Chapter 199: The Holy Knights' Hound!
Inside the grand, opulent Room of Authority located at the very pinnacle of Pangaea Castle in Mary Geoise, the atmosphere was entirely disconnected from the chaos of the mortal world below.
The air smelled faintly of ancient, expensive incense and the sheer, suffocating weight of absolute global power.
Saint Topman Warcury, the God of Finance, sat deeply in his luxurious, velvet-lined chair.
He stroked his massive, meticulously groomed walrus mustache with a slow, highly calculated rhythm.
His eyes, hidden beneath thick brows and carrying the immense arrogance of a god looking down upon insects, scanned the intelligence reports detailing the apocalyptic fall of Onigashima.
Saint Warcury summarized the catastrophic global event unhurriedly, his tone completely devoid of any real concern.
"A powerful force, if it can be securely used by us, would absolutely not be a bad thing."
His heavy voice echoed in the vast, silent chamber, establishing a terrifyingly pragmatic consensus among the highest rulers of the World Government.
"Indeed, an exceptionally powerful pirate group..."
Just as another member of the Gorosei, Saint Marcus Mars, opened his mouth to agree with the strategic assessment, the very shadows of the room seemed to violently distort.
A sudden, highly unexpected, somewhat lazy and incredibly magnetic voice rang out in the highly secure room without a single shred of warning.
"Being able to successfully kill Kaido... they are indeed an exceptionally good, sharp blade."
The voice dripped with an overwhelming, aristocratic confidence that completely ignored the supreme status of the five elders present.
"If they can be properly taken into the fold, they could surely clear out a whole lot of useless trash for the Holy Land."
The moment this unfamiliar, highly intrusive voice appeared, the historically unchanging, stoic expressions of the Gorosei changed visibly for the very first time!
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, the God of Science and Defense, turned his scarred head abruptly.
The knuckles of his hand gripping his walking cane instantly turned bone-white from the sheer, sudden force.
In his usually calm, deeply cold and calculating eyes, a tangible chill and highly concentrated fury instantly burst forth like a raging blizzard.
He stared fixedly, with lethal intent, at a dark corner of the room that was supposed to be completely, absolutely empty.
"Figarland Garling Saint!"
For the very first time in decades, Saint Saturn's voice lost its detached composure, carrying an undisguised, highly venomous reprimand and booming anger.
"Who gave you the absolute permission to come here unannounced!"
The sheer volume of his voice caused the pristine teacups on the mahogany table to rattle violently.
From that deep patch of shadow, which looked entirely out of place against the magnificent, brightly lit decor of the sacred room, a tall and incredibly upright figure stepped out.
The newcomer's mere presence commanded absolute attention, exuding an aura of pure, unadulterated violence masked by high-society elegance.
He had striking, uniquely crescent-moon-shaped silver hair that swept upwards with immaculate precision.
He wore a beautifully well-tailored Knights' uniform that contrasted sharply with the traditional suits of the Gorosei.
The numerous, heavy golden medals pinned to his broad chest clinked softly, gleaming blindingly under the room's luxurious crystal chandeliers.
A faint, highly mocking smile played on his sharp, handsome face.
But his eyes, sharp and predatory as a descending hawk's, seemed entirely capable of piercing straight through human flesh and dissecting their very hearts.
He was the terrifying man who stood at the absolute apex of all Tenryuubito combatants.
The supreme judge of the Celestial Dragons, the Supreme Commander of the Knights of God—Figarland Garling Saint!
Facing Saint Saturn's highly aggressive, near-roaring interrogation, Garling Saint didn't even flinch.
He merely raised his white-gloved hands and smoothed his crisp collar with a slow, highly elegant, and deliberately infuriating motion.
It was as if he completely didn't feel the overwhelming, monstrous hostility radiating from the five old men surrounding him.
"Oh my, Saturn, your temper is just as incredibly short as it ever was."
He chuckled softly, his tone as relaxed and highly casual as if he were merely strolling leisurely through his own private back garden.
