Sailing: I was falsely accused of watching Nami bathe, but I'm blind.

The latest issue of the World Economic News featured a strikingly exaggerated and sensational front-page headline: a picture of Luffy grinning widely, revealing two rows of white teeth, his face perhaps bearing a few fresh scars, against the backdrop of Whole Cake Island, now a ruin engulfed in flames. The headline proclaimed: "World Shock! Straw Hat Luffy Takes on One of the Four Emperors, Big Mom, and Wins a Crushing Victory, Escaping Unscathed! The Fifth Emperor of the Sea is Born?!"

When the news was reported, the whole world was in an uproar!

Kai sat in the captain's cabin of his heavily guarded naval warship, which was on its way back to port, holding a newspaper that smelled of fresh ink and had been "read" to him by his subordinates.

When he heard the headline that struck him like a bolt from the blue—"The Fifth Sea Emperor"—his face, which was always expressionless as if covered by a layer of millennia-old ice, twitched involuntarily and very slightly.

The fifth emperor of the sea?

How absurd! How ridiculous! How laughable!

A surge of uncontrollable rage, like a volcanic eruption, welled up within Kai! And a deep disdain and contempt, as if facing a clown, filled him with utter contempt!

He knew better than anyone how utterly pathetic, how incredibly lucky, and how heavy and bloody the price Luffy had paid for his so-called "unscathed escape" and "great victory"!

It could even be said that if it weren't for Jinbe's resolute joining and sacrificing himself to cover their retreat! If it weren't for the entire Sun Pirates sacrificing themselves to hold off Big Mom's fleet! If it weren't for Germa 66's betrayal and desperate cover at the last moment! If it weren't for Capone Bege, that treacherous guy, drawing fire for some purpose! And most importantly, if it weren't for Big Mom, that gluttonous monster, having that damned, uncontrollable craving at just the right moment!

The Straw Hat crew has long been wiped out in that sweet yet deadly land of Whole Cake Island! Not even a bone fragment will remain!

This can be called "going head-to-head with the Four Emperors"?!

This guy can actually be hailed as the "fifth Emperor of the Sea"?!

This is the greatest insult and desecration to the word "Emperor," which represents absolute power and supreme authority! It is also an open provocation and merciless mockery of those monsters who have reigned over the New World for decades with their own strength and terrifying power (such as Kaido, Big Mom, Shanks, and even the deceased Whitebeard)!

Kai knew that among them, there must be that news agency president, Morgans, who thrived on chaos, loved to fan the flames, and turned minor incidents into major ones and major ones into disasters, pulling the strings behind the scenes! This guy always managed to report the facts (or rather, the "facts" he wanted the public to see) in the most exaggerated, eye-catching, and emotionally charged way, thereby maximizing his newspaper's influence and earning more peggaries!

This guy is a disgrace to journalism! A manipulator of public opinion! A creator of chaos!

but……

Kai had to admit that even though the title of "Fifth Sea Emperor" was full of exaggeration and shameless hype, its actual influence was real! And it was extremely huge and far-reaching!

He could clearly sense that as the newspaper featuring Luffy's silly grin spread like a virus to every corner of the world, the emotions of those who were already curious about, interested in, or even admired the Straw Hat crew (especially the young pirates and adventurers who were inexperienced and yearned for adventure and freedom) were instantly ignited! Like dry tinder meeting a raging fire!

"Wow!!! Luffy-senpai is amazing! So cool! He actually dared to go head-to-head with one of the Four Emperors, Big Mom! And he even won?! He's practically my idol!"

"A fifth emperor?! My God! Is a new era really about to begin?! Can we expect Straw Hat Luffy to become the next Pirate King?! Wait!"

"That's so inspiring! Straw Hat Luffy! He showed us with his actions that even the Four Emperors are not invincible! As long as you have dreams, friends, and an unwavering belief, you can create miracles!"

Countless similar voices, filled with excitement, admiration, longing, and even fanaticism, have sprung up like wildfire in every corner of the world!

Straw Hat Luffy's influence... his reputation... his damned, contagious, nauseating "protagonist aura"... at this moment, reached an unprecedented, astonishing peak!!!

Chapter 140 Celestial Dragons? They're nothing but my slaves!

He's no longer just a supernova with an outrageously high bounty and monstrous strength!

