Chapter 278: The Government-Acknowledged Seven Warlords of the Sea!

Two hours later.

As Gao Wen and his companions gradually disappeared beyond the horizon of the ice, the only moving entities left within Water Seven were the still-rampaging IQ beasts.

There was not a single living person left in the city.

Hiss—!

A distinct sound of inhaling came from the deck of the warship.

Aokiji turned to look at Akainu, still somewhat surprised that the latter would make the current decision.

But what he knew was that the real problem had yet to be resolved.

"Have you thought it through?! How are you going to explain this to those Five?!"

Akainu spoke in a calm tone:

"My mission was to execute the Buster Call, and that is all."

As his words landed,

Akainu raised his hand and gave a slight wave, and the warships surrounding Water Seven opened fire simultaneously.

Crimson meteors instantly soared into the sky, leaving long trails in the air before crashing heavily down into the city of Water Seven.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Blooms of red lotus flowers erupted, completely igniting the entire city.

At this moment, the marines harbored no hesitation whatsoever.

It was simply because their leader, the existence they had always followed, had given them the answer they expected.

They finally did not have to become executioners and live their entire lives burdened by self-reproach.

The soaring crimson flames of Water Seven illuminated Akainu's face.

The icy expression that had remained unthawed on his face for ten thousand years seemed, at this moment, to show a hint of melting.

Yet at this very moment, several pitch-black five-pointed star magic circles appeared on the shores of Water Seven.

Pitch-black smoke billowed upward; even amidst the sky-filling flames, its exaggerated presence and that bone-deep malice could not be concealed.

It was as if what the magic circles were about to summon were not creatures belonging to this world, but demons from myth and legend.

Akainu immediately raised his hand, ordering the surrounding warships to cease their attack.

"What is that...? Has the battle not ended yet?!"

Aokiji frowned tightly, his eyes filled with an indescribable seriousness:

"This is..."

"People from Mary Geoise!"

Memories that had long lain dormant in Aokiji's mind were gradually awakened at this moment.

Such a display, such a sense of oppression, he had witnessed once before.

And on that occasion, the one who acted was Mary Geoise's true armed adjudication body of the World Nobles: the Holy Knights.

As existences who had stood at the pinnacle of the world for hundreds of years, the World Nobles naturally could not be entirely good-for-nothings; among them were also individuals of extraordinary talent.

And the Holy Knights were composed of the very elite among the World Nobles.

They possessed superhuman talent and even more so, nearly limitless resources, ultimately forging a unit composed of monsters.

The leaders among them already possessed power comparable to that of a Navy Admiral.

"Even the Holy Knights have acted?!"

"Do those few value the Water Seven incident to such an extent?!"

Aokiji frowned tightly.

He had already concluded that the arrivals must be elites from within the Holy Knights.

If it were merely a matter of strength, that would be one thing, but what was more critical was the stance represented by the Holy Knights!

Their appearance here could only mean that, in the eyes of those Five, the Water Seven incident had already developed the potential to threaten Mary Geoise!

"This is big trouble!"

"We might both get fired!"

"The trouble is indeed great."

Akainu frowned tightly:

"Greater than you imagine; those who have come are not the Holy Knights, but... those Five!"

The black smoke within the city of Water Seven gradually dissipated at this moment.

Five ferocious beast shadows flashed by in an instant, and ultimately, only five elderly men with arrogant expressions appeared before Akainu and Aokiji.

"I need an explanation regarding the matter of Water Seven!"

Saint Jaygarcia Saturn stood on the shore.

The sea breeze blew, whipping up the feathered robe on his body, while an invisible aura diffused, even surpassing at this moment the burning Water Seven behind him.

"Sakazuki, what exactly happened here? Or rather, what exactly did you do?"

The other four also looked silently at Akainu.

An invisible pressure permeated the air, almost making it impossible to breathe.

Two hours ago, when the live broadcast feed was cut off, they had only assumed that the CP0 member responsible for transmitting the footage had been caught up in the falling floating island.

But the longer they waited, the more something felt wrong.

In the end, fearing that some change might occur, they had no choice but to appear in person.

All they could see now was the scene of Akainu ordering the Navy to bombard the empty Water 7.

The situation had completely exceeded their expectations, running entirely counter to their original plan to bury Gao Wen, and even the Four Emperors Big Mom and Wang Zhi, right here.

Akainu remained neither humble nor arrogant, stating:

"The CP0 warship was attacked by Big Mom and burned to ashes on the spot; not a single person survived."

