Mary Geoise.

Pangu Palace.

Between power.

The five old men struck their poses as always; who knows how many more years they'll keep doing that.

Before them stood Sakazuki, cigar in mouth, exuding an air of arrogance.

The red-skinned old man said, "Rayleigh... that guy, he's finally gone."

The curly-haired old man said, "Let's count it as a death, and let Lucilfer Kuro handle it. If it's published in the newspaper, it will increase the prestige of the World Government."

The long-bearded old man said, "I second that. The navy will also increase its power to deter pirates."

The old man with the map said, "Let's spread the word properly, and the pirates won't dare to act rashly."

The old man holding the sword said, "It has a very good effect on balance."

Sakazuki nodded and said, "Lucil Kuro will take over G-3, is that alright?"

These words caused the Five Elders to fall silent for a moment.

“No objections, but Garp’s lieutenant general rank will remain.” The curly-haired old man remained silent for a moment before speaking.

The old man with the map agreed: "Indeed, Garp's rank should be retained. As for Lucilfer Kuro, it's no problem for him to take over G-3. He can keep those outlaws on the seas in check. But who will guard Sabaody?"

“Let Lucilfer Kuro nominate someone,” Sakazuki said.

"That's the only way..." The five elders nodded in unison.

Sakazuki exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "Then it's settled. I'll be going now."

The Five Elders watched Sakazuki leave, exchanged glances, and then the red-skinned elder said, "The balance of the Navy must also be taken into account."

The long-bearded old man stroked his beard and said:

"That's true. Right now, Sakazuki and Borsalino's factions are the most powerful, especially if Lucilfer Kuro takes over G-3. Only when the other factions unite can they form a triangular alliance with them. We need to be careful later."

The old man with the map said, "Let Lucilfer Kuro choose Sabaody. He ensured the stability of Sabaody and Mary Geoise during his time there, and even some Celestial Dragons praise him. If he makes the selection, the Celestial Dragons will feel at ease."

The old man with the sword adjusted his glasses and said, "Indeed, and given his achievements, suppressing him further would only breed resentment. The North Sea Four Kingdoms incident is already showing signs of this. Unlike Zephyr, Lucilfer Kuro is loyal to the World Government, so there's no need to suppress him. I believe he will handle everything well."

The curly-haired old man nodded: "That's the only way. Let's put it in the newspaper."

...

Three days later.

In the plaza of the naval base, Clooney held two items in his hands, his face filled with despair.

In his left hand was a newspaper that had just been published that day, and in his right hand were documents that had just been received. He hesitated to take a step forward, staring at the base ahead.

"Hey, Chloe, what are you doing?"

Lida, who was biting her lip, passed by and glanced at Kro's face, then asked curiously.

"I..."

Kro opened his mouth, then handed the things to Lida, saying, "Take a look for yourself."

"hiss!"

Lida glanced down and immediately gasped. She took a few steps back as if she had seen a plague demon, shaking her head and saying:

"Don't give it to me, give it to Kuro yourself, I don't want to get yelled at by him."

You got scolded?

If I hand it over, I'll get beaten up!

Regardless of who it's handed over to, the final result will definitely be that Kuro gets special training from Kuro.

Even if Cass comes in person, it will be the same.

"Colonel Crowe, what are you doing here? Hurry up and set sail, there's still a lot to do."

Just as Kro hesitated, Sentomaru and Wilbur walked over together.

They've been quite busy these past few days, mainly scouting the Sabaody Archipelago environment to prevent any remaining pirates from lurking there, as well as any daring pirates who still want to enter Sabaody Archipelago.

After all, it's time for the annual pirate gathering at Sabaody Archipelago, and it's not over yet.

Pirates entering Sabaody are a daily occurrence, without exception, but there are certain periods when the number is particularly high.

This period is when there are the most pirates, and it will last for about two months. During this time, they need to increase their patrols outside the islands while keeping an eye on Sabaody Archipelago to prevent any mishaps.

Especially after what happened with the Straw Hat crew.

If the pirates cause another disturbance, not only will Kuro be angry with them, but they themselves will also lose face.

The Straw Hat crew admits they're strong, not on the same level as the Paradise Pirates, but what about the other pirates?!

As soon as the two approached, they saw the newspaper and documents in Kuro's hands. Sentomaru nodded: "Oh! I see, the documents have arrived, right?"

"You know?!" Kro looked at Sentomaru in surprise.

"Of course, I reported it, so of course I know." Sentomaru confidently patted his chest.

"Oh, oh, oh! This is..."

Wilbur, with his sharp eyes, snatched the newspaper from Kuro's hand, his eyes widening in surprise. "The World Government published it! Mr. Kuro's fame is going to grow even greater!!"

"Don't shout so loudly!" Kro reached out to grab it.

However, he didn't seem as quick as Wilbur in this respect. Wilbur had just finished shouting when he quickly held the newspaper up high, yelling, "Ten times!!"

The newspaper in my hand was magnified tenfold, like a kite fluttering in the wind.

"Mr. Kuro! Mr. Kuro!!"

Wilbur exclaimed excitedly, "You've made it into the newspaper! Look, you've made it into the newspaper again!!"

"Wilbur!"

Chloe shoved a hand over Wilbur's mouth, her face contorted with rage. "What are you doing? What have I done to offend you?!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!