It was nearly half an hour after Imu and the Gorosei had departed before Diarmuid could no longer bear the tension and slipped out of the darkness.
"Whew..." Exhaling a long breath, Diarmuid frowned. Why was Dragon here? And by the looks of it, he got here even earlier than I did.
Diarmuid was certain that if he had arrived first, he would have detected Dragon regardless of whatever methods the Revolutionary used.
He must have caught wind of these secrets from somewhere. Or perhaps during his previous raids on Mariejois? Diarmuid mused. Regardless of how it happened, one thing was certain: Dragon knew Diarmuid was there too. Given Imu's appearance, Dragon had likely already deduced what the Marines were planning.
There was no time to dwell on it. The Gorosei had already headed back to the meeting; he had to return immediately. Diarmuid didn't hesitate, turning to exit the hall. Using his powers to negate his weight, he raced toward the conference room at high speed, taking a detour to ensure he beat the Gorosei back.
This shouldn't be difficult. The Gorosei had to maintain their image; five old men couldn't exactly be seen sprinting through Pangea Castle.
…
Behind the Hall of the Empty Throne lay the "Room of Flowers." Officially, this was Mariejois's botanical nursery, home to rare flora from across the globe. In reality, it was Imu's private garden where she occasionally tended to the plants. Despite being centuries old, she was still a woman and possessed a fondness for such things.
Butterflies fluttered everywhere within the room, which explained why one had appeared in the throne room earlier. Occasionally, a few would drift out.
At this moment, Imu, who had claimed to be "weary," stood amidst the blooms. A cluster of butterflies danced before her. She gently extended a finger, and soon, one landed on her tip.
"Rodriguez... Diarmuid," she murmured softly.
She had indeed discovered him. Moreover, she clearly knew quite a bit about him, even his surname. Ordinarily, someone of Imu's stature wouldn't spare a glance for a Marine Admiral.
There was no one else there; her whisper received no reply. After a long while, the butterfly flapped its wings and took flight.
"Sigh..." Imu let out a soft sigh, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. "Have they sat in high positions for so long that they've become too dull to see the shifting tides?"
She was clearly critiquing the Gorosei. Unlike the five elders, who were currently being kept in the dark by the Marines, Imu had sensed something. She might already know exactly what the Navy intended to do. That was why she knew of Diarmuid, and why she had labeled the Gorosei "fools" after confirming the Admiral's presence.
She lingered in the Room of Flowers for a long time before slowly withdrawing, leaving Pangea Castle silently to head toward the Domain of the Gods.
…
Meanwhile, Diarmuid finally reached the hall just before the Gorosei.
Since the elders weren't there yet, the meeting hadn't officially started. The attendees were all present, conversing in small groups. Diarmuid's entrance drew a few glances, but people quickly returned to their business.
Diarmuid pulled out his chair and sat down. Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Borsalino immediately leaned in from either side.
"Well?" Borsalino whispered. Sengoku's eyes were full of anticipation.
Diarmuid grinned. "Mission accomplished, obviously."
As he spoke, a wisp of darkness seeped from his hand, and he pulled a camera from the void. It was an instant-print model. He popped the back, retrieved several photos, and surreptitiously handed them to Borsalino and Sengoku.
The two men looked at the photos, their expressions a mix of awe and profound realization. Even though they had known the truth, seeing the physical evidence was a different matter entirely.
The photo in Borsalino's hand showed Imu seated upon the Empty Throne. Sengoku's photo captured the Gorosei kowtowing at the base of the stairs while Imu looked down from above.
The first photo was shocking, but the second was the killing blow. It would utterly destroy the credibility of Mariejois and the Gorosei. As the "Highest Authority" of the World Government, they had allowed an outsider to occupy the Empty Throne and had prostrated themselves before her. This was an absolute betrayal of the World Government's promise to its member nations!
"Is it enough?" Diarmuid asked.
Sengoku snapped out of his trance and nodded. "More than enough."
"I also ran into Dragon in there. He likely saw the same thing. I'm just not sure what he'll do next," Diarmuid added in a low voice.
"Dragon!?" Sengoku hissed in surprise. That man was actually in Mariejois? However, he quickly calmed down. Given Dragon's abilities, infiltrating the Holy Land was within the realm of possibility.
"Then we have to move faster. I wanted to let things simmer for another two days, but if Dragon is involved, we can't wait. We must seize the initiative. If the Revolutionary Army strikes first, they'll reap all the benefits," Sengoku said grimly.
Diarmuid wasn't particularly worried about the Revolutionaries outspeeding them. For one, Dragon had clearly been shaken by the sight of the Gorosei kneeling, meaning he had no prior psychological preparation. The Marines, however, were already coiled and ready to strike. Furthermore, the Revolutionaries lacked control over public discourse; exposing this truth wouldn't be easy for them.
As the Marines finalized their thoughts, the Gorosei finally arrived. The room, previously buzzing with chatter, fell silent as the five elders entered.
A keen observer might have noticed a flicker of suppressed rage in their eyes, though they hid it well. They took their seats at the head of the circular table.
The silence persisted until the bearded Gorosei spoke in a steady tone. "Thank you all for taking the time to attend this Reverie. Due to various circumstances, eight years have passed since the last summit. To make up for the missed session, we have invited one hundred kings to participate. We hope this meeting brings a satisfactory result for everyone."
As he finished, the room, including Diarmuid, erupted in applause. Whether the speech was good or not, one had to clap for the Gorosei. Even Doflamingo, sitting somewhat conspicuously among the royalty, was clapping with a sinister smirk.
Once the applause died down, the bearded elder continued. "Thank you. I hereby declare the opening of this Reverie!"
More applause followed, but it was quickly silenced by the blonde Gorosei, who raised a hand.
"Regarding this Reverie, there are only a few directions Mariejois wishes to discuss. First, the issue of pirates in the New World. Most of you have likely heard the news: following this summit, Marine Headquarters will launch a new round of suppression operations. It will be a new war, and we have great confidence in its outcome..."
The expressions of many kings around the table became complicated. These were the royals from the New World; this war directly affected their interests. Previously, skirmishes between the Navy and pirates didn't fundamentally change their situation because the Navy couldn't completely suppress the pirates. The New World remained the Pirates' New World. To maintain stability, they often had to lean on the Yonko.
But now, the tide was turning. Anyone could see that the pirates were about to be hammered into the ground. If the World Government's authority extended deep into the New World, the status quo would be rewritten.
The blonde Gorosei continued, "We understand your past actions regarding the situation in the New World. However, after this war, any nation flying a pirate flag will be deemed a 'Pirate Nation.' They will be attacked, and their status as member nations will be revoked. We will overlook the past, but the future will be strictly scrutinized!"
The message was clear: after this meeting, there would be no more "double agents." You couldn't hold a World Government membership in your left hand and a pirate flag in your right.
"Any objections?" the blonde elder asked, his gaze fixed specifically on Doflamingo. Given his speech, it felt like a deliberate jab at the Warlord, who was himself a pirate. He wanted to use the will of the World Government to humiliate him.
He expected a retort or a reaction, but Doflamingo just sat there smiling, saying nothing. It was eerie.
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the Marine side of the table.
"Ahem. If we're talking about objections... I'd like to offer some regarding the fairness of the member nation system, the rights of the royal families, and international treaties..."
The blonde Gorosei looked toward the voice, his face a mask of confusion.
Am I even talking about that topic?Is that what I meant by 'objections'?Are you people insane?
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