Kong was utterly bewildered at this moment.
He couldn't understand why the man who stood at the very peak of the world's power—the highest authority of the World Government—would stand in front of him and protect a notorious pirate.
But Nusjuro had already swung his weapon toward him. He hadn't drawn the blade; he was merely blocking with the sheath.
Yet that action alone made it clear. Nusjuro was serious.
What could Kong do?
At that moment, he could only forcibly pull back his strength. But the attack had been a full-powered strike fueled by anger. How could he stop it so easily?
Yet attacking one of the Five Elders would be an act of extreme disrespect.
Kong wasn't like Garp, the kind of man bold enough to act recklessly and treat the Five Elders themselves as attack targets. He forcibly withdrew his power and redirected the strike to the side, while the energy inside his body fell into disarray.
Having his attack rhythm forcibly interrupted felt terrible, especially when someone nearby was mocking him.
"Don't get so worked up, Fleet Admiral Kong. You becoming Fleet Admiral is something you should thank me for. After all, if I hadn't killed that guy, how could you have been promoted so quickly?"
"You—!"
Hearing Nereus's words, Kong almost spat out a mouthful of blood. But more than that, what he couldn't understand was why Nereus could act with such absolute impunity.
Even if he was strong, even if he had already come here once before, he shouldn't be this arrogant in broad daylight.
In the end, the fact that the Five Elders were standing on the same side as him completely robbed Kong of his ability to think.
"Saint Nusjuro… why?"
"Kong, do we need to explain our actions to you?"
In response to Kong's question, Nusjuro had no intention of explaining.
They were negotiating with Nereus because of Imu's orders, so naturally they were willing to talk properly.
But Kong was merely the Marine Fleet Admiral. In the eyes of the Five Elders, the entire Marine was nothing more than a dog raised by the World Government. When a master orders a dog to hunt prey, why would they need to explain the reason to the dog?
It would be a minor matter for them to fight, but if Kong were also to die at the hands of Nereus, having two Fleet Admirals killed in succession would be a significant issue for the Marines.
Yet, compared to these concerns, the real trouble would be if Kong continued fighting and the shockwaves disturbed Imu.
Nusjuro was certain that Nereus would never consider it; after all, he "didn't know" about Imu.
If he simply stood there and let Kong take one of his lives, causing damage to Mariejois afterward, that would be troublesome.
"Nereus, you should leave now. It will take some time to pass down the specific arrangements. Just as we agreed before, everything will be implemented gradually over the next four years.
If you remain here now, it will only create many unnecessary problems."
"That's true. I've had enough action for today. I didn't intend to keep fighting you anyway. But I don't think it will be long before we meet again."
Nereus directed those final words at Kong. Then he took the chained Poneglyph from the side, spread his wings, and left the place.
"Have the Marines withdraw. Mariejois doesn't need them. As for you, Kong, come with me."
Nusjuro issued his order and then led Kong into the castle that now had only half of it remaining.
Mariejois still had abundant material reserves. The Five Elders had already activated a backup meeting room and replaced the furniture with a new set of sofas.
"Saint Nusjuro, why did you let Nereus leave? Why did you stop my attack…"
"Hmph. Kong, mind your attitude. Are you questioning us? Do you think that with your strength you could defeat Nereus?"
"No, that's not what I meant, but—"
"There are no 'buts.' We are informing you of a decision. After our deliberation, we have reached an agreement with Nereus.
We recognize his position as the King of the Ryugu Kingdom, grant him the right to participate in the Levely, and will revoke the bounties on him and all other related individuals."
The Five Elders' attitude could hardly be called pleasant. When facing Imu, they could only act with utmost respect.
When facing Nereus, they couldn't beat him, and with their superior suddenly giving orders, they had no choice but to swallow their frustration and negotiate. But when facing Kong, the Five Elders had no such patience.
"What?! Then what about Fleet Admiral Salazar? Shouldn't we avenge him?!"
"He's already dead."
The World Government would not pay a greater price for a dead man who no longer had any value. Nusjuro had already made his stance clear.
But for Kong, this was impossible to accept.
"What kind of outcome is this?! That man killed so many Marines! If we just agree to this, where does that leave the Marines' honor? How am I supposed to explain this to the soldiers when I return?!"
Ever since he took office as Fleet Admiral, the calls within the Marines to avenge Salazar had never disappeared. Even Kong had only managed to calm the soldiers by saying that with the Levely approaching, the matter had to be postponed temporarily.
But the Five Elders were now clearly telling him that revenge was impossible.
"Kong! Have you already forgotten what you learned when you were a recruit? Personal thoughts only interfere with the will of the army. As a Marine, all you need to focus on is executing orders!
You may be the Marine Fleet Admiral, but before us, you are nothing more than a soldier!"
Warcury immediately followed up, reiterating the fundamental principles of the Marines. For Kong, it was a very distant memory.
Since becoming a high-ranking officer, he had not heard these rules, meant to restrain ordinary soldiers, for a long time. Yet today, they were being emphasized in this situation.
"Besides, things have reached this point because of your Marines' incompetence, haven't they?"
"If your Marines had captured Nereus earlier and snuffed him out while he was still weak, how could things have escalated to this point?"
"In the past decade or so, how many operations large and small have you launched? None achieved anything. Even Rocks was ultimately eliminated only after mobilizing the power of the World Government.
But what about Nereus? If we keep letting you target him, how many more casualties will there be?"
Mars and Peter spoke one after another, ultimately shifting all the blame onto the Marines, claiming that Marine incompetence was what had led to the current situation.
And the more they thought about it, the more their logic seemed sound. If Nereus had been killed earlier, none of this would have happened.
Kong was left speechless.
He didn't know how to refute them. This was clearly drawing the target after the arrow had already been shot. Only now that the opponent had grown powerful were they saying such things.
He actually wanted to ask them: if the World Government truly abolished the slave trade, would Nereus have even become a wanted criminal?
But he couldn't say that out loud. After all, blame could only be pushed downward by those above; those below had no way to blame those above.
"Kong, look on the bright side. We're also considering the future of the Marines. This way, you won't have to fight Nereus anymore.
That madman has never shown any mercy when dealing with Marines, has he?"
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