Watching the palace guards toss aside their helmets and step into the elevator, Shamrock, who stood off to the side, wore an expression as dark as a thundercloud.
None of them had expected Elio's influence to have reached so deeply into the Holy Land. That a palace guard, who had never met him before, would defect on the spot, it was unthinkable.
In the past, they would have executed such a man without hesitation. What that guard did was worse than betrayal.
But now, Shamrock and the others dared not voice their anger. Elio stood at the pinnacle of power. At this point, not to mention punishing the guard, even a whisper of dissent might provoke Elio's wrath and turn this negotiation into a new war.
They weren't exaggerating. Elio really was capable of such a thing.
According to intelligence they had gathered, back when Elio was still in the Marine Officer Training Camp, he had once stood up for a new recruit treated as cannon fodder, taking full responsibility and enduring a week of solitary confinement under Fleet Admiral Sengoku's orders.
He answers every plea, repays every favor, never hoards blessings, shoulders all burdens, and defends his own irrationally, that is Elio.
Just like Shamrock, the ones standing behind Elio, Gion, the three Admirals, Sengoku, Zephyr, and Garp, all turned to glance at the defection in silence.
Every single one of them had once been Elio's superior or senior. They more or less understood what he had done within the Marines over the years. Yet, even they hadn't expected his influence to run so deep. That a palace guard, who had only heard of Elio's deeds, would make such a shocking choice, showed the extent of his reach.
It had to be understood, Holy Land palace guards stood far above any royal guard from any member nation of the World Government. After all, this was the Holy Land, the center of the world.
For many, becoming a palace guard was a dream out of reach. Even among the Marines stationed in the Holy Land, countless soldiers longed to be chosen for such an honor.
To give up that glory willingly, it was like forfeiting one's life.
Yet that palace guard had not only defected without hesitation, he had even expressed his desire to serve under Elio in the future. That alone proved how deeply Elio's image had rooted itself in people's hearts. Not just within the Marines, but even atop the vast Red Line, there were undoubtedly those who regarded him as a beacon of faith.
"What's wrong, everyone?"
Noticing the sudden silence, Elio, who had just watched the palace guard leave, looked around at everyone in surprise. Then his gaze fell upon Shamrock, and he smiled warmly. "Stinky Cocks, what's with that face? Don't tell me you're upset because I let that soldier walk away? There's no need for that. He only wanted revenge for his parents and sister. That's not a crime! And even if it were, it's none of your concern. He's my soldier now!"
At those words, Shamrock's face twitched violently. He forced himself to swallow the fury rising in his chest and corrected coldly, "I am not some Stinky Cocks. My name is Figarland Shamrock."
"Ah, my bad. I have a bad memory," Elio nodded, then immediately shifted the topic. "How long will it take you to bring Spandam to me?"
Shamrock's brow furrowed instantly. "Are you really going to go that far? Spandain has already paid for what he..."
"Hm?"
Before he could finish, Elio's gaze turned razor-sharp. His warm demeanor vanished, replaced by an icy voice. "Shamrock, don't get any ideas just because I'm humoring you. You've got ten minutes. Bring me his head, or deal with the consequences."
With that, Elio turned and walked away without another word.
Seeing this, Gunko quickly winked at Shamrock, then hurried after Elio along with a few other members of the God's Knights.
At that moment, a group of palace guards suddenly came running up. Clad in heavy silver armor and great in number, their rapid approach felt like an overwhelming army descending.
However, these palace guards didn't come near Elio. As they approached his group, the lead guard gestured, and they split neatly to both sides of the moving walkway, standing in formation.
Within moments, hundreds of palace guards lined the sides of the path.
Then, a new group appeared on the walkway, at the forefront stood none other than Commander-in-Chief Kong of the World Government.
Behind him were soldiers stationed in the Holy Land, and among them was Marine Staff Officer Tsuru, who had come for an emergency meeting but got stuck due to Elio's rebellion.
"Elio, you really went and did something unforgivable~"
As soon as she reached Elio, the once-beautiful girl who had fought alongside Garp and Sengoku but now aged into a little old lady stepped forward. Tsuru's eyes sparkled as she looked up at Elio, her calm voice tinged with complexity. "So impatient? You should know, we all had high hopes for you. If you'd waited, you could've become the next Fleet Admiral without any obstacles."
Faced with her words, Elio opened his mouth but said nothing in the end.
After all, ever since his days in the training camp, Tsuru had been the first superior to believe in him. Especially during the time he trained swordsmanship under Gion, Tsuru never missed a session and often cooked personally for him.
More importantly, after he was imprisoned, Tsuru had traveled back and forth between the Holy Land and Marine HQ, trying to use her connections to save him.
"Elio! Beautifully done!"
Before Elio could react, a pink blur leapt out from behind Kong's tall figure.
It was a girl with strawberry blonde hair, wearing a pink dress and hat, pink from head to toe, exuding a strange kind of charm.
Peacock. Tsuru's granddaughter. Just turned twenty-two this year. A Paramecia-type user of the Whip-Whip Fruit, she could command anything she had whipped, even buildings.
Not that any of that mattered.
What mattered was, before becoming a Devil Fruit user, Peacock had been a cute little pink lolita. But as she grew and awakened her powers, she became Elio's personal nightmare.
Back in the training camp, Elio often visited Tsuru's home for meals, gradually getting to know Peacock.
After he left the camp, Peacock would show up at his office uninvited every few days, swinging her steel whip around and stirring chaos. Her behavior grew increasingly bold, causing many misunderstandings among his colleagues.
Combined with Tsuru's clear favoritism toward Elio, rumors started spreading in Marine HQ, first saying Tsuru had picked him as her granddaughter's husband, then escalating to wild claims like they'd secretly married when Peacock was just eight, or that a newborn in the residential compound was their child.
Helpless, Elio eventually used a few tricks to transfer her to a top-secret special unit, out of sight, out of mind.
To Elio, marriage was absolutely impossible. Women were burdens on the path to greatness.
The mission comes first. What home is there without victory?