"Vegapunk? What do they want me to learn from him anyway?"
Mark calmly asked while sipping his tea. His father wanted to know about this as well, so he read further.
"The Elders want you to learn everything from Vegapunk."
"They believe you can rival his intelligence when given the right tools."
"Remember when they checked your brain's neural response yesterday?"
"They concluded that your intelligence was upgraded along with your body."
"That's the reason they promoted you to junior scientific elder."
Putting down the letter, his father gave his advice.
"I don't know why they want you learning from Vegapunk instead of Saint Saturn, I'll use my connections to find out."
"Although, by the way they're acting, they probably want to replace the man named Vegapunk and make you in charge instead."
Luna was a bit confused by the heavy tone Charles used, so she asked him for clarification.
"Replace him? Do you mean... kill him?"
She gestured at her throat, showing Vegapunk being killed off.
Charles nodded grimly; his years of experience were telling him the Elders didn't like this man anymore.
"Vegapunk is definitely on their kill list; they just need a replacement for him."
"I guess that's where you come in. They believe you have the potential to be his replacement."
"This must be why you were given the title of warrior god of science and defense so early on."
Looking down at the letter, Charles thought about the Elders' offer, but Luna rejected it right away.
"You shouldn't learn anything from Vegapunk. He seems like someone they want to kill."
"If you gain all his knowledge, what's stopping them from seeing you as a threat in the future?"
In response to Luna's concerns, Charles shook his head. This matter wasn't so simple.
"Mark's promotion is a test of loyalty; if Mark learns from Vegapunk and remains loyal, he will become a real elder."
"But if he becomes disloyal after learning from Vegapunk, he too will be replaced, just like his teacher."
Charles stopped talking for a moment. He cautiously looked around everywhere, then asked his family to come closer.
He bent down and whispered in their ears at his lowest volume.
"Don't think that just because Mark is a junior elder, the Elders don't have the authority to kill him."
"I'll tell you a secret: I don't believe the Elders are actually in charge. There is someone above the five Elders."
"This information was erased from the records, but my father, Lord Rose, kept a copy."
Luna quickly put her hands over her face in shock, while Mark's eyebrows shot up.
"200 years ago, an elder candidate was killed in his home."
"It was said to be the act of a rogue CP agent, but that's not true."
Mark gulped. Yo, his father has some reach, but 800 years was a long time. Finding clues about Im wasn't out of the question.
A young Doflamingo found the secret of Castle Pangaea, while Sabo and Wapol straight-up strolled into the throne room, saw Im, and left casually for some reason.
Hell, random guards have to be disposed of regularly because some of them happen to see Im.
'Castle Pangaea's security definitely needs some upgrades.'
Charles didn't know about Mark's cranky thoughts; he continued to tell the secrets he knew in a low voice.
"The elder candidate who died was from the Rose family, so we have a copy of what actually happened."
"He seems to have gone against the other five Elders on something; that's what got him killed."
After saying this, Charles quickly sat up and pretended that nothing had happened.
On the other side, Luna hid her face with a handkerchief so her shocked expression wasn't seen by anyone.
Mark, meanwhile, managed to remain expressionless with his sheer calmness.
He wasn't too surprised that his father had clues about Im. Humans are inherently curious, and after living together for so long, some information was bound to leak.
What he was more concerned about was Im's loyalty test. He had to show his loyalty by agreeing to learn from Vegapunk, while also not appearing too interested.
Being too interested in Vegapunk would only get him killed.
"I understand, Father. I am ready to learn from Vegapunk."
Mark said casually.
"But before that, I want to roam around the world and have some fun."
"I've never left the Holy Land, and I'm curious about how the lower realms look."
"After I return, I will start studying under the scientist Vegapunk."
Mark waved his hand and announced his decision. This was enough to tell Charles what Mark was trying to do.
Mark was agreeing to the Elders' invitation and showing he was loyal to the Elders and the secret ruler above them.
At the same time, he was also showing that he wasn't that interested in Vegapunk's science.
This would prove that Mark was faithful to the Celestial Dragons and wouldn't bring them the same threat that Vegapunk did.
'My son has become really smart; he solved this danger with such ease.'
Luna and Charles Rose thought this simultaneously.
Being Mark's parents, they could see one more thing: Mark was very dissatisfied with being ordered around.
'Hopefully, he doesn't do anything drastic.'
The couple thought silently. The Rose family had birthed a monster. Their family was bound to change its status after this incident.
Their future depended on Mark's decision. They might reach the top of the world or degenerate to the level of the Nefertari family in the future.
'But no matter what happens, we will be there with you, Mark.'
Charles Rose thought grimly, then he suddenly remembered something important.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you something. There is another thing in the letter."
"Saint Saturn wants you to meet him at the arena immediately."
"He didn't say what he was calling you for, but as far as I understand, he might want to check your fighting skills."
Charles said this with a disgusted face, and Luna made the same face after understanding what Mark was being told to do.
Although Mark remained calm, Charles assumed he didn't like it either, so he tried to explain to his son.
"I know, I know, fighting is barbaric and beneath us Celestial Dragons; I understand it as well, Mark."
"Fighting and killing are things lower creatures do, but every Elder needs to know how to fight; it's a tradition."
Charles said this with disgust apparent in his tone.
Luna patted Mark on the head as well before telling him.
"Just go ahead and show your strength to Saint Saturn, then think of it as a bad dream and forget about it."
Mark, meanwhile, was smiling helplessly. This wasn't what he was worried about at all.
He was much more worried about fighting Saturn of all people, that too in his first fight.
'I haven't even unlocked Armament Haki yet!'
'How am I going to survive against Saturn, man? Much less damage him!'