He has become a truly significant figure, capable of shaking the existing balance of the world and regarded by countless people (especially those dissatisfied with the current order) as a "symbol of the new era" and a "beacon of hope"!

This harsh reality instilled in Kai an even stronger, more urgent, and more suffocating sense of urgency and crisis!

No! This absolutely cannot continue!

We absolutely cannot allow this damned, grinning rubber idiot to continue "creating miracles" so recklessly! We cannot allow his vile influence to continue to snowball!

He's like a frighteningly fast-growing, highly poisonous, and rampantly spreading weed! If he isn't uprooted and completely eradicated soon, one day he will grow into a towering tree that can blot out the entire sky and even completely devour and destroy Kai himself!

We must find an opportunity as soon as possible! Before he fully matures! Before his damned "protagonist halo" becomes powerful enough to distort all logic! We must completely crush him!!!

Kai slowly, inch by inch, forcefully crumpled the newspaper with its glaring headline into a ball, making a teeth-grinding, crunching sound.

His deep, empty eyes, seemingly able to pierce through layers of space, gazed at the new world, at the sea filled with the unknown, storms, and infinite possibilities.

Straw Hat Luffy... wait for me...

The score between us... will soon be settled completely...

At the same time, Kai also clearly sensed the even more intense and violent shock and raging anger within the Navy Headquarters caused by this sensational report of the "fifth Emperor of the Sea"!

Fleet Admiral Akainu was probably so enraged that he melted the entire Fleet Admiral's office in Marineford with his Magma-Magma Fruit powers. His face, already distorted with rage, is now probably even more ferocious and terrifying than a demon from hell.

What more radical, crazy, or even reckless actions will the Navy take next? Will it spare no expense to mobilize a large force to encircle and annihilate the Straw Hat crew? Or will it resort to more covert and despicable means to try to divide and disintegrate them from within?

Kai didn't know.

But he knew that the world was about to descend into complete chaos because of the sudden emergence of Luffy, the "Fifth Emperor."

He must find his place and seize his opportunities amidst the larger and more brutal chaos that is about to unfold in 667!

He felt that he was getting closer and closer to that highest position (Admiral) where he could truly look down on all living beings and control everything.

With just a few more achievements... just a little more power...

A cold, unpredictable smile, brimming with ambition and murderous intent, once again curved the corners of his mouth.

Just as the world was abuzz with discussion and undercurrents over the sudden emergence of the "fifth Emperor of the Sea," an even more significant event, one that would reshape the global landscape, was about to take place—the quadrennial World Conference (Reverie) was about to convene in Mary Geoise, the sacred site at the heart of the World Government, atop the Red Line and known as the "abode of the gods"!

Kings and their representatives from more than fifty member states of the World Government will gather to discuss important issues concerning world peace, prosperity and the future.

This is not only a top-level international conference, but also an important platform for world governments to demonstrate their supreme authority and unbreakable rule to the world, coordinate the interests of all parties, resolve internal conflicts, and consolidate their ruling foundation.

For the Navy, the convening of the World Conference means the highest level, the most severe, and the most crucial security mission!

Ensuring the absolute safety of dozens of kings and royalty during their long journey to and from the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, and during the conference itself, and preventing any attacks, infiltrations, or sabotage by pirates, revolutionaries, or other hostile forces, is the Navy's paramount and overriding task! Any negligence or mistake could have catastrophic consequences, even shaking the very foundations of the World Government's rule!

Kai, as a vice admiral of the Navy Headquarters, although not high enough in rank to directly participate in the core security work within Mary Geoise (that is usually handled by CP0 and Navy admirals), has been entrusted with important peripheral coordination and support responsibilities.

He might be assigned to escort royal delegations from the New World, those whose routes were dangerous, or those with close ties to the navy, safely to Mary Geoise.

They may also be assigned to conduct high-intensity, continuous patrols in the vast waters surrounding the Holy Land Mary Geoise, eliminating any pirate ships or unknown forces that may pose a threat to the World Conference, and ensuring that the "absolute security zone" is not violated during the conference.

Alternatively, he could be assigned to a heavily guarded naval base on the outskirts of Mary Geoise as an elite mobile reserve force, ready to respond to any unforeseen circumstances, such as an attack on a royal delegation or a riot within Mary Geoise.

