"Honestly… why split things up like this? Mary Geoise is already so vast."
Is spoke casually, as if it were just a passing remark—but in reality, it was a probing question.
"Saint Is, you're pretending to be clueless again. God Valley holds secrets belonging to us Celestial Dragons."
"That's why some of us live there—to guard against those lowly people down below," Dorak said with a laugh, completely unaware that Is was fishing for information.
Is simply smiled and said nothing.
At this point, he was almost certain—God Valley definitely hid something valuable.
He just didn't know what it was yet.
"To be honest, I'm quite interested in that secret too. But even as a Celestial Dragon, I don't have the clearance to know it yet," Dorak added.
"So even among Celestial Dragons, the higher-ups are keeping things tightly controlled…" Is thought to himself.
Clearly, the upper echelon didn't trust ordinary Celestial Dragons with such information, fearing it might be leaked.
This trip hadn't yielded anything concrete—
But the takeaway was clear.
If he wanted to learn more, he needed to climb higher.
…
From the moment Is activated the system, his era had already begun.
But he didn't rely on it blindly.
Instead, he trained relentlessly—developing his physical strength and refining his Devil Fruit abilities, filling his schedule to the brim.
In the backyard—
The maids leaned against trees, quietly watching Is train.
As for Madara—
He lay comfortably on a reclining chair, wearing sunglasses, sipping a chilled drink, basking in the warm sunlight.
Completely at ease.
"Master… what's gotten into him?" one maid asked, concern evident on her face.
"Yeah… ever since he brought Minian back, he's been obsessed with training. Sometimes he trains all day," another added.
Roz Minian blinked in surprise.
"Huh? Was Master not like this before?"
"Of course not."
The maid in the middle immediately responded,
"Before, Master spent most of his time enjoying himself with us. But ever since the day he brought you back, he changed. Did something happen that day?"
Roz Minian shook her head.
In her memory, nothing unusual had occurred.
"I thought… he had always been like this."
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, two days had gone by.
"Three…"
"Two…"
"One…"
As Is silently counted down—
His status panel refreshed.
Host: Aurelius D. Virel Is
Excavation Level: 1 (20/200)
Excavation Attempts: 1 (1/7) — increases with level
Characters: Uchiha Madara (20%)
Abilities: Paper-Paper Fruit ( /1000) — increasing proficiency improves quality
Excavation Location: [Positioning Available]
Storage: None
"Activate positioning mode."
"Ding. Activated."
A virtual marker appeared before him.
Is examined the location carefully, stroking his chin.
This time, he wasn't as lucky.
The location was far away—outside Mary Geoise.
Still, he didn't complain.
Sometimes, having it inside Mary Geoise was even more troublesome.
As usual, Is brought Madara along.
When they passed through the city gates, the World Government personnel didn't dare say a word this time.
The last incident—where Madara had planted one of them headfirst into the ground—still haunted them.
…
Meanwhile—
Marine Headquarters.
A warship slowly docked.
Marines escorted captured pirates off the ship one by one.
Suddenly—
"Garp, don't forget to report to Kong."
On the deck, Vice Admiral Sengoku called out to Garp, who had already stepped ashore.
At this time, both Garp and Sengoku were still in their younger years—their golden era had only just begun.
Garp chewed on snacks as he replied,
"If it's just a report, you and Tsuru can handle it. Why drag me along?"
"Garp, if it were just a report, would we call you? When have you ever been needed for that? Kong has something else in mind," Tsuru said as she stepped forward.
Hearing this, Garp paused, a hint of interest appearing.
"What, another mission?"
"Who knows? Let's go find out."
"Alright, fine. Let's take a look."
…
Footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Click—
The door opened, and Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru entered.
Inside, Kong was already waiting.
"You're faster than I expected," Kong said first.
"This mission was relatively simple, so it went smoothly," Sengoku replied.
"Kong, don't tell me you've got another mission for us? Let me say this first—if it's like the last one, just send Sengoku and Tsuru. I was just tagging along anyway," Garp said, taking a seat.
Just as Kong was about to speak—
The door burst open again.
"Admiral Kong—something's wrong!"
Kong's expression darkened.
"Can't you see I'm in a meeting?"
"S-Sorry, Admiral Kong! It's just… this situation is special."
"What is it?"
"A… a Celestial Dragon has arrived!"
The moment those words were spoken—
Everyone in the room froze, their faces filled with shock.
"A Celestial Dragon?"
"Yes, Admiral Kong!"
"What would a Celestial Dragon be doing here?" Kong frowned, utterly confused.
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