This novel is finished, and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
Kaido had retreated, but the Holy Land was still engulfed in chaos and carnage.
The Pacifista rampaged freely through the shattered city. As finished models, they were a terrifying testament to Vegapunk's once "exaggerated" promises, pirates with bounties exceeding hundreds of millions were helpless before them, let alone ordinary civilians.
This ongoing chaos was also why Kaido had chosen to back down. If the fight had continued, he and Rowen would have battled to the death. But Orrick's side, apart from deploying the Pacifista, showed no further movement, clearly waiting for both titans to exhaust each other. Kaido wasn't stupid. Furious, he simply turned and left.
Zzzzt… BOOM!
Amid smoke and rubble, a blazing flash of lightning streaked through the street. A Pacifista that had been slaughtering indiscriminately froze mid-motion before collapsing in a heap. Looking up, its entire upper torso, from the waist upward, had been obliterated by thunderlight.
At the corner of the street, a Holy Land official who thought his death was certain widened his eyes in shock as life returned to them.
He gasped for air, then, spotting Rowen standing at the end of the road, rage immediately boiled up. For centuries, no Holy Land official had ever experienced such fear and humiliation!
"Soryu (Azure Dragon)! What the hell are the Marines doing? How could you let the enemy invade the Holy Land?!" he roared furiously.
"And you! You even let Kaido go?!"
Thinking he'd found Rowen's weak spot, the official screamed hysterically: "Holy Land civilians are dying in droves, and you let the culprit escape! I'm telling you, the Marines' days of glory are over!"
Kong's face darkened instantly, his fists clenching. 'Idiot'!
If Rowen were merely "Marine Admiral," such insolence would only be slightly overstepping bounds, after all, while he was the designated successor to the Gorōsei, his position wasn't yet formalized. Technically, high-ranking Holy Land officials outranked him.
But now… Rowen was officially the highest authority in the Holy Land! Directly appointed by Lord Imu himself!
Kong glanced carefully at Rowen, expecting an outburst, but to his shock, Rowen's face was expressionless.
No mockery, no disdain, no anger.
Only calm. An ancient, unsettling calm.
"Did Lord Imu tell only you about this?" Rowen exhaled a lazy ring of smoke, his tone indifferent.
"I… yes… uh, no, not exactly." Despite being twice Rowen's age, Kong couldn't suppress a subtle sense of unease before that icy gaze. He bowed deeply.
"After receiving word that the Gorōsei were in trouble, I led a unit to investigate. Just as I ordered the men to recover their bodies outside the Room of Flowers, Lord Imu's voice came from within… Sixteen soldiers were with me at the time, all of them heard it."
"CP0 agents heard it too," another voice interrupted.
Bandaged from head to toe, Rob Lucci hobbled forward on a cane. "It was our agents who first discovered the Gorōsei's… condition. We've been standing guard there ever since."
"I see," Rowen nodded slightly. "That's acceptable."
Then he asked, his tone sharp: "Do you know what's most important right now, amidst the Holy Land's chaos?"
Kong frowned and glanced at Lucci. "It's… rescuing the civilians?"
After all, this was the Holy Land. Many of the Allied Kingdoms only swore allegiance to it in name, and in private, they would gladly mock its misfortunes. Look at them, the Holy Land can't even protect its own people. Such rumors would spread like wildfire. And they couldn't even suppress them by force, that would make it worse.
Utter humiliation! From both a moral and political standpoint, Kong saw civilian rescue as the top priority.
But Lucci's eyes narrowed slightly as he shook his head. "I believe… the key is to calm the people's hearts."
"Oh? Interesting. Continue."
"Yes, sir." Though gravely injured, Lucci bowed and explained: "Over a decade ago, during the mission that first made me famous, the Gorōsei never would've even heard of it at first. But because the local king failed to calm the populace, a small incident involving just five hundred soldiers was blown out of proportion, until it spread across the entire world."
