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There is only one Pirate Emperor left.
The sea fell into an eerie calm.
Under the intensive arrangements of Mariejois, countless CP agents were dispatched, and ships bearing the World Government logo headed towards various kingdoms across the sea.
Amidst the anxiety, the kings of the participating countries boarded the ships guarded by the CPs.
Even with most of the CP agents dispatched, and the CP department having CP0-CP9, there was still a shortage of manpower.
Fortunately, although the Marines' attention was focused on the New World during this period, they did not relax their supervision of the Grand Line. The number of pirates on the Grand Line obviously began to decrease.
Otherwise, those crazy pirates would be happy to do something as wild as killing one or two allied kings to increase their bounties.
Fish-Man Island, Ryugu Palace.
The atmosphere in the palace was a bit solemn. The three princes and Princess Shirahoshi looked pitifully at the confrontation between Neptune and Princess Otohime.
Finally, Neptune couldn't stand Otohime's stubborn look with tears in her eyes, and his face fell.
"Do we have to go to the surface? Didn't we also skip the Reverie in previous years, even though we are one of the World Government member kingdoms?"
Princess Otohime raised her small face and looked at Neptune with a determined expression. "I know, but this time is different. I went to Mariejois last time. Although there was a lot of malice, it finally created room for improving relations between us and humans. This time is an opportunity for us to get to know many kings of the allied countries."
"Through them, we can take the opportunity to put forward some proposals that are beneficial to Fish-Man Island at this Reverie," Otohime retorted confidently.
Even with Musgarud's guidance last time, she still faced much hostility in the Holy Land Mariejois. Because of this, she wanted to change the embarrassing situation of Fish-Man Island and improve the status of fish-men in the world.
"We are doing very well as we are now..."
Neptune looked at his wife helplessly. They had the protection of Jinbei, a Shichibukai, and their own Fish-Man Marine Base, an army independent of the palace guard. The situation of Fish-Man Island had greatly improved. At least, the number of missing mermaids each year had been greatly reduced. This current situation already satisfied Neptune, the [Great Knight of the Sea].
"Neptune, there is still a huge gap between this and realizing our dreams..." Princess Otohime's eyes flashed with determination. "We hope that fish-men and humans can be as close as compatriots, living together under the same sky. We can breathe the same air, enjoy the same sunshine, and go anywhere in the world without worrying about slave ships suddenly appearing."
Neptune's face froze, and he said with some sadness in his heart, "...If you insist, then I will go with you."
"However, Jinbei needs to come with us. I cannot guarantee your safety by myself," he added.
When Princess Otohime heard this, she wiped away her tears and responded loudly, "Okay!"
————
Paradise.
The fleets guarding the royal families of the major kingdoms arrived near the Holy Land Mariejois almost one after another.
Familiar kings greeted each other across the ocean.
The voyage was relatively smooth, and most of the kings arrived safely at the feet of Mariejois.
Only a few unlucky ones were involved in shipwrecks or were targeted by some desperadoes.
However, it was in a relaxed atmosphere.
Marine warships rose from the sea level one after another, and an almost continuous line of standard warships quickly surrounded them.
"This is... Marine? What do you want to do?"
"Hey! We are the kings of the participating countries! Do you want to act against us?!"
"As expected, it seems... the sky is about to change!"
Seeing that they were about to be surrounded by water, the kings present shouted angrily.
Deep down in their hearts, they actually still looked down on the Marines. They are an important part of the World Government, and the Marines are a subordinate agency, so naturally, they must obey their instructions. In terms of status, they consider themselves nobler than the Marines who they see as commoners.
Of course, there were also some sober individuals among them. Judging from the Marines' actions, the suspicion in their hearts became more and more certain.
Kyros, who was staying on one of the few large ships, was a little excited, and his eyes caught the figure almost instantly.
Dressed in white formal attire as always, his spotless white cloak of justice rustled in the sea breeze.
The masked CP agents were also sharp-eyed and quickly noticed the white figure. They quietly stepped back, took out their Den Den Mushi, and reported it to the Five Elders immediately.
"Everyone!"
The rich voice rang in the ears of the kings present. Admiral Atlas stood in the air with his feet stepping on the air, looking at the kings with sharp eyes.
Kingdom of Goa, Kingdom of Guz, Alabasta, Dressrosa, Kingdom of Proteus, Kingdom of Illusia...
Most of the kings had already arrived.
Neptune from Fish-Man Island had not arrived yet, but he had already informed Atlas in advance. According to his instructions, he would go straight to Marineford later.
"I am Canos Atlas, Marine Admiral, codename Hakuryu!"
He started with a simple self-introduction, but it didn't cause any waves.
Although he had always stayed in his own country's territory, he was not closed off and uninformed like Wanokuni. They were still impressed by the young and powerful Marine in front of them.
"I have taken the liberty to come here this time to tell you that this Reverie will be held at Marine Headquarters - Marineford. I hope you will change direction now!"
Atlas' face was expressionless, but his tone was extremely gentle.
However, some people were unwilling to comply. With the strong support of the World Government, Stelly, the young ruler who became the King of Goa Kingdom, screamed, "What are you talking about, stinky Marine! We have not received any relevant news from the World Government!"
Atlas narrowed his eyes slightly and without further ado, he made a move—
Bang!!
Standing next to Stelly, a CP agent exploded instantly as if facing a powerful enemy, and a large ball of blood and internal organ fragments accurately splattered on the young king.
"Huh——?!!"
Clearly, Stelly was terrified. With his limited intellect, he never imagined that the Marines would dare to act against him.
