novelonline Chapter 486 The Knights of God
Chapter 486 The Knights of God
With the combined support and promotion from the Navy and the World Government, Hashirama's reputation soared like an ever-growing, turbulent sea.
After the low point of the Marineford War, the Navy's reputation recovered to its former heights after the Third Raikage defeated Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, and Hashirama forced Kizaru to retreat.
To the various powers in the ocean who were unaware of the inside story, especially the member states, the navy, having undergone global conscription and replenished with high-end combat power, had recovered to its former strength, or even surpassed it.
The trust from member states and the fear from hostile forces are what the Navy and the World Government want to see, and they form the basis for their rule over this sea.
In this vast ocean filled with chaos and division, the world government and navy do not need to prove that they have the power to crush the entire world; they only need to prove to other forces that they have the power to easily eliminate any one of them.
This is the ruling order that the world governments have built up over thousands of years. They have achieved a delicate balance on the seas through sufficient power and have continued it for thousands of years.
On Amazon Lily, with Kizaru's help, Rayleigh brought Hancock back after rescuing her, and at the same time, he took Luffy with him to continue their training on the islands near Amazon Lily.
This time, however, there was one more person besides Rayleigh and Luffy.
Perhaps to thank Kizaru for his help, after rescuing Luffy and Hancock, Rayleigh revealed a past event to Kizaru, reminding him that the World Government's true strength extends far beyond what it has revealed to the outside world.
This past event was the pivotal event that changed the course of the ocean: the Battle of God Valley.
In this great battle, Roger led his pirate crew and joined forces with the Navy, represented by Garp, to defeat the invincible Rocks Pirates.
The strength of the Rocks Pirates can be seen from their crew list alone: Shiki, Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido, three of the current Four Emperors and former pirate admirals, were all members of the Rocks Pirates.
This is an incredibly powerful pirate crew, but one filled with ambition and strife, and entirely composed of villains. They are only temporarily lying low under the powerful strength and extraordinary leadership of their captain, Rocks D. Xebec.
Even Rayleigh, when recalling the battle at God Valley, couldn't help but marvel at the strength of that pirate crew.
If the Rocks Pirates hadn't been so lacking in cohesion, with each crew member acting independently for their own ambitions and interests, the outcome of the God Valley Incident would have been far from certain.
Rayleigh didn't go into the details of the war, but he focused on explaining to Kizaru a force that appeared during the God Valley War—a force from the Celestial Dragons.
The Knights of God, a powerful force belonging to the Celestial Dragons, or even whose members are Celestial Dragons themselves.
Kizaru was quite interested when he first heard this information, so he followed Rayleigh all the way to the island where Rayleigh was guiding Luffy.
However, Kizaru was more interested in another small detail that Rayleigh revealed than the information about the Knights of God.
"Shanks is a Celestial Dragon? A God's Knights formed by Celestial Dragons, what an interesting development! It seems that not all Celestial Dragons are useless!" Kizaru's first reaction upon hearing Rayleigh's revelation was that he found it amusing, followed by the realization that it was more in line with reality.
In the Naruto world, those useless daimyo and nobles all know how to cultivate their own ninja power and samurai guards who control chakra. With money and logistics, they use these methods to counterbalance the Kage of the ninja villages, thereby maintaining their status and rule.
If the Celestial Dragons, the supreme rulers of the pirate world, are all just pleasure-seeking, incestuous idiots, then Kizaru would think that the pirates and revolutionaries of this world are utterly useless.
Aside from Im and the Five Elders, it's normal for the Celestial Dragons, who possess the most intelligence and resources in the world, to produce some powerful elites, aside from those who only know how to enjoy themselves. After all, they have the best training resources.
Nighttime on Ruskaina Island, after Luffy fell asleep, Kizaru sat with Rayleigh by the campfire, each with an opened bottle of wine beside them.
Kizaru tossed a cigar to Rayleigh and then lit one for himself.
Does Shanks know about his past?
Faced with this question, Rayleigh paused for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "He had contact with the World Government, but he has severed ties with them."
Kizaru understood the meaning behind Rayleigh's second half of his words, and he promised, "Don't worry, I won't use Shanks because of his background. Just like I told you before, the Land of Light and I take the honorable path. We don't need too many underhanded methods to deal with the World Government."
With this promise, Rayleigh, who had been on edge because he had accidentally revealed Shanks' identity, was finally at ease. Although he hadn't known Kizaru for long, he trusted the man's promise.
This is a feeling between men, a trust that needs no words.
After a moment of silence, Rayleigh picked up the wine beside him, took a sip, and continued, "I don't have much information about the World Government, but I'm sure they're backing down now for some reason. Just like you're building up your manpower, they're building up their strength."
