Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
"Ross Saint! Please punish me!"
Gernica knelt on the ground, his face filled with terror.
Through Ross and Kong's conversation, even if he was truly stupid, he realized the problem.
Perhaps Ross wasn't trying to talk to Kong at all, but rather to have him deliver a message to Saturn Saint, and his stupid initiative was his own doing.
"Go to my grandfather's side and tell him what happened today. If I find out you've hidden anything, you know the consequences."
Ross said indifferently, if his current strength was greater than Gernica's, or if he had a trusted subordinate stronger than Gernica by his side, he would have killed him on the spot.
Being this stupid, keeping him around would only invite disaster.
However, as long as today's events reached Saturn Saint's ears, his goal would be achieved.
For an idiot like Gernica, Saturn Saint would help deal with him.
People like Gernica are only suitable for shining brightly on the front lines, and finally dying loyal to the World Government.
"Understood!"
How could Gernica dare to say another word, as if fearing Ross would go back on his word, his body moved and immediately disappeared without a trace.
"Strength..."
Ross sighed softly, he couldn't see the trajectory of Gernica leaving at all just now.
It's a pity his body is too weak. Unless he eats a Devil Fruit, relying solely on training to become stronger, even with the best instructors and training resources, the time would have to be calculated in years.
Even if he ate a Devil Fruit, development and becoming stronger would still take time.
For now, he doesn't expect to become stronger himself.
Since he's already a Celestial Dragon, finding a group of powerful trusted subordinates is the way to go.
If he can't subjugate those who have already grown up and possess Haoshoku, then he'll start nurturing them from a young age, and expand his team first.
This Buster Call on Ohara is a very good start.
An hour later, a short, stout, and very dignified old man slowly entered Ross's palace.
The old man had a grand entourage, with two teams of CP0 members lined up on either side, extending from outside the palace all the way to the entrance of the Jaygarcia Family, leaving a wide passage in the middle, showcasing the old man's noble status.
Coming home with such a display, it's unclear who he's trying to impress.
Ross shook his head inwardly, his gaze slowly moving to the tall CP0 behind the old man's left side.
This CP0 was carrying the recently departed Gernica. At this moment, Gernica was like a different person from when he left earlier; his white suit was in tatters, his entire body was covered in bloodstains, and his aura was extremely weak, making him look utterly miserable.
Ross glimpsed Gernica's miserable state, but his heart remained unmoved, only feeling that all of this was perfectly normal.
Among the Celestial Dragons, he probably counted as a great benevolent person.
"Grandpa!"
Ross stood up and greeted him with a smile, his gaze finally focusing on the short, stout old man leading the way.
The old man was corpulent, with a full head of white hair and a grizzled beard. He leaned on a cane, exuding an aura of authority.
At the same time, information about this old man quickly surfaced in Ross's mind.
Jay Garcia Saturn Saint, patriarch of the Jaygarcia Family, one of the Gorosei, in charge of the Marine and foreign affairs, and also Ross's biological grandfather.
【Jay Garcia Saturn Saint】
【Overall Rating: S+】
The overall rating is a comprehensive assessment of strength and status; otherwise, Ross couldn't possibly have an A rating.
Perhaps Saturn's strength doesn't reach S+, but with his identity as one of the Gorosei, being in the highest tier of overall ratings in the world is not an issue.
"Ross, ah, it's been a long time since I've been here, it's quite different from before."
Saturn spoke with a cheerful tone, like a kindly old man.
After listening to Gernica's description, Saturn keenly noticed Ross's change.
In the past, Ross only played with crickets; he would never care about Marine matters.
Although Gernica's mind wasn't good, his memory was up to par. What Gernica couldn't understand, Saturn understood immediately.
His biological grandson, it seems, is not simple at all.
However, Saturn was more pleased than anything else and didn't think of other things. It's normal for people in the pirate world to suddenly transform, and examples of significant changes in personality are abundant.
The Jaygarcia Family hasn't been doing well for the past few generations. If something were to happen to him, the Jaygarcia Family might fall to the level of the Rosward Family.
"Perhaps it's because I've always seen Grandpa as my goal, and haven't paid too much attention to the changes in the family environment."
"Haha, what's there to be a goal for me? I'll be satisfied if a few members of your generation can join the God's Knights."
"Since it's Grandpa's wish, then your grandson will definitely become a member of the God's Knights."
The God's Knights are an armed force composed of Celestial Dragons and special powerhouses, only responsible for maintaining the safety and rule of the Celestial Dragons. The commander has the authority to deal with Celestial Dragons, and the commander can only be a Celestial Dragon, with a status second only to the Gorosei.
Generally, when a vacancy appears in the Gorosei, it is filled by the commander of the God's Knights.
Ross and Saturn chatted about everyday things, just like ordinary grandfather and grandson.
In his memory, Ross and Saturn didn't have much affection; they rarely saw each other, merely bearing the title of biological grandfather and grandson.
When Saturn saw him before, he was never as amicable as he was today.
However, while seemingly amicable, every word of Saturn's also carried a hint of probing.
To some of these probes, Ross chose to ignore them, following the Celestial Dragons' habits, while others he answered as Saturn expected.
After only half an hour of chatting, a smile appeared on Saturn's face.
"Ross, I heard you asked the Marine for Admiral Zephyr, and you're also planning to participate in this Buster Call?"
After talking for a long time, they finally got to the point.
As the God of Scientific Defense among the Gorosei, Saturn oversees technology and military affairs; the World Government's three forces are his responsibility.
Ross taking Zephyr from the Marine was equivalent to poaching someone from him.
"Yes, those slaves before were too weak. I heard Zephyr is good at training, so I plan to have him train my slaves."
He knew whether Zephyr could be poached depended on Saturn's attitude.
But to get Zephyr, he couldn't appear too eager for quick success, otherwise, Saturn would definitely not let him succeed.
He and Saturn were grandfather and grandson, but after all, there was no real affection. If Saturn knew he cared about Zephyr, he would inevitably be manipulated by him.
"Zephyr, ah, he's indeed good at training the Marine, but serving as your personal bodyguard is a bit of an overkill."
"Grandpa, how is it an overkill? Isn't he just an Admiral? Can he be more noble than our Jaygarcia Family? I don't care who it is, you can find someone similar to him."
"That's true, just an Admiral."
Saturn nodded understandingly and didn't think there was anything wrong with Ross.
However, giving Zephyr directly to Ross is definitely not possible.
It's not that he's reluctant to give up a top-tier combatant, but Ross's identity is not right.
There are not only their family among the Celestial Dragons; there are also four other Gorosei.
If he really gave Zephyr to Ross, the other Gorosei would only think he was seeking benefits for his children and grandchildren.
If this matter got out, the other Gorosei would definitely demand some benefits from him.
However, the Jaygarcia Family hasn't had any elites for the past few generations. If Ross can rise up, arranging an Admiral-level bodyguard isn't impossible.
"How about this."
Saturn pondered for a few seconds, then said calmly:
"I will have Zephyr become a CP0 instructor, temporarily responsible for training CP0 for the Jaygarcia Family."
First, transfer Zephyr to CP0 and let him spend some time with Ross.
Whether Zephyr can be kept will depend on Ross's ability.
If he can keep Zephyr, it also indicates that Ross possesses the strength to become an elite, making him worth taking seriously.
"Thank you, Grandpa!"
Ross grinned.
Isn't that perfect?
With Saturn's words, he wouldn't even need to use persuasion tactics on Zephyr.
He said he would train CP0 for the Jaygarcia Family, but once he arrived at the Jaygarcia Family, wouldn't he just be his bodyguard?
The first Admiral-level combatant, obtained!