Silent Chen Ye, the Four Emperors' Gaze

Whitebeard's question instantly made Chen Ye the focus of the entire conference room.

Everyone.

Swish, swish, swish—!

One gaze after another converged on the corner of the conference room.

That was the Fourteenth Division's place.

Beside an empty captain's seat stood the young man who had not said a single word from beginning to end.

Lakyo, Captain of the 7th Division, still had blood dripping from the chain-wrapped fist. His scarlet eyes were filled with impatience and irritation.

A Newcomer.

A brat who had only just displayed a bit of strength.

Though he was a genius!

But!

In a meeting that would determine the life and death of the entire Pirate Crew, Pops was actually asking for his opinion?

Bluenheim, Captain of the 9th Division, stiffened slightly in his mountain-like frame. He could not understand it either.

Vista, Captain of the Fifth Division, the "Flower Sword," unconsciously stroked his signature twin mustache, a trace of scrutiny in his eyes.

He could never forget.

Never forget how, when this young man had first joined them, he had stood at the bow and faced the barrage of cannon fire with the calm of a leisurely stroll.

Nor could he forget the horrifying sight of him smashing a hundred-meter Warship into fragments with a single punch from hundreds of meters away.

This Newcomer was different.

But the first to notice that Chen Ye was different from usual was Marco.

His ever-drowsy eyes were now fixed on Chen Ye without blinking.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

From the start of the meeting until now, Lakyo had been roaring, Bluenheim had been shouting in fury, Izo had been arguing, and Namul had been making suggestions.

Almost everyone was venting, in their own way, the fury and worry that were nearly burning away all reason.

Even Pops, beneath his silence, churned with a towering rage powerful enough to make the sea tremble.

But what about Chen Ye?

He was too quiet.

Exceptionally quiet, utterly out of place with everything around him.

But this was not fear. Marco was certain of that.

He had seen how this young man had forced himself to remain standing beneath Four Emperor Shanks's Haki.

Nor was it indifference toward this war.

After all, he had also seen how this young man had rushed before Pops in heart-wrenching desperation when he foresaw Ace's future, issuing that despairing warning.

At this moment, he should have been the most anxious and the most furious.

Yet he was not.

This was completely unlike the Chen Ye Marco knew!

What Marco sensed from Chen Ye at this moment—

Was only an unfathomable calm.

It was a chilling composure, as though he were entirely detached from the situation.

As though, in his eyes, this war capable of subverting the world was merely a replay whose ending he had long known.

That thought sent a chill crawling up Marco's back.

"What?"

Whitebeard's imposing voice rang out again. His massive body leaned forward slightly, and the shadow he cast nearly swallowed Chen Ye whole.

"Has my son been scared witless by the Navy's display?"

Though there was a hint of teasing in his words, his Emperor-like eyes glimmered with a sharp light that seemed to see through everything.

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze solid.

All the captains held their breaths.

They were all waiting.

Waiting to see what earth-shattering words this miracle-making Newcomer would say next.

Under everyone's gaze, Chen Ye finally moved.

He slowly raised his head from the shadows in the corner, his gaze calmly sweeping across faces filled with anxiety, expectation, and doubt.

At last, his eyes met Whitebeard's in midair.

Unhurriedly, he spoke in a clear, steady voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

"Pops."

"All my brothers are prominent figures who have roamed the New World for many years. You are powerful and experienced."

"Even you brothers cannot come up with a foolproof plan."

"I'm only a Newcomer who just came aboard. My strength is meager. What good idea could I possibly have?"

His words fell.

The entire conference room sank into an even stranger silence than before.

Disappointment.

Bare, undisguised disappointment appeared on most of the captains' faces.

"Tch."

Lakyo spat disdainfully and turned away, as though looking at Chen Ye any longer would be a waste of time.

"So that's all it was. I thought he had some brilliant insight."

"He really is just a brat."

"What use could he be at a time like this?"

Suppressed murmurs buzzed like mosquitoes.

The faint hope they had initially felt was completely shattered by Chen Ye's humble answer, which was practically meaningless.

That was right.

Why had they expected anything from a Newcomer?

They were captains of the Whitebeard Pirates! Renowned powerhouses of the seas!

Even they were helpless. What could an immature kid possibly do?

Yet Marco, standing nearby, furrowed his brow even deeper.

Chen Ye's explanation might fool others, but how could it fool someone as shrewd as Marco?

Something was wrong with those words.

Nine parts out of ten were wrong!

If those words came from any other Newcomer, they would have made perfect sense.

But coming from Chen Ye, they were full of problems!

This was absolutely not the Chen Ye Marco knew!

This was absolutely not the Chen Ye who had dared to flatter Pops with the Haki Cultivation Theory!

Much less the Chen Ye who had dared to face the Navy Fleet alone and wipe it out while laughing and talking!

He had to be hiding something.

Or rather, he was waiting for something.

Just as everyone was feeling disappointed and preparing to descend once again into endless bickering—

Whitebeard, who had been seated at the head of the table all along, made a response none of them had expected.

He did not get angry, nor was he disappointed.

He laughed.

"Gurararararara..."

That signature laughter, deep and powerful, echoed through the stifling conference room.

He looked at Chen Ye, and a meaningful glimmer flashed through those eyes that seemed capable of seeing into people's hearts.

"Meager strength?"

Whitebeard repeated those words, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

"If a kid who can smash the Vice Admiral's Warship from Marine Headquarters with one punch counts as having meager strength—"

"Then there probably aren't many strong people left on these seas."

He did not question him further.

Nor did he pay any attention to his other sons' reactions.

The World's Strongest Man, standing at the pinnacle of this era, merely fixed Chen Ye with his Emperor-like gaze.

That gaze no longer held the air of an elder looking at a junior.

It was scrutiny—

The scrutiny of an equal.

As though he wished to pierce through Chen Ye's calm exterior and see what tempestuous secret lay hidden in the depths of his soul.

Under that gaze, Chen Ye still kept his head lowered, his expression unchanged.