Whatever the specific mission, this gave Kai the opportunity to get up close and personal with Mary Geoise, a sacred place located at the top of the Red Earth, symbolizing the highest power in the world, and filled with mystery and majesty!

When Kai first spread his "Heart Net" like an invisible tide, carefully and as discreetly as possible, over Mary Geoise, a sacred place known as the "abode of the gods" and a place that ordinary people could never set foot in their entire lives, he immediately sensed an extremely special and complex aura that was completely different from anywhere else on the Grand Line!

On one hand, there was an unparalleled majesty, order, and sanctity! The entire Holy Land of Mary Geoise seemed shrouded in some supreme, inviolable rule and power! It was filled with an aura of solemnity, reverence, and inviolability! Countless powerful auras belonging to the highest-ranking officials of the World Government, CP0 agents, and the stationed navy, like the most loyal and tireless guardians, impenetrably protected this center symbolizing the highest power in the world! Any existence that attempted to challenge this order and majesty would be mercilessly crushed!

But on the other hand... beneath this seemingly sacred and inviolable facade, filled with light and order, Kai keenly perceives a deeper, more unsettling, and more nauseating darkness, decay, and hypocrisy!

He could clearly sense that the aura emanating from those kings and royalty who had gathered from all over the world, dressed in magnificent clothes and of noble status, was not necessarily that of "nobility," "benevolence," and "justice."

It is rife with greed, selfishness, hypocrisy, scheming, and a callous indifference and deliberate disregard for the suffering of the common people! They come here not so much to care about so-called "world peace" and "people's well-being," but more to maintain their family's rule and vested interests, or to fawn and fawn upon higher powers in order to gain more protection and rewards.

He also sensed the Celestial Dragons' aura lurking in some of Mary Geoise's more secluded and luxurious corners! It was still so repulsive! Filled with stupidity, arrogance, disdain for everything, and an appalling cruelty and callousness that treated all things as mere playthings! Did they really see this world conference, so crucial to the fate and future of the world, as nothing more than a pointless game for their amusement, to flaunt their privileges, and to kill time? Perhaps they might even make more absurd and brutal demands during the conference, solely to satisfy their own selfish desires?

What made Kai even more wary and strangely excited was that... he had actually managed to detect several extremely faint, extremely hidden, yet completely unfamiliar and powerful auras—filled with a revolutionary will burning like a raging fire and some kind of special power fluctuations—within Mary Geoise's seemingly impregnable and heavily guarded defense system, which was so impenetrable that not even a fly could get through!

These individuals moved with extreme secrecy and coordinated seamlessly. Moreover, their strength was immense; some even seemed to have reached the level of a Vice Admiral in the Marine Headquarters.

Are they the revolutionary army?!

How dare they be so audacious?! They actually dared to infiltrate the heavily guarded Holy Land of Mary Geoise?! And during the quadrennial World Government Summit?! This is the heart of the World Government! The Celestial Dragons' lair! What are they (Baee) up to?!

Kai immediately focused his mind, carefully discerning the characteristics of those unfamiliar auras filled with resistance and free will:

An aura, brimming with the fierce domineering power of a dragon's claw and the fiery, explosive energy of flames! It's Sabo?! The Revolutionary Army's second-in-command, the one who inherited Ace's "Flame-Flame Fruit" power! The Chief of Staff! He actually infiltrated here personally?! Shouldn't he be stirring up trouble in the New World, fighting against the Four Emperors?!

An aura, as nimble as a mole, adept at burrowing and manipulating terrain! Moving silently, yet brimming with explosive power! Moreover, that aura also carried a hint of feminine resilience and a unique frequency? Could it be Mori, one of the Revolutionary Army's commanders, the commander of the "Western Army"?! The giant with the "Push-Push Fruit" ability?!

An aura, as eerie and unpredictable as an ominous crow circling in the sky! Capable of controlling countless black birds exuding an aura of death for reconnaissance and attack! The aura is filled with misfortune, death, and a hint of… plague? Is it Karasu, one of the Revolutionary Army's commanders, the commander of the "Northern Army"?! The mysterious figure with the "Salt-Ash Fruit" ability?!

