The Furious Five Elders, Saint Charlos's Death!

The Den Den Mushi's face rapidly changed, transforming into an old and dignified one.

The voice on the other end was old and cold, without any pleasantries or preamble, just a direct question, like a dull knife slowly cutting across the throat.

"The Sengoku. Saint Charlos is dead."

"I know," Sengoku's voice was low. "Kizaru just sent back a message."

"You know?" The voice on the other end suddenly rose several decibels, filled with barely suppressed rage. "You know and you still can't sit still? The Celestial Dragons were publicly killed in the Sabaody Archipelago!"

This is an unprecedented disgrace! Where is the face of the World Government? Where is the justice of the Marine Headquarters? As the Fleet Admiral, what exactly are you doing?

Sengoku closed his eyes, suppressing the surging anger and helplessness in his heart.

He didn't defend himself, but said in a deep voice, "The murderer is Uchiha Natsu. According to Kizaru's report, the other party killed Saint Charlos in a head-on attack under the protection of CP0, and then engaged in a large-scale battle with Kizaru who arrived at the scene."

Island One has been razed to the ground. Uchiha Natsu used his spatial abilities to escape after the battle, Kizaru was unable to leave him behind.

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Uchiha Natsu, the fifth Emperor of the Sea with a bounty of 3.5 billion Beli, single-handedly repelled Kizaru's Void Demon Tamer.

Sengoku continued, his tone becoming more forceful. "In the West Blue War a month ago, the Marine Headquarters already paid the price of four thousand elite troops. And CP0's intervention was not approved by the Marine Headquarters."

A cold snort came from the other end of the phone, "Sengoku, are you questioning the Five Elders?"

"I'm just stating the facts," Sengoku said calmly. "The reason the Uchiha Clan completely broke with the Navy was because CP0 bypassed headquarters and infiltrated Origin Island, attempting to kidnap members of their clan."

Now that Saint Charlos has been murdered in Sabaody, the killer has declared to Kizaru that this is 'interest' collected for the four deceased members of his clan. He also demands..."

Sengoku paused for a moment, then said, "I demand that the Five Elders send four Celestial Dragons to Origin Island, to pay with their lives."

"Presumptuous!!"

A furious roar erupted from the other end of the phone, making the Den Den Mushi's shell tremble slightly.

The Sengoku remained silent, simply waiting quietly.

Vice Admiral Tsuru stood to one side, his knitting needles having stopped at some point. The steam from the teacup gradually dissipated, and only the heavy breathing from the Den Den Mushi filled the office.

After a long while, the voice on the other end finally rang out again, old and cold, as if coming from a very deep and dark place. "Sengoku, what does the Marine Headquarters intend to do?"

Sengoku was silent for a few seconds, then slowly spoke, his voice carrying an undeniable determination. "The current troop deployment at the Marine Headquarters is extremely strained."

Akainu Sakazuki is stationed at the G2 Branch in the New World, Kuzan are guarding the outer defenses of Punk Hazard, Garp Garp on vacation in the East Blue.

"Besides myself, the usable combat force of the former Marineford has zero Admiral Level combatants."

He paused, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "Unless the Five Elders are willing to temporarily withdraw one of their Admiral from the New World Defense Line, or—I myself must take action."

There was silence again on the other end of the phone.

What the Sengoku said was the truth, the truth that everyone knew.

The Three Admirals, though they look imposing, are in reality each firmly rooted in their own defense zone.

The Four Emperors of the New World are eyeing us covetously, and our defenses cannot be left undefended for even a day. Impel Down also needs constant reinforcements.

As for Garp —if that old guy were in Marineford, Sengoku wouldn't be without capable men.

But he happened to go back to East Blue for vacation at this time, and no one could contact him. Even if they could, given his personality, he might not be willing to come back.

"Sengoku"

The person on the other end of the phone suddenly mentioned Sengoku's real name. The previous fury was gone, replaced by a more suffocating, chilling calm.

"The Navy hasn't deployed Fleet Admiral in person for decades since the God Valley Incident. Now, a mere emerging power wants to force the Fleet Admiral to leave headquarters? Are you trying to tell the Five Elders that the Navy has reached a point where it has no one left to use?"

"I'm just stating the current troop strength." Sengoku's voice remained calm. "Borsalino has confirmed that Uchiha Natsu's strength is firmly at the Admiral Level."

The West Blue War a month ago and the Sabaody Battle today have both proven that a single Admiral cannot subdue an enemy without the advantage of terrain.

"To take effective action against him, we must deploy at least two Admiral Level, or I must go myself."

He raised his head, his gaze fixed straight ahead, as if the Five Elders were standing before him. "And currently, Marineford has no two Admiral."

There was a longer silence on the other end of the phone.

Vice Admiral Tsuru gently put down his knitting, walked to Sengoku's side, bowed slightly to the Den Den Mushi, and calmly said, "My lords, I am Chief of Staff Tsuru."

Please allow me to say this: under the current circumstances, it would be unwise for the Marine Headquarters to launch another large-scale military operation against the Uchiha Clan.

The first West Blue War resulted in the loss of 4,000 troops, and today, in the Sabaody Battle, Island One is reduced to ruins. If a third battle is fought, the cost will only be greater.

Uchiha Natsu's spatial abilities allow him to move freely, and even if Fleet Admiral Sengoku were to personally intervene, he might not be able to kill him on the spot. If he fails, the Navy's prestige will suffer an even heavier blow than it has today."

She paused, her tone still calm, yet each word carried immense weight. "I suggest that we send some conciliatory signals on the diplomatic front, while simultaneously strengthening Mary Geoise's defenses to prevent similar incidents from happening again."

As for the Uchiha Clan —they are far away in the West Blue and do not pose a direct threat to the World Government's core interests for the time being. Rather than launching a war out of anger, it would be better to plan for the long term."

A cold, mocking snort came from the other end of the phone, "He, are you telling the Five Elders what to do?"

"I wouldn't dare," Crane said without the slightest fluctuation in her tone. "I was merely fulfilling my duties as chief of staff."

There was another long silence on the other end of the phone.

Finally, the aged voice slowly rang out, as cold as the wind blowing from the depths of a glacier, each word resounding and leaving no room for argument.

"Sengoku, listen to me carefully."

First, raise Uchiha Natsu's bounty to 4 billion Beli, and add the charge of ' Godslayer' —he was the first person in 800 years to dare kill Celestial Dragons, so let him be targeted by the whole world with that title.

Second, rescind the withdrawal orders for all Marine Branch in the West Blue and redeploy the fleet to blockade the waters surrounding Origin Island —not to launch an attack, but to let them know that the navy has not retreated.

Third, regarding the withdrawal of the New World Admiral, forget about it—the movements of the Four Emperors of the New World are more important than a flea in the West Blue. You should weigh that yourself."