Compared to the silence of others, Leopold covered his face and looked at Kaos in disbelief. "You... you dare to hit me?"
Kaos looked calm and did not respond.
He just waved at Zero.
Zero made a fist with his right hand and immediately punched the servant in the chest.
Boom—
The ground trembled slightly.
The servant's heart sank in an instant, and he died on the spot.
Perhaps Kaos was less brutal than the other Celestial Dragons, but now, he was one of them.
In his position, he sought his own authority.
Since he was a Celestial Dragon, one thing was certain in this world: Celestial Dragons cannot be humiliated!
Otherwise, there would be a price to pay.
At the same time, Kaos approached Leopold step by step. He kicked out, and under Leopold's terrified gaze, his foot struck Leopold's abdomen, sending him flying.
Looking at Leopold, who was clutching his stomach and moaning in pain, Kaos snorted coldly. "Discipline your servants better in the future."
"Next time, it won't just be a slap and a kick."
"Do you understand?"
Upon hearing these words, Leopold didn't respond.
Kaos frowned slightly and kicked him again.
Leopold immediately responded in fear. "I... I understand."
Kaos stopped talking and turned to leave.
But after only a few steps, Kaos stopped again.
He gazed at the cage with a playful smile on his lips.
"Interesting."
Facing Kaos' gaze, the three girls in the cage huddled together, trembling.
Behind them was another box, and without thinking, Kaos knew it contained a Devil Fruit.
And this fruit, which appeared in the original series, was the Sweet-Sweet Fruit.
That's right.
The three girls looked familiar, and Kaos recognized them immediately.
The three sisters of Amazon Lily.
Boa Hancock and the others!
He hadn't expected to meet them here.
Kaos immediately looked at Leopold and said, "I want these three slaves, and that Devil Fruit. Is there a problem?"
"No, no problem."
Leopold quickly shook his head, even adding a flattering tone. "You can take whatever you want, even all my slaves."
Just two kicks were enough to make him understand how terrifying Kaos was.
Because anyone else who dared treat him like this—no matter who they were—he could kill them.
Even summon an Admiral.
But not Kaos.
Not to mention him; even if it was his father, Kaos could play him, and the Five Elders wouldn't care.
Even among the Celestial Dragons, Kaos' status was much higher than his.
Though he was in pain all over and felt humiliated, there was nothing he could do.
Seeing this, Kaos nodded in satisfaction and waved to Stussy.
Stussy immediately followed his orders, taking the Devil Fruit and leading the three sisters away. She walked toward Kaos' castle under Leopold's pained gaze.
Afterward, Kaos also left.
Leopold was left behind, raging helplessly.
A while later, Kaos arrived at the conference hall.
"Your Highness, Lord Five Elders is already waiting inside." CP9 chief Spandain, who stood at the door, said respectfully, with a fawning smile on his face.
"I see."
Kaos nodded, gave the man a meaningful glance, and stepped into the conference hall.
If he remembered correctly, Spandain was the father of Spandam.
At this point, the man hadn't yet given up his position to his son.
After all, this was twelve years before the plot of the series began.
Although the man had appeared in the original story, to Kaos, he was just a small fry, not worth mentioning.
With the sound of footsteps, those in the hall became aware that the person referred to as "His Highness" by the Five Elders had arrived.
They straightened their backs and raised their heads in attention.
Soon, the door opened.
Kaos walked in.
He glanced around, recognizing some familiar faces while others were new.
"Kaos, over here. This is your seat," the old man with the crescent-shaped beard said, motioning to the spot next to him.
The sight made the pupils of Sengoku, Sora, and the others shrink.
They even gasped.
That seat...
Was the head seat!
And the Five Elders were seated on either side of him.
This alone revealed much about Kaos' standing in the World Government—higher even than the Five Elders!
Hiss!
This revelation made everyone in the room grow tense.
Not only was it crucial to leave a good impression on the leaders, but the mere fact that someone so important was attending this meeting made it clear how significant the matter was.
"Good."
Kaos nodded with a smile, taking his seat at the head of the table without hesitation. "Where were you in the meeting?"
The old man gave Kaos a gentle smile—one that would leave most people speechless in surprise. "Everything that needed to be said has been covered. The rest is up to you to explain."
"Alright, I understand."
Kaos nodded, then looked over the group once more. After a pause, he began speaking slowly. "This should be my first time meeting many of you, but it doesn't matter—we'll be seeing each other frequently from now on."
"I'm sure you all know my name, so no need for introductions."
"The purpose of this meeting—aside from the three things mentioned earlier—concerns the New World."
Hearing this, everyone was confused.
"The New World?"
"Are we going to launch a full-scale assault on the New World?"
"Impossible. The sea has finally stabilized. If we launch an attack on the New World now, even if we win, it will do more harm than good, right?"
"Yeah, and not long ago, the World Government reached an agreement with some of the powers in the New World. Now is not a good time for an assault."
Bang, bang, bang.
Kaos knocked on the table.
The room fell silent.
Kaos said calmly, "You're all misunderstanding. The New World I'm referring to is not the second half of the Grand Line."
"Not the second half of the Grand Line?" Sengoku frowned. "Then, what is Your Highness Kaos referring to?"
Kaos glanced at the Resourceful General and raised his right hand, snapping his fingers.
Hum—
A golden gate appeared behind him.
Kaos said, "The New World I'm referring to is the real New World."
"The main purpose of this meeting is to form an initial exploration team for this new world."
"Some of you may still not understand."
"Let me be clear."
"Behind this gate is not a New World full of pirates, but a brand-new otherworld we've never seen before."
When he finished speaking, Kaos stood up, looking down at everyone with a serious expression. "Starting today, the World Government's focus will shift to exploring this New World. I need all of you to give it your all!"
"Additionally, I expect everyone to keep the contents of this meeting confidential. The consequences of leaking anything should be obvious."
"In short, be ready, because a new era... is coming!"