"With such an incredibly interesting, world-shaking event happening in the savage New World, we cannot simply sit by."
He took a slow step forward, his heavy boots clicking rhythmically against the pristine marble floor.
"We, the Knights of God, standing proudly as the final, absolute line of defense for the Holy Land, naturally have to come out and show some genuine concern."
Garling Saint's smile deepened into something far more dangerous and highly cynical.
"After all, the supposedly terrifying titles of two 'Emperors of the Sea' have suddenly become entirely worthless, haven't they?"
The mockery in his tone was directed entirely at the Gorosei's long-standing, highly flawed system of global balance.
"Hmph!"
Saint Saturn gave a heavy, deeply cold snort, slamming the base of his wooden cane hard against the floor.
The sheer mockery and deep-seated disdain in his old, scarred eyes almost overflowed into the physical space.
"I see right through your pathetic facade, Garling."
Saturn's voice was a low, highly dangerous growl that vibrated with suppressed demonic energy.
"You're absolutely not here to care about the shifting balance of the 'Emperors,' are you?"
He pointed a highly accusatory, trembling finger directly at the Supreme Commander.
"You're purely here to care about that pathetic, disappointing 'relative' of yours drifting out there in the dirt!"
As soon as these heavy, highly taboo words were spoken out loud, the temperature in the massive air seemed to instantly drop by dozens of degrees.
The atmosphere became completely suffocating, a silent battle of supreme Conqueror's Haki clashing invisibly in the center of the room.
Every single one of the individuals present knew the highly classified, deeply buried truth.
The globally feared surname of Red-Haired Shanks, the Yonko who had just been brutally, completely defeated and humiliated by the Suzaku Pirates, was precisely 'Figarland'!
He was a man carrying the highest, most sacred bloodline of the Celestial Dragons, yet choosing to wallow in the mud with common pirates.
However, facing this direct, highly aggressive mockery that practically tore off all political pretenses, the smile on Garling Saint's face didn't change in the absolute slightest.
His eyes didn't even twitch; his heartbeat remained completely, terrifyingly steady.
"Saturn, you always like to put things so... incredibly vulgarly."
He wagged a single, gloved finger in a highly dismissive gesture and walked slowly, confidently to the very center of the room.
His posture was entirely dominant, acting exactly as if he were the absolute master of this supreme sanctuary.
"This man is absolutely not the sentimental type to be foolishly bound by boring, meaningless blood ties."
His voice was entirely cold, completely devoid of any familial warmth or hidden sorrow for the defeat of the Red Hair Pirates.
"Blood is only useful if it serves the absolute supremacy of the Holy Land. If it fails, it is entirely worthless."
He paused, resting his hand casually on the pristine hilt of the finely crafted saber strapped to his waist.
"I just honestly think that this sudden, highly disruptive Suzaku Pirates group is quite interesting."
His sharp, predatory gaze slowly swept over the five supreme elders, meeting each of their eyes without a single ounce of submission.
"A highly dangerous group of monsters of completely unknown origin, possessing entirely inconceivable, world-breaking power."
He tapped his chin thoughtfully, mimicking a highly analytical tactician.
"Acting incredibly decisively, with an amazing, highly brutal efficiency that completely shatters the established norms of those savage pirates..."
Garling Saint leaned forward slightly, his silver crescent hair catching the light.
"Don't you five esteemed gentlemen think they are very, highly suitable to become the sharpest sword in our hands?"
Garling Saint spread his gloved hands wide, exactly as if he were proudly displaying a rare, highly valuable treasure found in the dirt.
"Instead of foolishly letting those incompetent, highly rigid fools in the Marine Headquarters make an absolute mess of this delicate situation..."
He shot a highly dismissive, contemptuous look toward the general direction of the naval base located far below the Red Line.
"...or drastically exposing our own hidden forces by doing it ourselves right now."
He lowered his hands, his eyes gleaming with profound, highly arrogant ambition.
