The one who summoned him was Rayleigh, the Dark King.
Furthermore, the meeting was specifically requested to be at the Food Island.
This left Benedict somewhat surprised and perplexed.
Whenever this guy showed up, he was undoubtedly scheming something.
"You didn't call me over just to ask me to pay the bill, did you?" Benedict looked at Rayleigh suspiciously and said incredulously.
"How could that be? Am I that kind of person?" Rayleigh felt a touch of awkwardness upon hearing this but still stated righteously, "I am not."
"A gourmet set meal, thirty million Berries. Do you have it?" Benedict added.
Rayleigh appeared a bit dejected, showing no regard for appearances.
"Since you've retired, don't go around causing trouble."
"I'm warning you now as a friend. Otherwise, I'll definitely arrest you and lock you up in Azkaban."
Although Benedict was familiar with Rayleigh, he had to clarify his stance.
"You wouldn't dare!" Rayleigh said with a chuckle.
"So confident?" Benedict asked Rayleigh, looking at him in disbelief.
Rayleigh whispered to Benedict, "Food Island is where you make your money. You wouldn't want to expose yourself yet."
"Unless you have enough funds to support your army."
Benedict shot Rayleigh a sidelong glance and then calmly stated, "No wonder you're so confident. Tell me, how did you find out?"
Benedict was genuinely curious about how Rayleigh knew Food Island belonged to him.
After all, he hadn't told anyone or shown anything to the world.
"The sudden establishment of food restaurants all over the world is quite remarkable."
"This is not the work of the World Government, so that leaves you."
"The might of the Xuanwu Navy is astonishing."
"Can you tell me about the Ghost Organization?"
Benedict narrowed his eyes, looking at Rayleigh, and smiled, "After saying so much, and calling me here, your objective is to gather information about the 'Ghost' organization?"
"What are you thinking?"
"Or rather, who are you gathering information for?"
Rayleigh chuckled, took a swig of his own wine, and said, "The power you've displayed is too great, too sharp."
"You still know too little about the World Government."
"Next, the World Government will be making a move, an operation targeting 'Ghost'."
Benedict was somewhat surprised.
Rayleigh sought him out simply to discuss this matter.
What surprised Benedict the most was not the truth of the matter, but why Rayleigh, who was not part of the World Government, would know about such internal affairs.
"Where did you get this intelligence?" Benedict inquired curiously.
"The food here smells delicious, but I haven't had a chance to try it." Rayleigh gazed at the delicacies the chef was preparing, not answering Benedict's question.
Benedict pouted, then said calmly to the chef, "Give this fellow a gourmet set meal."
"I'll pay!"
Thirty million Berries was expensive, but he could afford it.
Besides, the money would ultimately return to him.
Rayleigh still didn't answer. Only after the food was served and he had savored it did he smile and say, "The World Government has a secret research institution, gathering numerous genius scientists to develop various combat machines."
"Because of your actions, they feel threatened, so this time, weapons called 'Pacifistas' will be deployed on the battlefield."
"This poses a threat to pirates, and to you."
"However, what kind of combat machines they deploy will depend on how much power you reveal."
"They will find a way to capture the 'Ghost' organization and kill them."
"The Five Elders will not allow excessively powerful forces to alter the balance of the entire sea."
"Pacifistas?" Benedict was momentarily stunned.
Had the historical trajectory accelerated again?
Just like Blackbeard, and now the Pacifistas.
In the original timeline, the Pacifistas only appeared after Bartholomew Kuma revealed himself to the science division.
Now, it seemed they were mass-producing them.
"Yes, Pacifistas."
"Powerful machines, devoid of emotion, only obeying orders, but weapons with astonishing destructive power."
"Your soldiers are quite strong, but what if there were vastly more of them? They wouldn't be able to withstand it."
As Rayleigh spoke, he handed a Den Den Mushi to Benedict, saying, "I know you find it hard to believe, so this is proof."
Benedict looked at the Den Den Mushi, pondered for a moment, and then accepted it.
However, this was not the place to examine it, so he put it away.
"Since this is a secret weapon of the World Government, how did you find out?" Benedict couldn't help but ask.
"Did you plant someone by that person's side? Or is that person yours?"
"That shouldn't be the case. If you said he had a connection with Dragon, I could understand. But this shouldn't have any connection to you."
Rayleigh was taken aback by Benedict's words.
He then said incredulously, "This is truly astonishing. You seem to know a lot, kid."
"I suddenly understand why the captain trusted you so much."
"Can you tell me what you and the captain said under the tree that night, when you deliberately avoided us?"
"After that, the captain, who was somewhat confused, suddenly became clear-headed, and after that, we completed our final journey."
The Roger Pirates had visited the island where Benedict was training and held a feast there.
Simultaneously, there had been a secret conversation between Roger and Benedict.
Benedict glanced at Rayleigh and said, "Were you pretending to be asleep that day?"
"As the captain's right-hand man, I couldn't possibly be sleeping soundly, could I?" Rayleigh chuckled lightly.
Benedict nodded, indicating his understanding.
"Now can you tell me why?"
"The captain's will plunged the entire sea into the chaotic Great Pirate Era."
"He needed the sea to become chaotic, to keep the World Government busy, to make the World Government, the Five Elders, complacent and overlook certain things."
"Yet, you established the Xuanwu Navy and are capturing all pirates."
"Even going so far as to oppose the World Government, drawing attention like this could ultimately anger the mysterious entity beyond the Five Elders."
"I can guess that Roger was waiting for someone."
"Someone who would influence the entire world, change the entire world."
"But I don't know if he was waiting for you, because he told us to help you when necessary, but not to go all out."
"This is somewhat contradictory."
"Kid, I don't know how many secrets you're hiding."
"But I must remind you, the terror of the World Government is by no means as simple as it appears on the surface."
"I know you are collecting the Poneglyphs, and you should know some secrets."
"I was shocked at first, but when I learned that even that country could be destroyed, the Xuanwu Navy seemed utterly insignificant in the face of such power."