Ascension Ritual, Powerful and Reliable Allies

"For the past six months, I had been secretly investigating the Five Elders. At first, it was only a hunch, but now I could be certain—they were no longer human, at least not entirely."

Fujitora frowned. "What evidence do you have?"

Kizaru tapped the projection device, switching the display to a set of surveillance footage. "Look here. When they believed no one was watching, their movements became unusually stiff or overly fluid, almost as if they were imitating human behavior. Even more worrying..." He brought up another recording. "At certain moments, under specific lighting, their pupils reflected an unnatural purple glow."

Chief of Staff Tsuru took a deep breath. "I noticed some irregularities as well. Recent orders have become increasingly... extreme." She opened the folder before her and removed several documents. "These are internal directives issued over the past three months. Many of them completely violated the Navy's principles of justice."

Ryokugyu stopped pacing, his expression grave. "I have worse news. According to my intelligence network, the Celestial Dragons of Mary Geoise are secretly gathering for an event they call the 'Ascension Ritual.'"

"The Ascension Ritual?" Fujitora asked in a low voice.

"The details are unclear, but according to informants, it seems to be connected to some ancient power," Ryokugyu continued. "What is even more disturbing is that the Navy soldiers who have recently gone missing were most likely sent to Mary Geoise."

Silence descended over the meeting room. The news was far more serious than anyone had anticipated.

Fujitora cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "During my missions, I did sense some... abnormal energy fluctuations. At first, I thought there was something wrong with my senses, but now it seems..."

"It's Void Energy," Kizaru cut in. "Our scientific division has confirmed that abnormal incidents around the world are linked