At this critical moment, the Five Elders finally spoke.
One of them, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, the Warrior God of Agriculture, looked at Rowan with cold indifference. "Rowan, cease this at once! You are merely a Marine Vice Admiral. You have no standing to participate in this summit. Donquixote Doflamingo is the King of Dressrosa. Attacking him here is equivalent to attacking the World Government itself!"
"Back down, now!" barked Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, the Warrior God of Finance, his hand resting on the hilt of the Shodai Kitetsu at his hip.
Hearing the harsh rebukes of the Five Elders, the expressions of the kings and ministers in the hall soured instantly. Based on the Elders' attitude, they were clearly siding with Doflamingo. Could it be that the World Government's highest authority truly intended to move against Rowan just as Doflamingo had suggested?
Faced with the Elders' fury, Rowan wasn't angry. Instead, he maintained a thin smile. "My deepest apologies, but I'm here because someone invited me. As for whether I have the 'standing,' perhaps you should ask the person who issued the invitation if they have the authority to do so."
"Authority to invite?" The Elders narrowed their eyes.
The Levely was the largest summit hosted by the World Government. Only the heads of state from member nations were qualified to attend. But even they were merely attendees. The only ones with the power to invite an "outsider" were the Five Elders themselves or high-ranking members of the Celestial Dragon bloodlines.
Even Doflamingo, with his dual status as a former Noble and a King, only had the right to show up, not to bring guests.
"Impossible! Who could possibly have invited you to the Levely?!" Doflamingo roared. In his mind, no matter how high Rowan's prestige was in the Navy, he couldn't possibly know a World Noble. The only Celestial Dragon Rowan had interacted with was Saint Vascrie—whom he had beaten. There was no way Vascrie would invite him.
"Why is it impossible? I was the one who invited Mr. Rowan."
Suddenly, a man stood up from among the gathered kings and spoke in a booming, steady voice.
"You?!" Doflamingo whipped his head around. When he saw the stern, dignified face of the speaker, his pupils shrank. "It's you?!"
"What? Do you believe I lack the standing to invite Rowan?" The man glanced at Doflamingo with utter disdain.
Seeing this man, even the Five Elders' expressions shifted slightly. "King Cobra..."
This was the King of Alabasta, Nefertari Cobra. Eight hundred years ago, the Nefertari family was one of the twenty royal lineages that founded the World Government. However, unlike the others, their ancestors chose not to live in the Holy Land, opting instead to continue ruling Alabasta. Despite this, the Nefertari family retained the absolute privileges of the World Nobles!
As the current head of the Nefertari family, King Cobra had every right to invite a guest to the Levely.
"Now... does anyone still have questions regarding my standing?" Rowan asked calmly, looking the Five Elders directly in the eye.
The Elders looked grim but did not offer a rebuttal. After a brief silence, Rowan continued: "Since there's no issue, then next..."
BOOM!
Rowan's foot kicked off the floor, and his silhouette vanished instantly. A split second later, a dull thud echoed through the conference room.
The spectators gasped. Rowan was already standing at the wall, one hand clamped firmly around Doflamingo's throat, pinning the "Heavenly Yaksha's" head against the stone.
Pinned by Rowan, Doflamingo found it impossible to break free. Under the crushing pressure, his face turned a deep, bruised purple. The sensation of suffocating caused his features to twist in agony, but no matter how he thrashed, he couldn't budge Rowan's iron-like grip.
"Donquixote Doflamingo is suspected of illicit dealings with the pirate Kaido. I hereby strip him of his Warlord status. Arrest him immediately!"
Rowan was being dominant—he had no intention of giving Doflamingo a single chance to resist.
"Rowan! What do you think you're doing?! Let him go!" The Five Elders were now visibly enraged.
Saint Topman Warcury, the Warrior God of Justice, slammed his hand on the table and stood up, pointing a finger at Rowan. "This is not a place where a mere Vice Admiral can run wild!"
This was Mariejois, the heart of the World Government. And yet, this Marine was arresting a King and a Warlord right in front of them! Even if Doflamingo was guilty, it wasn't Rowan's place to act. This was a direct slap to the face of the World Government's authority.
"Running wild?" Rowan, his hand still tight on Doflamingo's throat, didn't loosen his grip. Instead, he smiled at Warcury. "Lord Warcury, I am merely 'executing Justice.' That's hardly running wild, is it?"
Despite the polite words, his tone carried zero respect for the Five Elders.
"You bastard..."
Seeing that Rowan had no intention of stopping, the Elders' fury boiled over. Doflamingo was already gasping for air, his eyes beginning to roll back into his head.
The Elders barked an order to the two CP0 agents: "Take him down! If he resists, execute him on the spot!"
Execute on the spot. Those words defined the Elders' stance.
However, before the masked CP0 agents could even twitch, Kizaru, who had been leaning against the door, turned into a bolt of yellow light. ZING! He reappeared directly behind Rowan.
Akainu also stepped forward. With every step, thick black smoke began to pour from his shoulders. As his arms transformed into bubbling, molten magma, the temperature in the conference room spiked.
"Kizaru! Akainu! What is the meaning of this?! Are you planning a rebellion?!" The Five Elders were incandescent with rage.
Kizaru, standing behind Rowan with a lazy, mocking expression, manifested an Ama no Murakumo light-sword in his hand. "Ah~ Lords Five Elders... Doflamingo's crimes are just too great. To make sure this scary fellow doesn't escape, I'm afraid I'll have to offend you for a moment."
Akainu stared coldly at the struggling Doflamingo, his voice raspy and lethal. "The Shichibukai system was a mistake from the beginning. That a piece of trash like Doflamingo could hide under the Government's protection is a grand joke."