The next morning, in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, five men gathered on the top floor of a skyscraper that pierced the clouds—the highest center of authority in the World Government. Some sat, some stood.
They were the beings known as the Five Elders, the World Government's apparent center of power!
Although they were only the apparent center of power rather than the true masters behind the World Government, the five of them still wielded immense authority and stood at the pinnacle of the world!
The five were Hirano Masato, Masutani Yasunori, Noda Keiichi, Ogata Kenichi, and Sonobe Keiichi.
Hirano Masato wore a black suit. He had curly white hair, a thick white beard, and a flat cap, with a scar on the left side of his face.
Masutani Yasunori wore a dark blue suit. His long white hair hung straight, and his beard was very long.
Noda Keiichi wore a dark red suit without a bow tie. His hair was blond, as was his beard, and there was a scar across his chest.
Ogata Kenichi wore a dark green suit. He was bald, save for the hairless crown of his head, with two figure-eight-shaped mustaches and a birthmark on his forehead.
Sonobe Keiichi wore a white robe. Bald and clean-shaven, he wore glasses, held a sword in his hand, and had wooden clogs on his feet.
"Gentlemen, I assume you have all read the report Kong submitted?"
"What are your thoughts?" Noda Keiichi asked sternly, seated on a sofa with a cup of coffee in hand.
The other four either nodded, remained silent, showed no concern, or turned to look at Noda Keiichi.
Masutani Yasunori, who had turned toward Noda Keiichi, stood with his hands behind his back. His mouth opened beneath his white beard as he said