“Of course, we are well aware of this matter.” Kizaru exhaled a puff of smoke and said slowly, “They are gathering strength, and so are we. For me, the only one in the World Government that I can look forward to is the ultimate being hidden behind the scenes. I hope she can bring me some surprises. Otherwise, a victory without any waves is too boring.”
Rayleigh's calm face flickered slightly upon hearing the information revealed in Kizaru's words. His mouth opened slightly, but he finally restrained himself and said, "After guiding Luffy, Shakky and I will go to the East Blue and open a bar there again."
"You can't rip people off when you run a bar in the East Blue!" Kizaru joked.
Rayleigh laughed upon hearing this, "You should tell Shakky that."
“I’ll tell her.” Kizaru finished speaking, picked up the wine beside him, drank it all in one gulp, and then smiled and said, “Anyway, welcome to the East Blue. Also, tell Luffy to cherish his pirate career, and I hope he can achieve his goal before us.”
Rayleigh understood what Kizaru meant: once the Land of Light rules this sea, it will not tolerate the existence of pirates, and Luffy and his crew will naturally be included in its crackdown.
“I’ll tell him,” Rayleigh said with a smile, seemingly imagining Luffy getting his comeuppance in the future.
After that night, having obtained the information he wanted from Rayleigh, Kizaru did not linger but left Ruskaina Island and returned to the East Blue.
Upon returning to the East Blue, Kizaru immediately informed his uncle Danzo of the intelligence he had gathered.
Unlike Kizaru's carefree and confident demeanor, Danzo was very concerned about the Knights of God and Shanks's origins.
Influenced by his past experiences with Root, Danzo always tends to view people and things with questionable origins from the worst possible perspective, and Shanks' hidden origins are something that Danzo is very concerned about.
"That guy has concealed his origins and even visited Konoha. Our information is very likely to have been leaked to the World Government because of him. To ensure safety, I suggest we must plant a spy in his pirate crew," Danzo advised.
"Don't be so serious, Uncle. I'll keep a close eye on Shanks, so you don't need to worry. From now on, all you need to do is maintain our cooperation and trade with the various forces on the high seas," Kizaru said reassuringly.
Danzo, however, displayed an unusually stubborn attitude: "I cannot allow you to act recklessly in this matter. Do not forget that you now represent the safety and future of countless citizens of the Land of Light. If something happens to you, the excellent situation we have created with our own hands may very well change."
Those old guys from other ninja villages are still alive. Onoki has maintained his influence over the former Iwagakure ninjas. Wasn't the Third Raikage also heading to the Navy with the ambition of cultivating his own power?
These guys may have given up their ambition to restore their kingdom, but their ambition to seize the highest power in the Land of Light has never ceased.
Danzo spoke with great confidence this time, and his attitude represented that of many ninjas and clans in Konoha. Since the establishment of the Land of Light, the Konoha ninjas and clans, who considered themselves the victors, have always firmly grasped the core power of the Land of Light and constantly monitored the ninjas of other villages, especially the words and deeds of the former Kage.
This internal struggle and division is one of the factors contributing to the instability of the Land of Light, but it is also one of the foundations of its stability.
The political system that Tobirama personally created, with the people of Konoha at its core and the talents of other ninja villages as its support, was the reason and foundation for the rapid and stable governance of the Land of Light at the beginning of its establishment.
Even Kizaru must acknowledge and uphold this point, because a certain degree of dictatorship is helpful in maintaining the efficient operation of a political system.
If Kizaru wants to break this balance and achieve so-called equal co-governance, it will only trigger unlimited infighting within the Land of Light and hinder the government's efficiency in implementing policies.
Therefore, when Kizaru heard his uncle's serious warning, he didn't find it annoying. Instead, he patiently explained to Danzo, "Uncle, do you remember the Devil Fruit I gave you?"
Danzo nodded. He remembered the fruit that Kizaru had given him, which was formed from natural energy. Although he did not regain his youth after eating the fruit, his physical condition recovered a lot and he returned to his former state.
Kizaru continued, "The Sage Mode I created allows me to grasp the core of natural energy. Given enough time, I can absorb and master the natural energy of this world, just like in our world. Therefore, no matter what schemes the enemy has, time and victory are on our side."
So you don't need to worry about anything. For me, as long as I have enough time, I am the only god in this world!
Kizaru's final words carried a touch of unrestrained arrogance, which gave Danzo confidence.
"I understand. I will maintain the existing plan and continue to execute it." Danzo regained his composure. For him, it was enough that his nephew was getting better and stronger. (End of Chapter)