Chapter 132: Flower Fertilizer
Marineford was also a city. As they traveled along the road, Ian could see various shops and restaurants within the city, filled with a large number of civilians.
These people were likely the families of the Marine Headquarters officers. He could see many children even practicing with wooden swords, training. In a place like Marineford, these children were the future reserve forces of the Marines.
The road leading to Mary Geoise ran straight through the entire city of Marineford, a wide boulevard.
On this road, only the national delegations heading to the meeting were currently walking. The national leaders and royalty sat in a spacious carriage, pulled forward by two large, robust horses. This seemed to be a mode of transport uniformly provided by the World Government. Ian and the other escorts had to walk.
However, Ian noticed a strange phenomenon. The civilians and Marine families in Marineford wouldn't come near this road at all. Even when they saw the processions of the various royal families, they only watched from a distance. There was no scene of people lining the streets to welcome them.
This made Ian wonder: what would happen if these families of Marine Headquarters officers offended a Celestial Dragon?
In his estimation, their fate probably wouldn't be much better either. In the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, the Marines were nothing more than their hired thugs. A thug might be slightly higher in status than a slave, but that was probably the extent of it.
The residents of Marineford city probably knew this too, so they generally wouldn't approach this road. Celestial Dragons often came down from Mary Geoise to amuse themselves along this path.
Because this road slanted upwards towards the top of the Red Line, it was very long. Ian and the others followed the convoy for a long time before finally entering Mary Geoise.
As the core of the World Government's power and the residence of the Celestial Dragons, the city of Mary Geoise was majestic and spectacular. The buildings here were sparse, but each one was incredibly ornate. Due to its high altitude, it was perpetually shrouded in clouds and mist. Sunlight filtered through the mist, creating halos of light, making the place feel like a paradise on earth.
In this city, there was the tallest and largest building, which was the seat of the World Government, the city's most prominent landmark. When the World Conference convened, the leaders of the participating nations would gather there to discuss recent events around the world and decide on future response strategies.
Of course, since it wasn't yet time for the conference, the national leaders first had to check into the various hotels and inns here.
After entering Mary Geoise, government officials dressed in black suits, sunglasses, and black hats came to lead Ian's convoy. Guided by these men, Ian and the others walked into the city.
Mary Geoise was a city where the Celestial Dragons lived, but that didn't mean the city was entirely populated by them. In fact, some merchant convoys that passed the World Government's screening could also come here, crossing the Red Line from this point to enter the New World.
However, people like these had to be extremely careful in this city, bowing and scraping to everyone they met.
Finally, the King of the Rose Kingdom and his retinue checked into the top floor of a luxuriously decorated hotel. Ian and the other guards were arranged in rooms on the lower floors, which were slightly less prestigious.
Since the King of the Rose Kingdom was tired from the journey and needed to rest, Ian and the other guards, except for those on duty, had some free time.
This was the perfect opportunity to gather information. Ian and his three companions split up to inquire about things.
The hotel was very large, housing not only the Rose Kingdom delegation but also teams from several other countries. So Ian and the others were quite lucky. When they regrouped for dinner in the evening, Konenai brought back definite news.
Perhaps due to the inherent advantage of being a beautiful woman, Konenai had managed to strike up a conversation with a noble from one of the royal families staying at the hotel. While chatting with him, she had learned about the ship carrying the Heavenly Tribute.
The Heavenly Tribute had been secretly transferred. The Marines had left an empty ship as bait to attract bounty hunters trying to steal it. The battle had reportedly erupted the previous night. With Sakazuki the Crimson Dog leading the charge, supported by four Marine warships, the raiders had been successfully routed. Kaido's executive had indeed appeared but, after a skirmish with Sakazuki, had escaped wounded.
Hearing this, Ian couldn't help but feel secretly relieved. If Uncle Kuma hadn't appeared and stopped him, he might have been in serious trouble this time.
Since the information came from a noble, the exact details of the battle weren't clear, nor was the identity of Kaido's executive. According to Konenai, after resolving the battle, Sakazuki didn't seem to have returned to Mary Geoise. It was estimated he was stationed at Marine Headquarters, guarding against potential retaliation from Kaido, one of the Four Emperors.
As for the ship carrying the Heavenly Tribute that had been secretly transferred, it was expected to arrive around dusk the next day. The tribute would then be sent to the Celestial Dragons' treasury. As for the two Demon Fruits, it was said they had already been pre-ordered by a Celestial Dragon named Musgarud Saint.
