"It's been a long time since I last came to Sabaody. The scenery here is still just as beautiful," a bald man wearing a white kimono and carrying a long sword in his hand said as he slowly stepped down from the warship.
"Indeed. The scenery here does have its own unique charm. If there's time, it might be worth visiting Sabaody more often," said the man beside him, dressed in a suit, with long white hair and a white beard, as he glanced around calmly.
"T-the Five Elders!" Rear Admiral The Rear admiral exclaimed, his face filled with shock.
Although he was only a rear admiral and had never had the chance to meet the Five Elders in person, he had still seen their photographs in the newspapers.
Coupled with the fact that even Sengoku and Kong were waiting respectfully, their identities were obvious.
Two of the Five Elders, the supreme decision-makers of the World Government, had appeared on the Sabaody Archipelago. If word of this spread, it would undoubtedly cause an enormous uproar.
"Rear Admiral, where is Rosinante right now?" At this moment, the two Five Elders stepped down. The one with white hair and a white beard, dressed in a suit, asked The Rear admiral, who was still stunned.
"Ah, yes! Rosinante is currently at his villa in the Thirty-Eighth Grove!" The Rear admiral snapped out of his daze and immediately saluted as he replied.
"He's not in Nightless City? That's fine. It won't draw too much attention that way. Let's go, Kong. We'll go meet that little fellow Rosinante. He's brought us quite a massive headache," the white-haired, white-bearded Elder said.
"Just going over directly? Not taking a look at Nightless City first?" Kong asked.
"There's no need. Everything that needs to be understood is already in the reports. Let's go directly and avoid unnecessary commotion," the white-haired Elder said.
"Let's go," the kimono-clad Elder holding the sword said indifferently.
After speaking, he took the lead and walked forward.
Seeing this, Kong gave Sengoku a look. Sengoku immediately ordered the Navy to clear the way, and the group headed straight toward Rosinante's villa in the Thirty-Eighth Grove.
In an instant, a massive force of elite Navy troops and World Government personnel surged into the Sabaody Archipelago, completely taking control of the Thirty-Eighth Grove.
Outside Rosinante's villa, layers upon layers of Navy and World Government personnel sealed off the area tightly.
They were not surrounding the villa in an overt siege, but rather maintaining a vigilant security formation.
Of course, if negotiations broke down, vigilance would turn into a full encirclement, and a major battle could erupt at any moment.
After the security perimeter was established, a group of people slowly approached.
At the front were the two Five Elders and Fleet Admiral Kong.
Behind them followed Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru.
After the three came Sakazuki and the other Navy Vice Admirals, along with a group of high-ranking World Government CP0 agents.
Anyone among these people could destroy a small nation on their own. With so many gathered together, even the so-called Four Emperors would have to think twice before confronting them head-on.
At that moment, the villa's main door opened, and a group stepped out.
At the front was Rosinante, with Enel, Ryan, and the others following behind him.
Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaido did not come out.
"I thought you would be arriving about now. Still, I underestimated just how seriously you'd take this. Not only did you dispatch the Navy's Fleet Admiral and Admirals, you even sent two of the Five Elders. I'm truly overwhelmed by the honor," Rosinante said with a smile.
"Rosinante, this is our first proper face-to-face meeting. To be honest, I regret agreeing back then to let your father, Homing, leave the Celestial Dragons. Your departure was a tremendous loss to them," the white-haired, white-bearded Elder said.
"I'm actually very grateful for my father's decision. Otherwise, I might just be another spoiled noble lounging around in Mary Geoise," Rosinante replied calmly.
"You've caused us quite a bit of trouble this time, forcing us to make this trip ourselves. Rosinante, how about returning to the ranks of the Celestial Dragons?" the white-haired Elder asked.
"There's no longer a place for me among the Celestial Dragons," Rosinante said flatly.
Hearing his refusal, the white-haired Elder did not seem surprised. He had merely asked in passing.
He knew very well that Rosinante would never abandon everything he had now to return to the Celestial Dragons.
"You already know our purpose in coming. But before negotiations begin, let me first see whether you're even qualified to negotiate with us," the kimono-clad Elder suddenly said. As he spoke, he slowly drew the long sword at his waist and slashed straight down at Rosinante.
The speed of the slash was not fast, yet before the blade even reached him, an icy, razor-sharp sword intent surged toward Rosinante.
Locked onto by that sword intent, Rosinante's expression changed drastically.
He felt as if this sword intent possessed tangible killing power, the freezing edge stabbing directly into his mind, as if to solidify his very soul.
Under this sword intent, Rosinante felt that no matter how he tried to dodge, this blade would still strike him.
At that moment, even his Observation Haki seemed to have completely lost its effect.
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