There was another aura, filled with a steampunk-like, whimsical technological feel and a certain… power of wind? Moving with the speed of a whirlwind, and seemingly capable of creating all sorts of intricate combat-aiding mechanical devices? Was it Lindbergh, one of the Revolutionary Army's commanders, the commander of the "Eastern Army," the one next to Belo Betty?! That Mink genius inventor who excelled at inventing all sorts of weapons and equipment?!

The Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff, along with three core officers at the rank of army commander?! They actually infiltrated the Holy Land of Mary Geoise?!

What exactly are they trying to do?!

Is he planning to stage some earth-shattering event at the World Conference, in front of all the world's kings?! For example, assassinating a Celestial Dragon? Or publicly revealing some of the World Government's dark secrets?

Or perhaps they have a deeper, more secretive, and dangerous scheme targeting the Celestial Dragons or the core power structure of the World Government?

Kai's heart was filled with shock! And a hint of... an uncontrollable excitement and anticipation hidden beneath his cold exterior, which even surprised him?

He knew that this world conference would probably not be as peaceful and smooth as it seemed on the surface! A huge storm, meticulously planned and instigated by the revolutionary army and aimed at the world's highest power center, seemed to be brewing in secret beneath the sacred and hypocritical halo of Mary Geoise!

As for himself, as a vice admiral in charge of coordinating peripheral security, how should he deal with the upcoming, more complex, more dangerous, and more unpredictable situation?

Should we immediately report the Revolutionary Army's infiltration to the Navy Headquarters and CP0? Let them deal with these troublesome flies?

Or should we hold back for now and observe the situation? Let's see how much trouble the revolutionary army can cause? Or perhaps, amidst the chaos, find an opportunity to seize even greater gains?

On Kai's face, which always seemed to be covered in eternal ice, the corners of his mouth once again curled into a cold and unpredictable arc, full of calculation and ambition.

This world is getting more and more interesting.

During his perimeter security duties in Mary Geoise, Kai did not, like other naval admirals, merely fulfill the monotonous and tedious patrol and guard duties assigned by his superiors.

Using his position and his all-pervasive, all-seeing Observation Haki, he was like a dark phantom lurking beneath the light of order, constantly and cautiously probing into this sacred place that symbolized the world's highest power and was filled with mystery and taboo, trying to uncover the unknown, dirty, and ugly dark side behind it.

His "insight" penetrated the magnificent and breathtaking palaces and seemingly sacred and inviolable, meticulously manicured courtyards built with countless riches and the blood and sweat of slaves, revealing more of the nauseating ugliness, decay, and sin hidden beneath the glamorous and sanctimonious exterior.

He "saw" that those Celestial Dragons, who were hailed as "world nobles" and "descendants of gods," still lived an extremely extravagant, corrupt, and outrageously unrealistic life.

They live in secluded, luxurious palaces, like gilded cages made of gold and jewels, enjoying the finest treasures, delicacies, and wealth from all over the world. Yet they are indifferent to the suffering and turmoil of the outside world and the countless people tormented by war and poverty. They even treat these hardships as topics of conversation that they can laugh at and play with at will.

He "saw" that when the Celestial Dragons traveled, they still rode in slow, heavy vehicles pulled by slaves stripped of their dignity and freedom, treated like livestock, wearing heavy shackles (some of whom were even former kings and nobles!). They still regarded ordinary humans as "inferior beings," whom they could beat, insult, and even brutally shoot like stray dogs with their muskets for trivial reasons (such as blocking their way or not kneeling in time). And the World Government officials and Marines responsible for protecting them seemed indifferent, even accustomed to it?! As if all of this was perfectly natural and justified?!

He "saw" that in some of the more hidden, darker corners of Mary Geoise, there seemed to exist a slave market of unimaginable scale?! Various races and individuals from all over the world, considered "rare," "interesting," or "of special value" (such as fish-men, mink, long-armed, long-legged, and even some with special Devil Fruit abilities), were openly priced and kept like commodities in cold iron cages, for the psychopathic, tasteful Celestial Dragons to choose, buy, and play with at will?!

This blatant, heinous crime, protected and tacitly approved by the laws and systems of world governments! This extreme trampling and desecration of the most basic human dignity and the value of life! It filled Kai with an unprecedented, bone-deep nausea and chilling anger!

Chapter 141 Abolish the Seven Warlords of the Sea! The Empress's Mad Transformation!!!

He had previously felt extreme hatred and contempt for the Celestial Dragons' various privileges and unreasonable behavior.