Land by Lord Imu? Are we still supposed to honor this marriage agreement?"
The young man looked at his father with some confusion as he told him what he knew. He knew his wise father couldn't possibly be unaware of this, but he couldn't understand why he should continue to honor the agreement.
Bang...
Lao Tzu seemed angered by his son's words. He slammed his left hand on the armrest of the throne and spoke to the man in a tone of disappointment.
"You should know that although the current head of the Glücksburg family offended Lord Imu, leading to the expulsion of his entire family, the legacy he left behind still exists."
If you could marry his daughter, Catherine, who is currently a major at Marineford, it would be extremely beneficial to our family.
"That way, we might be able to leapfrog into becoming the strongest family in the Holy Land, and then we won't have to act according to the Five Elders ' wishes anymore. Do you understand?"
The old man explained the pros and cons of the whole affair to his son, letting him understand what had happened.
"I understand, Father. I'll go make the arrangements now and set off tomorrow to find my fiancée. Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"
The man nodded to indicate that he understood, then looked up at his father and asked again.
"Hmm... call on Vice Admiral Califo, our family's backup plan at headquarters, even though she's the only one left in Glücksburg."
But there's no guarantee that she'll still have loyal followers. That's how things are; the rest is up to you...
"Okay, you can go now..."
After the old man finished speaking, he waved his hand, indicating that his son could leave.
"Yes, I understand, Father. Please wait here peacefully for my good news..."
Then, Father, I shall take my leave...
After speaking, the man bid farewell to the old man and left.
After the young man left, only the old man and his attendant remained. After pondering for a moment by the pillar, he dismissed his attendant and left to think about things on his own.
"You can all leave now, we don't need you to serve us here anymore..."
The old man raised his hand and said.
"Yes..."
The servants dared not disobey their master, so they also took their leave and departed from the palace.
" Glücksburg... I suppose you are unwilling to submit to such a fate, then I will give you this opportunity, and see if you can seize it."
Moreover, this is also the time for my Gustav Family Clan to rise. I hope that you, who were among the three great kings alongside my ancestor and Lord Imu 800 years ago, will not disappoint me...
After a moment of contemplation, the old man revealed this Heaven Shaker secret: it turned out that the first ancestor of Glücksburg and Gustav was one of the three strongest kings among the 20 kings, alongside Lord Imu.
The Cipher Pol that remains today was established by his ancestor, so it's hard to guarantee there might be other contingency plans left behind.
That's why the old man sent his son to Marineford to find his fiancée, whom he had never met, and to fulfill the marriage vows.
The next day, as the Celestial Dragons' fleet departed from Mary Geoise, Luo Chen also set off for Marineford at the same time.