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The bearded Puros was originally the heir to a kingdom in the West Blue.
Just a year ago, this kingdom was conquered by the neighboring Kano Country. The reason for the invasion was utterly ridiculous.
The Kano Country was a World Government member nation. To receive the World Government's protection, they had to pay a hefty "Heavenly Tribute" to the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons.
The Kano Country had vast sources of income and immense wealth, but they were unwilling to use their own resources. So, they set their sights on the neighboring Vira Kingdom.
The Vira Kingdom was not a member of the World Government and therefore not recognized by it. Thus, isolated and without allies, it was quickly conquered by the Kano Country.
The Door-Door Fruit, along with a trove of treasures, was taken from the Vira Kingdom's vault by the Kano Country forces.
This year, the Heavenly Tribute was due to the Celestial Dragons. The Kano Country planned to offer the Door-Door Fruit, along with a batch of treasures.
Although the Vira Kingdom was destroyed, remnants of its army still roamed. They were currently hiding on an island, barely surviving. Word had it that the Kano Country had discovered their location and was preparing to send a large force to exterminate them, eliminating any future threat.
After listening to Puros's hateful account, Arthur shrugged—inwardly looking down on him.
Such a powerful Devil Fruit had been sitting in his family's possession, and they hadn't used it. Now, after the kingdom was destroyed—he resented his own incompetence and the ruthlessness of the Kano Country.
What kind of logic was that?
If Puros had eaten the fruit, he could have at least defended himself. His safety would have been higher than even Arthur's, and no one could have captured him.
"Alright, this Devil Fruit is mine now. As for the Celestial Dragons' Heavenly Tribute? I wouldn't be doing myself justice if I didn't try to snatch it from those parasites and imbeciles—hahahaha!" Arthur laughed wildly.
Puros pressed his forehead firmly against the deck, unable to lift his head under Arthur's imposing presence.
Yet, his heart was filled with admiration.
To have the gall to steal from the Celestial Dragons—this was true audacity, true recklessness!
"Sir, I became a pirate to cause trouble for the Kano Country and to learn the transportation route of the Heavenly Tribute. I've already made some progress. I can give you the route right now, only asking that you save the surviving forces of the Vira Kingdom!"
Puros was very clever. He knew that threatening Arthur with a clue about a Devil Fruit would not only cost him his life but could also endanger his country's army.
"This is a good deal. I accept..." A smile touched Arthur's lips as he quickly agreed.
A few days later, Admiral Zephyr's warship crossed the Calm Belt and quickly traversed the Red Line, returning to Marine Headquarters—Marineford.
In the conference room, only a few people were present: Fleet Admiral Kong, Admiral Zephyr, Vice Admiral and Chief of Staff Tsuru, and Vice Admiral Kizaru. The other Vice Admirals were busy with important matters and couldn't attend.
"Fleet Admiral, this person's attitude is unclear. We couldn't determine if he's leaning towards the Marines or the pirates. However, without a doubt, he is extremely dangerous, uncontrollable, and... ambitious!" Zephyr reported his assessment to Kong, seated in the first seat below.
The mission to "invite" Arthur was proposed by Vegapunk. Although Vegapunk was part of the Marine research facility, he could directly communicate with the highest authority of the World Government.
He had asked the Five Elders to issue this mission. One could imagine the consequences of failure.
This matter concerned Vegapunk's research progress. It couldn't be taken lightly; these were his own words.
"Even Borsalino's Glint-Glint Fruit couldn't detain him?" Fleet Admiral Kong frowned, asking in disbelief.
"He's very cunning. He wouldn't exhaust his stamina fighting us. And... Borsalino suffered a minor setback in their clash!" Zephyr, disregarding Kizaru's unpleasant expression, revealed the truth.
This incident could serve as a wake-up call for Kizaru, showing him that relying solely on fruit abilities was insufficient. What harm was there in that? Zephyr was even a little pleased.
"Hmph!" Kizaru snorted coldly. His smooth, worldly demeanor vanished, and he stood up and left the conference room, probably to find a place to be alone.
"According to the information from the West Blue, this Arthur is the only son of the Seabury family, right? He's sixteen this year. His family's merchant ship had an accident near Jaya in the Grand Line a full eight years ago. Somehow, he returned to the West Blue." The taciturn Vice Admiral Tsuru spoke.
"Send someone to investigate near Jaya. Find out where he got the fruit! He's so young and already comparable to an Admiral candidate. He'll be a dangerous figure in the future."
Starting the investigation from Jaya was actually just a pretense. The underlying meaning was to have someone check if there were any surviving members of the Seabury family. If there were... at least it could make Arthur wary.
Don't assume that the Marines represent justice. They committed far more dirty acts than pirates, but they represented Justice, so they could do it openly without leaving any leverage.
"Should we issue a bounty?" Zephyr asked.
"Let's wait and see for a while. If he does anything to harm the Marines or the World Government..." Kong said gravely. Right now, Arthur had only injured the CP0 agents, which was considered self-defense and couldn't be used to convict him.
"The World Government just sent a telegram. They want the Marines to stay out of this matter. They will let the CP organization handle it entirely."
The conference room fell silent. Zephyr and the others said nothing.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, do you have anything else?" Kong inquired.
"Fleet Admiral Kong..." Chief of Staff Tsuru handed over a classified document. "The West Blue archaeological team that you asked us to monitor has now entered the Grand Line. The leader, Nico Olvia, they are indeed searching for the Poneglyphs. What should we do next?"
"Those restless fellows!" Kong put down the document, rubbing his temples. "Keep a close watch. If they cross the line, immediately report it to the Five Elders!"
Each of them held high positions and naturally knew what the World Government was desperately trying to conceal from 800 years ago.
It could be said that this was a taboo. Whoever touched it would die. If the Ohara archaeologists crossed that line, the World Government would definitely find an excuse to eliminate them.
Without power, yet doing things beyond their capabilities, the consequences were very dangerous. One misstep could cost them their lives.
Those archaeologists were doing nothing wrong in studying archaeology, but what they were doing was opposing the World Government. The outcome was already determined.
For a person, if their strength wasn't enough to bear the consequences, the more they knew, the closer they were to death.
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