For three full days, Cudius stirred up chaos aariejois, leaving no stourned. Nearly every Celestial Dragon family had been "visited" by him, their homes ransacked uhe guise of enfort.

  Like at Saint Rosward's estate, wherever Cudius went, he left with something valuable, whether it was sves or treasures. By the end of it, Cudius had accumuted a small fortune.

  He wasted no time. All 300+ freed mermaid sves were loaded onto his ship, and with Mero and Lenny apanying him, Cudius set sail for Sabaody Archipego. Ohere, he po have his massive fgship, the Prometheus, coated, a task that would take at least a week given its size.

  But Cudius wasn't oo sit idle. During that week, he inteo get a few things done. First, he'd send word to Fish-Man Isnd, letting them know to prepare for his arrival. Sed, he would oversee a joint operatioween CP-X and Marine Headquarters to up Sabaody Archipego. The normally chaotid was about to bee a war zone.

  Ba Mariejois, ihe grand offices of the Five Elders, a pile of pints sat oable, and none of them were ughing.

  The pile was made up entirely of letters from furious Celestial Dragons, all directed at Cudius. The grievances were identical: acg Cudius of raiding their homes, stealing their sves, and even taking their rare treasures.

  Of course, Cudius denied everything. "What nonsense," he'd say. "As an upper-tier Celestial Dragon, I have more wealth than any of you. Why would I stoop so low as to covet your measly possessions?"

  The Bald Elder picked up one of the letters and shook his head. "Apparently, Cudius did agree to repce the gate at Rosward's estate, but what he installed instead was a giant iron wall that sealed them inside pletely. They 't even leave their own house because he didn't bother leaving a keyhole."

  "Hahahaha!" The Sword-Wielding Elder chuckled, tapping his sword's hilt. "That kid has really caused a stir. Mariejois has been in an uproar for days now. He's bee the embodiment of chaos like a pgue god e to life."

  "And he refuses to admit he's taken anything from them," added the Blond Elder, shaking his head in exasperation.

  The initial edict to free the mermaid sves had been a retively straightforward order, but Cudius had tur into a full-blowacle, stirring up all of Mariejois. Now, not only the Celestial Dragons, but nearly everyone in Mariejois knew what he'd done.

  Neread that Saint Cudius had stormed through the Domain of the Gods, liberated over 300 mermaid sves, and was now esc them to Fish-Man Isnd.

  Even the major sve traders in Mariejois, sensing which way the wind was blowing, had sent their remaining mermaid sves to Cudius without waiting for him to demand them. They couldn't afford to provoke someone who dared to disrespect even other Celestial Dragons.

  In the past, Cudius had a det reputation in Mariejois. While he was known to be etric, people didn't see him as a threat. But now? His as had ted him as someone no one wao cross.

  By the time he left for Sabaody Archipego, his new reputation as "Mariejois' Demon King" was solidified. Even the Five Elders, sitting amidst piles of pints, couldn't deny that Cudius had lived up to his title.

  "How should we hahis?" asked the Bearded Elder with a small grin.

  "Well," the Bald Elder began, "it's not like Cudius is doing this for himself. He's carrying out an important task for us. No matter how messy this has bee, he acted without hesitation showing us his loyalty in the process. We 't let him feel abandoned now."

  The Bald Elder's tone rotective, and his fondness for Cudius was evident. Truthfully, the more he watched Cudius, the more he appreciated him. In fact, he'd even started eaining the thought ing a marriage between Cudius and his granddaughter. After all, Cudius wasn't just petent he was reliable, resourceful, and carried himself like a leader.

  But for now, those musings were set aside.

  The Curly-Haired Elder frowned and rubbed his . "Still, he's a bit tant. If this tihe grievances in Mariejois will grow te to ignore. We o rein him in just a little."

  The Bald Elder houghtfully. "That's fair. We o address the optics. Perhaps something symbolic to appease the others."

  "Let's fine him," the Blond Elder suggested after a moment. "Five hundred million berries."

  The Bald Elder sidered the figure and then nodded. "Alright, five hundred million it is."

  On the surface, it sounded like a signifit punishment, but iy, it was little more than a sp on the wrist. The annual funds allocated to Cudius by the Wover were well beyond that amount, not to mention the wealth he'd accumuted through other ventures.

  And after ransag the Celestial Dragoes during his "operation," Cudius had likely pocketed a sum well exceeding two billion berries. Losing five hundred million would hardly faze him.

  With the matter settled, the versation shifted.

  "So, what's he up to on Sabaody Archipego?" asked the Blond Elder.

  "Causing even more trouble than he did in Mariejois," the Bald Elder replied, pulling out two files from the stack of reports. He opehem and pced them oable for the others to see.

  The top report was apanied by a gruesome photograph: a pyramid of severed human heads. In the underworld, such dispys were referred to as skull towers, used to terrify and suppress opposition.

  "Killing," murmured the Blond Elder, raising an eyebrow.

  "Indeed," the Bald Elder firmed. "Cudius ed out the sve trade on Sabaody Archipego. Every sve trader there has beeed, their heads piled up in the wless zone as a warning. Even a number of pirates got caught up in the purge. The message is clear, and the results have been effective."

  "Violent, but effit," the Sword-Wielding Elder noted, leaning ba his chair. "It seems Cudius' methods are already produg results."

  "Ultimately, it's just some scum getting what they deserve," the Bald Elder said. "And beyond eliminating the sve trade, this sends a strong message. Whether it's Mariejois or Sabaody Archipego, the Wover's siy toward Fish-Man Isnd is on full dispy. Cudius' as speak for themselves."

  Indeed, Cudius' over-the-top antics weren't just about theatrics they were calcuted. By raising such a otion, he demonstrated the Wover's itment to improviions with Fish-Man Isnd. The more chaos he caused, the more weight his iations would carry.

  For the Five Elders, this art of the pn.

  "Think about it," the Bald Elder said. "For Fish-Man Isnd, Cudius went as far as offending the entire Celestial Dragon unity in Mariejois. He left Sabaody Archipego soaked in blood with over two thousand heads on dispy. If that's not siy, what is?

  "If they still hesitate or try to push back, they're only making things harder for Cudius. And do you think someoh the title of 'Mariejois' Demon King' will let himself be embarrassed on Fish-Man Isnd? I'd love to see them try."