Five hundred soldiers? For a kingdom qualified to join the World Government? That's barely the size of a village militia!
"From this, it's clear that controlling the people's words is the most important task in times of turmoil. The wise are always the few, the blind followers are the majority."
"Exactly." Rowen nodded, agreeing with the sentiment.
"When people have too much free time, their minds wander. Especially now, when so many have lost loved ones, grief, fear, and rumors will spread like wildfire. The heart of man is easily shaken."
"To calm the people's hearts is to achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Then Rowen turned toward Lucci.
"Have CP0 move. Spread the word in secret, tell everyone that I let Kaido go to prevent further bloodshed, to spare the lives of the survivors. Make it tragic, paint Kaido as a wicked demon, and me as a sorrowful hero who wished to save them all but lacked the strength to do so."
Kong: "..."
Rob Lucci: "..."
Something felt… off.
But it wasn't a lie. If Rowen and Kaido had continued their battle, how many in the Holy Land would have survived?
Thinking of the enormous crater left behind by that falling meteorite, Lucci nodded solemnly and saluted. "Yes, sir!"
Rowen continued casually, "And that's just one side of it. Those few 'clever' types always like to act clever… The masses are followers, easily swayed. Since I've been appointed in an emergency, it's impossible for everyone to accept me right away. Even Belly has its critics, doesn't it?"
He spoke lazily, as though musing aloud, then suddenly looked to Kong.
"I'll leave that part to you, Chief Commander Kong."
That was… fast. Kong's lips twitched, his heart pounding at Rowen's decisiveness. He bowed. "Yes, sir!"
After that, Rowen moved on ahead. Kong waited until he was gone, then waved to his men and pointed at the official who had insulted Rowen earlier.
"Tie him up. Charge him with treason and throw him into the dungeon."
That official had already gone pale when Kong bowed to Rowen. Seeing soldiers rushing toward him, he shouted in disbelief, "Kong, you bastard! You're colluding with the Marines! I'll report you!"
"Marines? My ass!"
One of the soldiers, who knew the truth, slapped himself before carefully explaining, "He's not Marine… that man is the new Gorōsei!"
BOOM!
A thunderclap seemed to explode inside the official's mind. His eyes widened in utter disbelief.
"No… no way… that's impossible! This can't be true!"
The upper echelons of the Holy Land had heard whispers of such things, but no one imagined that the world had truly changed so drastically overnight.
BZZZT!
Just then, the Pacifistas rampaging throughout the Holy Land suddenly froze. Their charged weapons fizzled out mid-attack, leaving the city eerily silent.
Rowen, who had been ready to annihilate them, felt the shift and relaxed his grip, the lightning dissipated from his hands.
"Kizaru moves fast, doesn't he?"
Apparently, he wasn't so lazy when motivated, though his usual sluggishness made sense now.
Lucci, recalling the streak of golden light that had cut through the sky before Rowen's arrival, hesitated. "My lord… could it be that Admiral Kizaru had already…?"
Rowen didn't bother hiding the truth and simply nodded.
"The Pacifistas have long been upgraded and distributed across the Four Seas. The ones here in the Holy Land make up less than 0.1 percent. But no one can say whether Vegapunk left behind some kind of backdoor control system. It's safest to destroy all potential risks at the root."
Remembering Rowen's overwhelming power earlier, Lucci couldn't help but feel genuine awe. This is the difference between us…
"Let's go," Rowen said at last. "It's time to meet Lord Imu."
At that name, Lucci's expression changed instantly. He fell to one knee. "My lord… perhaps I should remain here."
"No need."
Rowen lit a fresh cigar, his tone calm.
"If he didn't hide this from you, if he allowed you to hear the truth, then he's already prepared to reveal himself."
Rowen turned his gaze eastward, toward the Room of Flowers. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Imu.
It's time you told me what it is you truly want.
(End of Chapter)