"King Klei, this way, please."
"King Myuke—what a pleasure. It's been far too long."
"Hahaha… the Sifeike Kingdom hasn't known much peace lately. This old man's lost his appetite for sea voyages."
"Then we'll maintain our existing cooperation agreement this year as well, yes?"
"And the Government really went all out for this ceremony…"
"Naturally. Figarland Garling's standing among the World Nobles is… exceptional."
"I wonder which lucky soul will succeed Garling as Vice Commander of the Knights of God. Tsk tsk tsk…"
…
The sun blazed overhead, yet the plaza beneath the Stairway to Heaven remained pleasantly cool.
Perched atop the Red Line, Holy Land Mary Geoise enjoyed an eternal spring. Today, the sky was a flawless, cloudless blue—clean enough to make the world feel unreal.
Representatives from Member States across the globe, heads of merchant guilds, high-ranking politicians, financial titans, renowned journalists… all accepted goblets of fine wine from attendants and drifted into small circles. In exquisite noble attire, they traded pleasantries with broad smiles, clinked glasses, and laughed as if they were old friends.
Secrets—truly secret things—were exchanged like gossip over tea.
A handshake sealed deals worth billions.
A single toast decided the fate of tens of thousands.
And in this modest square, a few dozen people held the levers of the world's politics, economy, and military in their hands.
"King Cobra—how have you been?"
A warm, hearty laugh boomed behind him, snapping Cobra out of his distraction.
He turned and saw a ruggedly handsome man with a lean physique, wearing a warm, open smile.
"Thank you for your concern, King Riku," Cobra replied, smiling in return. "All is well."
Unlike the other representatives dressed in ornate splendor, King Riku Doldo III of Dressrosa wore simple attire: casual clothes beneath a plain blue cloak, a rough-hewn greatsword hanging at his hip. There was a cheerfulness to him—an air of honest, sunlit warmth.
He looked less like the ruler of Dressrosa, an economic powerhouse of the New World, and more like a seasoned adventurer who had survived storms and still chose to smile.
It was precisely that temperament—so out of place among nobles—along with his genuine compassion for his people, that earned Cobra's respect… and had turned a political acquaintance into real camaraderie.
"Really?" Riku studied Cobra's face, then shook his head with a chuckle. "But you look terribly preoccupied. Restless, even."
If you knew that insane bastard Darren had slipped into the Holy Land Mary Geoise and was doing who-knows-what, you'd be looking for an escape route too… Cobra thought, swallowing down the groan that threatened to rise.
"…I have a feeling something major is going to happen today," Cobra murmured, lowering his voice—offering a warning as subtle as he could manage.
"Oh?" Riku paused, then laughed it off, scratching his head. "This is Mary Geoise—the safest place in the world! What could possibly happen here? If anything does, it would have to involve the World Government… or the Knights of God…"
He blinked, then poked Cobra's shoulder with a conspiratorial grin. After a quick, furtive glance around, he leaned in and lowered his voice.
"You heard anything? Rumors? Inside information? Come on—spill it!"
Cobra's eyelid twitched.
What an utter fool.
Did Riku truly believe the World Government gathered Member State representatives out of kindness? Every World Conference ended the same way: more Heavenly Tribute, more pressure, more shackles… dressed up as "order."
And then Cobra remembered—this same man had once disguised himself as a gladiator to fight in an arena.
He forced himself to let it go.
"…Naturally," Cobra said, exhaling through his nose. "If this were merely an inauguration ceremony for the Commander of the Knights of God, they wouldn't be this extravagant."
His gaze slid across the plaza.
The other representatives were smiling, chatting, laughing—but their eyes gleamed with calculation, suspicion, appetite. Even through the perfume and wine, you could smell it: politics.
Cobra was certain these foxes had already guessed the Government was planning something. After all, the World Government had suffered far too many humiliations at the hands of Darren and the North Blue Fleet recently.
The inauguration was likely a curtain.
But even these veterans—these seasoned predators—couldn't possibly imagine the truth.
That Darren, that madman, had actually infiltrated Mary Geoise itself.
If he didn't cause trouble, perhaps everything would pass smoothly…
But how could that be possible?
Cobra opened his mouth to speak—
And a solemn, stirring fanfare swelled from the distance.
The moment the first horn rang out, the plaza snapped into stillness.
Whispers died.
Laughter vanished like it had never existed.
One after another, the gathered nobles and representatives straightened their backs, faces smoothing into practiced solemnity.
Whoosh.
All around the plaza, World Government Holy Land Guards moved as one—an imposing square formation unfolding with disciplined precision. Silver lances rose high.
A forest of spearpoints caught the sun and flashed like cold stars.
Then, from a raised platform, a World Government official lifted his hand grandly, his voice ringing across the square:
"The inauguration ceremony for the Commander and Vice Commander of the Knights of God… officially begins!"
"As witnessed by the esteemed representatives of the Member States and the world—this ceremony will be personally presided over by the highest authority of the World Government: the Gorosei!"
"They will bestow authority upon the newly appointed Commander and Vice Commander of the Knights of God!"
He turned, then bowed deeply toward the Stairway to Heaven, voice booming:
"Pay homage to the Gorosei!"
As his words faded, flags emblazoned with the authoritarian cross symbol unfurled high above—snapping violently in the wind, cracking like whips.
And then—
CP0 agents appeared.
Not walking.
Not arriving.
Materializing—like ghost shadows—on both sides of the Stairway to Heaven.
Their voices drifted from beneath eerie masks, cold enough to freeze breath in the throat.
"The Gorosei have arrived."
"Except for the representatives of the Member States…"
"All others are forbidden from gazing directly upon their true forms."
A tangible killing intent rolled across the plaza.
Attendants, guards, journalists, and countless eyes lowered at once—heads bowing in fear as if an invisible blade pressed against their necks.
The CP0 voice continued, flat and merciless:
"Disobedience will result in…"
"…summary execution without exception."
To be continued...