In the Room of Authority, the Sword-Wielding Five Elders abruptly drew Shodai Kitetsu. Its keen blade traced a cold arc through the air, slicing the newspaper on the floor in half.
"That brat must die!" the Sword-Wielding Five Elders roared, pointing his blade at the severed photograph. "He has trampled the World Government's dignity underfoot!"
"Calm down." The Long-Bearded Five Elders tapped his cane sword against the floor, stopping him. "Anger won't solve anything. Garp is covering for him within the Marines now, and Sengoku has started turning a blind eye and a deaf ear as well. If we act directly, we'll only drive the Marines completely over to his side."
"Are we supposed to simply let him provoke us?" The Blond Five Elders' expression darkened. "Saint Garling was killed, and the Holy Knights' candidates were wiped out. This is a humiliation unprecedented in eight hundred years!"
"We underestimated how quickly he would grow." The bespectacled Elder adjusted his glasses, his voice icy. "He hasn't eaten a Devil Fruit, yet that bloodline power can even merge with his divine dragon form. More troubling still, he has now become the third major power on the seas. Those oppressed affiliated nations are beginning to stir."
"We can't wait any longer." The bald Elder raised his head, the scar on his scalp looking somewhat menacing beneath the light. "If we allow him to keep expanding his forces, the balance of the New World will collapse completely."
"Nothing must interfere with the production schedule for the Seraphim." The bespectacled Elder rubbed his temples, his voice low. "They are the product of fusing the Lunarians' lineage factor with the genes of the Shichibukai. Although Vegapunk has left, the automated production line he left on Titan Island is still running. Once this batch of weapons is