Chapter 046: Where to Go

After being thrashed by Milo at Port Royal last time, Kizaru had conducted an investigation.

What the hell were Athena's Saints?

However, he hadn't managed to find out what Saints were, but he did learn who Athena was—Athena was a deity in mythology, the goddess of war and wisdom.

Thus, Milo's identity became clear.

Saints were clearly warriors who guarded gods, much like the Navy's three Admirals.

Only that Saints far surpassed the three Admirals in both position and strength.

Kizaru still remembered how he had been thrashed back then.

How powerless his proud light-speed kick was in the other's eyes; the other was truly light-speed, a super powerhouse far surpassing him in both power and speed.

From that day on, Kizaru had withdrawn from that world and returned to his own.

But he never expected to encounter this Saint again at Sabaody Archipelago—fate was sometimes so bizarre it was astonishing.

"In short, this matter is no longer something I can handle. Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Celestial Dragons have provoked a god's warrior, inevitably angering the gods. I think the Celestial Dragons should kneel and beg for mercy as soon as possible; otherwise, if the gods get angry, the Celestial Dragons will be completely erased, you know."

As one of the Navy's Admirals, Kizaru protected the Celestial Dragons only out of orders from his superiors.

Now that the Celestial Dragons had provoked the gods, the matter was beyond his jurisdiction.

Far from being tense, Kizaru instead gloated.

On the other end, Sengoku clearly heard Kizaru's gloating and felt a headache coming on. Though he could order Kizaru as Fleet Admiral to capture the murderer of the Celestial Dragons,

he couldn't order Kizaru to die.

After all, Kizaru was no puppet.

He was a super powerhouse with his own will. If Sengoku insisted on ordering him to die, Kizaru might disobey orders or even leave the Navy.

And now, more important than Kizaru's issue was the Celestial Dragons' problem.

The one who killed the Celestial Dragon was a god's warrior; the Celestial Dragons had angered the gods—that was the most important thing.

Leaving aside whether the gods truly existed, just that monster calling himself a Saint could easily defeat Kizaru—something no one in the Navy could do.

Even he or Garp couldn't crush Kizaru.

But that Saint could.

So after hanging up on Kizaru, Sengoku decisively called Garp, "Don't go to Sabaody Archipelago. Come back first."

"What do you mean, Sengoku? Are you really going to abandon the Navy at Sabaody?" Garp's voice carried too much dissatisfaction.

Sengoku rubbed his temples in frustration, "I just got a call from Kizaru. The one who killed the Celestial Dragon was a god's Saint."

Garp thought for a long while before finally remembering what a Saint was, "A monster from another world?"

"Exactly. So come back, don't go there to throw your life away. If even you get killed, the Navy's foundation will truly be shaken, Garp." Sengoku said seriously.

Garp was silent for a moment, then chose to compromise, "I understand, Sengoku."

Sengoku took a deep breath, hung up, and then called the Five Elders, the supreme commanders of the World Government.

"What's up, Sengoku? Has the murderer of the Celestial Dragon been caught?"

"He must be executed."

"Broadcast worldwide."

"Let everyone know the consequences of killing a Celestial Dragon."

"I suggest that besides the murderer, everyone related to him be eliminated, not one left."

The five men spoke one after another, imposing their ideas on Sengoku.

Sengoku's headache worsened, but after the Five Elders finished, he said softly, "What we feared has happened. The Celestial Dragon is dead, but the killer is a god's warrior. That is, the Celestial Dragons have angered the gods of another world. Lords Five Elders, will you still shield the Celestial Dragons?"

Instantly, silence fell on the other end of the line.

Gods were undoubtedly lofty words, ultimate beings feared by all.

Including the Five Elders, no one was in awe of the gods.

Not long ago, their understanding of gods was merely some baseless myths.

They didn't even know if gods truly existed.

But now, they were very clear that gods were real and were terrifying monsters.

Because not long ago, a divine war had occurred on Fish-Man Island.

A goddess named Athena and a god named Poseidon had fought fiercely over the faith of Fish-Man Island.

That battle was recorded by spies hidden on Fish-Man Island.

It was a battle of earth-shattering proportions.

Each of the Five Elders possessed great strength, and they had seen countless powerful enemies, but none were more terrifying than the gods.

In that battle, they clearly recognized the gods' power and terror.

All previous powerful enemies were as insignificant as ants before them.

Whether the Four Emperors or the three Admirals, they were all ants.

Even the Rocks Pirates, who dominated the seas decades ago, gathering monstrous crews like Shiki, Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido, were merely slightly stronger ants before the gods.

Undoubtedly, the gods' power was unquestionable.

Even their leader, Im-sama, was just a mortal in the eyes of the gods.

Realizing the gods' power, they worried about what would happen if the Celestial Dragons angered the gods.

But no one expected it to happen so soon.

The Five Elders fell silent for a time.

Each knew the matter had become extremely棘手; the slightest misstep would incur the gods' wrath, and including them and Im-sama, probably no one would be spared.

"Let's leave it at that for now, Sengoku."

"Do not issue a bounty for that Saint."

"We'll find a way to handle the Celestial Dragon's death."

"Try to divert the public's attention and make them forget this."

"Alright, Sengoku, go about your business."

The Five Elders spoke one by one, then decisively hung up. They looked at each other and finally decided to consult Im-sama on how to handle the matter.

Meanwhile, at Navy Headquarters, Sengoku heard the dial tone from the phone, let out a breath, and pondered: if the gods truly punished the Celestial Dragons and destroyed the World Government, where would the Navy go from here?