"Shiki the Jin Shizi was slain by Knight Gao Wen; the Float-Float Fruit lost its effect, and those floating islands should have crashed down, burying everything beneath them."

"Someone used a Devil Fruit ability to hold up the entire floating island."

"Afterward, Knight Gao Wen retreated, and we proceeded to execute the Buster Call according to the original plan...!"

Before Akainu could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Saint Nusjuro:

"What kind of joke are you making!"

"Do you have any idea how great a threat that man poses? He..."

Akainu's face remained unchanged, his expression still cold and hard, yet the words he spoke left everyone utterly astonished:

"He is a Warlord of the Sea authorized by the World Government; furthermore, he appeared in Water 7, slew Shiki the Jin Shizi, and displayed an attitude that was flawless in every way—I have no reason to move against him."

"I..."

Saint Nusjuro opened his mouth, feeling his rage with nowhere to vent.

It was only because, upon slight reflection, he realized Akainu was not wrong.

Gao Wen was still a Warlord of the Sea recognized by the World Government, and his arrival in Water 7 was not for the blueprint of the Ancient Weapon Pluton.

He had even acted as a vigilante, personally slaying Shiki the Jin Shizi, a great enemy of the World Government; from this perspective, Gao Wen was not only without fault but had actually rendered a service.

Even Akainu had done nothing wrong; the order to eliminate Gao Wen here had not yet been issued to him by the five of them, and he was simply executing the Buster Call according to plan.

But the crux of the matter was that Gao Wen's threat had now reached a level that could not be ignored; if left unchecked, within a few years, another Rocks would emerge!

Indeed, Gao Wen's survival capabilities were even greater than those of the former Rocks!

Thinking of this.

Saint Nusjuro laughed in sheer anger on the spot:

"Should I go ahead and present him with an award, then?"

"If you wish to, of course you may."

Silence fell over the surroundings all at once.

Standing behind Akainu, Aokiji's face was flushed from holding back laughter; he never expected Akainu to say such things, and the key point was that it seemingly really was exactly as Akainu described.

Aokiji secretly gave Akainu a thumbs-up.

Just as he looked around, preparing to quietly retreat behind the others, he was inevitably singled out by Saint Nusjuro, who was seething with suppressed rage:

"Kuzan, what about you? Appearing here without our orders, regarding this matter..."

Akainu glanced at Aokiji, who was shrinking back behind him, and explained:

"This was a plan Kuzan and I agreed upon in advance; he was to infiltrate Water 7 to confirm whether the blueprint of the Ancient Weapon Pluton exists."

"After all, Borsalino is in the New World restraining the rampaging Beasts Pirates; apart from Kuzan, the Navy's internal top-tier combat power simply could not spare anyone else."

"Hmph."

Saint Nusjuro sneered contemptuously, slowly drawing the long sword at his waist.

He naturally knew the affairs of CP0 were absolutely not as simple as Akainu claimed, but he understood even more clearly that they could not force the two Admirals to defect at this critical juncture.

After all, to them, CP0 was at most a group of household slaves, whereas the value of Akainu and Aokiji, and the risk posed should they betray, was undoubtedly far greater.

Therefore, regarding the matter of CP0, they could only choose to turn a blind eye.

But when it came to Gao Wen, Saint Nusjuro could no longer keep his composure; he had been stifling a fire within him, and now it had reached the point where it had to be vented.

Yet in the next moment.

Saint Saturn, who had remained silent until now, reached out and firmly pressed down on the restless Saint Nusjuro.

Saint Nusjuro frowned, barely suppressing the fury in his heart:

"What do you mean?!"

"I actually think that letting Knight Gao Wen leave without interference is not a bad thing."

"Absurd!"

Saint Nusjuro scoffed:

"How great a threat that man poses, you have all seen with your own eyes: the power to crush Shiki the Jin Shizi head-on, and that kind of nearly unkillable vitality—!"

"Even if we were to act, could we guarantee keeping him here?!"

"This..."

Faced with Saint Saturn's rhetorical question, Saint Nusjuro opened his mouth, momentarily rendered speechless.

No matter how unwilling he was, he had to admit that with the power Gao Wen had currently displayed, combined with the nearly immortal Red Dragon Fruit, the two together had created a thoroughgoing monster.

Even if the Five Elders acted together, they would likely find it difficult to keep him here.

Seeing Saint Nusjuro calm down, Saint Saturn inadvertently assumed an air of serene confidence:

"His departure without further incident may well be a good thing."

"Firstly, he is still one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and nominally stands on the side of the World Government."

