The setting sun cast golden ripples across the sea of Sabaody Archipelago.
In this beautiful twilight hour, a colossal entity slowly approached the Marine-exclusive harbor in the Grove 60.
The gigantic ship seized from Moria, now renamed the [Gluttony], which resembled a moving island, casted a deep, fathomless shadow upon the calm sea.
"Are you kidding? A ship this size can't possibly exist!"
"That's Warlord, Gecko Moria's ship. Quick, go welcome them."
A well-informed Marine officer recognized the ship and immediately arranged a welcoming party.
After all, the Warlords were nominally allies of the World Government, on equal footing with Marine Headquarters.
However, as Thriller Bark, no, the [Gluttony] slowly docked, the person descending the gangway wasn't the expected Gecko Moria, but another Warlord.
"Moria-sama…" A Marine Rear Admiral was about to step forward to greet him but widened his eyes upon seeing the newcomer. "Wait, you are… [Gluttonous King] Chiaki Setsuna?"
"[Gluttonous King]? Who gave me that nickname?" Setsuna shook his head slightly, but then thinking about titles like Big Mom, Red-Haired, and Whitebeard, he felt this nickname wasn't entirely unacceptable.
"The newspaper reported that you consumed a hundred tons of food in the Gourmet City in one month," The Rear Admiral said cautiously.
"Nonsense! It wasn't that little!" Setsuna frowned slightly. Wasn't this slandering his 'eating power'?
The Rear Admiral's mouth hung open in surprise. It wasn't until Setsuna was about to leave that he belatedly asked, "Chiaki Setsuna-sama, where is Moria-sama? Why are you coming down from his ship?"
"How should I know where he went? But this ship is mine now."
Setsuna's offhand response shocked the Rear Admiral.
'Had Moria been killed?'
'This is a major incident!' The Rear Admiral realized the severity of the situation and hurried off to report to Marine Headquarters.
…
Uta looked around curiously at the bustling streets, unable to help asking, "Captain, where are we going?"
Setsuna smiled. "To find a coating craftsman named Old Ray."
Ace stroked his chin thoughtfully. "For the Captain to specifically seek him out… is this Old Ray special in some way?"
"For you," Setsuna gave Ace a meaningful look, "He is indeed somewhat special."
Just as Setsuna reached Grove 51, the Den Den Mushi in his pocket rang urgently.
"Hello, this is Chiaki Setsuna," He casually answered, his tone relaxed.
"Chiaki Setsuna," The Five Elders' authoritative, low voice came from the other end. "Regarding the matter of Thriller Bark… you need to give a reasonable explanation."
"Ah, that," Setsuna maintained his cheerful tone. "It's like this. A few days ago, Moria and I had a… harmonious and friendly exchange."
"We had our officers conduct a few friendly matches. In the end, he was very generous and gave me his ship as a prize."
"Please rest assured, to uphold the World Government's honor, I strictly adhered to the protocol for interactions between Warlords. I absolutely did not truly defeat him."
There was a silence lasting several seconds on the other end.
The Five Elders were clearly stunned by this brazen statement.
'You took his ship. How is that different from defeating him outright?'
But what was done was done. They couldn't say much, just feeling a massive headache.
Replacing three Warlords in such a short time was undoubtedly a major blow to the Warlords' prestige.
What troubled them more was selecting replacements. Not just any pirate could become a Warlord.
"Forget it. But we do not wish to hear of any more Warlord changes in the near future," The Five Elders finally said helplessly.
"Don't worry. Why would I target my own allies?" Setsuna laughed heartily.
The Five Elders sighed wearily and were about to hang up when Setsuna suddenly said, "Wait. I happen to have two important matters to discuss with you."
There was a noticeable pause on the other end, followed by a slightly wary inquiry. "Oh? What else?"
"Well," Setsuna's tone suddenly turned serious. "I plan to convert this ship into the headquarters of the [International Gourmet Organization] I mentioned before. It needs to be transferred to the New World."
"But I'm sure you gentlemen are aware of the ship's size. Neither coating it to travel via the Fish-Man Island underwater route, nor applying for overland transport through Mary Geoise, is very practical."
"Therefore, I plan to have Cavendish use the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi's ability to fly the ship directly over the Red Line. I'm reporting this in advance to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings."
"Your subordinate, Cavendish, has already developed the fruit's ability to control an entire island so quickly?" The Five Elders were quite concerned, as the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi's strategic significance was immense.
Setsuna explained. "He can currently only control large ships that originally float on the sea. Moving actual islands rooted in the earth's crust is beyond him for now."
The sound of the Five Elders murmuring amongst themselves came from the other end.
A moment later, the voice representing them spoke again. "Flying over the Red Line is permissible. But the flight path must strictly avoid the skies above the Holy Land. If any attempt to spy on Mary Geoise is detected…"
"You can rest assured about that," Setsuna vowed sincerely. "I have zero interest in politics. I only want to focus on the gourmet business. Also…"
He changed tack, his tone turning somewhat troubled.
"What other issue?"
Setsuna cleared his throat, speaking earnestly. "We will be staying at Sabaody Archipelago for a few days for supplies. Could you… keep the Celestial Dragons in check?"
"I've heard some very unpleasant rumors, that the Celestial Dragons are scum. I'm worried if a conflict occurs, it wouldn't be good for either side."
"Outrageous!" The Den Den Mushi suddenly glared furiously, its voice rising an octave. "Chiaki Setsuna, remember your position! The World Government has already shown you considerable leniency!"
Setsuna's tone was sincere. "Don't misunderstand. I'm not talking about you. I hold the utmost respect for you elders. It's just I've heard some young Celestial Dragons are scum, so I want to avoid unnecessary trouble."
"Even though we value you," The Five Elders said coldly, "We absolutely will not tolerate any disrespect toward the Celestial Dragons."
Setsuna sighed, suddenly changing the subject. "Actually, I've always wanted to share the government's burdens. For example, the issue of Kaido occupying Wano Country."
"Hmm?" The Den Den Mushi's expression suddenly became focused.
"According to reliable intelligence I obtained from Golden Lion, the Ancient Weapon Pluton is likely hidden in Wano Country. Kaido's occupation there for so many years is probably for that reason," Setsuna once again pinned it on Golden Lion.
Distinct murmuring came from the other end. The Five Elders were clearly shaken by this bombshell.
"Are you certain?" The voice representing them became exceptionally serious.
"Absolutely certain," The Den Den Mushi perfectly replicated Setsuna's resolute tone. "Golden Lion said exactly that before he died."