After the senior officers of Marine Headquarters approved Sengoku's proposal and decided to collaborate with Claudius, Tsuru quickly mobilized a fleet of retired warships and set sail for the West Blue.
According to the plan, the Marine fleet would rendezvous with Claudius and his CP-X team in the West Blue before traveling together to the summit. From there, they would ascend to Sky Island, et with Enel, and transport the treasures of the Golden Land back to Mariejois.
With the World Summit fast approaching, the World Governnt's various branches were operating at full capacity. Mariejois, in particular, was abuzz with activity. Once again, Claudius spearheaded a slave liberation movent, directing CP-X to free Fish-Man slaves from households across the Holy Land. Fisher Tiger personally oversaw these efforts and witnessed Claudius keeping his promise.
In Claudius's palace, he sat in his study holding a docunt while speaking to one of his subordinates through a phone snail.
"The first phase isn't enough. After this, we'll move into the second and third phases. Before the World Summit begins, all the Fish-Man slaves in Mariejois must be freed. This summit is the first ti Fish-Man Island will participate officially. We need to make a good impression, understood?" Claudius said, his tone firm.
"Yes, Your Highness!" ca the prompt reply through the Den Den Mushi.
From his position within the World Governnt, Claudius could see that the advent of the Great Pirate Era had forced even the most rigid institutions to adapt. Slowly but surely, changes were being made to counter the escalating chaos of the tis.
For Claudius, the liberation of the Fish-Man slaves was just the beginning. He could already foresee more significant reforms coming in the future.
After ending the call, Claudius leaned back, but Nia imdiately approached, handing him a new docunt.
"Your Highness, Stussy sent over so information regarding the CP agency," Nia said.
Claudius smiled wryly as he accepted the docunt. "It feels like I've been busier than ever lately."
Opening the file, Claudius scanned through its contents, his lips curling into a smirk. "Oh, this isn't good news for them."
"A colossal failure, it seems," Nia said with a slight chuckle.
According to the report, the CP agency had initiated a large-scale operation in the New World, aiming to crush the Revolutionary Army in a decisive blow. However, the plan had sohow been leaked or derailed, resulting in the Revolutionary Army setting a trap. The CP agency suffered significant losses, both in manpower and elite operatives.
Claudius couldn't help but laugh. "I'd bet anything that it was Dragon who orchestrated this. That guy has a knack for turning the tables."
Of course, there was no concrete evidence to back this up, and Claudius didn't particularly care to verify it.
"It seems the World Governnt was hoping to deliver a major blow to the Revolutionary Army before the summit, maybe even as a show of strength. Instead, it's backfired spectacularly. What a ss," Claudius said, shaking his head.
Nia chuckled lightly. "Your Highness, perhaps you shouldn't enjoy their misfortune too much."
Claudius raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to an? Are you suggesting this ss will sohow involve us? Don't worry. Even if soone tries to pin it on , I've been kept completely out of the loop on this one."
"That's not what I ant," Nia said, her smile widening. "But isn't CP-X often called in to clean up after the CP agency's failures? If the higher-ups decide the CP agency isn't up to the task, they might hand the Revolutionary Army situation over to you. How would you handle it then?"
Claudius paused, montarily caught off guard. Then he laughed. "Do they think CP-X is so kind of glorified janitorial service? Relax. Dismantling the Revolutionary Army is a long-term mission for the CP agency. They might stumble now and then, but they've also caused Dragon plenty of headaches. As long as they don't completely lose the trust of the Five Elders, we won't have to step in."
"And if they do lose that trust?" Nia asked curiously.
Claudius's grin turned mischievous. "Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'The thief cries thief'?"
Before Nia could respond, Claudius leaned back in his chair, his tone playful yet calculating. "If it ever cos to that, I might just masquerade as the Revolutionary Army myself. Imagine it— taking down their organization under the guise of being one of them. Wouldn't that be poetic justice?"
Though Claudius was clearly joking, the glint in his eyes suggested he wasn't entirely dismissing the idea. Still, he doubted such a scenario would arise anyti soon.
After a few more lighthearted exchanges, Claudius shifted the topic. "By the way, where's Ace? What's he up to?"
"He's training in the Six Styles with Koala," Nia replied. "The young master has a remarkable aptitude for it, but surprisingly, Koala's performance isn't far behind."
Claudius burst into laughter. "Is that so?"
He wasn't entirely surprised. Claudius had suspected for so ti that Koala was an exceptional talent. The fact that she could master Fish-Man Karate as a human had already proven her potential.
"Speaking of which, I asked you to find out if they were interested in eating Devil Fruits. What did they say?" Claudius asked.
Nia chuckled. "Koala declined. She didn't like the idea of losing the ability to swim. But the young master? He's very interested—on one condition. He wants a Logia-type Devil Fruit, just like yours."
Claudius nodded thoughtfully. "I see… looks like I'll have to keep an eye out for sothing suitable."
Of course, there were several powerful Logia fruits that Claudius could pursue, but when it ca to Ace, one fruit imdiately ca to mind: the ra-ra no Mi.
In Claudius's opinion, Ace was practically born to wield the ra-ra Fruit. Though all Devil Fruits had their strengths and weaknesses, the fla-based ra-ra Fruit was undeniably formidable. While it was theoretically countered by Sakazuki's Magma-Magma Fruit, Claudius wasn't particularly worried.
After all, if Ace was under his protection, not even soone as ruthless as Sakazuki would dare harm him. Furthermore, as long as Ace wasn't a pirate or in direct conflict with the Marines, there would be no reason for confrontation.
Beyond its theoretical weaknesses, the ra-ra Fruit was imnsely powerful. In terms of destructive capability, it could rival even Kuzan's Ice-Ice Fruit.
The key, of course, was matching the fruit's potential with the user's own strength and creativity. As Claudius thought about it, he grew increasingly convinced that finding the ra-ra Fruit for Ace wasn't just a good idea—it was the right idea.
"Alright then," Claudius said, his voice resolute. "It's settled. I'll start looking for the ra-ra Fruit. It's ti to set Ace on the path he was ant for."
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