Three days after the une family from Fish-Man Isnd arrived in Mariejois, Master Tom also made his appearance.

  The first geion of sea trains had already been pleted, with a route that ected Mariejois to several key locations. Starting from Water 7, the train traveled to Enies Lobby, then to Marine Headquarters in Marineford, and finally reached the Holy Land of Mariejois.

  Though the route itself wasn't overly plex, its significe was immense.

  The sea train symbolized a new era for the Wover, representing another major step toward dominating the seas.

  Previously, a journey from Water 7 to Mariejois by ship could take up to two months of nonstop sailing at full speed. With the sea train, that same journey could now be pleted in just three to five days.

  The implications were extraordinary. The transportation of goods, resources, and even troops would bee far more effit. Should this teology bee widely adopted, it was clear it would drastically reshape the world.

  In the grand ference hall, the fifty kings of the participating nations were seated, alongside representatives from the Wover and Marine Headquarters. Five seats at the front of the room remaiy—reserved for the Five Elders, who had yet to arrive.

  Cudius sat fortably in his chair, leaning back zily and yawning every now and then. Uhe other royals, eared stiff and on edge, Cudius showed no for de. After all, until the Five Elders arrived, he held the highest rank in the room. Even if he had fallen asleep, no one would have dared to say anything.

  Beside him was Stussy, her posture poised and elegant. Nearby sat the representatives of Fish-Man Isnd, including Kiune and his family. Tom representing Water 7, teically didn't qualify for a seat at the table, but his association with Cudius and his ties to Fish-Man Isnd earned him a spot alongside une.

  On Cudius's other side sat Sengoku, the Marine representative. With Fleet Admiral Kong neariirement, Sengoku had already begun taking over most of the responsibilities of the position. It was clear he would officially assume the role of Fleet Admiral soon.

  Cudius stretched zily, smacked his lips, and muttered, "Why are those five old men taking so long to get here?"

  Sengoku chuckled at the question. "Yhness, it's your first time participating in the World Summit, so you might not be familiar with the process. Before the meeting begins, each participating nation submits its iions in written form. The Five Elders review these dots beforehand, which is why they're usually te."

  Cudius blinked in surprise and asked, "Wait, do I o submit one of those too?"

  "Of course," Sengoku replied matter-of-factly.

  "Seriously? No oold me about this! I didn't submit anything!" Cudius excimed, clearly caught off guard.

  Sengoku froze for a moment, then asked, "Yhness… you actually have something to propose?"

  Cudius shot Sengoku a sharp look and said, "Why else would I bother attending this dull meeting? You think I'm here for fun?"

  In truth, the Five Elders hadn't expected Cudius to participate seriously. Most of CP-X's affairs were reported directly to them, making the World Summit rgely irrelevant to Cudius's work. They had assumed he was attending merely for appearances, so no one had thought to inform him about the submission process. Cudius, however, had a specific agenda: he inteo pitch the sea train teology.

  Now, faced with the ued ht, Cudius felt mildly annoyed.

  Sengoku, for his part, couldn't help but feel exasperated. For such a critical event, Cudius's ck of preparation was baffling. Surely, a few questions in advance could have avoided this.

  "Does this mean I've missed my ce to speak?" Cudius asked, scratg his head.

  Sengoku smiled wryly and replied, "Yhness, if you want to speak, who's going to stop you?"

  "Fair point," Cudius said, ughing as his irritation faded. Waving it off, he added, "Fet it, then. It's no big deal."

  After a brief pause, Sengoku leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "By the way, Yhness, we've had a very successful haul from Sky Isnd."

  Cudius raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "I heard the news. A whole city's worth of gold—impressive."

  "The loading process is still underway," Sengoku said. "I'm not sure if fifty warships will be enough. Do you think we should send more?"

  "Rex, there's no rush. Take your time," Cudius replied. He then added, "Oh, by the way, the Poneglyphs and the Golden Bell, leave those to me."

  Sengoku looked puzzled. "I uand the Poneglyphs since you already have a colle, but what do you want the Golden Bell for?"

  Cudius cleared his throat and replied nontly, "Prometheus is missing something—namely, a clock. I figured I'd take care of it in style."

  Sengoku wao ugh at the absurdity of using a historic artifact as a clock, but he wisely held his tongue. Instead, he said with a smile, "Yhness is certainly… thh."

  Cudius g Sengoku and smirked. "You've ged, Sengoku. You're not the simple Marine Admiral you used to be, you've learned how to ftter me."

  "If I earn this much gold by fttering you, I'll head baarineford aablish a dedicated 'fttery unit' to follow you around," Sengoku joked, ughing.

  "If it were that profitable, do you think I'd let anyone else take the job? I'd be doing it myself," Cudius quipped, grinning.

  Their lighthearted exge tinued until Sengoku shifted the versation. "By the way, Yhness, what about our Calm Belt project?"

  "Don't worry," Cudius assured him. "I've already handled everything. As of this World Summit, I say fidently that there are no more Fish-Man sves in Mariejois."

  He added, "I discussed it with Kiune and Queen Otohime a couple of days ago. We've assigned someoo oversee the up of Fish-Man Street. Ohe summit ends, we should be ready to move forward. Wheime es, we'll begin the experiments in the Calm Belt."

  "Good. We'll do the experiments!" Sengoku said with visible excitement.

  As their versation ed up, the Five Elders finally ehe ference hall.

  The sight of the Five Elders immediately silehe room. Cudius and Sengoku eheir discussion, and the other royals quickly ceased their chatter. The grand hall became utterly still.

  In Cudius's memory, the World Summit wasn't usually presided over by the Five Elders. Typically, the host duties rotated among the fifty participating nations. However, Cudius wasirely sure of the details nor did he particurly care.

  As the Five Elders took their seats, one of them gnced in Cudius's dire and offered him a slight smile.

  Cudius nodded politely iurn but couldn't help feeling that there was something oddly meaningful about the gesture.

  What Cudius didn't know was that, just a few days earlier, the Five Elders had met with Imu. During that meeting, Imu had inquired about Mariejois, and Cudius had beeioned.

  Although Cudius was nothing more than a "small figure" in Imu's eyes, the praise he received for his as had pleased the Five Elders, as they had been responsible for cultivating his talents. This approval from Imu left them viewing Cudius in a more favorable light.

  As Cudius pohe smile, the Five Elders began speaking. Their opening remarks were the usual pleasantries, weling the royal families and expressing hope for a productive summit.

  With the formalities plete, the World Summit officially began.