One Piece: Rinnegan Is My Golden Finger.

The Red Line Continent, Holy Land Mariejois

Inside the grand hall, the Five Elders sat in a solemn circle, gathered to discuss matters of grave importance.

The Elder dressed in a white kimono and gripping a samurai sword was the first to speak.

"Uchiha Chiga fought Hawkeye at Marine Headquarters and injured him. Afterward, they had a brief conversation, but the content of that exchange remains unknown."

The Elder with a prominent birthmark on his head frowned.

"Hawkeye's identity is a delicate matter. Uchiha Chiga might've uncovered something. Should we take steps to warn him?"

The Elder in the black flat hat shook his head.

"It's best not to. Imu-sama has already stressed that unless absolutely necessary, Uchiha Chiga is not to be interfered with."

The remaining two Elders exchanged glances. Finally, the one with short golden hair—the youngest among them—couldn't help but ask,

"What makes this Uchiha Chiga so special? He doesn't appear to be a member of the D. Clan. Why does Imu-sama care so much about him?"

The Elder in the white kimono shot him a side glance and replied coolly,

"That's not for us to know. Our role is to follow Imu-sama's arrangements. Are you questioning Imu-sama?"

At those words, the golden-haired Elder's expression shifted. He quickly waved his hands in panic.

"Of course not! I'm just concerned. Uchiha Chiga is rising quickly. He may soon slip beyond our control."

The white-clad Elder scoffed. The arm holding his blade trembled slightly, revealing a sliver of the cold, gleaming steel.

"What happened to Rocks? Even with that fearsome crew of his, he died at God Valley—and they never even recovered his body."

The golden-haired Elder fell silent. Perhaps he was simply overthinking.

The Elder with the flat hat spoke again.

"I've already informed Sengoku to summon Uchiha Chiga to Mariejois. We'll meet him in person."

"Alright. Speaking of Sengoku, he seems prepared to hand over the Fleet Admiral position to Uchiha Chiga. Thoughts?"

"If Imu-sama says not to interfere, we won't meddle."

"So we'll just let him become Fleet Admiral that easily? Isn't he too young?"

"Age doesn't matter. Besides, the path won't be smooth. Akainu also wants that seat."

"That's true. Perhaps the two will fight for it."

"That would be ideal. The Marines are just tools to us. If they ever unify under one will, they'll be harder to manipulate."

"Oh, and that girl Nerona is very interested in Uchiha Chiga. When he arrives, why not let her guide him here?"

(Someone said the name 'Nerona' should be 'Charlia', so I'd be changing it. Nerona was just a name I picked, I didn't even know Charlos had a sister)

"Letting a Celestial Dragon escort a Marine? Isn't that giving him too much face?"

"No. Uchiha Chiga is someone Imu-sama values. It's only fitting to offer him special treatment."

"Fine. I'll have someone inform Rosward."

"Be sure to remind him—no arrogance in front of Uchiha Chiga. As long as Chiga doesn't cross the line, accommodate him where possible."

"Understood."

---

Mariejois, Rosward Family Palace

Nerona lay lazily across a luxurious sofa, draped over a human-shaped slave, her half-lidded eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

Charlos barged in suddenly, yelling excitedly,

"Sister! A new batch of slaves just arrived! Want to go take a look?"

Nerona didn't even glance at him. She replied flatly,

"No. It's boring."

"Uh…"

Charlos's excitement died on the spot. Another rejection.

Sniffing dramatically, he looked gloomily at Nerona and muttered,

"What's wrong with you lately? You used to love watching the slaves fight."

"That was before. It's boring now."

"But I even gave some of them Zoan Devil Fruits! Don't you want to see them go wild?"

"Not interested."

"…"

Seeing no reaction from his sister, Charlos sighed in defeat. But he hadn't come only to show off the slaves—he had a message to deliver.

Knowing this would only further annoy her, he hesitated.

"A Marine is coming to the Holy Land in a few days. The Five Elders want you to bring him to them."

He grumbled under his breath. Just a Marine, and they wanted his sister to personally escort him? What an insult to the Celestial Dragons!

Still, orders from the Five Elders couldn't be defied. His father, Rosward, thought the task humiliating and passed it on to him, hoping Nerona would throw a fit and despise the Marine.

But what happened next shocked Charlos.

At the word "Marine," Nerona's eyes sparkled. She suddenly sat up, staring at Charloss with urgency.

"A Marine? What's his name?"

Charlos blinked in surprise, caught off guard by her reaction.

"I… I forget. Something like Uchiha… chi…"

"Uchiha Chiga!" she said, eyes shining.

"Yeah, that's it. Sister, how did you—?"

But Nerona wasn't listening anymore. She had already leapt off the sofa, face lit with excitement.

Charlos stood dumbfounded. Had she gone insane from rage?

No, she looked… thrilled. Which made even less sense to him.

Ever since Chiga left Sabaody Archipelago, Nerona hadn't seen him again. She had sent people to contact him, but he always ignored them.

Worse, her messengers often returned humiliated or disciplined by Chiga himself. Some of the Rosward family's servants even trembled at the mere mention of approaching him.

She tried reaching him by Den Den Mushi. Only once did the call go through—and it went like this:

"Is this Uchiha Chiga? This is Nerona. How—"

"Crazy."

Click.

The Den Den Mushi's expression drooped. He'd hung up on them.

"…"

---

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