One Piece: I only realized murder was illegal after leaving the Holy Land.

Tiger was accompanied by a group of office clerks, and he was giving instructions as he walked.

"We cannot relax our scrutiny of the East China Sea this year. This is the last year of the punitive taxes on them, and precisely because it is the last year, we cannot afford any trouble. We must have our people cooperate well with the CP agencies to keep a close eye on those nobles and see if they dare to transfer these punitive taxes to the common people again..." Tiger said in a firm and powerful tone.

It was then that he saw Ace, and a smile appeared on his face as he said, "Ace, it's been a long time..."

“Brother Tiger!” Ace nodded with a smile, then said, “It’s mainly because you’re too busy; you’re practically never in Mary Geoise…”

"Almost done... I'll probably be stationed in Mary Geoise most of the time from now on," Tiger replied, then asked, "Are you going to see Commander Barrett?"

"Hmm, I don't know what happened..." Ace replied.

Tiger grinned and patted Ace on the shoulder, saying, "It's good news. I heard him mention it during our meeting just now."

Before Ace could ask any more questions, Tiger continued, "Alright, alright, I won't say any more. I have to go to the East China Sea... The fleet is already waiting for me. Next time we meet, I'll bring you some specialties from the East China Sea."

Soon, the two parted ways, and Ace took the elevator to the top floor of the headquarters building.

The top floor of the World Government's headquarters building has only two offices.

One is the office of the Commander-in-Chief, which is where Barrett is located.

The other is the office of the Chief Executive of the World Government. The Chief Executive is now a very special position. In the original old World Government system, the Chief Executive was responsible to the Five Elders alone. He could be said to be the number one person in Mary Geoise after the Five Elders.

But things are different now. The Five Elders are no longer the highest authority, and the Chief Executive's rank has naturally dropped as well, making him the gateway to the Five Elders' political center.

The chief executive is responsible for sorting out the administrative affairs that require the Five Elders' attention, reporting those matters to the Five Elders, and then assigning the remaining administrative affairs to the various departments with authority.

It is a position below the Five Elders and above all other departments.

Originally, this position was to be held by Luigi, the guy who helped Viking Gum forge documents and data about Totto Land joining the World Government system at the World Conference and becoming a member state.

This old guy had also been involved in a lot of corruption, and he was eventually caught in the major anti-corruption case led by Dorrag.

This position was immediately vacant. There weren't many people who could fill this position at the time, and Vikingham didn't care about these appointments; he had already gone to Frost Isle.

In the end, it was Tesoro, the financial god, who begged and pleaded with Crocodile until he finally got him back to the position of Chief Executive.

In other words, Crocodile truly didn't care about the rank of these positions, since he originally planned to start a company with Doflamingo, specializing in the entertainment industry, creating their own brand, and becoming the company's president.

Otherwise, with his seniority, he could have directly become one of the Five Elders. How could he possibly be an underling for guys like Tesoro and Dragon?

In other words, he was appointed as the Chief Executive by the Five Elders who begged him to.

Because there are only two offices on the top floor of the headquarters building, and the two people know each other very well, these two offices are usually never closed.

As Ace exited the elevator and walked through the corridor, he saw that Crocodile's office door was open. Inside, a large group of secretaries were helping him process the mountain of documents, categorizing them, and then distributing them to various departments or submitting them to the higher authorities.

Crocodile himself, dressed in a brown-grey suit and wearing a fur coat, sat on the sofa with a cigar in his mouth, his legs propped up on the coffee table, talking to the person opposite him about something.

The person opposite was even more flamboyant, with a short, golden haircut that made him look very energetic. He wore a white cardigan shirt made of cotton and linen, black skinny jeans, and a light-looking pink flamingo feather coat. He wore loafers and had no posture at all, just like Crocodile, with his feet propped up on the coffee table and a half-empty glass of red wine in his hand.

And behind the sofa where he was sitting, there was a service team that was clearly not staff here.

For example, there were six beautiful women dressed in sexy and exquisite maid outfits, who were responsible for pouring him red wine, peeling fruit, fanning him, massaging his shoulders, and waiting on either side of him. There were also two maids quietly waiting to serve him at any time.

Meanwhile, a man who looked like a secretary was diligently recording their conversation.

Ace recognized him at a glance; this flashy guy was none other than Donquixote Doflamingo.

