The Five Elders Were Shocked

"What?! Are you sure you're not joking?!"

The blond member of the Five Elders cried out when he heard the Masked Man's report. The other four said nothing, but they, too, stared at him in shock.

"Yes. Number Three witnessed it firsthand in the Sabaody Archipelago! Kaido was indeed defeated by Su Yu, the owner of the Wish-Granting Bar, and he couldn't fight back at all! After Kaido left, the owner used some unknown ability to completely restore everything destroyed during their fight!"

The Five Elders fell silent. For a moment, the entire room was deathly quiet, weighed down by an oppressive atmosphere.

Several seconds passed before the curly-haired elder spoke. "All right, we understand. You may leave."

"Yes, sir!"

The masked figure acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Only the Five Elders remained in the room. They exchanged glances, traces of shock still lingering in all five pairs of eyes.

In truth, the Four Emperors were nothing extraordinary in their eyes. The Navy was extremely powerful, and the World Government had its own military strength. Not to mention, they also controlled Uranus, the ancient weapon!

Even leaving aside Cipher Pol and its covert division, Cipher Pol Aigis Zero, which served the World Government, the five of them were experts on par with Sengoku and Garp. If they wished, they could easily destroy a single Emperor.

The reason they left the Four Emperors alone was that moving against one would inevitably put the other three on guard. They might even join forces outright. Four Emperor-level figures united would wield tremendous power, and the price of wiping them out would be far too high.

Besides, the four reigning Emperors kept one another in check, so the government had little reason to provoke them. In short, the gains wouldn't justify the cost.

Kaido's defeat, then, was nothing to be shocked about. The crucial point was that, according to Cipher Pol Aigis Zero's report, it had been far too easy. What they had described could hardly be called a fight. It had been a complete rout!

Even if they could easily destroy an Emperor, they would have to gather the top fighters of the entire World Government or the entire Navy to do it. Yet Su Yu had accomplished it alone, and with such casual ease!

Furthermore, judging by his performance in the fight, Su Yu had used many different abilities. He could fly unaided, had a move that shattered "air," and could afterward restore the surroundings destroyed in battle. There was no way to determine what Devil Fruit he had eaten-or even whether he had eaten only one.

He also possessed absurd speed, reportedly perhaps on par with Kizaru's! His Taijutsu was formidable as well. Its exact level was impossible to gauge, but it was at least on Garp's level.

Most importantly, because the fight had been so straightforward, with Kaido taking a beating from start to finish, they had no idea whether the strength Su Yu had displayed was the full extent of his power.

They looked from one to another, none of them knowing how to deal with Su Yu.

"I think we should report this to Lord Imu."

"Agreed!"

"Agreed!"

"Agreed!"

"Agreed!"

Yes, as mentioned before, the Five Elders were merely the World Government's highest rulers in the public eye. Above them stood another, mysterious figure who held the true power: Lord Imu, whom the elder with the birthmark had just mentioned!

The news agency was a worldwide organization, after all, and its efficiency lived up to its reputation. Through the tireless efforts of News Coos, newspapers carrying the story of Kaido's defeat gradually reached every corner of the world. It was easy to imagine how shocked people would be when they read the news.

Somewhere in an unnamed stretch of the Grand Line, an enormous ship moved slowly across the sea.

It was a massive, three-masted sailing ship, its sides lined with menacing cannon mouths. Its bow resembled a whale smiling with its teeth bared.

This iconic ship was named the Moby Dick. It represented an exceptionally fearsome man, one also known as the World's Strongest Man: Whitebeard, Edward Newgate!

This was the ship of Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors, and the home of his crew, the Whitebeard Pirates!

An enormous chair stood in the middle of the deck. Seated upon it was a man who resembled a small giant, with a black bandanna wrapped around his head and a white, crescent-shaped mustache. Several scars marked his bare upper body. An enormous naginata rested beside him. Though ordinary in appearance, it was one of the world's finest weapons, counted among the twelve supreme grade blades. Its name was Murakumogiri, and it rivaled the black blade Yoru wielded by Hawkeye, the World's Greatest Swordsman.

This was Whitebeard, Edward Newgate!

There was a reason Whitebeard was called the World's Strongest Man. Leaving aside his mastery of the three types of Haki, his physique alone put him on Kaido's level in terms of toughness, even if his recovery couldn't compare. Whitebeard was also a Devil Fruit user, a Quake Man who had eaten the Paramecia Tremor-Tremor Fruit. He could generate powerful vibrations and trigger earthquakes, an ability that let him create natural disasters with ease. Thanks to Whitebeard's feats, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was also known as the strongest Paramecia.

Yet powerful as the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was, it was a double-edged sword. The vibrations it generated affected not only the outside world but also his own body, shaking his internal organs. Thus, unlike Garp, who was also seventy yet still retained his peak strength, Whitebeard already needed intravenous infusions to maintain his condition. His strength was no longer at its peak, so his title of World's Strongest Man was now somewhat overstated.

Even so, no one dared challenge Whitebeard's authority. He had earned his reputation punch by punch. Though he was now old and weakened, with lingering internal injuries, his destructive power remained immense!

Not to mention, the commanders of Whitebeard's divisions were outstanding fighters in their own right. There was Marco, the first division commander, who had eaten a Mythical Zoan fruit with a Phoenix Form; Fire Fist Ace, the second division commander, who had eaten the Logia Flame-Flame Fruit; Diamond Jozu, who had eaten the Paramecia Glitter-Glitter Fruit; and others. All were formidable figures, and Marco could even hold his own against an Admiral!

At that moment, Whitebeard sat in his chair with IV lines attached to his body. Though he still looked immensely imposing and exuded an oppressive presence, hidden exhaustion could be seen deep in his eyes. He was seventy, after all. Even Whitebeard had grown old!

Just then, a low-ranking pirate came stumbling over, his face filled with terror.

Marco, who was enjoying the sea breeze nearby, spoke when he saw him. "Sass, keep your composure in front of Pops."

But Sass couldn't calm down. He had just seen an utterly sensational piece of news. Gasping for breath, he stammered:

"P-P-Pops, Kaido... K-Kaido... someone defeated him!"