"Given the current critical situation, we request the activation of the 'Ultimate Cleansing Plan.' Although this plan may have a major impact on the world order, if we do not completely eradicate this threat, the foundation of our thousand-year rule will face collapse."
The figure in the shadows—the mysterious being known as "Imu"—remained silent for a long time. The entire council chamber was terrifyingly quiet, with even the sound of breathing suppressed to the lowest level.
At last, Imu gave a slight nod.
With that simple movement, an invisible yet suffocating wave of power swept through the room. The Five Elders simultaneously felt their hearts tremble, as though something ancient and terrifying had been awakened.
"Execute it immediately," the long-bearded Five Elder announced as he rose, his voice carrying unquestionable authority. "Initiate the first phase of the 'Ultimate Cleansing Plan'—the 'Hunt for the King of D' operation. Mobilize every available resource. At any cost, capture or eliminate Lin Ye!"
"Yes!" the other four Five Elders answered in unison.
As they left the council chamber, Imu remained motionless in the shadows. Only a pair of deep eyes glimmered with cold light in the darkness, as though watching a path of fate that had been ordained a thousand years ago.
On the third day after the Voidbringer War ended, news capable of shaking the world swept across the seas like a hurricane. The World Government issued a new round of bounty notices at unprecedented speed, and their contents made countless pirates, Marines, and even ordinary citizens gasp.
Lin Ye's bounty soared directly from an already astonishing 2.5 billion Beli to 5.6 billion Beli, setting the highest record in pirate history. The photograph on the wanted poster captured the moment he held the Golden Blade aloft during the Marys Island Battle. Mysterious golden