Sakazuki's performance during this operation was not ideal.
To be precise sakazuki's record on this particular voyage was not very satisfactory.
Before the Marines even arrived, the Revolutionary Army had already begun preparing for evacuation.
However, Sakazuki's strength far exceeded the Revolutionary Army's expectations, and he still managed to eliminate quite a few low-ranking cadres during the clash.
In the end, Monkey D. Dragon personally covered the retreat of his forces, preventing Sakazuki from continuing the pursuit and stopping him from achieving his goal of completely destroying the Revolutionary Army.
Nevertheless, the Marines had still accomplished their primary objective for this mission.
They brought Rosward back.
Although Monkey D. Dragon had not yet reached the level he would attain in the future, he was no longer the insignificant figure who could be casually defeated.
The World Government's response was simple.
They increased the bounties on Monkey D. Dragon, Emporio Ivankov, Bartholomew Kuma, Ginny, and several other Revolutionary Army members.
And then…
The matter was considered finished.
A bounty had already been issued what more did they expect the Government to do?
It was difficult to understand how the Gorosei could run the World Government with such a mentality and still maintain control over the seas for eight hundred years.
Imu's patience must truly be extraordinary for not having wiped them out.
When Akainu returned with Rosward, Black immediately went to pay a visit.
Strictly speaking, this whole incident had started because of him.
And since he still wanted Rosward to continue helping him with certain matters
No.
To maintain their relationship, Black needed to show some concern.
This mission had not been a perfect success, which meant it was not an ideal beginning for Sakazuki's tenure as an Admiral.
His face looked darker than ever, and faint smoke seemed to rise from his body.
When he saw Black arrive, he slightly bowed his head.
"Saint Black."
Black nodded politely.
"You've worked hard, Admiral Akainu."
After greeting Sakazuki, Black turned his attention toward Rosward.
The moment he saw her, he almost burst out laughing.
The original curled mustache had disappeared.
In its place were golden curled eyelashes and lips painted with bright purple lipstick.
She was wearing a white Celestial Dragon suit modified into a waist-fitted design, and the lower half had been altered into a mermaid-style skirt decorated with gemstones.
Even the bubble helmet on her head had been decorated.
Inside the transparent sphere floated pink heart-shaped bubbles, and lace trimmings had been added along the edges.
Her steps were somewhat unstable.
Looking carefully, it seemed she was simply not used to walking in high heels.
Black forced himself to suppress his laughter and stepped forward with a concerned expression.
"Rosward, are you alright?"
"This is partly my fault. If I hadn't encouraged you to go to the lower world, things might not have turned out like this."
As he spoke, he initially intended to pat her shoulder but hesitated slightly and withdrew his hand.
However, Rosward looked completely unconcerned.
In fact, she seemed quite excited.
"No, no, no! I should thank you, Saint Black."
She raised her hands in front of him.
Each finger was decorated with sparkling diamond rings.
"This body is much better than when I was a man."
"Look at these slender fingers! They're perfect for wearing jewels."
"Next week's Celestial Dragon banquet I'll definitely be the most dazzling person there."
"Saint Black, I truly have to thank you for giving me the opportunity to become a woman."
"Being a woman is simply wonderful!"
For a moment, Black could not tell whether Rosward was joking.
But thinking about it carefully, ordinary people might react strangely
Yet Celestial Dragons were not ordinary people.
This fellow really seemed completely satisfied with her new identity.
Black glanced at Sakazuki standing silently behind Rosward.
The Admiral's face remained expressionless.
It seemed he had already grown used to Rosward's bizarre personality.
"That's good. I'm relieved to hear you're fine."
Black pretended to sigh with relief.
"The Gorosei probably want to question you soon, so I won't keep you any longer."
After exchanging a few more polite words, Black turned and left.
Once he returned to his estate, he contacted Aramaki.
"This large-scale relocation by the Revolutionary Army created a lot of noise, but they will never completely abandon their bases in West Blue."
"Have the West Blue underworld keep an eye on them. At the very least, track their supply routes and determine their approximate location."
After finishing the call with Aramaki, Black instructed Stella to begin packing their belongings.
He was preparing to set sail again.
The air in Mary Geoise always smelled faintly of champagne and roses.
Even the ticking of clocks there seemed slow and lazy.
But after staying for a while, Black inevitably became bored.
For someone with ambition and long-term plans, there were too many things that could not be done within Mary Geoise.
Moreover, the current year was 1502 in the Sea Circle Calendar.
Black intended to travel to the New World.
If he delayed too long, Momonosuke would eventually be sent twenty years into the future.
In truth, Black did not hate Momonosuke enough to make a special journey solely to eliminate him.
However there was a saying: since you're already here.
If he made the trip and didn't deal with Momonosuke along the way, it would feel like something was missing.
The next morning, the sanctuary set sail once again.
This time, their destination was the New World.
Compared to his previous voyage, Black did not request that the World Government send CP agents to accompany him.
In reality, the World Government placed very few restrictions on the travel of Celestial Dragons.
After all, the World Nobles legally possessed almost unlimited privileges.
As long as their actions did not involve conflicts with other Celestial Dragons, they could essentially do whatever they pleased.
Even after the God Valley incident more than ten years ago, the World Government still believed that no one would dare threaten the safety of a Celestial Dragon.
It was quite baffling.
In short, many Celestial Dragons who possessed personal strength or powerful slaves often traveled without CP protection.
Therefore, Black's actions were not particularly suspicious.
Unfortunately, Black's luck this time was not very good.
On the third day after leaving Mary Geoise, they encountered extremely rare stormy weather.
The slaves scrambled in panic trying to control the ship.
Even Koala joined in to help stabilize the vessel.
Only with great effort did they manage to keep the sanctuary from capsizing.
Nevertheless, the violent weather still caused considerable damage to the ship.
It could still continue sailing.
However, the sanctuary's lifespan had clearly been shortened.
Black thought about it for a moment.
He was quite fond of this ship and had no intention of replacing it with a "Sanctuary II."
So he gave an order.
"Head for Dressrosa."
Even Celestial Dragons could not command nature itself.
Black had already been fortunate enough.
At the very least, he hadn't woken up on some random beach like Donquixote Mjosgard once did.
The sanctuary changed course and began heading toward Dressrosa.
At that time, the Kingdom of Dressrosa was still ruled by King Riku.
To be honest, the old king's governing ability was rather mediocre.
When Doflamingo once demanded one hundred billion Berries from the kingdom, the entire nation had struggled to gather such an amount.
One had to wonder how they managed to pay the Heavenly Tribute to Mary Geoise every year.
Fortunately, Dressrosa was much closer than Wano Country.
Within a few days, the sanctuary arrived and docked at the port.
Another elaborate ceremony to welcome a Celestial Dragon followed.
Under the guidance of King Riku, Black led the women accompanying him into the royal palace.
After that came an overly formal royal banquet.
Black found the entire event rather dull.
Until his gaze landed on a girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old.
The girl had long pink hair.
It was smooth and glossy, falling naturally over her shoulders.
The ends of her hair curled slightly, giving her appearance a lively and gentle charm.
She wore a yellow puffed ballroom gown with a V-neck design.
Although she was still young, her figure was already quite impressive.
The skirt spread wide and flowed beautifully.
When she stood, her posture was elegant, her hands resting naturally at her sides.
Her eyes were bright and confident, and her overall demeanor was gentle yet dignified.
When she walked, the skirt swayed softly with her movements, radiating elegance and grace.
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