The Five Elders' Concerns in the Room of Authority

The entire office was enveloped in an atmosphere of boundless melancholy and oppression.

The three top Admiral remained silent. The aging Fleet Admiral was exhausted. The blue sea and sky outside the window were still vast, but the glory of the navy's era was quietly fading.

Chaos has arrived, and a new order has quietly taken shape. The navy, which holds the title of orthodox power, can only passively watch and be constrained at every step, with its future uncertain.

Located deep within the core of the World Government, the Hall of Room of Authority is the most supreme forbidden area under the entire heavens.

For millennia, this place has remained isolated from the hustle and bustle of the outside world and the flames of war. The cold stone walls seal away the secrets of the world's highest level. The ancient candlelight flickers year-round, casting a dim glow. In the spacious hall filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, only the voices of the five people who control the fate of the world are ever heard, quiet and absolutely majestic.

But today, this composure and solemnity that had been maintained for hundreds of years was completely shattered by battlefield intelligence from the New World.

In the center of the cold jade round table, a complete battle report from the Marine Headquarters, sent back overnight, was laid out. Every line of text clearly recorded the beginning and end of that chaotic battle that overturned our understanding of the sea.

The Five Elders stood on either side of the round table, their ancient and luxurious robes accentuating their dignified bearing. However, their aged faces, weathered by time, no longer displayed the indifferent composure they once held when looking down upon the world. Instead, they were filled with a deep-seated solemnity, bewilderment, and an undisguised apprehension.

After a long silence, one of the Five Elders, with curly white hair and a solemn face, was the first to raise his hand.

His fingertips lightly brushed over the combat power data recorded on the paper, his aged knuckles tightened slightly, and his deep, hoarse voice broke the silence of the hall. "What seemed like an ordinary conflict in the New World Seas ultimately evolved into a one-sided crushing defeat by the Uchiha Clan."

"Yashiro and Tekka, leading only ten members of the Night Owl Guard, decisively defeated the Blackbeard Pirates Zoan, Mythical Zoan Gorilla-Gorilla Fruit Titan Giant Form."

He glanced at the other four, his eyes filled with disbelief and contemplation. "Marshall D. Teach has long been among the Four Emperors, and his band of villains are all ruthless elites of the New World."

Yet this top-tier pirate crew, capable of dominating a region of the seas, was utterly defeated and slaughtered by a mere twelve Uchiha clan members, with almost the entire crew wiped out. Only Blackbeard managed to escape in a sorry state, while all the core members were captured alive.

Later, the brothers Yaoyu and Yakumi led dozens of Night Owl Guard to reinforce the fleet, directly forcing back the elite fleet commanded by the Three Admirals, and forcing the main Navy to retreat in desperation.

As the words fell, the atmosphere in the hall grew even more oppressive.

One of the Five Elders, with a long white beard, slowly nodded, his tone carrying a chilling coldness and deep bewilderment. He continued the conversation, each word tinged with extreme apprehension about the current situation. "What is most terrifying is never the outcome of this battle, but the utterly illogical transformation that has occurred within the Uchiha Clan in these short three or four years. You should all still remember the Summit War."

When the battle at Marineford was mentioned, the five men's expressions all turned somber as the scenes from that year vividly flashed through their minds.

At that time, the Uchiha Clan, which suddenly appeared out of nowhere, was seen as a threat, but they were far from being able to shake the foundation of the world.

At that time, Uchiha Natsu went to Marineford with only Uchiha Fugaku and twenty elite members of his clan. The twenty clan members were only at the level of Vice Admiral general, and Uchiha Fugaku was only at the weaker level, barely stepping into the threshold of Admiral-Yonko Level.

"At that time, the Uchiha Clan's overall strength was only slightly better than that of an ordinary Four Emperors pirate World Government. They were far inferior to even the Rocks Pirates, who once dominated the seas and included countless top-tier fighters," the White-Bearded Five Elders said gravely.

"But in just three or four years, everything has changed completely."

He raised his hand and lightly tapped the intelligence statistics files stacked on the table. The cold data fell to the ground one by one, pressing heavily on everyone's hearts. "According to the statistics of our intelligence network that spans the Four Blues, the number of Uchiha clansmen who have openly displayed combat power and have consistently possessed strength of Vice Admiral or above has now exceeded one hundred."

There are more than twenty top-tier combatants at the Yonko Commander Level.

"And those who have firmly established themselves at the Admiral-Yonko Level level, capable of balancing the Four Emperors and the Marine Admiral, number at least five or six openly recognized as powerful individuals."

"This is far from their full trump card," another tall Five Elders interjected in a deep voice, his tone carrying an undisguised fear.

"Don't forget Madara Uchiha, who suddenly appeared not long ago. He displayed unparalleled combat power upon his first appearance, severely injuring Kaido of the Beasts, the Strongest Creature in the sea, land, and air, with an absolute crushing force. This strength has already placed him among the top levels of the entire sea, and he is undoubtedly the ceiling of combat power."

According to the World Government's intelligence assessment, the four individuals— Yashiro, Tekka, Yaoyu, Yakumi —were merely ordinary Elder of the Uchiha Clan, belonging to the clan's mid-level combat force, and by no means core top-level figures.

Yet this group of non-core members, who casually led teams on missions, were able to unleash terrifying combat power capable of suppressing Yonko Level pirate crews, completely overturning the long-standing balance of power on the sea.

"If their mid-level combat strength is already this terrifying, how strong must their top-level experts be?" The Five Elders frowned, their unease growing stronger.

"Vice Clan Chief Uchiha Fugaku has been lying low on Origin Island and rarely makes a move, so his strength remains a mystery. But based on past combat power levels, even if he can't match Madara Uchiha's incredible strength, he must far surpass Elder like the Yashiro Tekka."

At this point, the five of them all became serious, and they all thought of the most enigmatic key figure— Uchiha Natsu.

"And then there's the clan leader Uchiha Natsu," Five Elders with the white beard slowly uttered the name, and the hall fell into a brief silence once more.

"During the Summit War, this person directly confronted Lord Imu, and is the only alien to date to have come into close contact with the world's highest authority."

To this day, he has remained inactive and has never led the Uchiha Clan in a full-scale war.

Our only conclusion is that he still harbors a deep-seated fear of Imu's immense power and dares not easily break completely with the World Government.

This was once the only reassurance for the Five Elders, the core reason why they dared to allow the Uchiha Clan to develop freely and temporarily refrain from taking the initiative to encircle and suppress them. But now, this confidence is rapidly crumbling and becoming shaky.

"But we've all overlooked the most fatal point." The tall, imposing Five Elders' tone suddenly turned stern, filled with worry.