With the information in hand, the next steps were easier. All they needed to do was confirm the location of this Musgarud Saint's family estate.
While gathering information himself, Ian had also learned some things about the Celestial Dragons. In this city, each Celestial Dragon family's estate was a vast manor. Claiming to be descendants of the creators, they greatly revered the glory of their ancestors. Every family erected statues of their ancestors, using them to boast about the purity of their bloodline. The location of these statues could be considered the family's territory.
This wasn't a secret in Mary Geoise. Even the Marine soldiers stationed here knew it well.
Ian waited patiently until the next evening. He didn't know exactly when the ship carrying the Heavenly Tribute had docked, but he figured the timing was about right.
In his room, Ian took off his flashy armor and changed into a lightweight black night outfit. He took a black cloth mask and covered his face. Once everything was ready, he prepared to set out.
Konenai, Walnut, and the others were in Ian's room. Konenai cautioned him, "I don't know exactly what your mission is, but I assume it has something to do with those two Demon Fruits. Few people ever infiltrate a Celestial Dragon's home, so we don't know the specifics. You'll have to rely on your own judgment."
Ian nodded. "I understand."
Walnut spoke up, "Actually, I think it shouldn't be too difficult. The Celestial Dragons have always been arrogant. They'd never imagine anyone would dare to target them!"
"Anyway, be careful above all else," Konenai said.
After she finished, Walnut cast a soundproof barrier on Ian. Ian jumped onto the windowsill and, using the night as cover, slipped down the dark side of the hotel wall.
With the soundproof barrier, Ian didn't make a single sound when he landed. Silently, he hugged the wall, avoiding the patrolling Marine soldiers outside, left the hotel, and entered the city of Mary Geoise.
Although the buildings in this city were sparse, there were many tall trees. In the words of Ian's world, the city had excellent landscaping. So Ian had plenty of cover moving through the city.
Once he was actually inside the city, he found it surprisingly easier than expected.
This made sense. The World Government and the Marines were currently focused on the upcoming World Conference. Over a hundred and seventy member nations were involved. Even if not every member nation could send a delegation, the number of leaders gathered in Mary Geoise was immense. Their safety was the top priority. The hotels where the kings and leaders were staying were the main focus of Marine and intelligence agency protection. The city itself had fewer Marine soldiers.
Of course, daily security patrols still existed. Ian counted himself lucky but didn't dare be careless. He oriented himself and headed northwest in Mary Geoise, towards the location of the so-called Musgarud Saint's family estate.
Ian's greatest strength was his speed. His physical training had also started to show results, making his movements increasingly agile. As he moved through the city, he used the night to his advantage, sticking to the shadows. Combined with his black night clothes, no one detected him along the way. The city's security could be considered quite poor.
Now Ian understood why Fisher Tiger, the adventurer from the Sun Pirates, had so easily caused a ruckus in Mary Geoise years ago and freed so many slaves.
Relying on the borrowed authority of the Marine Admirals, and believing that Mary Geoise, being atop the Red Line, was safe from attack, the Celestial Dragons thought no one would dare to harm them here. When they went out, they were always accompanied by their family's black-suited bodyguards and armored guards. These arrogant fools didn't want to see too many Marine soldiers around them.
This was the Holy Land, after all. If too many commoners were here, could it still be called the Holy Land?
All these reasons combined made Ian's journey so easy that he could hardly believe it himself.
And he had made such elaborate preparations for nothing...
Before long, Ian finally reached his destination. It was a garden, very spacious in area, surrounded by tall iron fences. Looking into the distance, he could see a large manor house at the far end of the garden.
This was the location of the Musgarud Saint family estate. There were black-suited guards at the main gate, but Ian had no intention of entering through the front. He carefully circled along the iron fence until he reached the side of the estate, then climbed over.
However, the moment he landed on the garden ground, Ian felt like he had stepped on something. He crouched down to look and saw, in the dim light, that it was a human skull stained with black blood.
And Ian had just crushed that skull. That wasn't all. Ian also found other parts of the same skeleton. An iron shackle lay nearby.
A chill ran down his spine. Ian immediately understood the situation. The Celestial Dragons were using dead slaves as fertilizer for this garden!
Earlier, Ian had thought the garden was quite beautiful. But now, seeing this human skeleton, he felt a wave of horror. For the flowers in this garden to bloom so lushly, how many slave fertilizers had been used to sustain them!?