In the shadowy corner of the assembly hall, the outline of a spacious, plush leather sofa was barely visible.

As the Five Elders slowly shifted their gaze toward that spot, the oppressive air seemed to lighten slightly.

Under the flickering glow of an oil lamp, a tall figure gradually emerged.

Red hair like a slender crescent moon, a sharp, handsome face, and eyes burning with intensity.

He wore a modified version of the noble uniform of the God's Knights, a Western sword hanging from his waist. Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, his chiseled features flickered between light and shadow.

It was the same Celestial Dragon who had once exchanged probing blows with Daren in Mary Geoise—the deputy commander of the God's Knights, suspected to be closely tied to the future Yonkō "Red-Haired" Shanks: Saint Figarland Garling.

"I deeply regret that such a terrible event has occurred."

Figarland Garling shook his head and sighed.

"Saint Michael was always kind to me. Over the years, he often guided my swordsmanship. I've always been grateful, and saw him as a lifelong mentor, an idol I aspired to follow."

"I just never imagined... that a man as powerful as him would die at the hands of that brat Daren."

Saint Saturn frowned.

"Rogers Daren has become increasingly difficult to control."

Still seated with his head down, Saint Nusjuro rasped as he wiped his black cursed blade,

"He's growing too fast... as if he doesn't even need to breathe."

Saint Mars spoke coldly,

"The conclusion is nearly certain—Rogers Daren possesses an unmatched ability to learn."

"His talent lies in being able to extract value from every opponent he faces, quickly turning combat experience into his own power at an astonishing pace."

Saint Warcury pointed to the towering pile of documents on the desk beside him and sneered,

"These are all the files we've compiled. From his rise in the North Blue to now, this brat has been through over a thousand battles—Byrnndi World, Shiki, Kaidou, Whitebeard, Roger, Rayleigh, Big Mom, Charlotte Katakuri, Douglas Bullet, 'The Conflagration' King, 'The Plague' Queen... he's gone head-to-head with nearly every major force from both the old and new eras."

"And that's just on the pirate side."

"As for the Marines, he was trained by Garp and Zephyr—two of the Navy's veterans. Even Kong and Sengoku have guided him in varying degrees, with Sengoku having fought him multiple times... The rest of those Marine monsters are either his peers or close friends, and without exception, he's clashed with every one of them."

As he spoke, Warcury raised a hand. A surveillance Den Den Mushi projected a scene onto the screen.

The image showed Daren in fierce battle at Marineford against Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan—the future three Admirals.

"The ruthless aggression of Shiki..."

"The raw power of Garp's fists..."

"Kaidou's indomitable body..."

"Big Mom's superhuman strength..."

"Zephyr's Black Arm-level Haki..."

"Dragon's ferocious dragon claw strikes..."

"...and Roger's decisive, bold style."

The images flashed rapidly before the Five Elders, and their expressions grew darker with every passing second.

"It's clear that Rogers Daren has absorbed the strengths of all these powerful figures and fused them with his own natural talent. The result is the 'monster' we now face."

Figarland Garling let out a cold laugh.

"And now you need to consider more than just those traits."

"Kaidou's living embodiment of lightning? Big Mom's colossal strength? Roger's Kamusari? If Daren was able to kill Saint Michael, there's a strong chance he's mastered one of these signature abilities."

"Remember, aside from that lunatic Big Mom, the brat has crossed swords with the other two more than once."

His eyes gleamed with interest.

"Of course, we also can't rule out the possibility... that he's awakened something entirely new. A power that belongs to him alone."

At those words, the Five Elders' faces subtly shifted.

If it was one of those known signature abilities, it would be tough—but not unmanageable.

Kaidou, Big Mom, and Roger had been known for decades. The Five Elders, with their long lives, may not have mastered their powers personally, but they'd studied, analyzed, and prepared countermeasures.

But if Daren had truly gained a power unique to himself...

Then things would become far more complicated.

At the very least, in terms of intelligence—they'd already lost the initiative.

"You mean... the awakening of a Devil Fruit?"

Saint Saturn narrowed his eyes, staring at Figarland Garling with a scornful sneer.

"Rogers Daren is the user of the Jiki Jiki no Mi, a Paramecia-type. Even if he's awakened his Devil Fruit, at most he can affect a limited range of his surrounding environment."

"Grant magnetism to external objects? Assign 'S' and 'N' polarities to different materials?"

"Useless tricks like that—what good are they?"

As the "Warrior God of Science and Defense" of the World Government, Saturn oversaw all internal scientific divisions and was a formidable scientist in his own right.

It didn't take much for him to deduce what kind of abilities might emerge from the awakening of the Jiki Jiki no Mi.

In fact, the government's classified archives included data on previous users of the Jiki Jiki no Mi—some of whom had reached awakening. And without exception, their powers aligned precisely with Saturn's predictions.

"If that brat had a Zoan-type Fruit, awakening would be a genuine headache."

"But a Paramecia..."

Saturn shook his head, eyes filled with contempt.

"Maybe so..."

Figarland Garling muttered offhandedly.

He turned around, eyes drifting toward the view outside the window.

From his angle, Pangaea Castle hovered amid the clouds, offering a panoramic view of the entire Holy Land of Mary Geoise.

Across the ground, the frameworks of new structures were rising. Reconstruction was well underway, as though this symbol of supreme authority and power was being reborn.

Yet for some reason, an uneasy feeling stirred faintly in Figarland Garling's heart.

Was that truly the only path for the Jiki Jiki no Mi to take?

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