"And risking breaking this highly entertaining 'work of art' that clearly possesses very decent, highly usable combat power..."
His smile returned, sharper and colder than before.
"...why not... simply incorporate them directly under our absolute command."
He delivered his ultimate proposal with the absolute certainty of a man who firmly believed the entire world belonged to him.
"Incorporate the entire Suzaku Pirates as a whole directly into my Knights of God."
The sheer audacity of the highly arrogant statement hung heavily in the silent room.
"Let us personally force them to wear tight collars and completely become the loyal, vicious hounds that brutally clear out global dissidents for us."
He crossed his arms over his medal-covered chest.
"This is my one and only purpose for coming here today."
As soon as this highly controversial, entirely insane proposal was said out loud, even the highly stoic Saint Saturn was visibly stunned for a moment.
The sheer arrogance of trying to leash individuals capable of slaying Kaido and breaking the Red Hair Pirates was staggering, even for a Celestial Dragon.
Yet, in the ancient, deeply calculating eyes of the other four elders, a distinct hint of profound interest flashed simultaneously.
"Hmm..."
Saint Topman Warcury stroked his massive walrus mustache once more, breaking the heavy silence.
He was the very first to express his highly pragmatic, utterly arrogant agreement.
"Interesting. Highly interesting, Garling."
Warcury tapped the intelligence report containing Suzaku's handsome face.
"Since they absolutely do not carry the cursed initial of 'D' in their names, then there is fundamentally no historical problem."
His voice was incredibly cold, treating the lives of these supreme powerhouses as nothing more than mere livestock.
"Being able to successfully, tightly tame a powerful, highly destructive mad dog to use entirely for our own purposes is indeed a very good, highly efficient method."
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, the God of Finance, slowly adjusted his glasses.
His skeletal hand rested lightly on the hilt of the Shodai Kitetsu resting across his lap.
"Feasible. Highly feasible."
Nusjuro's voice was crisp and exactly as sharp as a drawn blade.
"The Yonko were originally our highly annoying, stubborn enemies entrenched deeply in the New World."
He closed his eyes, entirely dismissing the threat of Suzaku's existence.
"And it's a very good thing that the Suzaku Pirates can violently take those foolish, highly arrogant pirates down a massive peg!"
Saint Marcus Mars, the incredibly tall God of Environment, nodded slowly.
"Concur. The plan holds significant strategic merit."
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, the youngest-looking of the five, leaned back in his chair.
"Then, it is completely, absolutely decided."
Almost instantly, without any further highly debated discussion, the four Gorosei besides Saint Saturn reached a complete, unified consensus.
Their terrifyingly quick decision was based entirely on supreme self-interest, highly calculated efficiency, and an absolute, deeply ingrained abundance of unimaginable arrogance.
In their minds, there was no power in the world that could not be bought, broken, or completely subjugated by the Tenryuubito.
In their words and highly dismissive attitudes, whether it was the legendary Yonko of the New World or the monstrous Suzaku Pirates who had brutally defeated them...
None of them seemed to be truly held in any genuine, highly respectful regard.
They were all just highly entertaining chess pieces on the grand, global board.
"This highly delicate matter will be completely left to you to handle, Garling Saint," Saint Warcury finally finalized with absolute authority.
"I understand entirely."
Having easily received the exact answer he wanted, Garling Saint performed a completely flawless, highly elegant knight's salute.
His movements were smooth, carrying the absolute grace of high nobility mixed with the lethality of an apex predator.
However, just as Saint Saturn's scarred face turned completely ashen with rage,
Just as he gripped his cane tightly, seeming to desperately want to say something highly aggressive to completely stop it all...
Garling Saint's tall figure had already begun to recede rapidly backward into the shrinking, dark shadows of the opulent room.
He merged with the darkness exactly like thick black ink seamlessly dissolving in a pool of dark water.
He was disappearing completely, taking his overwhelming, highly oppressive aura along with that patch of shadow without making a single sound.
