As soon as he said that, it wasn't just Ronan—even Marcus-sei and Peter-sei beside him had a complicated flicker cross their faces… before it all settled into silent assent.
Saturn-sei continued, his tone carrying the flavor of compromise.
"The World Government acknowledges that the Lulusia Kingdom holds a special status. We are willing to recognize both you—and the existence of the forces under your command."
He lifted his head and looked straight at Ronan.
"We can reach an agreement. The World Government will guarantee that it will no longer take any form of military action or political suppression against the Lulusia Kingdom and its sphere of influence. Correspondingly, Lulusia must pledge that it will no longer proactively provoke the World Government's authority, and will no longer attack Mary Geoise."
"A ceasefire. Mutual non-aggression. For both sides, it is the best choice."
When Saturn-sei finished speaking, silence fell on both sides.
In Ronan's eyes, the same brief flash of surprise and astonishment appeared.
Before coming here, he had considered the possibility of negotiations—but only after he had demonstrated enough power to force them into a corner, negotiations led by him. Of course, that was the ideal scenario. After all, the strength the World Government kept hidden wasn't something just his small group could directly bully into submission.
He had even prepared for the worst. If the Gorosei threw caution to the wind and used some unknown trump card—or if Imu personally stepped in—he would immediately have Neferpitou, who possessed the Float-Float Fruit, forcibly pull everyone out of Mary Geoise.
In other words, he had come with plans for every possible situation.
But what he never expected was this: the battle had only just entered its white-hot phase, yet the highest rulers who had governed the world for eight hundred years were offering a ceasefire and peace talks so cleanly—and even putting "special status recognition" and "guaranteed non-invasion" on the table.
That didn't match the Gorosei's usual style, and it didn't match the World Government's logic of maintaining absolute authority.
When something is abnormal, there's always a demon behind it.
Ronan's mind spun at full speed, analyzing what intent might be hidden behind this move.
Countless thoughts flashed through his head, but not a single one showed on his face. He simply watched Saturn-sei quietly, trying to find an answer in those eyes.
"Mutual non-aggression? Recognize special status?" Ronan repeated the two keywords slowly, giving nothing away. "Sounds tempting. But how do I trust that this isn't just the World Government buying time? After all, not long ago you hosted a Hunting Tournament in my country."
His words deliberately dragged that recent bloody atrocity back into the light.
Saturn-sei's expression stiffened for a split second, but he quickly steadied himself and continued in a low voice.
"That was then. This is now. The World Government's promise carries weight. We can sign a formal agreement—and announce it to the entire world."
He paused, then added meaningfully:
"And besides, if the fighting continues, neither side benefits. Mary Geoise cannot withstand greater destruction. And even if you manage to leave, you will still face the World Government's endless pursuit. That would become true, absolute, until-death warfare."
Half promise, half threat. A "guarantee" that looked sincere on the surface, and a warning of the consequences waiting even if Ronan escaped.
And right then—
Ding.
The panel in his mind chimed.
A new random task had been triggered.
Holder: Ronan
Quest Points: 600 points
Abilities:
Armament Haki (Perfect)
Physical Arts (Mastery) (1200 points to upgrade to Perfect)
Observation Haki (Proficient) (700 points to upgrade to Mastery)
Special Skill:
Lucky Roulette (1000 points per spin)
Task: Rejoin the World Government and become a member of the allied nations.
(A-rank task. Time limit: 1 hour. Completion reward: 100 points. Failure penalty: 150 points. Accept?)
Looking at the newly appeared task, Ronan fell silent for a moment, then swept his gaze over the three Gorosei before him.
"The agreement can be discussed." Ronan finally spoke, his voice clear as it echoed over the ruins. "But before that, I need to see the World Government's real sincerity."
"First: immediately cease all military action within the Lulusia Kingdom. All Marines and CP personnel withdraw at once!"
"Second: publicly revoke all false accusations and sanctions previously issued against Lulusia!"
"Third: restore the Lulusia Kingdom to the World Government as a member nation—and grant it veto power in the Levely. Also, Lulusia will no longer pay the Heavenly Tribute!"
Ronan neither agreed immediately nor refused outright.
He threw concrete demands back at them, kicking the ball to their side—while also buying himself more initiative. He wanted to see just how real this "sincerity" was… and how much of it was an act.
Hearing Ronan's conditions, the three Gorosei exchanged looks, each seeing the hesitation in the others' eyes.
"The first two are fine. Even the Heavenly Tribute can be waived." Saturn-sei shook his head. "But a veto in the Levely is far too domineering. That's impossible."
"Don't decide so fast." Ronan said lightly, completely unconcerned. "The Levely isn't something your World Government alone gets to dictate. You can already veto things yourselves—adding one more veto from the Lulusia Kingdom doesn't change anything."
Just as Saturn-sei was about to refuse again, Marcus-sei cut in.
"We can agree to your demands. But correspondingly, if the World Government encounters a crisis and needs to conscript soldiers from member nations, you will also need to send strong reinforcements in support."
Ronan looked deeply at Marcus-sei.
He understood perfectly: they had their eyes on Teresa and the others' terrifying combat power. They wanted to use Lulusia's strength to prop up the World Government.
Even so, Ronan wasn't worried in the slightest.
He could simply learn from the Ōka Shichibukai's "Hawk-Eye" Mihawk—show up and then "contribute" by gloriously doing nothing on the battlefield. And besides, Ronan was secretly cooperating with the Revolutionary Army. Now he would also be openly rejoining the World Government. For him, eating from both sides wasn't exactly a big deal.
On the battlefield, the fight between Kuzan and Beth grew more and more intense. Both were already going all out.
At the same time, the entanglement between Sengoku's Daibutsu form and Neferpitou had entered its most critical moment. Below the floating island, Mary Geoise's Marine elites and the Germa clone soldiers were also bogged down in a brutal struggle, the casualty numbers climbing without pause.
And Teresa and Akainu had completely gone red-eyed. Akainu's face was already twisted into something ferocious—he truly hadn't expected Teresa to be this strong.
Right as the battle raged and everyone was killing with bloodshot eyes—
A communications signal, abrupt to the extreme, forcibly cut in and overrode every private Den Den Mushi channel used by the Marines' high-ranking officers on the battlefield!
Not only Sengoku and Kuzan—even Tsuru, who was commanding from the rear, heard it at the exact same time: a voice that allowed not a shred of doubt.
It was an order issued directly from the Gorosei.
(End of Chapter)
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