Kong frowned and fell silent, his gaze fixed intently on the continuously playing footage.
The scenes flashed rapidly—
Raiver Sky suppressing Zephyr in battle, black slashes clashing with dark iron fists, each collision causing space to tremble.
Tsuru, attempting to support the transport ship, was restrained in mid-air by an invisible force, her body twisting like a marionette—the effect of "All Creation of Attraction."
Immediately after, the dragon-shaped Sword Qi slash arrived before Tsuru's eyes.
Finally, at the critical moment, Tsuru activated "Wash-Wash Fruit · Ablution," breaking free from the restraint. She used "Purification Wall" to weaken the slash's power and countered with Storm Leg.
However, Raiver Sky's slash was overwhelmingly powerful, and Tsuru was still injured.
"Swordsmanship at the Great Sword Master level, a Devil Fruit ability that touches upon the laws of space, a calm and collected mind..."
Kong slowly let out a breath:
"All of this... from a young man?!"
He remembered the report submitted by Sengoku, which mentioned that before joining the Rocks Pirates, Raiver Sky had repelled Officer Wang Zhi in a conflict.
Although Wang Zhi was notorious for his ferocity, his strength was ultimately inferior to core officers like Whitebeard, Shiki, and Charlotte Linlin.
Yet, in such a short time, Raiver Sky had already grown to the point of suppressing Zephyr and severely injuring Tsuru!
Even more terrifying was the latter part of the recording, where Raiver Sky's duel with Garp shook the heavens and earth, with neither side gaining the upper hand!
Kong's expression grew increasingly grave.
This young man's threat to the Marines could no longer be described as a "Supernova."
This was a "catastrophe."
A "monster" capable of shaking the very foundations of the Marines and even altering the pattern of the New World...
"This Raiver Sky must be eliminated as soon as possible."
Kong stared intently at the figure of Raiver Sky in the footage, his voice heavy:
"Issue a bounty."
"Based on his current performance, set the bounty... tentatively at 2.5 billion Berries."
"2.5 billion?!"
Garp abruptly looked up, shock flashing in his eyes:
"Fleet Admiral, that kid is troublesome, but isn't 2.5 billion for a first bounty too high? That's almost on par with Whitebeard!"
Currently, Whitebeard's bounty was 3 billion Berries, the highest among the three core officers of the Rocks Pirates.
"Too high?"
Kong coldly glanced at Garp:
"He simultaneously restrained Zephyr and Tsuru, fought you head-on without losing ground, single-handedly turned the tide of battle, and completely ruined the Marines' meticulously planned encirclement—"
"Do you still think 2.5 billion is too high?"
Garp was left speechless.
"And this is only the beginning."
Kong's expression remained grave:
"Given his growth rate, his bounty will likely need to be raised again the next time we meet."
The office fell into silence once more.
After a long while, Sengoku spoke helplessly:
"Fleet Admiral, about the Celestial Tribute... how should we explain this to the World Government?"
At the same time, Garp, Zephyr, and Tsuru also turned their eyes to Kong. This was the most pressing issue at hand.
The hijacking of the Celestial Tribute not only concerned the Marines' reputation but also involved the interests of the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons.
Those lofty nobles would never let this slide.
"Hmph!"
Kong swept his gaze over the four of them and said coldly:
"This matter can only be reported truthfully to the Holy Land."
"But how we phrase it requires skill."
He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to the four:
"For this operation, I didn't provide the Five Elders with detailed plans in advance. I only reported the intelligence that 'the Rocks Pirates might plunder the Celestial Tribute' and requested additional troops to strengthen the escort."
"So in the report, this isn't a failed siege operation - it's an escort mission failure."
"We weren't there to besiege the Rocks Pirates, but to reinforce the Celestial Tribute's protection force."
"However, because the Rocks Pirates' strength far exceeded expectations, combined with that newcomer Raiver Sky's bizarre abilities, the escort fleet suffered heavy losses and the Celestial Tribute was stolen."
"As for Garp and Tsuru's appearance..."
Kong looked at Sengoku:
"Say that you detected anomalies and mobilized them for support, but it was too late."
Sengoku's eyes lit up.
This way, although the Navy would still bear responsibility, the nature would be completely different.
It would change from "suffering a crushing defeat in an active attack" to "being overwhelmed while performing defensive duties."
Though still a failure, the latter carried far less disgrace and would be more easily forgiven by the World Government.
"As expected of the Fleet Admiral..." Tsuru murmured in admiration.
Kong waved his hand, his expression still grave:
"But the truth can't be hidden forever. The Five Elders aren't fools - they'll eventually learn what really happened."
"So seize the opportunity to atone for this failure through merit."
...
Holy Land Mary Geoise.
World Government Headquarters, the center of world power.
Among white buildings, Celestial Dragons in luxurious clothing strolled leisurely surrounded by slaves.
In a spacious office on the top floor of the government building.
"Bang!"
The blond, short-bearded Elder slammed the table, shouting angrily:
"What did you say?! The Rocks Pirates stole the Celestial Tribute?!"
"Bastards! What exactly is the Navy doing?!"
The other four Elders also wore dark expressions.
The Five Elders.
The highest authorities of the World Government, five men standing at the world's peak, second only to one person above all.
Their current fury could reduce a country to ashes.
Openly attacking a Navy fleet and stealing the Celestial Tribute.
This was equivalent to slapping the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, across the face, trampling upon eight hundred years of the World Government's dignity.
Sengoku, Zephyr, and Tsuru stood before the Five Elders, reporting the battle situation truthfully.
They had prepared their account in advance, detailing Kong's "escort mission failure" version and presenting edited footage recorded by the visual Den Den Mushi.
Facing the Elders' reprimands, the three kept their heads bowed, maintaining extremely humble postures.
Why wasn't Garp present?
Because Garp always despised the Celestial Dragons and strongly disapproved of certain World Government actions.
To avoid conflict and prevent Garp from losing his temper at the Celestial Dragons' arrogance, Kong, Sengoku, and others unanimously decided not to bring him.
Having him reflect at Marineford was better than causing trouble here.
"The Navy represents the World Government's face! Now that the Celestial Tribute has been stolen, both sides have lost dignity!"
"Assigning blame now won't help. The urgent priority is dealing with the Rocks Pirates."
"Correct."
The bald Elder holding the First Generation Ghost Cutter slowly opened his eyes:
"The Rocks Pirates' growing strength in the New World has seriously threatened the world's balance."
Their power was already formidable, and now they've gained a monstrous rookie like Raiver Sky...
If we allow them to develop further, it will severely threaten the World Government's control over the seas."
"Indeed, that young man called Raiver Sky—if left to grow unchecked, surpassing Rocks will only be a matter of time."
"Therefore, we cannot allow the Rocks Pirates to continue expanding any further."
The five of them exchanged words one after another.