This display of force didn't endanger the lives of the kings but provided enough deterrence. It was enough to make these typically pampered nobles start to waver. After all, they only had one life. Going with the Marines to see what they wanted seemed safer. Surely, the Marines wouldn't kill them all, right?
Many shared this sentiment.
Atlas ignored their thoughts and his voice rang in everyone's ears again, "Now, who is against it? Who is in favor?"
Holy Land Mariejois.
The Five Elders looked at the scene through the projected Den Den Mushi.
The conference room was almost empty, with only a few helpless kings standing there. They were from the lower-tier participating countries and were not eligible to join the voting in previous Reveries.
Silence! A deadly silence, where even a pin drop could be heard.
"Where are the other participating countries?" The veins on the elders' foreheads bulged as they asked angrily.
Most of the CP agents were gathered into the Holy Land by them, then sent out to guard the Reverie participants. This left the Five Elders almost blind, unable to get immediate information on the sea.
Saint Saturn slightly straightened the black hat on his head and said in a deep voice:
"The CP agents responsible for the escort have lost contact, but fragments of information are still being passed on. If nothing unexpected..."
His eyes turned fierce, and he gritted his teeth, "It was Marine who took action and hijacked the remaining participants to Marineford."
The continuous actions of the Marines were pushing the limits of their patience. They thought it was just an ordinary suppression, but the Marines' reaction was unexpectedly aggressive and their determination to protect Fujitora unwavering.
The situation escalated almost instantly, and even halting military spending was ineffective.
One of the important items on this Reverie's agenda was the dissolution of the Marines. The Marines had grown too large, and the threat of pirates had greatly diminished. The bloated Marine organization needed to be dismantled and restructured. Alternatively, a new violent organization could replace the Marines.
These decisions required voting by the participating countries. Although the true rulers of the World Government were the descendants of the twenty original queens - the Celestial Dragons, in name it was still governed by all the major allied countries, and the appearances had to be maintained.
"We can't delay it any longer. Let's take advantage of this opportunity to reshuffle the Marines," Nazarov's holy eyes contained murderous intent as he spoke decisively.
"Let's go to Lord Im now and request to turn off the lights. This world needs to start over."
There was a brief silence as the other four elders pondered.
"Indeed, we cannot delay this any longer. We've missed too many opportunities. We will not hesitate to disturb Lord Im this time, otherwise, I have a hunch - we will not be the Marines' opponent."
Saint Warcury's clean forehead looked extremely red under the light.
After another long while, Saint Saturn nodded, "Agree!"
The superficial configuration alone was enough to make them fearful.
In addition, there is Canos Atlas whose combat power is so erratic that they are not sure.
"Seconded!"
Several other old men looked at each other and could only raise their hands helplessly.
————
Headquarters, Marineford.
Under Sengoku's arrangement, the invited kings were seated in the headquarters' largest conference room, and everything was held according to Reverie specifications.
Of course, only the top fifty countries would be represented.
The main host of the meeting had been entrusted to Atlas by Sengoku.
In fact, ever since they decided to go to war with the World Government, Sengoku had begun to hand over some important matters within the Marines to Atlas, intentionally or unintentionally.
The other Marine executives saw it but did not say anything against it. They thought it was a matter of course.
For Sengoku, the World Government, which he had been loyal to for most of his life, causing such a riot during his tenure as Fleet Admiral, was a profound shock. It was no less than experiencing a storm of thoughts.
In the first half of his life, even during the Ohara Buster Call incident, his trust in the Five Elders had never wavered.
However, he had been suppressed during this period, coupled with the successive small actions of the World Government behind his back, which finally made him realize—
The positions of the two are different.
If he wanted to realize his justice in the world, some sacrifices had to be made. But at that time, he had neither the confidence nor the determination.
So after realizing Atlas's ambitions, he adopted a laissez-faire attitude without interference.
However, the Marines ultimately took a completely different path than expected.
The next hope rests on this young man.
Sengoku's gentle eyes fell on Atlas, who walked in through the door, and he smiled and left the comforted kings.
Atlas passed Sengoku, and many eyes focused on the young Marine Admiral.
Different from his previous brutal and sharp appearance, the kings present felt the man's calmness and restraint.
In fact, Atlas is not too young now. It has been 20 years since he traveled to the pirate world, and his physical age is 32 years old.
Just because of long-term exercise and high energy, he looks much younger than his actual age. However, the temperament accumulated over the years has not been erased, giving him a rare calmness compared to young people.
While the kings were sizing up Atlas, he was also sizing up the kings present.
Except for a few familiar faces, most people were relatively unfamiliar to him.
After all, even though he came from the East Blue, he rarely had the opportunity to deal with the king of a country.
"Everyone, I'm sorry to invite you back to Marineford in such a rude way. Now that everyone is almost here, I will make a long story short and explain the reason for this. After the meeting, the Marines will definitely discuss it with the highest level. We are here to entertain you with the highest specifications and hope to gain your understanding."
Atlas calmly walked to the top of the conference table and made an opening statement in a sincere tone.
"..."
Everyone present said nothing, quietly waiting for Atlas's next words.
It's just a conversation, just listen to it.
After all—
From the corner of their eyes, they glanced at Stelly, King of the Goa Kingdom. His eyes were dull, and his upper and lower lips trembled uncontrollably.
This guy was still not clear-headed. He had probably never encountered such a bloody scene since he was a child. It was good that he wasn't frightened to death.
"Admiral Atlas, just tell us if you have anything to say."
A deep voice echoed, temporarily alleviating the embarrassment.
When everyone turned their attention, a strong Fish-Man figure appeared in their field of vision, almost touching the ceiling of the conference room.
——Neptune from Fish-Man Island!
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