In the grand circular council hall of Holy Land Mary Geoise, one of the Five Elders, clad in a white kimono and wielding the Shodai Kitetsu, gazed out at the night through the window, a trace of coldness flickering in his eyes.
He then turned and walked to the center of the meeting hall, looking at the other four Elders seated in a circle.
"Things unfolded as expected. They took the Eternal Pose and immediately withdrew!"
The path to God Valley required the Eternal Pose, a fact that Rocks was well aware of, and as the supreme leaders of the World Government, the Five Elders naturally knew it too.
In fact, they were the ones who had leaked this information!
To ensure that the Rocks Pirates would smoothly arrive at God Valley during the hunting game, they spread the word in the underworld that the Eternal Pose was in Mary Geoise.
In the Five Elders' estimation, once Rocks learned of this, he would inevitably send someone to God Valley to seize the Eternal Pose.
And the person sent would undoubtedly be a powerful captain, someone capable of retreating unscathed from Mary Geoise.
To avoid direct confrontation with the Rocks Pirates, the Five Elders gathered the Celestial Dragons together after releasing the information, placing them under the protection of numerous elite guards.
And to expedite the Rocks Pirates' acquisition of the Eternal Pose, the Five Elders had it placed in a more peripheral location, reducing the search time for the Rocks Pirates' commanders.
As they had anticipated, after obtaining the item, Bob and Shiki withdrew from Mary Geoise.
"The ones who came were the commanders of the Rocks Pirates, Bob and Shiki!" said one of the Five Elders, a man with white curly hair, dressed in a black suit, and holding a scepter.
"These lowlifes remained relatively calm and didn't cause too much trouble!" remarked another, wearing a dark green suit and sporting a mustache.
Successfully delivering the Eternal Pose to Rocks without a large-scale conflict was the best outcome for both sides.
Otherwise, if Bob and Shiki had stayed in Mary Geoise and attacked the central area, the Five Elders would have had no choice but to join the fray.
At that moment, several men in formal attire appeared before the Five Elders.
They were from CP0, the intelligence organization under the World Government, who had been observing Bob and Shiki movements from the shadows as per the Five Elders' instructions.
Their orders were clear: observe only, do not engage.
"What is the current overall situation in Mary Geoise?" asked the bald elder in a kimono, the only one among the five, looking at the kneeling men before him.
"Shiki and Bob released the slaves from the slave quarters, and some of them went on a rampage, destroying buildings! However, they have now been suppressed!"
"Another group has fled Mary Geoise, and we have dispatched teams to pursue them. The current status is unknown!" reported a man with a brown beard from CP0.
"Hmph! Just some lowly slaves, they won't amount to much! We can always capture more from the various countries next time!" one of the Elders said sternly.
"And... one of the Celestial Dragons was killed!" At this, the man with the brown beard hesitated slightly.
"Hmph!"
"Those useless fools, they deserve to be killed!" the elder holding the Shodai Kitetsu snorted coldly.
Having grown accustomed to wielding power and oppressing others, the Celestial Dragons' minds have long since deteriorated.
They simply couldn't believe that anyone would dare to invade Mary Geoise. As usual, they indulged in their residences, too lazy to even move.
"A stupid pig has died. Seal the news!" the old man continued.
Within Mary Geoise, there is also a hierarchy among the Celestial Dragons.
In the presence of the Five Elders, the actual rulers of the World Government, the Celestial Dragons wouldn't dare to show any disrespect.
This is because, apart from holding power, the Five Elders are also Celestial Dragons—the most esteemed ones at that.
Thus, when they scold the Celestial Dragons, it doesn't feel the least bit disrespectful, as if they were merely reprimanding ordinary people.
"You may leave now!" one of the Five Elders said indifferently.
Upon hearing this, several CP0 agents kneeling on the ground vanished from the conference hall in an instant.
The old man in a kimono whispered, "Given the current situation, the cost is worth it if we can annihilate the Rocks Pirates in one fell swoop!"
"Small impatience can ruin great plans. What we need to discuss now is the preparation for the upcoming battle at God Valley!"
For the World Government, the escape of some slaves and the death of one Celestial Dragon, though significant, must be weighed against other matters.
If this could lead to the complete eradication of the Rocks Pirates, then this major event would be considered trivial.
"Bob and Shiki must have noticed something amiss when they so easily found the Eternal Pose!"
"If they return, Rocks will surely know that we are already aware of their plan to launch a surprise attack on God Valley in two months!" said an old man with long, straight white hair as he stroked his beard.
"Hmph! So what if he knows!"
"Given Rocks' ambition, he would come even if he knew there was an ambush!"
"He wants to reach the pinnacle of the world, and Uranus will be his next target!" the kimono-clad old man snorted.
"Alas! It's a pity that we can't use this ancient weapon!" Hearing about Uranus, the old man with a cane thumped the ground hard and sighed.
Although Uranus is rumored to be in God Valley, the Five Elders have sent people to search for it for decades without success.
As a result, the World Government has not been able to utilize any of the three ancient weapons.
"This was never part of the plan, so there's no need to feel disheartened!" said the kimono-clad old man.
"Headquarters has sent word that the Roger Pirates have agreed to assist in the eradication of the Rocks Pirates!"
"This is good news, as it strengthens our side somewhat!"
"But... it's still not enough!"
"For the upcoming battle at God Valley, we must be fully prepared!" At this point, the kimono-clad old man pushed his round glasses up, his eyes revealing a fierce determination.
"From Enies Lobby, Impel Down, and the CP Special Operations Forces, select those who are presentable!"
"Deploy them all to the battle at God Valley!"
Hearing this, the other four elders fell silent for a few seconds, their brows furrowing deeply.
After a while, the old man with a mustache pondered, "Should we seek Im-sama's approval for this matter?"
The others nodded in agreement.
"No need!"
"Lord Im is still in slumber; there's no need to disturb him with such matters," said the elderly man in a kimono.
As soon as he finished speaking, the four elderly men in suits nodded in unison, showing their agreement.
The kimono-clad elder stood his first-generation Kitetsu sword upright in front of him, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"It's settled then!"
"In two months, we'll witness the great battle at the God Valley."
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