The Helpless Five Elders
"Natsu's restraint only represents his personal fear, but it cannot restrain the rampant growth of the entire clan."
In just a few years, the Uchiha Clan's fighting power expanded at a rate that completely exceeded the power laws of this sea.
Without a long period of accumulated experience through battles, and without the mass enhancement of top-tier Devil Fruit, a large number of top-tier experts have suddenly emerged out of nowhere. This rate of growth is too bizarre and too dangerous.
The situation is now completely out of control: the clan leader is restrained and wary of Imu, and dares not overthrow the world order, but powerful figures are emerging one after another within the clan, their combat strength is increasing rapidly, and their momentum for external expansion is becoming more and more fierce.
No one can guarantee that at some point in the future, the clan's top experts will not, due to their expanding power and growing ambition, take the initiative to start a war, completely breaking the current balance.
The fate of a power is never solely determined by the will of its leader.
"What we are seeing now is merely the tip of the Iceburg of the Uchiha Clan, revealed only in the sunlight." One of the Five Elders, who had been silent for a long time, slowly spoke, revealing the most chilling truth upon closer examination.
"A hundred Vice Admiral, more than twenty Yonko Commander, several Admiral-Yonko Level, and a top-tier powerhouse Madara Uchiha —all of this is just the strength they are willing to show us."
Origin Island has been sealed off and isolated from the world for many years. We have no idea how many hidden powerhouses, who have never made a move and whose existence remains unknown, still lurk within its walls.
No one can fathom the true depths of Origin Island, and no one knows the true extent of the Uchiha Clan's combat power.
The crushing defeat and retreat in the previous Deserted Island Battle by the Navy has already proven everything with the most realistic results: any random dispatched team of the Uchiha could wipe out Yonko Level pirate crew and force the Three Admirals to retreat.
If the opposing side were to deploy its core forces, no one in the entire ocean could stop them, and even the World Government would face an unprecedented crisis.
"Marine Headquarters is completely helpless." The white-haired Five Elders picked up the latest naval intelligence report, his tone full of despair.
"The Sengoku was marked by old age and immense pressure, and the Three Admirals had personally participated in the battles and witnessed the enemy's strength firsthand. Now, everyone was filled with apprehension and had no countermeasures."
"The Navy, our only weapon for controlling the seas, has lost the confidence to launch proactive attacks under the intimidation of the Uchiha Clan."
Some people tried to suggest using the Buster Call to forcibly suppress the demons with the World Government's absolute military force, but the idea was rejected by everyone as soon as it arose.
An ordinary Buster Call could crush any island in the Four Blues, but against Origin Island, which is heavily fortified and full of powerful individuals, it would only result in the needless loss of the Navy's elite forces. It would not be able to damage the foundation of the Uchiha Clan at all, but would instead completely intensify the conflict, making it a losing proposition.
Some suggested asking Lord Imu to take action personally, but all five remained silent with solemn expressions.
Lord Imu is the world's last trump card, the ultimate power to balance everything, and must never be used lightly.
Once Imu personally intervenes, it signifies a complete and irreconcilable conflict between the two sides, with no room for reconciliation.
If the Uchiha Clan cannot be wiped out in one fell swoop, they will face a frenzied retaliation from the enemy at all costs. At that time, the entire ocean will be engulfed in war, countless Affiliated Nation will suffer devastation, and the world's century-old order will completely collapse.
If we advance, we dare not rashly start a war, lest we suffer a backlash; if we retreat, we cannot allow it to grow unchecked, lest we raise a tiger that will become a threat.
The five men in Room of Authority, who have ruled the world for centuries, have never been so caught in such a dilemma, so powerless, as they are today.
They had witnessed the rise and fall of countless pirates and the rise and fall of countless forces, but they had never seen such a bizarre, terrifying, and unsolvable emerging force.
The candlelight flickered gently, casting dim, yellowish light on the cold stone wall, illuminating the solemn and somber faces of the Five Elders.
The battle reports on the table were displayed silently, each word a silent warning to everyone: the old order had crumbled, and a terrifying force capable of overturning the world order had risen.
No one spoke again in the hall; extreme silence and apprehension enveloped the entire space.
Endless worries were buried deep in everyone's hearts. A silent fear and stalemate against the Uchiha Clan had firmly locked down all of the World Government's plans.
The somber stalemate Room of Authority were at stake continued. The Five Elders sat around a jade round table, their hearts filled with deep apprehension and unsolvable anxiety about the rapid rise of the Uchiha Clan.
In just three or four years, that emerging force, which was once only supported by Natsu and Fugaku and barely able to surpass the ordinary Four Emperors, has grown to a terrifying level that can easily crush the Four Emperors' pirate crews and force back the Three Admirals.
After weighing the pros and cons repeatedly, the crowd dared not rashly send troops to encircle and suppress the tiger that was now a threat, yet they also feared that forcibly starting a war would trigger a devastating conflict. A sense of oppression, caught between a rock and a hard place, enveloped the entire hall.
Just as the five fell into a long silence, unable to break the deadlock, an unparalleled will originating from the Origin of the world and transcending all things suddenly pierced through the thick stone wall without warning, instantly overwhelming the entire Room of Authority.
This power was neither noisy nor violent, yet it carried an absolute pressure that overlooked a thousand years and held the power of life and death over all living beings, causing the five elders who stood at the pinnacle of world power to tremble violently at the same time.
The five men tensed instantly, a look of solemnity and awe flashing in their aged eyes. Without a word, they exchanged a quick glance, understanding each other perfectly.
This was the supreme being of the Void Throne personally descending his will to summon them to an audience.
Without daring to delay or hesitate for even a moment, the five quickly stood up, collected all their thoughts and distractions, and abandoned all their concerns and considerations. Their figures moved with the flow of light and shadow in the space, instantly shedding the Room of Authority.
The scene shifts in an instant, from the cold and solemn hall of power to a secluded and sacred Flower Room.
The vast Flower Room was empty and boundless, with countless large, strange, and ancient flowers growing in the endless darkness. The tranquil fragrance of the flowers lingered all around, but there was not a trace of gentleness. Instead, it made this supreme forbidden land even colder and more solemn.
This entire space is isolated from all the noise, war, and strife of the world; it is the most mysterious and supreme core area in the entire world.
At the very top of the hall, on the highest platform, the Void Throne floated silently in the darkness, and a hazy, indistinct figure sat upon it—the supreme ruler who had ruled the world for a thousand years— Imu.
Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, no one could discern their true faces. Only a pair of indifferent, cold eyes, devoid of any human emotion, silently gazed down upon the Five Elders standing bowed in solemn silence below. Their eyes held neither joy nor sorrow, yet possessed an unparalleled majesty that seemed to judge all things.