After Is rejected them once again, the five elders' expressions darkened as they stared at him.
"Brat, do you even understand what you're refusing?" the long white-haired elder said coldly, his face showing clear disappointment.
"You simply haven't tasted the sweetness of power yet. Once you do, you'll fall in love with it. So drop this immaturity of yours, Is," the bald elder added.
After all, in all their years, they had never met anyone who didn't succumb to power—
Including themselves.
At that moment, Is finally understood.
That sudden attack earlier—
It wasn't meant to harm him.
It was a test.
A way to gauge whether he was worth "guiding."
Seeing that Is remained silent, another elder spoke,
"You've awakened Conqueror's Haki, haven't you?"
Is shook his head seriously.
"No."
"You little brat… lying with a straight face?" the bald elder snapped. "You already showed it in front of the Marines."
"…."
Is was speechless.
They already knew—so why even ask?
"Conqueror's Haki is innate. It can't be learned, nor inherited. It is determined by one's destiny. Once awakened, it proves you have the qualities of a king. You understand what that means, don't you?"
"You're different from the other Celestial Dragons. With us guiding you, your future would be immeasurable," the sword-bearing elder explained.
The truth was—
The current state of the Celestial Dragons was dire.
Most had fallen into decadence, indulging only in pleasure.
The younger generation lacked anyone capable of carrying their legacy.
If not for Im and the Five Elders holding things together, the World Government—founded by twenty kings—might have already collapsed.
So now that someone with the qualities of a king had appeared among them—
How could they possibly let him waste his life in indulgence?
"But…"
Is spoke calmly.
"I just want to live a simple life. Like the other Celestial Dragons—buy a few slaves, marry someone I like. As for power… I'm really not interested."
Those words hit hard.
Everything they had said—
All of it, wasted.
"You really want to walk the path of decadence?"
"Is, someone with your potential shouldn't say such things."
"If you don't want to walk the path of power, then go ahead—choose that fallen path," the bald elder said, trying to provoke him.
"Thank you for your understanding," Is replied immediately. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"?????"
With that, Is turned around, opened the door, and walked out.
The five elders were left stunned.
"…What just happened?"
The other four slowly turned to look at the bald elder.
The bald elder froze for a moment—then burst into laughter.
"I was trying to provoke him… stir up his ambition. But that kid doesn't follow any script at all."
"Forget it. This isn't something that can be rushed," the sword-bearing elder sighed. "We'll guide him slowly."
"Yes. The Celestial Dragons need fresh blood—someone capable of carrying our banner forward. This must be handled carefully," the long white-haired elder added.
…
After leaving their presence, Is didn't dwell much on their proposal.
He had no intention of living the way they wanted him to.
If he couldn't live freely after transmigrating—
Then what was the difference between him and a puppet?
Of course, what he said about living a decadent life—
That was merely an excuse to brush them off.
Deep down, Is understood one thing clearly—
If he wanted to survive…
If he wanted freedom…
If he wanted to truly do as he pleased—
Then he had to become strong.
Very strong.
…
"Welcome home, Master!"
As soon as Is entered, a maid rushed over to greet him.
"Where are Madara and Tatsumaki? Still in the backyard?"
Not seeing them in the hall, Is asked casually.
"Lord Madara and Lady Tatsumaki went out for a walk. They said staying in the castle all the time was too boring. But please don't worry—they mentioned they'd only be nearby."
"I see."
Is nodded.
Just as he was about to head inside—
A voice called out from behind him.
"Saint Is, long time no see."
Is turned around.
Before him stood a fat Celestial Dragon, riding atop a slave.
Beside him stood a World Government agent dressed in black.
And just like that—
An all-too-familiar presence returned.
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