Chapter 404

The Holy Land's Sky City, Heavenly Prison.

As the nominal supreme rulers of the former World Government, the Five Elders were fortunate enough to become the first prisoners confined in the Heavenly Prison.

Besides the Five Elders, there were Figarlando Gling and the Shamrock father-son duo.

As for the rest of the Celestial Dragons and Divine Knights, they had already paid the price their evil lives deserved: fused with the red soil of the Red Line.

Inside the Heavenly Prison, forged from unknown material, the Five Elders arranged themselves in order and sat against the wall.

Satan broke the silence.

"Gentlemen, we are still alive."

The other four Five Elders, Gling, and the Shamrock father-son understood the implication in Satan's words: they were still alive, meaning Im had not perished.

If Im, who had forged contracts with them, were dead, they would surely be dead too.

Vochuli took up the thread.

"Then where… has Im gone?"

Since Im attempted to sacrifice them and Saint Saint Saiwen Saint alive, the Five Elders no longer called him "My Lord," but referred to him directly by name: Im.

Honestly, it felt pretty good.

In the centuries since becoming Five Elders, they had never dared to speak Im's name directly.

Moreover, the five had served Im faithfully, even when they often failed in their duties—surely, after centuries, they deserved some credit for their hard work?

Yet Im treated them as disposable pawns, ready to sacrifice them alive.

If Saint Saint Saiwen Saint had not interrupted Im, all five of them would surely be dead by now.

"Only Saint Saint Saiwen Saint knows."

Garin scratched his messy hair: "Do you think Saint Saint Saiwen Saint will decide what to do with us?"

As the head of the Celestial Dragon Figarlando family, Garin had long served as commander of the Divine Knights, enjoying supreme power—even other Celestial Dragons could be executed at his whim.

Now he was a prisoner, facing imminent death.

Garin did not want to die; if he could keep living, even at the cost of his soul, he would pay it.

Hearing this, Satan chuckled.

"What will happen to us five… hard to say. But you, Garin Saint—have you forgotten the woman you killed in the Valley of the Gods?"

Shamrock clenched his fist silently.

Garin flew into a rage: "What's it to you? You, Satan Saint, have no right to judge… what I've done."

Satan still smiled.

"I truly have no right."

"But don't forget—Red-Haired Shanks is Saint Saint Saiwen Saint's brother. If Shanks learns the truth of that time, what do you think he'll do to you?"

In the pitch-black Heavenly Prison, teasing Garin was one of Satan's few pleasures.

After all, this old fool had little ability but a huge temper.

He used to show even the Five Elders no respect.

At this moment, Garin Saint felt regret for the first time—regret for why he had killed the woman who bore him twin sons.

It wasn't guilt or conscience; it was that if his past act were exposed, he would almost certainly lose his life.

Garin did not want to die. Garin wanted to live.

He wanted to live as before—enjoying the supreme power granted by his position as commander of the Divine Knights, taking whichever woman he desired.

Satan's words continued to pierce Garin's heart.

"Garin Saint, if I were you, and one of my sons was Saint Saint Saiwen Saint's brother, I'd drop to my knees and beg for forgiveness right away."

"Provided Shanks is willing to come see you."

Hearing this, Garin's heart stirred.

If this could let him live, bowing to Shanks and begging for forgiveness—what was that compared to death?

Once dead, everything is gone.

Wealth, status, beauties… well, he had already lost everything; what was a little kneeling?

"Hmph! Who asked you?"

Meanwhile, in the Sky City's Administrative Hall.

Shanks was bidding farewell to his brother Saint Saint Saiwen, Buggy, Lei Li, and Jia Ba, along with the rest of the Red-Haired Crew.

"Saint Saint Saiwen, we should set sail—continue the journey we haven't finished."

Though he said this, in truth, Shanks didn't want Saint Saint Saiwen to be put in an awkward position, nor did he want to see his father and brother executed.

His father, as a Celestial Dragon, had committed countless crimes over the years—Shanks couldn't even count them.

But from the story of the Valley of the Gods that Dragon told him, he already knew: even if his father were executed a hundred times, it wouldn't be enough; his survival until now was solely due to Saint Saint Saiwen's mercy toward him.

"Alright."

Saint Saint Saiwen decided to respect Shanks's choice.

"But before you leave, there's something I think… you have the right to know."

"Huh?"

Shanks frowned: "No way, Saint Saint Saiwen—you secretly took another ugly photo of me sleeping again?"

It wasn't unreasonable for Shanks to suspect; back in the Luo Jie Crew, Saint Saint Saiwen had done this often—Shanks and Buggy were seasoned victims.

"About your mother."

Saint Saint Saiwen paused: "When Captain Luo Jie confessed this to me before turning himself in, you were still a child, so I never mentioned it."

"My mother?"

Shanks suddenly realized, then stared blankly: "We're the same age, Saint Saint Saiwen—and I'm only two and a half months younger. Just spit it out—I want to know about my mother too."

"Your father is a piece of trash."

"I know that."

Shanks suddenly felt a bad premonition; based on his understanding of Saint Saint Saiwen, this news would make him... suffer terribly, which was why Saint Saint Saiwen hesitated.

"Your mother's name is Magnolia, and like you and Xia Mulock, she had red hair."

"She lived in the Valley of the Gods."

"A year before the Valley of the Gods battle, Garin was selecting a hunting ground for the Celestial Humans when he accidentally discovered descendants of the Davy clan residing in the Valley of the Gods, and met your mother then."

"A year later, on the eve of the Battle of the Valley of the Gods, Garin took you and Xia Mulock away from your mother."

"And killed her."

Saint Saint Saiwen's words were like a dagger dipped in ice, suddenly piercing through all of Shanks' defenses.

In the instant he finished speaking, the light in Shanks' pupils slowly dimmed; he swayed slightly, as if all strength had been drained, and his eyes welled uncontrollably with mist.

"Saint Saint Saiwen... you... what did you say?"

"He killed my mother?"

Thin red-black lightning flickered around Shanks — this was precisely why Saint Saint Saiwen hesitated.

Saint Saint Saiwen had thought more than once: just keep hiding it forever; after all, besides the perpetrator Garin and Satan, who participated in the Valley of the Gods battle, only he, the transmigrant, knew of it.

But he believed Shanks had the right to know, and so ultimately chose to reveal the truth.

"This is the access token for the Heavenly Prison Array."

Shanks took the token and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Lei Li and Jia Ba exchanged a glance, then called out to Baki and silently followed behind.

My head hurts. At this age, I still have to clean up the family messes of the younger generation.

Both understood: Garin deserved to die, but he must not die by Shanks' hand.