Pangaea Castle.
Saint Saturn's private office.
At this moment, CP chief and World Government Commander-in-Chief Kessler was kneeling in front of Saint Saturn.
On the sofa, Saint Saturn held a cup of black tea and looked at Kessler with a very complicated gaze.
After a long silence, Saint Saturn finally spoke.
"Did you handle Zephyr's matter?"
"I did," Kessler answered honestly.
"What was your purpose?" Saint Saturn did not look surprised and only continued to ask in a quiet voice.
"To kill the man first, then break his heart," Kessler answered firmly.
After another long silence, Saint Saturn let out a soft sigh. "You came here to die?"
"This is the final step of the plan. Once I die, my position will be empty, and only then will the Marines have room to rise. When Fleet Admiral Benback sits in the Commander-in-Chief's seat, and when Kong sits in the Fleet Admiral's seat, a thorn that can never be removed will be planted between Zephyr and the Marines. In that way, you will have no more worries," Kessler replied calmly, without the slightest fear when speaking of his own death.
After a short pause, Kessler continued, "The Marines will not be able to find any proof, but in their hearts, they will all know that it was me, and that CP handled this matter. They may even suspect that it was you, or the great figures of Mary Geoise, who ordered it from behind. Because of that, only if I die will they have nothing left to say. At the same time, if I die by your hand, you can also show kindness to them."
There was no proof, yet if Saint Saturn killed Kessler because of this, could that not be counted as revenge for the Marines?
Once Kessler, the Commander-in-Chief, died, his position would become empty. The current Marine Fleet Admiral would then become the next Commander-in-Chief, while Kong would become the new Fleet Admiral.
This was something that could not be avoided.
But even if everyone knew that it was unavoidable, who could say that they had not climbed up by stepping over the bodies of Zephyr's family?
So, once this was done, no matter what their original intentions were, every time Zephyr saw those two, his heart would be disturbed.
That was what it meant to break a man's heart.
It had to be said that Kessler, an old man who had spent his whole life in CP, was truly frightening in both cruelty and planning. Without this level of ability, he would not have been worthy of sitting in the positions of CP chief and Commander-in-Chief.
"Have some tea," Saint Saturn said instead of answering. He personally poured Kessler a cup.
Kessler rose from the floor with excitement. He respectfully received the cup with both hands and drank all the tea inside in one go.
"How many years have you followed me?" Saint Saturn asked.
"My family went bankrupt here in the Holy Land when I was seven. It was you, my lord, who gave me food and allowed me to enter CP. Today, I am already ninety-two years old, so I have followed you for eighty-five years," Kessler said with a smile, calling himself a servant this time.
This was Saint Saturn's method. The reason he had held firm control over the position of Warrior God of Science and Defense was because he had raised many people from low places and rewarded them countless times. Because of that, those people were deeply loyal to him and were willing to die for him from the bottom of their hearts.
Kessler was already ninety-two years old, and he knew he did not have many years left to live. More than half a year ago, after he noticed that his body had begun to weaken quickly, he started planning this matter.
Now, he had succeeded.
This was the last time he would serve Saint Saturn, the master he honored in his heart, so he had to do it perfectly.
"Do you still have any family left?" Saint Saturn asked after giving a small nod.
"My sons and grandsons did not live longer than me. In a way, they also gave their loyalty to you. There is no one left in my family, so my lord does not need to worry about what comes after my death," Kessler said with a cheerful smile.
Just hearing that question was already enough for him.
However, it was a pity that his son had been CP, and his grandson had also been CP. The sea was dangerous. It was not as if a child could stay safe just because they came from noble blood. Even a shipwreck could leave a Celestial Dragon from the Donquixote family stranded on Fish-Man Island and forced to take hostages.
That was even more true for him, a man who looked powerful as both CP chief and Commander-in-Chief.
Once someone went out to sea, their life was always at risk.
The sea was the fairest of all, because it treated everyone the same.
"Do you have any final wish?" Saint Saturn poured Kessler another cup of tea and asked.
"I have none. I only wish for your health and for all things to go smoothly for you…" After a short pause, Kessler boldly added, "And I hope you can one day break free of your cage and look upon the free sea."
A fierce light flashed through Saint Saturn's eyes, but it quickly faded. In its place, there was a rare hint of gentleness.
