Deep within Zichen Hall, in a secret chamber, candlelight cast the assembled men's wavering shadows on the walls. Hua Country's true core decision-makers-Chen Yu, Liu Bei, Xun Yu, Guo Jia, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Gan Ning, and the newly joined Zhuge Liang-had gathered there. A silence that held a brewing storm filled the air.
Chen Yu swept his gaze over every senior minister present before slowly speaking. His voice was quiet, yet carried the absolute authority of one who saw into the future, setting the tone for this supreme strategic council from the outset. "I have summoned you, my ministers, to determine Hua Country's fundamental strategy for the coming years, perhaps even the next decade. Before that, I must reveal a secret that concerns the entire situation and will determine our nation's fate."
He paused briefly, making certain that everyone's attention was fully focused, before revealing the earth-shattering future word by word. "According to a certain 'course of destiny' I have perceived, a war of the highest order, one that is certain to erupt and utterly reshape the world, has already begun turning like the gears of fate. Its name is-the Paramount War!"
"The Paramount War?" Even men as composed as Liu Bei and Xun Yu, and strategists as gifted as Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang, could not help being profoundly shaken.
"Indeed." Chen Yu's gaze was deep, as though he could already see the blood and fire of the future. "At the heart of this war will be an all-out showdown between every elite force assembled by Marine Headquarters and Edward Newgate, Whitebeard, the 'World's Strongest Man' and foremost of the New World's Four Emperors, together with his entire pirate crew!"
He stopped keeping them in suspense and directly revealed the war's origin and crucial