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At that moment, the Gorosei in Mary Geoise were locked in a heated argument.
"Damn it, Sengoku is playing games with us!"
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro gripped the Shodai Kitetsu and slammed his hand down, his expression twisted with fury.
"It seems we need a new Fleet Admiral. Sengoku is growing more and more disobedient."
"I think Akainu would be a fine choice. He handled the Ohara incident well."
"Hmm, I agree!"
"Agreed!"
Seeing that the others had already begun debating who the next Fleet Admiral should be, Saint Topman Warcury cut in. "Now is not the time to be discussing a new Fleet Admiral. We need to figure out how to deal with the Jura-Tempest Federation!"
"With the strength they have shown, the entire Navy combined would likely not be their match."
Warcury's words brought a heavy silence over the room, and the other Gorosei's expressions turned grim.
The Jura-Tempest Federation's power had far exceeded anything they had imagined, and how to deal with it had become a massive problem.
"Have the God's Knights deployed, and send every elite CP0 agent we have."
"At the same time, have the Navy reorganize a fleet, led by all three Admirals."
Saint Marcus Mars considered this for a moment, then spoke.
"That is not impossible, but Sengoku will likely use the Navy's heavy losses as an excuse to drag his feet."
Saint Topman Warcury said with a grim look, thinking about the Navy's current state of affairs.
"Hmph! Then tell Sengoku that if he dares to pull any more stunts this time, he will not see a single cent of military funding for the next five years."
"That ought to do it."
"Then it is settled! On another note, do we need to inform Imu-sama about the existence of the Jura-Tempest Federation?"
"It has not come to that yet. It is better not to disturb Imu-sama."
At the mere thought of Imu, a wave of dread passed through Nusjuro.
Dong...
Just as the Gorosei were about to set the plan into motion...
A World Government official burst into the conference room, throwing all protocol to the wind.
"Outrageous! Can you not see we are in a meeting?!"
Warcury glared furiously at the intruder.
"My deepest apologies, Gorosei-samas, but I have an urgent report!"
"Hmph! It had better be urgent, or you know very well what will happen to you."
The official broke into a cold sweat but forced himself to stay calm. "Esteemed Gorosei-samas, a large army has invaded Mary Geoise. The forces currently on guard are on the verge of being overwhelmed."
"What?! An army has invaded Mary Geoise? How is that possible?!"
"Are all of you completely useless? How could you let an entire army into Mary Geoise without anyone noticing? And it is not just one person either!"
Warcury's fury crashed down on the official.
Spattered but unable to flinch, the official pressed on. "They appeared suddenly on the Red Line. There was no warning of any kind."
"Useless! Those are just excuses for your incompetence! Have you identified where this army has come from?"
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter asked, his face expressionless.
"Ye-yes..."
"Yes what? Speak quickly!"
"It is the Jura-Tempest Federation. Their flag is very recognizable."
The official recalled the strange blue circular creature on the banner and relayed his answer to the Gorosei before him.
"Those people! We have not even gone to find them, and they dare to march straight to our doorstep!"
"Go inform CP0 to mobilize every agent available, and contact Sengoku to send every soldier he can spare!"
"Yes!"
The official turned and sprinted out to relay the orders.
Watching him go, Warcury continued. "Have Saint Figarland Garling lead the God's Knights into battle!"
"This disruption must be crushed quickly. If we let it fester, every rat hiding in the gutters will start crawling out."
"Agreed. Garling moves now."
Nusjuro nodded.
"So this is Mary Geoise." Benimaru waved a hand in front of his nose, his expression curdling with disgust. "The air reeks."
"It really does, Benimaru nii san!"
Tanjiro Kamado extended his senses across all of Mary Geoise. Every corner was thick with a sickening, festering malice.
"Take some men and free the slaves, but make sure you screen them carefully. If any of them are purely evil..."
Benimaru glanced at the various armies pressing steadily deeper into Mary Geoise and spoke to Tanjiro at his side.
"I know. If they are, I will deal with them myself."
"Good. Go."
"Yes!"
Benimaru watched Tanjiro head off after receiving his orders, a quiet smile of relief settling on his face.
Thinking of the other young ones who had trained alongside Tanjiro, he felt a deep certainty take root in his chest. The Jura-Tempest Federation had its next generation.
"Damn it! How many of them are there?! Where are the reinforcements?!"
A Mary Geoise guard stared out at the dense army pressing forward, every soldier clad in armor and bearing shields and long swords.
He screamed in despair.
The men beside him looked no better. Their daily duties had been patrols and ceremonies. Not one of them had ever imagined facing a war.
Pfft...
"Ahhh!!!"
"Help! I don't want to die!"
As guard after guard was cut down, Mary Geoise descended into complete chaos.
"Saint Charlos-sama, please, you must come with me to safety immediately!"
A CP0 agent pleaded desperately with Saint Charlos, whose face glistened with sweat.
"What? You dare to give me orders? You are nothing but a dog we keep."
Charlos showed no sense of urgency whatsoever. In his world, danger simply did not apply to him.
"I still have a slave duel to attend! If you delay me any further, I will have you turned into a slave yourself!"
The CP0 agent stood there, utterly speechless in the face of that complete unreason.
'I am trying to save your life right now! Do you still think these invaders are like that Fish-Man from before?!'
'These people publicly executed a Celestial Dragon. Your status means nothing to them.'
"Charlos-sama, these invaders are nothing like any that have come before!"
"They are the ones who executed Saint Smulet in front of the entire world."
"If you fall into their hands, you could genuinely die!"
The agent had nothing left but to keep pleading.
"Hmph! Smulet was worthless. I am nothing like him!"
"Enough. Stop wasting my time. Your job right now is to protect me so I can get to that duel!"
Charlos waved him off impatiently.
"Saint Charlos, now is really not the time..."
"Heh heh! You are really having a rough time, aren't you? As the saying goes, good words are wasted on a dead man walking. If he wants to die, just let him."
"Who's there?!"
The CP0 agent spun toward the voice that had appeared from nowhere.
What he saw nearly stopped his heart.
Four figures stood before him, each wearing a cloak of pure, unhurried ease.
'Is every top official in the Jura-Tempest Federation this impossibly relaxed?'
'I am just a small fry. Was it really necessary to send four of your highest-ranking people to deal with me?'