Kong paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"On the current Grand Line, especially in the New World, what is the greatest 'hidden danger'?"
Without waiting for anyone to answer, he continued, answering his own question in a heavy tone.
"In the New World, just keeping Whitebeard in check ties down how much of our strength? Linlin and Kaido are both madly expanding their territories, and recently another red-haired brat has appeared, already stirring up storms in the New World. Several of Marine HQ's admiral candidates are all stationed in the New World to contain them."
As he spoke, Kong's eyes grew deeper.
"On top of that, according to intelligence compiled recently from the CP agencies all over the world, an organization calling itself the 'Revolutionary Army' has been increasingly active in recent years. They're spreading dangerous ideas among the people of various kingdoms, shaking the very foundations of the World Government's rule and that of its member nations. From a long-term perspective, this undertow lurking in the shadows is no less dangerous than those great pirates of the New World."
"What's more, to eliminate two Marine HQ vice admirals in terms of combat strength, we'd have to deploy at least twice their power. The price is far too great!"
Hearing this, everyone present understood clearly the predicament the World Government and Marine HQ were currently in.
Fleet Admiral Kong finally made his decision. His tone brooked no argument.
"As for the matter of the Lulusia Kingdom's second prince and his guards, it will be temporarily classified as an 'observation-level' case. Raise the intelligence-monitoring level for that kingdom, but for now, we will not take any direct military action."
"Yes!" Everyone in the room bowed and accepted the order at once.
Throughout, Lucci stood there in silence, like a block of ice-cold stone. He showed no reaction at all to this decision.
A defeated man has no right to question.
He merely carved that humiliation, and that golden-haired figure, even deeper into his heart.
Kong waved his hand, signaling for everyone to withdraw. When the room was finally empty and he was the only one left, he sank into thought.
"Two mysterious mid-admiral-level combatants… protecting a prince who's being pushed out…" Kong muttered under his breath, doubt and puzzlement flashing in his eyes. "Just who are you… and what is your goal?"
Of course, Ronan had no idea how the World Government had decided to handle Beth and the others. At this moment he was curled up on the sofa, reading the latest issue of World News.
A king's birthday celebration in some country, a rising Marine star wiping out some small-time pirate crew, yet another member nation paying an eye-watering amount of Heavenly Tribute… Headlines like these filled every page of the paper.
He had little interest in any of that; skimming them as ordinary news was enough.
However, when he flipped to another page and his gaze brushed past a not-especially-conspicuous auction advertisement, Ronan suddenly perked up.
"Brought to you with heartfelt enthusiasm by the Donquixote Family—the annual 'Love and Passion' extravaganza!"
"Location: Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 1, the lawless zone."
"A gathering of rare treasures. We look forward to your presence."
Next to the text was a small silhouette of a flamingo wearing sunglasses—the symbol of the Donquixote Family.
"An auction? Is this the stepping stone for becoming an underworld broker?"
Seeing this item, Ronan immediately thought of how Doflamingo would go on to become one of the Seven Warlords.
The reason he became one of the Seven Warlords was precisely to gain the World Government's endorsement so he could smuggle all sorts of goods in the underworld legally. Bit by bit, he made a name for himself in the underworld and came to be known as Joker.
When his eyes reached the final line of the advertisement—"Final item: a mysterious Paramecia-type Devil Fruit (exact category revealed on the day of the auction)"—Ronan just curled his lip.
A Devil Fruit? Sure, they contain a strange power, but a single Paramecia-type fruit isn't that attractive to Ronan at this stage.
After all, the panel in his mind could give him power that didn't fear the sea at all. Compared to that, a Devil Fruit was far inferior. Of course, if it were a Logia-type Devil Fruit, Ronan might be a bit interested.
He casually turned the page, intending to continue reading the column on Sky Island climate research.
And at that very instant—
"Ding!"
Ronan's movements froze. He "saw" a new quest pop up on the panel in his mind.
"Quest: Take part in the auction held by the Donquixote Family at Grove 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago and successfully obtain the final item—the Paramecia-type ??? Fruit. (B-rank quest, time limit one month; reward: 70 Quest Points upon completion; penalty for failure: 100 Quest Points deducted. Accept?)"
Ronan's brows knit slightly. He hadn't expected that just reading the newspaper would trigger a quest, and a B-rank quest at that.
Seventy Quest Points was no small amount. For Ronan, who was in desperate need of Quest Points right now, this was a considerable temptation.
The problem was that the auction was being held on the Sabaody Archipelago. If he really wanted to go, he would probably have to set out in the next few days, and the most crucial issue was that Ronan had no money.
Generally speaking, even an ordinary Paramecia-type fruit cost at least two to three hundred million beli, and Ronan simply didn't have that kind of money right now.
Living in the royal palace of Lulusia, he never had to spend on anything. Whatever he wanted, there were people to arrange it. With less than a month until the auction, the only ones who could possibly scrape together that much money in time were the royal family.
But Ronan had no intention of taking money from the royal family. If he did, the King of Lulusia would definitely give it to him—but then the royal family would just squeeze that money back out of the commoners.
It wasn't that Ronan was some bleeding-heart saint; it was simply unnecessary. He had already thought of a better way. In the worst case, he could just rely on Beth and Alicia and snatch the fruit directly. The quest never said it had to be obtained through bidding.
"Beth, Alicia." Ronan called softly.
Two golden-haired, black-armored figures silently appeared before him.
"Get ready," Ronan looked at them. "We may be going on a long trip."
Beth immediately asked, "Yes, Ronan-denka. Do you need me to summon the others?"
She was referring to the guards in the royal palace, since as a prince, Ronan should normally travel with an escort and attendants.
"That won't be necessary for now. What matters in this operation is stealth and speed." Ronan shook his head. "The more people we bring, the easier it will be to expose ourselves. With just you two, it's enough." He had no intention of making his departure too conspicuous.
At the same time, he needed to plan the route. The distance from the Lulusia Kingdom to the Sabaody Archipelago was not short. Taking a regular passenger ship would be too slow and would leave a trail in the records. The only option was to keep everything simple and low-key—Ronan would sail there himself with just Beth and Alicia.
(End of Chapter)
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