hotmtlnovel Chapter 117: Arrogance and Ignorance
Chapter 117: Arrogance and Ignorance
Chapter 118: Arrogance and Ignorance
When Saturn first saw the Golden Emperor in person, the blurry image in the photo was very different from the real person.
Oro was dressed casually today, wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a dark gold vest over it.
Without a cloak, without ornaments, and even without weapons, he simply leaned back in the large, high-backed chair, one hand resting on the armrest, the other holding a teacup.
Saturn walked to the other end of the long table, where there was also a high-backed chair, which, although not as extravagant as the one at the head of the table, was still quite impressive.
Before Auro could greet him, Saturn sat down on his own, crossed his hands on his cane, and stared directly at Auro opposite him.
"Is this how the Kingdom of Gaya treats its guests?"
Saturn spoke first as soon as he sat down, without any politeness, and tried to intimidate others with his power.
Oro took a leisurely sip of tea, set down the teacup, and the porcelain clinked softly against the gold tabletop.
"Oh?"
He narrowed his eyes, a harmless smile appearing on his face: "The God of Scientific Defense is here as a guest on my Gaya Island."
"But the document sent by the World Government a few days ago was worded very harshly."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, his fingers interlaced to support his chin.
"Recognize the situation, or war will break out." Is this what a guest should say? Is this the politeness of the World Government?
Saturn slammed his cane down heavily: "Orikum Oro! Recognize your current situation! I'm here on behalf of the World Government to question you!"
Saturn's voice rose: "The World Government has ample evidence that the Kingdom of Jaya is funding naval traitors! What else do you have to say?!"
"evidence?"
Oro tilted his head: "What evidence? Show it to me?"
"you-
—
"Since the evidence is so sufficient, why not just take action?"
Oro's smile remained unchanged, still that same smug look: "Another Buster Call, a Marine Admiral leading the charge, the entire CP crew mobilized, plus dozens of warships—isn't this the World Government's usual style?"
He picked up a pastry, looked at it, and put it back on the plate. It wasn't made by Gals, and it didn't taste good.
"If you don't dare to take action, why bother with all this effort? It's shameful."
Saturn's face darkened, and his hand on the table tightened slightly: "Golden Emperor! So blatantly open, are you going to war with the World Government?!"
"Old man."
Auro suddenly changed his form of address, and the smile on his face vanished: "Are you getting senile?"
He tapped the table with his finger: "You are the ones who issued the article questioning us, and you are also the ones who forcibly tried to intrude into our country's territorial waters."
"As for that so-called evidence..."
He scoffed, "Ha, so you think it's true just because you say so?"
"The world government says whoever is guilty is guilty—they've been playing this trick for eight hundred years, haven't they gotten tired of it yet?"
Saturn suddenly stood up, and the high-backed chair slid a short distance across the golden floor.
Watch your words!
"You're the one who should watch your words," Oro said, standing up as well.
He wasn't as agitated as Saturn; he simply stood up calmly and said, "Run to someone else's doorstep, point the cannon at the owner, and ask the owner if they want to start a war."
Oro shook his head, his tone nonchalant: "The World Government's logic is truly astonishing."
He glanced at the World Government's fleet in the distance: "Let me tell you about the current situation—"
"Your holy land Mary Geoise has just been bombed, your navy is split, and even the constituent republics are beginning to waver because of the Ten-Day Trial."
He looked at Saturn's pale and bluish face with a hint of provocation.
"And now, you've arrived on my territory in a few dilapidated ships, leading a group of demoralized soldiers, and are asking me if I want to start a war?"
Oro laughed, not with that harmless smile from before, but with a mocking sneer: "Saturn, have you forgotten that it's the World Government that's suffering the most damage right now, not me?"
Saturn stared intently at him, his cane already in his hand, dark red patterns beginning to appear on its surface, and a dangerous aura emanated from it.
But Auro didn't care at all; he raised his hand and pointed his index finger at Saturn.
Gold flowed from his fingertips, eventually forming a slender golden rapier, its tip pointing towards Saturn's brow.
"If you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext. If the World Government wants war, then let's fight!"
Auro's posture and tone were resolute, as if he would never back down. The tip of his sword dipped slightly, pointing towards the heart of Saturn: "Even if I can't win, I can ensure that the World Government will never have another 800 years!"
The howling sea winds grew even stronger at that moment.
The thick clouds in the sky began to churn, and a deep rumble came from the depths of the clouds.
The shadows beneath the sea began to stir.
In the distance, two hundred warships of the United Kingdom simultaneously raised their cannons—not traditional cannons, but some kind of launching device with a complex mechanical structure.
On the deck of the Golden Dawn, a tall figure appeared. Charlotte Linlin held a piece of cake in her hand, waving at this direction as she ate, with a pure and bright smile on her face.
Saturn stood still, motionless.
"Want to give it a try? Scientific defense against the God of War?"
The words were spoken softly, yet they still pierced through the sea breeze and clearly reached Saturn's ears.
Saturn's hands trembled with rage. As one of the Five Elders, and one of the highest rulers of this sea, he had never been treated like this before.
No one ever dared to point a weapon at him.
No one had ever dared to speak to him like that.
No one has ever dared to so utterly defy the authority of the world government.
He wanted to take action; the power within his cane was calling to him. Even if he couldn't win, he only needed a thought to invoke his god and make this arrogant, lowly person pay the price.
But reason prevailed and suppressed the impulse.
Take action, and then what?
At this distance, in this environment, facing the surrounding fleet, facing unidentified armed forces in the sky and beneath the sea, facing the siege of the Golden Emperor and BigGirl—
Can we win?
If he can't win, will he call upon the gods?
No! Absolutely not!
If the gods were to descend, not only would these usurpers die, but he himself would likely be executed for yet another failure to perform his duties.
For some unknown reason, the Celestial Dragon God's mood has been getting worse and worse lately.
Even when Mary Geoise was destroyed, he didn't show much emotional reaction.
On the final day of the Ten-Day Trial, if it weren't for that unknown matter entangled the gods' minds, if it weren't for the fact that there were only a few Celestial Dragons left—
I'm afraid that on that day, the God of Scientific Defense will have already been replaced.
Moreover, to put it another way...
Regardless of whether he survives or not, if a war breaks out, how many of the fleets he brought can be preserved?
The world's governments today cannot afford a large-scale loss.
Yes, the World Government is wealthy, especially after the deaths of a large number of Celestial Dragons, the remaining Celestial Dragons are now richer than ever before.
However, money is not the same as combat power, and the world government needs time to convert money into combat power.
Yes, the World Government needs time, and as one of the Five Elders and a high-level decision-maker in the World Government, he cannot sacrifice the collective interest for temporary glory or disgrace!
After a moment of reflection, Saturn loosened his grip on the cane, and the dark red patterns on its surface gradually faded, dissipating the dangerous aura into the air.
Saturn slowly sat back down in his chair.
He raised his head and looked at Oro across the long table: "The World Government demands that the Kingdom of Jaya cease all support for the traitorous Navy, hand over Zephyr and Garp, and issue a public apology to the world."
Oro raised an eyebrow: "That's it?"
"This is the bottom line."
Saturn's tone was calm and even, sounding very rational.
"Then you can go back now."
Auro waved his hand, and the golden rapier transformed into a small, slender snake that circled around him: "Tell the other four old guys that if you want to negotiate, bring something real. Don't use this kind of empty threat to embarrass yourselves next time."
Saturn gave Auro a deep look: "Arrogant and ignorant young man—"
He stood up, leaning on his cane, and turned to leave: "You'll soon understand that playing with fire will get you burned!"