"That won't do. According to standard protocol, there's still a certain level of risk."
The bald elder spoke sternly into the Den Den Mushi.
"Th-then… how should we arrange it?"
He stared at the snail in silence for a few seconds before replying:
"On top of the original escort, assign one additional warship, one hundred elite Marines, and five Vice Admirals. That should be sufficient."
"Yes, sir!"
The person on the other end didn't dare argue.
"Remember this," the bald elder added coldly,
"You can all die—but Aurelius D. Virel Is must not be harmed."
"Understood! We will ensure the absolute safety of Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is!"
"Good."
With that, the call ended.
"He's heading out."
The bald elder turned to the other four.
"We heard everything," the long white-haired elder replied calmly. "You weren't exactly quiet."
"Hahaha…"
The bald elder laughed, then added:
"With this level of protection, it should be enough to guarantee his safety, right?"
"Normally, even without it, he'd be fine," another elder said.
"No one is foolish enough to openly challenge the World Government. But if he runs into a true madman… then it's different. Adding stronger Marines is reasonable."
The sword-bearing elder spoke next:
"And if we fail to correct his mindset… what then?"
"You underestimate him," another elder replied.
"I can see it clearly—he says he wants to live like the other Celestial Dragons, but his actions say otherwise."
"He simply refuses to live beneath others."
"One day, when he faces something beyond his control… he'll understand the value of power."
"It's only a matter of time before he joins us."
The others nodded—they had all reached the same conclusion.
"As long as he acts as a Celestial Dragon," the white-haired elder said calmly,
"And does not shake the foundation of the World Government—whatever he does… we can tolerate it."
"Exactly," the bald elder added.
"As long as our foundation remains untouched, he is free to do as he pleases."
Meanwhile—
At the Sabaody Archipelago, near the shore—
Is and his group boarded their ship.
A Marine warship sailed ahead, while a World Government vessel followed behind.
Seeing the escort arrangement—
Is couldn't help but smile.
"So… you're still not giving up on me, huh… Five Elders."
He gazed at the receding shoreline of Sabaody.
During the voyage—
Is decided not to train.
Instead, he gave himself a rare break.
He even transferred all World Government personnel to another ship—except for the navigator.
Now, only his own people remained onboard.
Tatsumaki stayed in the kitchen, practicing cookingMadara and Is lounged at the bow
Madara claimed he was fishing—
But in reality, he was reading a newspaper.
Eventually, he dozed off, covering his face with it.
When a fish finally bit—
He didn't even react.
The fishing rod was dragged straight into the sea.
Is watched the whole thing happen…
…and said nothing.
He simply sipped wine, ate pastries, and enjoyed the ocean view.
As time passed—
The sun grew harsher.
Crackle…
Sheets of paper emerged from Is's body, forming a parasol above him.
Of course—
He didn't activate the burn attribute.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be shade—
It would be a roasting machine.
Just then—
The Den Den Mushi on the table began ringing.
"Buru buru…"
Is paused, stuffed the remaining pastry into his mouth, wiped his hands, and picked up the call.
"This is Aurelius D. Virel Is."
"Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is! Please take cover immediately!" a Marine reported urgently.
"We've detected a pirate ship ahead. They are approaching us."
"…Pirates?"
Is raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, sir! Please retreat to a safe location!"
Before the Marine could say more—
Is hung up.
Then calmly resumed eating his pastry.
No panic.
No urgency.
Just quiet amusement.
Because for him—
This wasn't danger.
It was…
entertainment.
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