After that, the Five Elders tinued asking Cudius a few more questions to gauge him thhly. Cudius answered each of them appropriately he didn't appear to be inpetent, but his performance was just right for someone of his age and standing. This bance left the Five Elders quite satisfied, even more so than they had anticipated.

  The bald elder, seemingly the leader, finally spoke up. "It seems you're a young man unwilling to fade into the background, with a clear ambition to rise."

  Cudius chuckled, now feeling more at ease after the intense questioning. "It's true, I'm not oo sit idle. As for ambition, I'd say I have just enough to keep things iing."

  "There's o be modest," the bald elder said with a smile. "We are family after all, fellow Celestial Dragons. You don't have to hide your ambition or tone down your fiden front of us."

  Cudius found this a bit amusing. These Five Elders were indeed more approachable than he initially expected. But then again, it made sense he shared the same bloodlihe same elite status. He was one of them.

  The elder with the mustache then chimed in. "You've shown that you're far from idle. Helping Marine bring down John and even f Golden Lion Shiki to retreat is no small feat. You've damaged the power of these pirates and reinforced the Wover's authority in the process. That's no small tribution. bining these merits, it's only right that we offer you a reward. So, tell us, what do you want, Cudius?"

  Cudius had anticipated something like this. Before all of this, he had thought long and hard about how to maneuver himself into the Five Elders' good graces, to pce himself in their line of sight. After all, while being a Celestial Dragon gave him a status few could touch, it didn't grant him automatifluence over the internal ws of the Wover. Gaining favor with the Five Elders, however, would ge that. Now that he'd uedly gaiheir attention through his role in these events, it was the perfect opportunity.

  As soon as the mustached elder fihe blond elder, who hadn't spoken much yet, ughed and added, "You seem to be close to both Zephyr and Sengoku. They hold you in high regard. Maybe you're thinking of joining Marine, hm? Hahaha!"

  Sengoku, standing nearby, ughed as well. "If His Highness were to join the Marines, I would be the first to wele him. There's always a need for more talent in our ranks. In my opinion, His Highness has the potential to rise to the rank of Admiral."

  "An Admiral, huh?" The bald elder raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Seems like you think highly of Cudius, Sengoku."

  The mustached elder, however, shook his head with a sigh. "As good as that sounds, it's not appropriate for someone of Cudius' standing to join the Marines."

  Cudius had briefly sidered the idea, but he knew joining Marine was not the path for him. Five Elders wouldn't approve of a Celestial Dragon l himself to serve, and besides, the thought of merely being an Admiral didn't hold much appeal for him. Even sitting on the Mariop seat, like Sengoku, didn't particurly entice him. He was after bigger things.

  Sengoku, sensing the mood, nodded with sret. "Yes, I suppose that's true. It is a pity, though. Having someone like His Highness in Marine would have been invaluable."

  Cudius smiled and spoke up. "Joining Marine is indeed out of the question, but I do have some ideas that I'd like to discuss."

  The elder with the tufted hair raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Well the's hear it. Don't hold back. For someone like you, we are always open to hearing new ideas and proposals."

  Cudius hesitated for just a moment, then said, "I have a bit of an unventional idea, ohink could be of great value to the Wover."

  "Go on," the bald elder urged. "We have time today, and we're eager to hear your thoughts."

  "Well," Cudius began, "I'd like to propose f a new anization, or perhaps a new department."

  The room quieted. "A new anization?" the bald elder asked, puzzled. "What exactly do you mean?"

  "For now, let's call it 'CP-X.' It would be an offshoot of the current CP system but with a different focus."

  Cudius could see he had their i, so he pressed on. "As you all know, being a Celestial Dragon, I've had regur tact with the CP anizations. In fact, one of my trusted subordinates, Stussy, is a member of CP-0, though I've had her assigo protect me personally now. Through this retionship, I've gained a deeper uanding of the CP's structure."

  Seeing no objes yet, Cudius tinued. "While Marine's main focus is to maintain stability across the seas, the CP agencies deal with matters that require more discretion, handling tasks that ot be made publid proteg Celestial Dragons. But both Marine and the CP have their limits."

  The bald elder nodded. "That's correct. So, what exactly do you have in mind for CP-X? Strengthening the current CP forces?"

  Cudius shook his head. "Not quite. The CP anizations are already powerful enough. In fact, they might even overshadow Marine in some aspects, right Sengoku?"

  Sengoku chuckled softly, nodding. "Yes, sometimes the CP overstep, given their direct ties to the Celestial Dragons."

  "Exactly," Cudius said. "My proposal is for CP-X to be indepe of the CP system. It would act as a hidden backup pn for the Wover—an anization that operates in the shadows, capable of stepping in wheher Marine nor the CP handle a situation."

  The Five Elders exged gnces. Sengoku and the elders both smiled at the idea, though Cudius could tell they weren't taking it too seriously. In their minds, a situation that both Marine and the CP couldn't resolve would be areme one, something beyond Cudius' reach. But still, they didn't dismiss his idea ht. He was a Celestial Dragon, after all, and for them, that meant he was trustwort.

  The bald elder gnced around the room, reading the faces of his colleagues. Finally, he spoke. "It's good to see you thinking this way, Cudius. Young people like you should have ambitions, ideas that drive them forward. As your elders, we're happy to see you tributing to the Wover's future."

  He paused, then added with a smile, "Your idea is a bit unventional, but we're willing to give you a shot. We'll authorize the creation of this CP-X, and provide you with some initial resources—money, personnel, whatever you o get started."

  Cudius was delighted but stayed posed, nodding in thanks.

  "However," the bald elder tinued, "after that, you're on your oon't be lending you any more support beyond this initial iment. Whether you succeed or fail will depeirely on your own efforts. Do you uand?"

  Cudius smiled, the wheels in his mind already spinning with the possibilities. "I uand perfectly, and I'm grateful for the opportunity."

  The elders exged a few more words, approving the idea without much . In their eyes, this was merely a small-scale experiment. If Cudius succeeded, great—it could serve the Wover well. If he failed, well, he'd learn a valuable lesson about ambition.

  But Cudius saw it differently. To him, this ening, a ce to begin building something far rger and more powerful than they could imagihis Pandora's box, he thought to himself, you've ope yourselves.