-Real World-
Many people had long expected that the World Government—an institution that had operated continuously for eight hundred years—would eventually collapse in some distant future. However, having this prediction explicitly confirmed by the Sky Screen meant it was virtually guaranteed to occur. This enormous ship of state would inevitably sink beneath the waves of the coming era, dragged down by its own accumulated corruption and contradictions.
After receiving this momentous news, the kings of non-member nations immediately took concrete steps to halt any ongoing processes for joining the World Government. The cynical calculation was brutally simple: you could share wealth and prosperity with allies, but you absolutely should not volunteer to share in catastrophic failure and destruction. No intelligent ruler wanted to be buried alongside the Celestial Dragons when their empire finally crumbled.
For employees whose families had been deeply embedded in the World Government's sprawling bureaucratic system for multiple generations, this revelation struck like lightning from a clear sky. Kalifa's parents from CP9 belonged precisely to this vulnerable category. The worst outcome they had privately feared for years was now confirmed as inevitable. These parasitic privileged classes that fed on the system's resources were the least willing to accept fundamental change, and they would be struck hardest by every upheaval. Common people might lose financial security during transitions, but these running dogs of the Celestial Dragons were likely to lose both their wealth and their lives.
The phenomenon of attacking those who had fallen from power was hardly uncommon throughout history. When the World Government finally collapsed, numerous unrelated parties would eagerly line up to metaphorically kick its corpse and claim pieces of its territory. Whether the emerging empire that replaced it would continue employing the old bureaucrats remained an open question—though it seemed far more likely that the old officials would be systematically purged to eliminate potential threats and demonstrate the new order's commitment to change.
The Shichibukai assembled in the conference room's front hall were primarily concerned with the mechanics of Kaido's sealing and whether that technique could be replicated. Meanwhile, the Five Elders who held the World Government's highest authority gathered in chambers further back, their weathered faces creased with concentration as they examined a completely new term that had emerged from the broadcast.
The name of the Holy Roman Empire had entered the consciousness of the Celestial Dragons for the first time. The word "empire" had never appeared in relation to any nation on the seas throughout recorded history. Various kingdoms existed—some with populations numbering in the millions, others barely managing thousands—but they all uniformly called themselves kingdoms regardless of size or power. Granting a nation the elevated title of "empire" was something that even the Celestial Dragons, who arrogantly claimed to be a divine clan descended from gods, had never dared to do for their own government.
Im, the supreme being among the Celestial Dragons, remained seated on the Empty Throne—the seat that supposedly no one was permitted to occupy, the symbol of equality among the twenty founding families. Below that elevated position stood five respectful elderly men who began discussing issues concerning the Holy Roman Empire with serious intensity.
They held virtually no interest in Kozuki Momonosuke himself—the boy who came from a family of stonemasons and would become either savior or tyrant depending on perspective. After all, the seas never lacked tyrannical rulers. History was littered with their corpses and forgotten kingdoms.
However, Im possessed considerable interest in the secrets of the Great Kingdom that Momonosuke's ancestors had helped preserve. The historical gap covering a hundred years of deliberately erased history had been caused by people of Im's own generation through systematic destruction of records. The ancient ruler didn't particularly mind ordering the deployment of weapons of mass destruction against Wano Country if that became necessary to protect those buried secrets.
Moreover, Kozuki Momonosuke had ultimately employed a sealing technique that none of them had ever heard of before—using it to imprison Kaido, who was strongly suspected of being Joy Boy reborn. The fact that two powerful forces connected to dangerous prophecies were effectively destroying each other due to Wano Country's internal conflicts was something the Celestial Dragons were quite happy to witness. Let pirate strength be consumed through internecine warfare.
Regarding the exaggerated bounty of ten billion and ten million berries offered for Four Emperor Kaido, such an impossibly high price could only be issued with direct interference from the future World Government itself. The existential threat that Joy Boy posed to the Celestial Dragons simply could not be measured in monetary terms—no amount of money could adequately reflect that danger.
However, even if Kozuki Momonosuke successfully united various forces to seal Kaido away, the New Marines would probably not actually honor such an astronomical bounty. As long as the next Acting Fleet Admiral possessed even basic intelligence, they would refuse to authorize expenditures that would cause catastrophic financial losses to the organization.
"Who do you believe founded the Holy Roman Empire?" Im's voice emerged from behind the concealing black cloth, calm but carrying undeniable authority. "I want to hear your analytical thoughts on this matter."
Faced with direct inquiry from the ancestor of the Celestial Dragons, the five elderly men comprising the Five Elders fell into contemplative silence. They mentally deconstructed the unfamiliar term into its three component words: Holy, Roman, and Empire.
Among these elements, "Holy" and "Empire" served as descriptive modifiers that provided contextual flavor. Meanwhile, "Empire" functioned as the core noun defining the governmental structure. Only the middle two words—"Roman"—carried truly significant meaning that might lead to concrete answers. Perhaps some information about this "Rome" could be discovered in ancient historical records stored in Mary Geoise's vast archives.
This marked the absolute first time that any of the Five Elders had heard the name "Roman" referenced in any context. They had never encountered evidence of a Roman Kingdom existing anywhere on the seas, nor had the term appeared in any intelligence reports or historical documents they'd reviewed during their centuries of service.
The Five Elders exchanged meaningful glances, silently communicating through minute facial expressions honed over decades of cooperation. Their collective gaze eventually settled on Saint Jaygarcia Saturn—the member who had made tremendous contributions to the development of the future God of Scientific Defense through joint research with Vegapunk. Although this achievement had not yet occurred in the present timeline, it had already been recognized and validated by the Sky Screen's broadcasts. Naturally, Saturn had received credit for work not yet completed, and Lord Im had even offered personal praise.
