The Five Elders' Domains!

In Mary Geoise, the center of the world's highest power, in the Hall of Authority, the Five Elders once again gathered. Although there was no fixed date for such an event, they always tacitly appeared in the hall.

Don't assume their job is just to sit in this luxurious hall chatting and drinking tea every day; in reality, they all have specific areas of responsibility.

As the magnificent 'Bible Future' gradually came to an end, an old man with a long, straight white beard spoke first.

His position is equivalent to that of the Chief Cabinet Secretary, in charge of receiving and distributing Heavenly Tribute, handling Celestial Dragons affairs, dealing with historical issues, and the development of the Marine Science Unit. After all, scientific research is a money-devouring beast in any world.

"That kid agreed to Vegapunk's request and invitation."

"Really? I can only say it's unexpected."

Holding the First Generation Kitetsu, the bald old man in a white kimono pushed up his glasses, but his expression remained as serious and indifferent as ever.

His position was equivalent to that of the Minister of Defense, in charge of the navy, the Holy Land Guard, and other military forces. However, his direct subordinates were only the Commander-in-Chief, the Fleet Admiral, and the Marine Admiral. No one else was even qualified to hear his voice, let alone see him.

At the same time, he was the one among the five present who had the most favorable impression of Vidal. He was also the one who described Vidal as a perfect navy, and he was the one who ordered the Fleet Admiral Kong to hand over the Sabaody Archipelago to Vidal for administration.

"His willingness to so readily entrust his abilities to the Science Unit demonstrates his high level of trust in the government."

The old man, wearing a flat black cap, looked terrifying when he spoke because of a long scar near his eye.

But in fact, as someone who experienced the battle at God Valley back then, he is the most tolerant of the Five Elders towards pirates.

This is why, in Enies Lobby and Impel Down, which he primarily oversees, pirates who are not considered heinous criminals are often given lenient sentences, and some are even allowed to apply to join the Navy to avoid being imprisoned in Impel Down.

That's right, he's essentially the government's Minister of Justice, but laws don't carry much weight in this world, so his power is the smallest.

At the same time, he also had a very high level of goodwill towards Garp. Over the years, Garp has been able to speak rudely to the Celestial Dragons from time to time without being affected in the slightest. In addition to relying on his own merits and strength, he also had the secret protection of this old man.

Although Garp himself was unaware of these details—after all, for this naval hero, the battle at God Valley wasn't about rescuing any Celestial Dragons, but simply about defeating the world's most notorious pirate—he didn't go there to save anyone.

"But I think it's best to wait until he finishes his visit to the Science Unit before making a final conclusion."

"By the way, don't let him go to Fish-Man Island. Let him go straight over here and see those little guys while he's at it. I think it'll be quite lively."

The man speaking was the blond man in a suit, who was equivalent to the Minister of General Affairs. He was in charge of intelligence and was actually Cipher Pol's final boss. He was also the youngest of the five, as the other four were all elderly, while he was a middle-aged man in his prime.

Perhaps it's his profession, but he harbors a certain skepticism towards everyone and everything. Apart from the Supreme Being, he doesn't fully trust anyone, including the four people around him.

"Hehehe, really? Then I'd like to meet this young man in person. It would be great if he could bring a piece of music with him."

The elderly man, who bore a striking resemblance to Gorbachev, stood with his hands crossed in front of him. His originally solemn expression softened into an appreciative smile when this topic was mentioned.

He is essentially the foreign minister of the World Government, in charge of diplomacy and politics. In fact, he manages the Affiliated Nation and the convening of Reverie. The worker kingdom located in the East Blue, existing on the bridge, is also under his responsibility.

This is why he was able to sit in the center of the sofa, and the only person who could sit next to him was the elderly Swordsman in a kimono who was in charge of military forces!

He wasn't interested in whether Vidal was a perfect navy, but he greatly admired Vidal's musical talent.

'The Bible Future' and 'The Giant Fortress' definitively established Vidal's status as a genius musician. If it weren't for his somewhat special identity, he would have long been enslaved by this old man who held the highest apparent power!

The "Shampoa Dome," where the future "Soul King" Brook holds concerts in the Sabaody Archipelago, was actually ordered to be built by this old man for his own entertainment.

Unfortunately, there were very few people who could be considered musicians by his standards, and given the limited entertainment options in this world, Vidal's two pieces were enough to satisfy his entertainment needs these days.

But that wasn't enough; he wanted more!

"Would you like one more song? I think that would be nice."

"The first two pieces were dedicated to the Celestial Dragons as a whole and the Marine Headquarters, respectively. I think it's time for Enies Lobby to do the same," the old man in the black hat said softly.

"If that's the case, then Cipher Pol needs one too."

But the blond middle-aged man's words caused the other four to roll their eyes at him expressionlessly. The bald old man holding the long knife sneered, "Do you guys play music while you're conducting reconnaissance and assassination?"

"."

Marine Base in the Sabaody Archipelago.

[Bang, bang, bang]

"Who"

Vidal lay in bed, oblivious to the warm sunlight on his face, and answered softly, half-asleep, when he heard a knock on the door.

"Base Commander, the Science Unit is here!" Lieutenant Isoka's crisp voice rang out, causing Vidal to fall silent for a moment before reluctantly sitting up.

It wasn't that he was truly lacking in sleep time—after all, as a person in a vegetative state, his needs in this area were minimal—but he had finally managed to get some sleep, and before three hours had even passed, he was woken up, which naturally made him a little annoyed.

"Let them wait, I'm going to wash up."

"Yes!"

Outside the door, Isoka's footsteps faded into the distance. Inside the room, Vidal leaned against the headboard, patted his cheeks, glanced at the clock on the wall, then looked at the bright weather outside the window, and felt much better.

There's no way around it; he's in a vegetative state, so seeing such sunny weather naturally makes him happy.

"It's already past two o'clock!"

After speaking with Vegapunk on the phone last night, he rushed back to the conference room and watched the third Z Island Grand Finale, but the result was a bit anticlimactic.

The battle between Bullet, Kuzan, Tokikake, Gion unsurprisingly ended up as a one-on-one duel between Bullet and Kuzan.

Gion Tokikake weren't entirely without merit; at least thanks to the latter's Coffee-Coffee Fruit, their initial play was quite impressive. However, in the end, Tokikake had no choice but to voluntarily withdraw.

This chapter should give everyone a more concrete understanding of the Five Elders, but I'm now hesitating about whether to give them names or something.