"I plan to replicate the model of Frost Island Cold Emerald, and build a super-large mobile island entertainment city based on the specifications and size of my Viking uncle's Sea King. I've already had Tesoro handle the project proposal, and Stussy is very supportive. The only issue is that we're a little short on funds. Would you like to invest some?" Doflamingo swirled his wine glass and looked at Crocodile with a smile.

Crocodile exhaled a puff of cigar smoke, calmly looking at Doflamingo and said, "Still short of funds? I don't believe a word of that. Your Donquixote Family has been deeply rooted in the North Blue for so many years. Looking at Mary Geoise now, apart from the Vikings, there's no one else who dares to challenge you. How could you possibly lack funds? According to what you just said, with your Donquixote Family's wealth, you could build ten entertainment complexes like this..."

"Fufufufufufu..." Doflamingo chuckled, then said, "But hoarding everything isn't a good habit, is it? I've already invited many people to invest, even that guy Dragon sold everything he owned and invested 20 billion Berries. This project is guaranteed to make a profit, isn't this leaving you some benefits? After all, we're good brothers, aren't we?"

"But what is the truth?" Crocodile wasn't buying it and asked directly.

"To be honest, I intend to make this entertainment center a truly neutral venue, so I need more people from various factions to endorse it..." Doflamingo said with a serious expression.

"Neutral?" Crocodile was taken aback. "You mean even pirates can openly go and play? Those remnants of the West Blue Mafia and those rebels who have sprung up in the South Blue can go? Members of non-member states can go?"

“Yes, they can go.” Doflamingo nodded without hesitation. “Whether it’s any organization under the World Government, such as the Navy, CP, or any of the other forces you just mentioned, they can all go. And in my name, I will guarantee that they will not be treated unfairly here!”

As the chief executive of the World Government, Crocodile should not, in principle, support Doflamingo.

However, after hearing this, he raised an eyebrow and said, "You just said that Stussy also supports you... then this place is interesting. It could become the world's largest intelligence exchange center."

“That’s one of its functions,” Doflamingo said with a grin.

After thinking for a moment, Crocodile said, "Then I'll personally invest 20 billion Berries."

"It's settled then, you can have one too." Doflamingo immediately agreed, then changed the subject, "By the way, I'm planning to have a concert in Hokkaido soon, would you like to come and support me?"

"Your taste in music is just as bad as your taste in clothes..." Crocodile said with a look of disgust.

In fact, you can tell from their clothing styles that there is an insurmountable gap in their aesthetic sense, and they are even completely opposite.

Doflamingo's style is flashy and rebellious, standing at the forefront of the alternative fashion world, while Crocodile's style is more old-fashioned, emphasizing an aristocratic feel.

In fact, Doflamingo is the true aristocrat, while Crocodile, although now a Celestial Dragon of the Jaigolusia family, is actually a commoner from the New World.

“But I have a special guest…” Doflamingo adjusted the frame of his orange sunglasses and said, “The Soul King Brook, don’t you really like his music? Also, Shanks recently found a new singer. I’ve listened to some of her work, and it’s quite good. That girl will definitely become a world-class musician in the future. I’m planning to sign her to my entertainment and fashion company…”

The new girl he was referring to was, of course, Uta, whom Shanks had met not long ago while traveling.

Crocodile wasn't interested in the newcomers Doflamingo was talking about, but his eyes lit up when he heard the name 'Soul King Brook'. He said, "That's more like it. Let me know beforehand when the date is set so I can arrange things here and support you in the North Blue..."

Just as he was saying this, Crocodile happened to see Ace walking towards him down the corridor, so he smiled and raised his hand, saying, "Ace~"

“Mr. Crocodile, Mr. Doflamingo!” Ace responded immediately.

"I told you, don't be so formal." Doflamingo rolled over and lay down on the sofa, teasing him with a smile.

It is clear that they have a very close relationship.

"Barrett must have sent you, right? Go to his office and see. He went to great lengths to find you a powerful Devil Fruit..." Crocodile said.

Tiger just mentioned that Barrett had prepared a gift for him, but before Ace could ask what it was, Tiger hurriedly left.

Crocodile has now revealed the answer directly: it's a Devil Fruit!

This made Ace's eyes light up, and he said with great joy, "Really? That's wonderful!"

Just then, Barrett walked out of the office, grumbling, "Crocodile, I was planning to give that kid a surprise, and you ruined it all..."

