The moment Sengoku spoke, everyone present was stunned.
Although Sengoku had not said it outright, as kings of the fifty nations and high-ranking Marines, they naturally knew who he meant.
The Five Elders, who had ruled this world for 800 years and stood as the highest authority of the World Government.
But that was not what shocked them most. The real shock was that the World Government and the Celestial Dragons had actually compromised with pirates. Nothing like this had happened in centuries. It was undoubtedly a massive blow to the World Government's authority.
Judging from their expressions, some of the kings had even begun to entertain other thoughts.
At the side, Tiger had originally been overjoyed that he could finally fulfill his dream and rescue the slaves who had once suffered under the Celestial Dragons just as he had. But when he heard that the Five Elders wanted to meet Yemu, his expression changed drastically, and he immediately tried to stop him.
"Captain, you absolutely can't agree to this. It's too dangerous!"
Yemu raised a hand to stop Tiger, then looked at the calm Sengoku and said,
"Don't rush, Tiger. It can't be that simple, can it? Fleet Admiral Sengoku, do you think I'm the kind of person who would throw myself into danger and walk into a trap for the sake of some so-called reputation?"
Sengoku's expression barely changed, as if he had expected this response.
"Of course I know that. But you can rest assured. As a show of sincerity, we can let you take all the slaves away first before this meeting takes place. However, there is one condition. Once the slaves are gone, the meteorite overhead must also be moved away. Aside from that, there are no other demands."
Yemu did not react much to this, but the royal families of the fifty nations nearby immediately started shouting impatiently.
"Hey, wait, Fleet Admiral Sengoku! What about us? Are we supposed to stay here?"
Sengoku ignored them and said,
"That is the order of those gentlemen. If you have objections, take it up with them."
In an instant, everyone was choked into silence.
Seeing this, Yemu probed,
"Is that so? It's not impossible, then. But I have one more condition. To put my mind at ease, could the Marines withdraw?"
"No problem. I can agree to that on my own authority."
"!"
This genuinely surprised Yemu, but...
"No problem. Then it's a deal."
Tiger's expression changed, and he tried to persuade Yemu again, but Yemu raised a hand to stop him.
"No need to talk me out of it, Tiger. For us, this is already a very good result. In a moment, arrange for all the slaves to leave by ship. Besides, I would also like to see just how terrifying the Five Elders, who stand at the very peak of this world, really are..."
The expressions of the Marines around them shifted slightly when they heard Yemu's words.
A trace of struggle also crossed Tiger's face, but in the end, he nodded. Then he turned to the Marines and said,
"I do not trust you humans. So if anything happens to my captain from this point on, every member of the Sky Pirates will retaliate against this world with the resolve to die, whether it is the Marines, the World Nobles, or the Member Nations... Do not doubt our determination."
At that, Tiger grabbed a teacup beside him.
Under everyone's stunned gazes, he activated his new Devil Fruit ability.
"Moa Moa no Mi: 100x!"
In an instant, the palm-sized cup expanded a hundredfold and became enormous.
As if that were not enough, Tiger said coldly,
"What do you think would happen if I used my Devil Fruit power to enlarge a Power Rock by a hundred times...?"
In an instant, cold sweat poured down everyone's faces...
...
Mary Geoise.
Behind the Celestial Dragon Gate, within the Celestial Dragons' residence.
In the pitch-black underground world.
There were filthy cells everywhere, like holes dug into the earth.
The place was filled with the stench of decay and death, along with wails that sounded like they came from hell.
As slaves of the Celestial Dragons, aside from those who had received the Celestial Dragons' "favor," the vast majority of slaves lived here. No one cared whether they lived or died. All they had was endless slavery without ever seeing the sun, and inhuman abuse.
But even for those slaves who received the Celestial Dragons' "favor," that "favor" was more than any life could endure.
When people became accustomed to looking down on life, and no one restrained them, the evil in their nature would be magnified without limit. After endless abuse, a quick death became the greatest luxury these slaves could hope for. Those lucky enough to survive would eventually lose that "favor" and be thrown into the dungeon, where they would die in agony.
Beneath the beautiful world above, the roots of the underground world were slowly rotting.
This was the true face of the world today.
People crave most what they lack most.
Perhaps that was why so many people in this world yearned for freedom.
Before today, to these slaves, the world was lightless and without the slightest hope. There was only pain and torment, until that voice appeared.
Pirates, criminals, whatever they were called, none of that mattered to them. Anyone who could save them from this endless hell was their god.
But was there really hope?
From the hollow, numb eyes of most of them, it was clear that their fear of the Celestial Dragons had already made them forget what hope even was.
Then, after who knew how long, the dungeon door opened.
They thought they were about to be dragged off once again for endless labor and brutal beatings. Instead, they heard words they could hardly believe.
"You really are lucky. Someone was actually willing to save you and provoke the great Celestial Dragons for your sake. Tch!"
"Next, behave yourselves and don't resist. Do that, and you can leave this place. Otherwise, I don't mind letting you die before the sun comes up."
"Men, unlock their cuffs and shackles!"
At first, no one believed any of this was real. But when the handcuffs and shackles that had bound them for so long were finally removed, a faint light appeared in their eyes. Some stared at their recovered freedom in disbelief. Others could not stop their tears from falling.
"Are... are we saved?"
"Stop talking nonsense. Follow me!"
One after another, the slaves walked out of the pitch-black underground chamber and stepped into the beautiful corridor built with their blood. As they saw other slaves emerging from different places, all of them ragged and tortured, they finally understood.
"They really saved us!"
Just then, the ground beneath their feet began to rumble.
The moving walkways of the Holy Land of Mary Geoise flew into the air, piece by piece, forming a staircase before them that led to the pirate ship in the sky.
It was a staircase leading to freedom!
And the person who had made all of this happen stood at the end of that staircase. A very young, red-haired boy.
At that moment, no explanation was needed. Every slave understood.
This was the boy who had saved them. The boy who had declared war on the Celestial Dragons and the World Government.
And to these slaves, if a god truly existed in this world...
Then at that moment, this boy had already become the embodiment of a true god.
The god among men who brought them freedom!