"You truly see things clearly. It was not a waste for me to place such trust in you and let you sit in that position."
"It is only a pity that my ability was not enough, and I could not remove all your worries," Kessler said with some regret.
"It is enough. I will remember you, Kessler," Saint Saturn said softly.
"That is my greatest honor," Kessler said with a pleased smile.
In December of the year 1490, Marine Headquarters, Marineford, was attacked. Marine Admiral Black Arm Zephyr lost his entire family. The World Government was furious, and Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, the Warrior God of Science and Defense in Mary Geoise, ordered a full investigation, but no result was found.
In January of the year 1491, Saint Saturn sentenced CP chief and World Government Commander-in-Chief Kessler to death for failing to handle the investigation properly.
Three days later, Marine Fleet Admiral Benback was promoted to World Government Commander-in-Chief. Soon after, Marine Headquarters Admiral Kong was promoted to Fleet Admiral.
A week later, Marine Headquarters Admiral Zephyr submitted his resignation and stepped down from his Admiral position. Fleet Admiral Kong tried to keep him.
After six days of talks, Zephyr finally stepped down from his post as Admiral but kept the rank. He moved away from the front line and shifted to the rear, no longer leading troops.
With that, Kessler's plan to kill the body and break the heart came to a perfect end.
...
New World, Frost Island.
Heaven Capital, Seireitei.
Valthior looked at the newspaper in his hand, which had printed all this news, clicked his tongue, and said, "That is why I say being a Marine never ends well…"
Garp became a Marine, only to sit on the execution platform and watch his sworn grandson be killed.
Sengoku became a Marine, only to receive a report in tears that his adopted son had been killed by his own brother.
Zephyr became a Marine, only for his whole family to meet a terrible end, while he himself would also die miserably in the end.
"Those who play politics all have dirty hearts. As for the ones who can sit in such high positions, there is even less need to say. We pirates may still follow the rule of not dragging families into it, but they believe in cutting away the roots," Spencer said with emotion as he bit down on a cigarette.
"That's right. Zephyr is such a heroic man, yet he ended up like this. It is truly sad," Valthior said after taking a sip of tea.
Before Spencer could speak, Valthior stopped dwelling on the topic and changed the subject.
"How are things going on Onigashima?"
"We are starting to see results. Many of my old friends have contacted me to confirm whether the rumors are true. I told them that a base for the underworld is indeed going to be built here, and they all said they would come and take a look. I am confident that once they arrive, we can satisfy them. When they take root here, our eyes and ears will also grow. Frost Island will no longer be cut off from the outside world," Spencer said with a smile.
Spencer could be considered a major figure in the underworld, so none of his old friends were simple people.
For example, Loan Shark King Du Feld, who had failed in his investment in MADS not long ago and had been ruined by the World Government, was one of Spencer's "old friends."
There were also many other kings of this and kings of that, all around the same level.
The several outside routes that Frost Island had recently opened were thanks to Shipping King Umit. He was also one of Spencer's "old friends." With the support of these routes, large numbers of people from the New World had begun to pour into Frost Island.
At that moment, in White Frost Port, a group of refugees who had just gotten off a ship were staring in shock at the icy island covered in white snow.
"Wasn't Frost Island supposed to have mild weather all year round?"
"Can we even survive in this place?"
"Warm clothes! Does anyone have spare warm clothes to lend me? I'm about to freeze…"
Just as they thought they had been tricked and would most likely die here, the people on the dock became active.
"Come, come, register over here first, then receive warm clothing!"
"Those who have finished registering, come here to receive food!"
"If you have a skill, remember to say so. Skilled workers receive better treatment…"
"After everything is done, come here to receive your land deed and winter crop seeds. After three months, we will no longer provide food, so whether you survive will depend on how hard you work!"
Amid these shouts, the refugees finally felt relieved.
Although the weather was different from the rumors, the other treatment seemed to be real. That was enough. Being able to settle down and eat enough was already happiness for people like them, who struggled to survive in the New World.
Compared to that, what did the cold matter?
On the other side of the dock, Bartholomew Kuma watched this scene with a smile and said, "Lord Valthior really is as kind as ever…"
If the local people of Wano heard that, they would probably be moved to tears.
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