By the time Eli Winters reached the edge of the Red Line, the area was a complete mess. Smoke curled upward, shattered marble and blood mixed underfoot but there was no sign of Fisher Tiger anywhere.
He crouched low, listening carefully to the panicked chatter among the scattered CP agents nearby. Only then did he realize what had happened Tiger had been rescued by someone else.
"Saved by… a dark-skinned guy?" Eli blinked, tilting his head. "Wait a sec... heh."
A grin half amused, half mischievous spread across his face.
So the "dark guy" must be that poor soul who accidentally triggered the explosive earlier. Who was this mysterious man, anyway?
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Eli muttered, curiosity bubbling inside him.
Before he could move, a CP member with sharp eyes spotted him. "Hey, there's someone over he—"
The man didn't finish his sentence. The next instant, Eli's hand flickered, and the agent crumpled silently, his soul sent off with what Eli jokingly called a "painless liberation."
"Sorry, buddy," Eli said softly. "Bad luck noticing me."
He leapt high into the air, twisting mid-flight with the grace of a diver, and plunged into the deep blue sea. The splash swallowed his figure whole, leaving nothing but ripples.
"System," Eli grinned underwater, "sign in."
Ding!
"Congratulations, host. Sign-in at Mary Geoise successful. Reward obtained..."
Meanwhile, within the ruins of Mary Geoise, Saint Shigdell Figarland had finally reverted from his full beast form. His body was still covered in blood and deep gashes, but they were slowly knitting together. Though he couldn't match Kaido's monstrous regeneration, his healing was still terrifyingly fast.
That was the power of a Mythical Zoan fruit its absurd vitality made it one of the rarest and most coveted of all Devil Fruits.
Three shadows suddenly appeared before Shigdell. The first, a stern middle-aged man with crescent-shaped facial hair and an aura of command, frowned deeply.
"Saint Shigdell," he said, "where is the enemy?"
Clutching his chest in embarrassment, Shigdell bowed his head. "Forgive me, big brother. He escaped."
"Escaped?" another man in a dark suit and black top hat sneered. "Pathetic. I told you giving the Roc-Roc Fruit to a useless fool like you was a waste."
"Enough, Saint Butalis," the third taller and younger interjected calmly. "Now isn't the time to argue. If we don't handle this carefully, we'll all share the blame."
Saint Butalis bit back his retort but couldn't hide the hatred in his eyes. He had always been jealous of Shigdell. Both men were prodigies within the World Government, but fate had been unkind to Butalis.
Born a branch member of the Jaygarcia family, he'd received almost no support despite his unmatched talent. Everything he'd achieved was through sheer effort and grit.
Shigdell, on the other hand, had been born into luxury the direct heir of the Figarland family, one of the founding Celestial Dragon lineages. His elder brother, Saint Gringul Figarland, was the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights, a position that oversaw even other Celestial Dragons.
From birth, Shigdell had everything. Titles, power, protection even the position of CP's commander.
"Why?" Butalis seethed inwardly. "Why does he get everything just by existing, while I have to bleed for scraps?"
But he quickly masked his envy as Gringul turned to the younger man. "Saint Diltu, you and Butalis handle the aftermath. I'll take Shigdell to Pangaea Castle to report to the Five Elders."
He vanished in a shimmer of air, carrying his injured brother away.
Once the Figarlands were gone, Butalis snorted coldly and began barking orders at his subordinates, while Diltu smiled politely and helped organize the cleanup though inwardly, he thought of Butalis as nothing more than a muscle-headed fool.
In the sacred halls of Pangaea Castle, the five most powerful men in the world sat in their usual chamber the Five Elders.
They already knew about the disaster at Mary Geoise, but none deemed it worth leaving their seats.
When Gringul entered with Shigdell, the floor trembled as Saint Saturn Jaygarcia slammed his cane against the ground.
"Saint Shigdell," Saturn thundered, "you've disappointed us. Mary Geoise hasn't been humiliated like this in over three centuries! Not only did you fail to sense the attack, but you let the intruder escape. Is this the standard of CP under your command?"
Shigdell flinched, speechless. He opened his mouth to explain, but Gringul raised a hand, silencing him.
"This failure is his responsibility," Gringul said flatly. "He will resign from his position as CP commander."
"Brother, I—" Shigdell started, but Gringul's glare shut him up instantly.
The Five Elders exchanged uneasy looks. They hadn't expected him to go that far they only meant to scold, not strip the Figarlands of power entirely.
A tense silence filled the room until Saint Topman Warcury, the Elder of Justice, cleared his throat.
"There's no need for that. A single failure can be forgiven. What matters now is vengeance. Fisher Tiger and that mysterious young man must be eliminated immediately to restore the World Government's dignity. Saint Shigdell, you will lead this mission yourself."
Gringul gave a faint nod, turned, and left without another word, Shigdell following behind him.
As soon as they were gone, Saint Saturn muttered, "The Figarlands are getting too bold."
None of the others disagreed aloud.
Outside the chamber, Shigdell finally spoke up. "Brother, why did you tell them I'd resign?"
Gringul sighed, smacking him lightly on the head. "Idiot. If you 'resign,' the CP still belongs to us. Half of CP0 are our family's retainers the rest are under our control. You think anyone else can command them? Your title doesn't matter. The Figarlands hold the real power."
Shigdell blinked, confused. "Oh… I see. I think."
Gringul rubbed his temples. "Just do what I say."
The Figarlands had long understood the game of power. Though they had no seat among the Five Elders, their control over the Holy Knights and CP gave them influence unmatched by any other family.
That was exactly why the Jaygarcias and Saturn sought to weaken them unsuccessfully.
Far away, deep beneath the sea, Eli Winters surfaced beside a mid-sized battleship. He had traced Tiger's location using his spatial ability, shifting directions several times to avoid detection.
He climbed aboard smoothly and found the deck filled with freed slaves humans, fishmen, and even a few minks.
"Eli!" Fisher Tiger spotted him and ran forward, pulling him into a massive hug. "You're alive! I thought you were gone for good!"
Eli chuckled. "Didn't I tell you? I'm tougher than I look."
Tiger laughed heartily. "Alright then, tough guy. Mind telling me your name now?"
"Eli Winters," he said, lowering his voice. "Keep it quiet though I'm not ready to get myself on the wanted posters just yet."
Tiger's eyes widened. "You're the one they call the Sky Sovereign? The man who defied the Celestial Dragons?"
Eli smiled. "Guilty as charged. But hey, don't make a big deal out of it."
"Eli Winters," Tiger said solemnly. "From this day on, you are forever a friend of Fishman Island."
"Appreciate it," Eli grinned. "Guess fate really wanted us to meet, huh?"
At that moment, a slender man with burnt-black hair and a mask approached, his tone cold but calm. "Tiger, aren't you going to introduce your little friend?"
Before Tiger could speak, Eli flashed a bright, teasing grin. "Hey there, Old Black!"
The man froze then his voice erupted in fury. "You bastard! I knew it was you!"
Eli only laughed. "Nice to see you too."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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