With the confidence provided by the Sky Screen's implicit endorsement, Saturn stood tall before Lord Im, nominated by the other four Elders to serve as their spokesman. Even if he ultimately said something incorrect or displeasing, he likely would not face severe punishment given his recent favor. The other Four Elders decidedly did not enjoy such protective treatment.
"Lord Im," Saturn began carefully, organizing his thoughts before speaking. "According to my analytical speculation, the future Holy Roman Empire must be built upon the corpse of the World Government as its foundation. Secondly, it must maintain inextricable connections to the World Government's former structure and resources. Otherwise, no mere kingdom could successfully transform itself into a true empire."
The implications of the Five Elders' collective reasoning were quite transparent. Only the New Marines possessed the capability to stand victoriously atop the World Government's corpse and systematically absorb all nutrients from that rotting carcass. The scattered pirate forces across the seas could only engage in burning, killing, and looting—they were fundamentally parasites concerned exclusively with short-term profit rather than long-term governance. They would never possess the organizational capacity or vision required for legitimate state-building.
But in the revealed future, the New Marines would gradually achieve complete independence from World Government control. They would possess abundant financial resources, massive military forces, and the highest-tier combat power available. They would demonstrate open disrespect toward the Celestial Dragons and display increasingly strong independent tendencies. Most critically, they would develop their own autonomous administrative agencies capable of governance.
After the World Government's final collapse, the Marines could seamlessly inherit everything from their former masters—the infrastructure, the bureaucratic knowledge, the international relationships, all of it.
"Perhaps in the future, some earth-shaking event will occur," Saturn continued, warming to his theory. "This catalyzing incident will cause the New Marines to gain tremendous fame and popular support across the seas. After the World Government is reduced to ruins, the ocean will desperately need new order and stability. Establishing the Holy Roman Empire in accordance with widespread public expectations would be entirely natural under such circumstances."
The critical question remained unanswered: who would serve as the first Emperor of this new realm? Would it be the Acting Fleet Admiral Artoria Pendragon, whose leadership had been prominently featured in Sky Screen broadcasts? Perhaps the subsequent Admiral who inherited her position? Or possibly an Admiral who had accumulated particularly high prestige and public support?
Without specific information about when the Holy Roman Empire was actually established, or precise timing for the World Government's complete collapse, many speculations swirling through the Five Elders' minds could not be definitively confirmed. However, as long as they maintained these theories privately, the absence of concrete evidence hardly mattered. The Celestial Dragons were already profoundly disappointed with the Marines' demonstrated loyalty. It seemed inevitable that this well-fed guard dog would eventually grow greedy enough to devour its master entirely.
Regarding the answers provided by their subordinates, the Five Elders could not discern Im's reaction because the supreme ruler's entire body remained covered by layers of concealing black cloth. Unable to read whether their master was pleased or angered by Saturn's analysis, they could only wait for Im's response with mounting apprehension.
Im shifted position slightly, resting their head upon folded arms in a rare display of relaxed posture. This casual demeanor might be related to their unique physical condition. It was highly probable that the immortal body possessed by the ancestor of the Celestial Dragons was not innate or original—evidence suggested significant modifications had occurred. Although Im's voice generally presented as masculine, they occasionally revealed certain feminine mannerisms and gestures that suggested a more complex identity.
"The Marines cannot be moved against yet," Im declared after lengthy consideration. "Without these attack dogs operating on the front lines, the Celestial Dragons cannot control the seas through our own forces alone. Pirates must still be systematically strangled and eliminated according to current policy."
Im's concealed gaze seemed to focus on Saturn specifically. "I am not particularly satisfied with the developmental speed of the Seraph Project. Saint Saturn, you must keep extremely close supervision over Vegapunk's work. This scientist may harbor ulterior motives that conflict with our interests—he cannot be trusted one hundred percent."
After witnessing Homelander's heroic and overwhelming capabilities displayed in the Sky Screen broadcasts, Saturn felt that the enormous amounts of funding he had allocated over the years to research Joy Boy's unique physiology had proven entirely worthwhile. If this type of artificial god could be successfully mass-produced, the Celestial Dragons could rest completely assured about future security.
However, the broadcasts had also shown that the World Government would ultimately be destroyed in the future timeline. The Seraphim of Homelander's advanced model appeared to have been discontinued or regressed to earlier versions. This strongly suggested that mass production had never been completed successfully—perhaps only the single prototype Homelander existed, which proved insufficient to cope with the turbulent and dangerous future that eventually consumed the government.
Im wanted Saturn to dramatically accelerate the iteration plan for Seraph development. The Celestial Dragons needed to produce a genuine artificial god as rapidly as possible. To achieve this goal, they could continue ruthlessly exploiting Vegapunk's genius regardless of his personal wishes or health. The time had come to conduct a thorough inspection of the results produced by the massive funds the World Government had provided to his research over decades.
The Pacifistas that had been researched and developed over many years were completely different in capability from what Homelander represented—the gap in power was almost incomprehensible. Im suspected from the depths of their ancient heart that Vegapunk had been deliberately working slowly in recent years, perhaps even sabotaging progress. Moreover, Egghead had consumed truly staggering amounts of funding without providing returns proportional to the investment. It was definitely time to discipline the scientist thoroughly and remind him who actually controlled his fate.