A few minutes later, a hoarse, familiar voice came through the receiver. "I knew you would contact me, Newgate."
"Long time no see, Kong," Whitebeard replied calmly. "Or should I call you Fleet Admiral?"
Fleet Admiral Steel Bone Kong's voice came through the special device without the slightest delay. "Titles no longer matter to men our age. I take it you came because of the changes on the moon?"
"You've been watching all along," Whitebeard said with certainty.
"Without interruption," Steel Bone Kong answered. "Ever since we discovered the ancient ruins on Nameless Island forty years ago and learned part of the truth, I've been watching for the signs."
Whitebeard recalled those days—he and Steel Bone Kong had still been young, rising stars who had stumbled upon the secrets of the Ancient Kingdom together by chance. Then, they had chosen different paths: Kong joined the Navy, hoping to change the World Government from within, while Newgate chose to become a pirate.
"The Five Elders have begun their final preparations." Steel Bone Kong's voice grew heavier. "They call it the 'Celestial Dragon Descent Plan.' As far as I know, it involves some technology capable of stabilizing the Dimensional Barrier, but the price is ninety percent of the world's population."
"They would rather sacrifice the entire world to save themselves." Whitebeard clenched his fist. "Typical Celestial Dragon thinking."
"I've done my best to stop them, but my influence before the Five Elders is limited." Steel Bone Kong sounded exceptionally weary. "They've already begun secretly deploying the Navy's and CP0's elite forces, preparing to seize control of every key ruin."
Whitebeard pondered for a moment. "There isn't much time. Roger once said that the moment the lunar pattern was completed would mark the beginning of the final choice. I've already sent people to