After all, his office door is never closed, so any noise or movement can be heard very clearly.

Ace and Barrett had a very good relationship. After all, Barrett also had great respect for the old captain Roger. As Roger's son, Ace was exceptionally talented and very hardworking. He could withstand being trained by both Barrett and Garp, which showed his resilience. This is why Barrett liked him even more.

"Senior Barrett, what kind of ability is it?" Ace asked Barrett excitedly.

He's incredibly rebellious. Roger wasn't a Devil Fruit user, but he insisted on becoming one. He just wanted to do everything the opposite of what his father wanted.

Barrett waved, and Ace quickly followed him into the office, where he saw a Devil Fruit on the table.

As a second-generation player with an extraordinary background, Ace has received top-tier resources since childhood, so his knowledge is naturally extraordinary. The Devil Fruit encyclopedia, which is difficult for ordinary people to see, is just a common thing to him. He used to look at those things a lot, fantasizing about obtaining powerful Devil Fruit abilities.

Now, of course, it was recognized at a glance.

"A Logia-type Mori-Mori Fruit!?" Ace exclaimed in delight.

Barrett nodded, puffing on his cigar, and said, "That's right, the Logia-type Mori-Mori Fruit. This power was eaten by a guy named Aramaki before the war in Mary Geoise, but he was later killed by Loki... The Mori-Mori Fruit's power is extremely strong, and we've been searching for it for a long time, but we haven't found it until recently, when Spandam was handling some business in the West Blue and happened to find it, and immediately brought it to me..."

At this point, Barrett reached out and ruffled Ace's hair, saying, "Didn't you always say you wanted to become a Devil Fruit user, preferably a Logia type? This Devil Fruit is one of the most powerful Logia types, so you can have it."

Ace's fondness for Logia-type Devil Fruits stemmed from the influence of the Navy's culture. Ever since Kuzan and his crew rose to fame, there had been a trend of Logia-type worship within the Navy. And when Kuzan, Borsalino, and Sakazuki all became Admirals, the Navy elevated Logia-type Devil Fruits to an even higher level.

Ace caught the Forest Fruit and exclaimed happily, "Great! With such a powerful Logia-type fruit like the Forest Fruit, I'm sure I'll be able to become an Admiral someday..."

Barrett said with great optimism, "With your talent, as long as you don't falter and continue to work hard, even without eating a Devil Fruit, you will still be able to sit in the position of admiral in the future and become one of the highest combat forces of our world's government!"

Side Story 3: Ace: Andre, you're going to inherit the throne someday, you're really going to have a tough time!

After eating the Forest Fruit, Ace rushed off towards the God's Abode after leaving the World Government Headquarters building.

At the gate of the city where God resides, the guards of the holy site are on their daily duty.

"Someone's coming!" The captain of the guard was the first to notice the figure running in their direction and shouted.

"It looks like Lord Ace?" A sharp-eyed guard recognized Ace's figure and said.

Just then, Ace ran to the gate. This time, the guards confirmed Ace's identity and immediately retreated to both sides of the city gate, respectfully bowing to Ace.

Although Ace was not a Celestial Dragon, he was a very unique figure in Mary Geoise. Rumors circulated that Ace was the betrothed of Viking Gum Saint and the future husband of Robin Palace.

Although these rumors were quite detailed and convincing, many people within the Divine Abode had heard about them.

However, there has been no positive response yet regarding whether it is true or false.

Even so, Ace frequently entered and exited the territory of the Jaigolusia family and had the right to freely enter and exit the God's Abode, which is beyond doubt and enough to prove his special status.

"Lord Ace!"

Ace was a very well-mannered child. In the past, he would have responded sincerely to the greetings and salutes from the guards, which is why he had a very good reputation.

But today was different. He seemed to be in a great hurry. He didn't stop walking, but he still waved and greeted everyone, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, everyone!"

After Ace rushed into the God's Abode and disappeared around the street corner, the guardians of the Holy Land returned to their posts.

"Hey? Have you noticed that Lord Ace's hairstyle looks a little different today?" a guard suddenly said.

"Yes, it's a bit more voluminous than usual, probably because it got a perm..." another guard nodded in agreement.

"Most importantly, why did he dye his hair green?" the captain of the guard asked, stroking his chin in confusion.