He came silently, completely bypassing the highest security in the world, and left absolutely without a trace, as if he had never physically appeared in the first place.
Only a highly arrogant, lingering sentence echoed softly in this grand, silent room that symbolized absolute, unchallengeable global power.
"Then, gentlemen, comfortably wait for the extremely good news."
"..."
Saint Saturn remained standing, his chest heaving as he stared fixedly at the empty spot where Garling Saint had completely disappeared.
The veins on his forehead pulsed violently, his highly destructive Demonic aura threatening to permanently warp the pristine marble floor beneath his feet.
In the end, he forcefully swallowed his bitter fury and said absolutely nothing more.
He honestly didn't know why his violent temper flared up so incredibly much every single time he saw that highly arrogant, infuriating guy!
The sheer lack of respect Garling showed for their divine authority was a constant, highly agonizing thorn in his ancient side.
But since absolutely everyone else in the supreme council had pragmatically agreed to the highly arrogant plan, his individual, emotional denial was completely meaningless.
So he simply, highly begrudgingly responded with a heavy, suffocating silence!
...
Meanwhile, far below the pristine clouds of the Holy Land.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Inside the highly pressurized, incredibly tense Fleet Admiral's Office.
Bright, highly intense afternoon sunlight streamed aggressively through the massive, reinforced floor-to-ceiling windows.
It cast long, incredibly dark shadows on the polished wooden floor directly beneath the massive calligraphy scroll that proudly symbolized 'Absolute Justice.'
But at this highly specific, incredibly frustrating moment, the bright, revealing light seemed somewhat deeply, profoundly ironic.
"Are you absolutely kidding me!"
A massive, deeply terrifying roar, sounding exactly like a highly suppressed, highly volatile volcanic eruption, violently exploded in the center of the office.
Boom...!
A massive, highly muscular fist, completely covered in thick, violently bulging blue veins, slammed incredibly hard onto the center of the grand desk.
The incredibly hard, highly durable solid wood tabletop instantly let out a loud, terrifying groan of structural pain.
Deep, jagged splinters flew violently into the heated air as a massive crater was instantly formed by the sheer, unbridled physical force.
The Marine's absolute highest, most terrifying combat power, the newly appointed 'Fleet Admiral' Akainu... Sakazuki.
His highly scarred, sharply angled face, which was usually as cold, strict, and completely hard as a solid igneous rock, was now entirely filled with undisguised, highly explosive rage and absolute, furious questioning.
The thick, premium cigar clenched tightly in his mouth dropped glowing, red-hot ash continuously onto the scattered, highly classified documents.
The small embers burned tiny, black holes through the paper, acting exactly as a physical manifestation of his rapidly burning, uncontrollable fury.
"They actually, genuinely ordered us..."
Sakazuki's broad chest heaved violently, his highly tailored white suit stretching dangerously over his massive, heavily muscled frame.
"...not to lay a single, absolute finger on that highly dangerous Suzaku Pirates group that's currently running completely wild in the New World?"
The thick, dark red magma of his Devil Fruit ability began to unconsciously, violently bubble and drip from his clenched knuckles.
The superheated molten rock hissed angrily as it hit the ruined desk, instantly charring the wood black and filling the office with the highly suffocating, toxic smell of burning sulfur.
Each of his heavy, highly aggressive words was exactly like boiling molten lava being forcefully squeezed directly through his grinding teeth.
The sheer, unrestrained heat radiating from his furious body was causing the ambient temperature of the entire, highly spacious office to rise rapidly by several terrifying degrees.
His absolute, uncompromising sense of justice was being violently, deliberately trampled upon by the very rulers he served.
To let a crew that destroyed two Yonko roam completely free was an absolute, unforgivable insult to the Marine uniform he wore!
However, beside this terrifying, world-ending fury,
A sudden, highly lazy, completely out-of-tune voice that sounded exactly like it would absolutely never wake up fully rang out in the heated room.
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