Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
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"Phew! So good! So good! Chito! Try this one!"
From the moment Yuuri took her first bite, she had entered a state of pure, focused consumption.
She would drop a slice of beef into the broth, immediately fish it back out, dip it in sauce, and eat it, completely unconcerned with whether it was actually cooked through.
"Yuuri, slow down! You're going to make yourself sick!"
Chito watched her with a worried expression.
"Mm mm... but if we don't eat as much as we can now, we won't get to eat it later!"
Chito paused at that. She was right. This feast had come from nowhere, like a gift from heaven. It almost certainly would not come again.
Her chopsticks began moving considerably faster.
Kaito said nothing. He simply kept cooking things and setting them in front of the two of them.
Pirate King World
On a peaceful afternoon, a piece of news arrived via the News Coo and detonated across the entire world.
"World Government member nation Alabasta signs mutual defense pact with neighboring Jura-Tempest Federation!"
Bang!
"What is Cobra thinking?! Is he trying to break away from the World Government?!"
Topman Warcury brought his fist down on the table hard enough to send the teacups jumping.
"And this Jura-Tempest Federation, why does that name keep coming up? Didn't we send CP agents to investigate them? What were the results?!"
Shepherd Ju Peter answered him.
"Every agent we sent in disappeared. We have no idea how they're being identified."
"Hmph! Send someone to warn Cobra. Tell him to terminate the agreement with that non-member nation, or Alabasta's standing in the World Government will be revoked."
Topman Warcury's expression had not improved.
"And what do we do about this Jura-Tempest Federation directly? They are openly provoking the World Government. I heard Crocodile was killed by them."
Marcus Mars Saint suggested after a moment of thought. "Should we have the Marines handle it?"
"Hmph! Sengoku has his own agenda these days. If we hand it to the Marines, they'll drag their feet. Leave it to CP0 first. Let them go in and take the measure of the place. Intelligence suggests they may have Admiral-level combatants, so we should not move carelessly."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"Once we have a clearer picture, then we can consider..."
"War? With just the World Government?"
Kagaya's face carried a rare flicker of something close to disdain.
Nico Robin, recently reinstated as an intern staff officer, had just finished briefing him on the likely response the World Government would take.
"I understand that Kaito-sama and the others are very powerful. But the World Government's true strength runs deep. We shouldn't underestimate them."
Robin's expression was genuinely anxious.
"Heh heh. I'd like to see that for myself. What do you think, Commander-in-Chief?"
Testarossa sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, swirling a glass of red wine.
"Now that Diablo is stationed in the home world, I can bring the First Legion over. They just helped Diablo level a country."
Benimaru leaned against the wall, one hand resting on the weapon behind him. "I imagine the World Government will meet a similar outcome."
"Oh, right." Testarossa glanced back at her notes. "As part of the previous agreement, Alabasta consented to allow us to station troops there for their protection. Which unit should we send?"
Benimaru thought it through.
"The Second Legion is currently handling security for Academy City. The Third Legion is on capital defense in Capital City. That leaves the First Legion and roughly a thousand members of the City Wolf Rider Patrol available for deployment. The Imperial Guard Corps would require Sakuya-san to authorize the mobilization. And the Academy City Security Force has gone with the students on internship detail."
He did not mention one other unit.
That was the Royal Knights, under Diablo's command. Only Kaito and Rimuru had authority to deploy them. They were the elite of the elite, the undisputed ace of the Jura-Tempest Federation, and its last resort.
The vacant adjutant position in the Royal Knights had also recently been filled, by Carrera, Primordial Yellow. Which meant the Royal Knights now had two SS-class combatants within their ranks. Beyond them, three hundred demons had reached Special A rank. The unit's overall strength could only be described as frightening.
"So in practice, only the Wolf Rider Patrol can be moved right now?" Kagaya asked. "But isn't Gobta currently managing the Imperial Guard Corps? Do we need him to go personally?"
"Not necessarily. His deputy Gobzo can take half the unit. That's more than enough."
Do not be fooled by Gobzo's low profile in the original story. After the enhancements Kaito had given him, his strength now sat at Special A+. That put him on par with the strongest of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
"Good. Then we watch the World Government and see what they do next."
At that, Rigurd, the First Legion's deputy commander, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, let out a sharp exhale.
"Hmph! If Kaito-sama and Rimuru-sama were here, I would have already marched on Mary Geoise and torn that so-called World Government down to its foundations!"
"Rigurd, don't be rash." Benimaru said, not unkindly. "If you destroy the World Government now, what are Kaito-sama and the others supposed to play with when they get back?"
"This..."
Rigurd fell silent. Kagaya smiled.
"Heh heh. Rigurd, rather than planning raids on Mary Geoise, why not think about getting a few more statues commissioned for Rigur? He keeps telling me the ones in the square go missing, and the patrol team has investigated multiple times without finding a single lead."
"Uh..."
Robin, meanwhile, had stopped listening to the banter.
She was staring at this group of people, thinking.
Not one of them was taking the World Government seriously. They spoke about it the way someone might discuss a minor nuisance. As though it were made of paper.
If they had known what Robin was thinking, every person in that room would have told her without hesitation:
You're exactly right. Paper. The cheapest kind.
"Oh, right." Kagaya added. "Shizu will be coming to visit soon. She wants to personally check on her students' internship progress."
"Chairwoman Shizu is coming here?"
"Yes."
"Hahaha! Sounds like those little devils' easy days are about to end. The Great Demon Lord approaches..."