Five Elders! Imu!

Meanwhile.

At the round table conference hall of Marine Headquarters.

Sengoku was still seated in the Marshal's primary chair, with Hounds and various Navy officers of all ranks loyal to Akira dispersed on the sides.

The conference hall was deathly silent, with only the heavy breathing of a few soldiers due to rising adrenaline.

These were Navy soldiers and officers loyal to Akira. If it weren't for Akira, they wouldn't have dared to "escort" Marshal Sengoku to this conference hall even if they had ten times the courage!

One must know that this conference hall was never a place they could enter, as only Navy Headquarters Rear Admirals and above were qualified to enter.

And now, not only had they entered this conference hall, but they had also brought the Marshal, who was once held in such high regard in their hearts, here.

While nervous, they all felt an unprecedented sense of pride in their hearts.

"Bang--"

Just then, the tightly shut conference hall door was violently kicked open.

Immediately after, Vice Admiral Menard rushed into the conference hall in anger, followed closely by Akainu, also a Vice Admiral of the Headquarters.

"Marshal Sengoku?"

As soon as he entered the conference hall, Menard's eyes widened, and he looked at Sengoku, who was seated in the Marshal's position, in disbelief. After staring blankly for several seconds, he suddenly came to his senses, turned his agitated gaze to Hounds, and sternly demanded, "Hounds, what exactly is going on? Are you also involved in the rebellion?"

Hounds shrugged slightly and said calmly, "Menard, please calm down. If you continue to make a scene, I won't go easy on you just because we're colleagues! Many people have already died tonight. If you want to be one of them, I can oblige!"

Upon hearing this, Menard lunged forward abruptly.

"Menard!"

Before Menard could reach Hounds, Sengoku suddenly spoke, saying in a deep voice, "Sit down!"

Just then, Akainu walked over. He was seen patting Menard on the shoulder before taking the empty seat to Sengoku's right.

Menard did not sit down immediately, instead glaring at Hounds with wide eyes.

As if sensing what Menard was thinking, Hounds took a step forward, meeting his gaze, and said in a deep voice, "Menard, I am now ordering you to sit down. Otherwise, this will be your burial ground!"

As Hounds finished speaking, the soldiers standing on both sides of the conference hall raised their guns, their muzzles pointed chillingly at Menard.

"Marshal Sengoku!"

"Rebellion! Rebellion! Akira has rebelled!"

Suddenly, an urgent voice came from outside the conference hall door.

Before anyone present could react, several figures quickly rushed into the conference hall.

Leading them was also a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters named Stiles, followed by Vice Admiral Urban, who had flowing long hair and fangs, and Rear Admiral Red King, who had six chins.

As soon as they entered the conference hall, the three, who were urgent just a moment ago, froze in place.

Sensing the tense atmosphere in the conference hall, the three tacitly swallowed and then silently walked to the left side of Sengoku and sat down.

Seeing this, Menard no longer confronted Hounds and decisively sat down next to Akainu.

It wasn't that he had backed down, but rather that more and more colleagues who stood on the same side as him were entering the conference hall. With Marshal Sengoku, known as the "wise general," remaining silent, he naturally chose to endure for the moment and observe the situation.

Just as Stiles and the other two sat down, clear footsteps could be heard approaching from outside the door.

Immediately after, Gion, clad in a Vice Admiral's cape, strode into the conference hall with heroic grace and, to everyone's surprise, sat directly in the empty seat diagonally opposite Sengoku.

As soon as Gion sat down, two Rear Admirals and over a dozen soldiers who followed closely stood in neat formation behind her.

"Gion, what is the meaning of this?"

Seeing Gion sitting in a seat she shouldn't normally occupy, Menard's expression changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Are you also participating in the rebellion?"

Gion did not answer Menard but instead looked at Sengoku with a hint of apology and nodded slightly, saying, "Marshal Sengoku, I am very sorry about what happened tonight. For true justice, I can only choose to follow Lord Akira!"

As soon as she said this, Menard, Akainu, Stiles, and the others widened their eyes.

When they first saw Gion enter the conference hall, they thought she had also been "invited" by the rebels. They never expected that Gion had already defected to Akira and even addressed Akira as "Lord."

This meant that Gion had not chosen to stand alongside Akira but had chosen to pledge allegiance.

Of course, these were not important.

What was important was that Gion was a candidate for Admiral, a swordsman with the highest hope of becoming one of the next three Admirals. Such a person with a bright future had actually chosen to pledge allegiance to a young Vice Admiral who had risen rapidly.

"True justice?"

A flicker of confusion flashed in Sengoku's eyes. He was even more curious about Gion's choice than Menard and the others.

"Yes, true justice!"

Gion nodded and said unhurriedly, "Lord Akira told me some things about the World Government. At first, I didn't believe him and even thought he was crying wolf. Even when I followed Lord Akira's instructions to seek verification from the science division's Vegapunk, I was still half-believing!"

"It wasn't until I went to the Holy Land for duty that I believed everything Lord Akira said was not alarmist!"

Sengoku's expression changed slightly. "Vegapunk? The Holy Land? What exactly did he tell you?"

Gion did not answer directly but instead asked, "Have you been to the Royal Palace of the Holy Land, Lord Sengoku? That palace built by the twenty kings eight hundred years ago when they founded the World Government! Above the main hall of that palace stands a Void Throne!"

"We all know that no one is allowed to sit on the Void Throne, because the Void Throne represents the equality among the twenty nations that founded the World Government, representing that no one can sit on it and become a dictator."

"However, based on the information I have, there have been people who have wanted to sit on the Void Throne all these years!"

"That's impossible!" Sengoku stood up abruptly, his eyes fixed on Gion's calm face. He excitedly called Gion by her codename: "Momousagi, this is Akira's fabrication, all so he can get your help to launch this rebellion! You should know very well that the reason Akira could control the situation so quickly tonight isn't because he's making a desperate move before being transferred to Enies Lobby, but because he's been planning all of this in secret!"

"Marshal Sengoku, I'm not a child!" Gion's expression remained calm. "Lord Akira told me these things three years ago. He told me not to rush to verify them, as it might put my life in danger. However, I've been investigating in secret for the past three years. It wasn't until four months ago that I finally found a clue, and I was able to confirm that the so-called highest authority of the World Government all these years, the Five Elders in the Chamber of Power, are merely puppets for someone."

"Because behind them is a hidden manipulator who ambitions to become a dictator!"

As she spoke, Gion's emotions finally showed a slight fluctuation. She slowly stood up and said something that shocked everyone: "This hidden manipulator now resides in the Holy Land in a place called the Flower Chamber, and the Five Elders refer to them as--Lord Imu."