Upon mention of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Saint Nusjuro's tone carried a hint of disdain:

"Of the pirates who join the Seven Warlords, how many do not harbor wolfish ambitions?!"

"Indeed, the reason we did not summon the Seven Warlords for this Water 7 incident was precisely our fear that their support would be false, and their true intent was to come to Water 7 to share in the spoils!"

Saint Saturn nodded and continued:

"You are correct."

"But even if we act, we cannot keep him here; and once we completely tear off masks with that man, have you considered the consequences?!"

"For the Red Dragon, the energy of the earth veins is not merely useful for self-repair; it can be compressed and condensed into a liquid state, unleashing an explosive power capable of easily destroying an entire city!"

"You should understand just how troublesome an enemy is when it is uncontrollable yet possesses the power to easily destroy strategic strongholds."

Saint Nasjuro took a deep breath, the fury in his heart gradually subsiding.

He pondered briefly.

And realized that Saint Saturn was right.

Saint Saturn continued:

"For now, at least, it is stable and has not yet shown any intention of opposing the World Government."

"Moreover, there are our people on that fellow's ship; in other words, all his future actions are within our control."

"Compared to escalating the conflict completely, this is already the best possible outcome."

"Even, if handled properly, we might be able to make that fellow stand completely on our side."

"With a Yonko-level combatant possessing a certain degree of immortality on our side, the pressure faced by both the Marines and the World Government will be much less."

"Besides, after several decades or even a hundred years pass, the Knight Gao Wen will be nothing more than a withered skeleton; the world will ultimately remain under our control!"

As his voice landed,

the other Five Elders nodded one after another, clearly moved by Saturn's words.

In their view, this was already the best result possible given that they could not completely erase Gao Wen.

Compared to long-lived beings like themselves, the seventy or eighty-year lifespan of an ordinary person was truly too short.

Even if one reached the peak within that limited time and became unstoppable, they would enjoy glory for at most a few decades, just like Rocks and Roger in years past.

Powerful?

Of course they were powerful, possessing a spirit far beyond that of ordinary people.

But their time was ultimately limited, and this world was simply too vast—so vast that within their finite lives, it was difficult to shake the rule of the World Government.

Racing against time, the victor would inevitably be themselves; this confidence had always existed in the hearts of the five.

As Saturn spoke, the expressions of the crowd gradually softened.

"Regarding the matters in Water Seven afterward, we want a complete report."

"Leave no detail out!"

"Understood."

Akainu responded, and before their eyes, the dark pentagram reappeared; the figures of the five turned into a wisp of black smoke, vanishing between heaven and earth in an instant.

Aokiji raised his eyes, looking toward the place where the several had vanished, his gaze implicitly revealing an indescribable Solemn Demeanor:

"Are these five the rulers of this world? This sense of oppression makes even me shudder with fear."

Akainu likewise wore a Solemn Demeanor:

"It is said that since the very founding of the World Government, these five have been the ones dominating this world, and to this day, it is still them."

Aokiji's pupils contracted:

"The World Government has been established for over eight hundred years; does that not mean..."

"Ah."

Akainu nodded:

"They have lived for at least eight hundred years."

"In a certain sense, they truly possess the attributes of gods: endless life, immense power, absolute authority..."

"When these things combine, the boundary between man and god will gradually blur."

"Therefore..."

"Neither your plan nor Master Zephyr's plan can possibly succeed."

The corner of Aokiji's mouth lifted slightly, and he returned to his usual lazy posture:

"But some things must be tried to be known; after all, the World Government has only existed for eight hundred years!"

"What kind of scenery must that great kingdom, submerged in history, have been..."

"Hmph."

Akainu shook his head:

"I knew I couldn't persuade you, fellow."

"Forget it."

"Come with me to see him."

"In the future, I don't want to argue with you anymore; do whatever you like."

Aokiji froze, his expression gradually becoming solemn as he followed Akainu's steps into the ship's cabin.

T-Bone's corpse had already been laid to rest; at this moment, he lay quietly in the warship's cabin, the blood staining his clothes having turned a dark red—some from IQ ferocious beasts, some his own.

As for T-Bone's knight sword, Akainu had collected it and kept it by his side.

What few people know is that before obtaining the Magma-Magma Fruit, Akainu was also a master of the sword.

It was only because the Magma-Magma Fruit was too powerful that he abandoned the swordsmanship he had once bitterly cultivated.

Judging by current events,

Akainu was about to draw his sword once again.

(End of Chapter)