Gernica didn't make Ross wait too long; he said an hour, but he was back in 20 minutes.
The information Ross wanted was already recorded by the World Government. Ross estimated it would only take time to report to the Gorosei, who were his grandfathers; everything else was a minor matter of retrieving files on-site.
"Ross Saint, this is the list you requested."
Taking the directory from Gernica's hand, Ross first picked up the one for Impel Down.
Celestial Dragons had a long-standing habit of retrieving slaves from Impel Down, and he had done this several times before.
It was just that before, he was looking for toys; this time, he was looking for tools.
The first few levels were quickly skipped. Ross just picked a few names from each level, asking Gernica to capture them to be his slaves.
These were the initial capital for his accumulation, and he wanted to see how much experience pirates of different levels could bring him.
As he continued to flip through, Ross's attention quickly focused on the directory for the last level.
Besides consumables for upgrades, he also needed effective tools.
Pirates were never solitary fighters. The world was vast and boundless; even if he became the King of the World, he couldn't manage such a large place alone.
"Golden Lion, Brandish Waldo, Douglas Bullet..."
Ross looked at the names, his eyebrows slightly raised.
This list indeed held many surprises.
Even 20 years before the start of the plot, Impel Down had housed many talents.
In a few years, there would be even more people on this list.
After just a quick glance, Ross put the list down.
It was enough to satisfy his curiosity; he didn't want to recruit anyone now.
The prisoners on Impel Down's deepest level were strong, but none of them were easy to deal with. Quite a few dared to kill Celestial Dragons.
Without some self-preservation ability, taking them would be dangerous.
Once his strength improved, subduing these people would be easy.
Ross picked up the Marine list from the side and examined it more carefully.
Knowing himself, he had always intended to recruit from the Marine first.
Compared to the undisciplined pirates, the just and orderly Marine was undoubtedly a better choice.
Whether they were proponents of decadent justice or absolute justice, at least the Marine were people who followed rules. His chances of subduing them were greater, and more people would be willing to work with him.
Skipping over a bunch of tempting names like Sakazuki, Kuzan, Tsuru, and Garp, Ross's gaze quickly stopped at the very bottom of the list.
【Marine Elite Training Camp Graduation List】
【Gion, Tokikake, Onigumo...】
"These few seem to have great potential in the future. They seem like a good choice for a future team. And if they've just graduated, their malleability should be very strong."
Ross stroked his chin, pondering.
'Momousagi' Gion and 'Chaton' Tokikake would both be Admiral candidates in the future. Their strength might not reach S-rank, but they would at least be A-rank.
Onigumo would be an elite Vice Admiral in the future, with at least a B+ strength, certainly stronger than Gernica.
In just a moment, Ross had an idea.
"Gernica, contact the higher-ups. Tell them that my previous slaves were too weak. Either find a few from Impel Down's sixth level, or give me an Admiral to be my personal bodyguard."
Ross said grandly, his words conveying an undeniable authority.
"Ah?! This... Yes, sir!"
Watching Gernica stare blankly for a long time before finally grunting his assent, Ross just shook his head internally.
Heh, still too young, hasn't seen enough Celestial Dragons.
If he only asked for a few newcomers from the list, Saturn would probably think he had been swapped.
Other Celestial Dragons would see him and mock him for regressing.
Celestial Dragons ordering Admirals around, that was standard procedure.
To avoid these troubles, the words definitely had to be spoken in the tone of a Celestial Dragon.
This was also the confidence the World Government had instilled in the Celestial Dragons by continuously elevating their status over 800 years.
The last person who dared to provoke a Celestial Dragon was named Rocks, the strongest person on the seas in the last century. Now, the grass on his grave was probably several feet high.
Before Luffy set sail, the Celestial Dragons' rule was as solid as a rock, and no one dared to provoke them.
"What do you look like? Don't just stand there."
Seeing Gernica still dawdling, Ross couldn't help but frown.
He was just asking him to pass a message to his grandfather. Was it necessary to be so slow?
Ross was already considering replacing Gernica.
Sure enough, if he wasn't personally trained, using him always felt a bit off.
"Ah, yes! Ross Saint, I'll go at once!"
Gernica hastily assented, not daring to hesitate further.
Today was his first day on duty handling Celestial Dragon affairs. He had expected the process to be difficult, but he hadn't expected it to be this difficult.
Negotiating with the higher-ups to extract prisoners from Impel Down's sixth level to be slaves, or to have an Admiral serve as Ross Saint's bodyguard—these were impossible missions.
But if he didn't complete them, Ross Saint would surely kill him, right?
It was only his first day officially working for CP0. No way...
His mind in a jumble, Gernica dialed the Fleet Admiral of Marineford on the den den mushi.
During his onboarding training, he had already obtained the contact information for various Marine department heads to facilitate future missions.
At least in the eyes of the World Government, CP0's status was above that of the Marine.
Marineford, the highest conference room.
At this moment, a discussion about the Buster Call was underway in the conference room, temporarily interrupted by a sudden den den mushi call.
Fleet Admiral Kong was a burly middle-aged man with a mohawk. When he learned the call was from a CP0 exclusive den den mushi, the dissatisfaction on his face vanished, replaced by a warm smile.
He gave his colleagues a look, informing them that it was a summons from the World Government, then decisively answered the den den mushi.
Kong believed the call's content was likely related to the Buster Call, so there was no need to hide it from the others present.
"Moshi Moshi, this is Marineford, I am Fleet Admiral Kong!"
The Headquarter Vice Admirals present, seeing Fleet Admiral Kong's unusual behavior, all had different expressions.
Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru frowned slightly, seemingly displeased. Marine Hero Garp was nonchalantly eating donuts, as if neither the meeting nor the call concerned him.
Headquarter Vice Admiral Sakazuki glanced at Kong, then quickly withdrew his gaze, focusing on the plan documents for this Buster Call on the table.
Headquarter Vice Admiral Borsalino was filing his nails, seemingly inattentive, but his posture straightened slightly, as if very interested in the content of the call.
Headquarter Vice Admiral Kuzan's face was ashen, whether it was due to the impending Buster Call on Ohara or the sudden call, he didn't know.
After Kong finished speaking, Gernica's cold voice immediately came from the den den mushi in his hand:
"I am World Government CP0. At Ross Saint's request, I order Fleet Admiral Sengoku to serve as His Highness's personal bodyguard!"
As soon as these words were spoken, not only did everyone at Marineford change their expressions, but even Ross's gaze towards Gernica showed a hint of displeasure.
Good heavens, so you weren't arrogant, you were genuinely stupid!
Damn it, you can't even understand implied meaning and still be CP0?
With one sentence, you've offended the entire Marine. You're truly a master.