Saint Roselith Seraphina had no intention of sitting through the latter half of the World Conference.
Everything she needed to know had already been revealed.
To remain seated any longer and listen to a group of kings argue over trivial matters would only be a waste of time.
Still, there was one unexpected gain from this trip.
She had not anticipated meeting a ruler who genuinely cared for his people.
During her earlier conversation, Seraphina had gradually come to understand the man named Cobra.
The King of Alabasta.
One of the twenty founding royal families of the World Government.
A lineage that could have ascended to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise eight hundred years ago… yet chose not to.
Instead, they remained behind, ruling their desert kingdom generation after generation.
At first, Seraphina had only found that historical decision curious.
Now, she understood.
The Nefertari ancestors had refused.
Refused to abandon their people.
Refused to become what the current Celestial Dragons had become.
Creatures raised in excess, divorced from reality.
Like livestock.
No
Worse than livestock.
Even pigs did not destroy the lives of others for amusement.
Yet that was precisely what individuals like Saint Charloss did on a daily basis.
Seraphina's expression remained calm, but her thoughts turned cold.
As for Cobra himself…
From a purely objective standpoint, he was not a particularly strong king.
He was too kind.
Too tolerant.
Too unwilling to retaliate.
Such qualities might be admirable in times of peace.
But this era…
This era belonged to chaos.
The Great Pirate Era, born from the execution of the Pirate King, had thrown the entire world into upheaval.
In such a world, benevolence without strength was dangerous.
A king who could not fight back invited aggression.
A ruler who refused to wield power risked the safety of his own people.
Kindness, when unguarded, could become cruelty.
Cruelty to oneself.
Cruelty to one's kingdom.
And yet…
Seraphina did not dislike him.
Because from that same kindness, a girl like Vivi had been raised.
A child who understood responsibility.
A child who endured pain without complaint.
A child who chose others before herself.
That alone gave Cobra value in her eyes.
The afternoon session of the conference passed quickly.
Some kings left satisfied, having secured additional resources or favorable rulings.
Others departed with heavy expressions, their requests denied or ignored.
In some cases, conflicts between nations remained unresolved, simply because both sides were members of the World Government.
And the World Government did not interfere in wars between its own affiliates.
Some rulers had not even appeared at all.
Because their kingdoms no longer existed.
They had already fallen consumed by war, piracy, or internal collapse.
The world continued to turn.
Unchanged.
Unyielding.
The structure remained the same.
The rules remained the same.
Only one thing had truly changed.
A name.
A threat.
A declaration that echoed through the conference hall:
"Resolution passed!"
"The individual known as Dragon, leader of the so-called Revolutionary Army "
" is hereby designated as the most dangerous criminal in the world!"
The hall had fallen silent at those words.
A new era was not only defined by pirates.
Something else had begun to move beneath the surface.
Something far more dangerous.
Not long after the conference adjourned, Cobra once again sought out Seraphina.
This time, he was not alone.
Vivi stood beside him, holding onto his hand.
"Rear Admiral Seraphina," Cobra said sincerely, "I wish to thank you once more for saving my daughter."
Vivi stepped forward as well, her bright eyes filled with gratitude.
"Thank you, Big Sister Seraphina!"
Seraphina let out a soft breath.
"I already told you, it was nothing."
She had not expected them to come again just to express their thanks.
Cobra glanced down at Vivi and gave a subtle nod.
Encouraged, Vivi gathered her courage.
"Big Sister… my tenth birthday is in four months."
She hesitated slightly, her fingers fidgeting nervously.
"Would you… come to Alabasta as a guest?"
"And if you're busy, that's okay too, I just "
Her voice trailed off.
She lowered her head, clearly afraid of being rejected.
Seraphina looked at her for a moment.
Then, without hesitation, she answered:
"Alright. I'll go."
Vivi's head snapped up instantly.
"Really?!"
Seraphina gave a small nod.
"It's been a while since I last took proper leave."
"And I've never visited Alabasta before."
There was truth in her words.
Understanding the world required more than reading reports and documents.
It required seeing.
Walking.
Experiencing.
Only by witnessing reality firsthand could one begin to grasp the true nature of the world.
Only then could one even begin to think about changing it.
Besides…
She still had unused leave time.
"Yay! Big Sister Seraphina!"
Vivi's face lit up with pure joy.
Seraphina reached out and gently ruffled her soft blue hair.
It really was as comfortable as it looked.
No wonder Cobra did it so often.
"You little troublemaker," she said quietly.
Deep within the Holy Land of Mary Geoise…
Inside a chamber hidden from the world.
Five figures stood in silence.
The highest authority of the World Government.
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
Location: Pangaea Castle – Chamber of Authority
Authority Level: Absolute
"The man called Dragon… he is the son of Monkey D. Garp, is he not?"
One of the elders spoke slowly.
His black suit was immaculate, his white curly hair and beard framing a stern face marked by a scar.
Another elder, dressed in dark blue with long white hair and a flowing beard, nodded.
"The very same Garp who is hailed as the Hero of the Marines."
A third elder, wearing a dark red suit, let out a low sigh.
"Troublesome."
"Both father and son."
Their voices carried a rare hint of restraint.
Because this matter was not simple.
"If we act against Garp directly," another elder said, "the consequences would be… undesirable."
Garp's influence within the Marines was immense.
Unmatched.
He was not merely a powerful officer.
He was a symbol.
A pillar.
If the World Government were to move against him without just cause, the backlash could fracture Marine unity itself.
And that was a risk they could not afford.
The purpose of the World Government was not domination alone.
It was control.
Balance.
Stability.
One elder remained silent.
Dressed in dark green, bald, with a birthmark on his forehead and long mustache, he simply observed.
Finally, the last of the five stepped forward.
He wore a white robe.
A katana rested in his grasp.
His glasses reflected the dim light of the chamber.
"What we require," he said, "is stability."
"Above all else stability."
His voice was calm.
But absolute.
"For Dragon, we will issue the highest possible bounty."
"Mobilize Cipher Pol."
"Increase Marine surveillance."
"He has already overthrown multiple member nations."
"He is no longer a mere nuisance."
"He is a threat to the foundation of the World Government itself."
The room fell silent once more.
The elder adjusted his glasses slightly, his hand returning to the hilt of his blade.
"The ideology he spreads…"
"…is far more dangerous than his strength."
The wind outside Mary Geoise shifted.
Far away, unseen.
Something had begun to move.
And this time
It would not be easily extinguished.