"What? Red-Hair, he..."
"He's already starting to make his move..."
In that same enormous conference room, five elderly-looking men sat facing the respectful Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
They were the world's highest authority-the Five Elders!
"He isn't going in person, is he?"
A man with a long white beard asked quietly.
"No... he's sent one of his men... but... allowing Whitebeard and Red-Hair to make contact would still be very dangerous."
Standing opposite the Five Elders, Sengoku spoke with deep concern.
"Mm... indeed."
A man leaning on a cane nodded at Sengoku's words, clearly agreeing with him.
"But angering Red-Hair would be troublesome... fortunately, he isn't an ambitious man bent on controlling the world."
The long-bearded man spoke calmly.
"Let's hold our position and see how things develop."
"Compared to Red-Hair, we have another threat: Barn, who has openly opposed the government. I hear he appeared on Jaya Island?"
The man holding the Shodai Kitetsu, who had fought Barn before, spoke up.
"Yes... the Marines sent a Buster Call, but he still escaped..."
At the mention of Barn, a vein on Sengoku's forehead twitched as he answered gravely.
"Hmph. Is escaping all he did?"
The bald elder snorted, his words carrying a pointed implication.
"Well... the warships we sent suffered heavy losses."
Sengoku answered somewhat awkwardly.
"Enough. Leave Barn aside for now. He's still only one man, after all. The most important matter now is the vacancy among the Shichibukai. We must find Crocodile's successor quickly, or that small hole will eventually become a large one."
The man whose head was covered in burn scars spoke in a low voice.
Another man, the most imposing-looking of them, sat beside the bald elder and nodded as he spoke.
"If the three great powers fall out of balance, the entire world will feel