The Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
The Five Elders watched Sakazuki on the screen, their expressions tinged with gravity.
As the camera shifted from one branch to another, the soldiers' near-fanatical adoration of Sakazuki was alarming...
No Fleet Admiral had ever commanded such prestige...
The sword-wielding Elder narrowed his eyes.
"We still underestimated him."
"This level of influence... is truly unsettling."
The curly-haired Elder gripped his cane.
"Our earlier decision was indeed somewhat hasty..."
"If he really turns against us, we will have no choice but to ask Lord Imu to intervene..."
Yet even he lacked confidence. To be honest... no one in the world could kill a fighter of that caliber in a single blow.
The burly Elder frowned deeply.
"That may be true... but his determination to eradicate pirates should be genuine."
"And given the Navy's current strength, once Sakazuki fights his decisive battle against the Four Emperors of the New World..."
"There won't be many survivors..."
"Our most pressing concern remains the Revolutionary Army."
The blond Elder nodded as well.
"Indeed."
"With the way Sakazuki operates, until he eliminates every pirate..."
"We need not concern ourselves with those issues."
"The Revolutionary Army, on the other hand... has developed quite a few new things lately."
"The things our Cipher Pol agents brought back at the cost of their lives have been tested. They can greatly improve production efficiency."
The other Elders' hearts sank slightly as they thought of those things...
Things capable of greatly improving production efficiency already existed, but the government kept them under its control.
If the common rabble were freed from manual labor and began living better lives...
Who would serve the nobles then...?
"This matter does warrant careful consideration..."
The New World.
Wano Country, Onigashima.
Inside the enormous palace, Kaido sat on his throne.