In fact, Ace did not dye or perm his hair. It was just that he had only eaten the Forest Fruit not long ago and his control over his abilities was not yet perfect, so some natural energy leakage manifested.

After passing through many quiet streets within the God's Abode, Ace quickly arrived at the courtyard of the Shangri-La Temple.

The Shangri-La Temple is the headquarters of the Knights of God.

This is now Kaido's residence. Although he has been registered as a Celestial Dragon in the Donquixote Family, he doesn't really like living on the Donquixote Family's territory. So he moved directly to the Shangri-La Temple. Anyway, he is now the captain of the Knights of God, so this is perfectly in accordance with the rules.

Not only him, but also most of the elite members of the Charlotte Family, led by Katakuri, lived here.

The Shangri-La Temple occupies a large area within the Divine Abode. After being rebuilt during the previous Mary Geoise War, it has become even larger. After all, there are currently only eight Celestial Dragon families in the Divine Abode, and the Nefertari family, to which Cobra belongs, is almost entirely vacant.

Because Kobra still prefers to live in Alabasta, he rarely comes back throughout the year.

Only a few members of the Nefertari clan, from collateral branches, reside in this sacred land.

"Huh? Ace, you dyed your hair? You've really reached the age of rebellion. Is the obedient and sensible you a thing of the past?" Cracker, carrying a greatsword, leaned against the gate in front of the Shangri-La Temple, looking at Ace running over with curiosity and teasing him.

Clearly, he was in charge of duty today.

"Mr. Cracker!" Ace stopped in his tracks, scratching his head sheepishly. "I didn't dye or perm my hair, it's just that I haven't mastered controlling my abilities yet..."

"Ability!?" Cracker exclaimed in surprise, "Did you eat a Devil Fruit?"

“That’s right, it’s a Logia-type Mori-Mori Fruit, a gift from Senior Barrett!” Ace replied with a shy smile.

Before Cracker could ask any more questions, Ace quickly pressed on, "Judging by the time, Robin should be with Uncle Kaido right now, right? I need to find her. With the Forest-Forest Fruit this time, I'm sure I can beat her!"

Although it was a question, Ace didn't seem to be waiting for an answer. As he said this, he ran inside.

Cracker called out from behind, "Hey, Ace, you still don't have very good control over your abilities, and you're already trying to challenge Robin? You might not win... Besides... she's not here!"

However, Ace had already run far away and seemed not to have heard what he said, only waving goodbye.

Seeing this, Cracker was too lazy to chase after them. Bored, he picked a blade of grass from the ground, put it in his mouth, leaned against the wall, looked at the clear sky, and said, "How boring. Maybe I should go down to the mortal realm for a stroll?"

Goodness, after only a few years as a Celestial Dragon, they've already gotten used to calling the place below Mary Geoise the 'lower realm'.

Sure enough, the first lesson after getting ashore is to forget your roots!

The Shangri-La Martial Arts Arena is where the Knights of God train. As soon as Ace approached, he heard the sounds of fighting coming from inside the sturdy high walls.

Without a second thought, he rushed in and shouted, "Robin, I'm here to challenge you! This time, I definitely won't lose!!!"

Robin was born in February 1489 and is now nineteen years old.

She was about three years older than Ace.

Although Ace inherited Roger's talent and was very powerful and hardworking, Robin herself was no less impressive. She also inherited Vikingham's talent and successfully awakened her Sharingan a few years ago. She was also a Devil Fruit user from a very young age, having consumed the powerful Mythical Zoan Vampire form.

She was born a top-tier Celestial Dragon, enjoying the world's best resources. Her foundation was incredibly solid. Because she was a few years older than Ace, when the two sparred, Ace, who was known as invincible among the younger generation in Mary Geoise, never won against Robin from beginning to end.

This is a different version of the green algae head and Kuina.

This is why Ace immediately sought out Robin as soon as he gained his powers.

Unfortunately, Robin was nowhere to be seen in the arena. On the outer steps, Kaido sat there nonchalantly. Years had passed, but he still exuded a fierce aura and maintained his wild and domineering style, seemingly unaffected by the extravagance of the Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise.

No, he was ultimately affected. For example, the wine he was drinking now was no longer the ordinary wine he used to drink, but a special wine from the Celestial Dragons, the finest wine in the world.

Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere in the arena, or perhaps because he was still training while drinking, Kaido was in his half-beast form, looking majestic and imposing.