The Sengoku was seated in the main seat, his face grim.
Vice Admiral Tsuru He stood to one side, holding a thick report in his hand.
"Three Vice Admiral were killed in action, and five were seriously wounded. Eight thousand three hundred and twenty-seven elite soldiers were killed. Twelve warships were sunk, and seven were seriously damaged. Material losses..."
That's enough.
Sengoku interrupted her, rubbing his temples.
He only needed to hear those numbers once. He was afraid he'd have a heart attack if he heard them any more.
Akainu sat to the side, his face ashen.
His injuries hadn't fully healed; his chest was wrapped in bandages, but the murderous intent in his eyes hadn't diminished at all.
" Fleet Admiral! We must retaliate! We can't let those pirates continue to run rampant!"
Sengoku glanced at him. "Revenge? What revenge? All Three Admirals went and couldn't take down Whitebeard. That kid Roy even ran away. Tell me, how are we going to get revenge?"
Akainu gritted his teeth, unable to utter a word.
Kizaru leaned back lazily in his chair, picking at his nails. "Oh dear, Fleet Admiral Sengoku is right. If we make a move now, we'll be the ones who suffer."
Aokiji stood with his hands in his pockets, expressionless and silent.
Garp sat in the corner, crunching away on a rice cracker.
Sengoku glanced at him, but refrained from cursing.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi rang.
Blub Blub... Blub Blub...
Sengoku answered the phone, his expression changing.
"Yes... yes! I understand!"
After hanging up the phone, he looked at everyone and said in a deep voice, " The Five Elders summon me. I have to go to Mary Geoise."
Mary Geoise, Pangaea Castle.
The atmosphere in the Five Elders ' meeting room was heavy.
Sengoku stood to the side, head bowed, without uttering a word.
Saint Saturn spoke coldly, "Nine Holy Knights went into battle, six died, and three were seriously injured. Sengoku, what do you have to say?"
Sengoku paused for a second, then slowly said, "Your subordinate is incompetent."
Saint Saturn stared at him for a long time, then let out a cold snort.
"Incompetent? Indeed, incompetent. But even more incompetent is the Holy Knights."
He paused, then looked at the three Pure Gold fragments on the table.
"Well, at least we brought the items back. It wasn't a complete loss."
Looking at the Pure Gold fragments on the table, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter asked, " Saturn, what should we do with these?"
Saint Saturn thought for a moment, "Give it to Vegapunk. Let him study it and see if he can replicate it."
The other four nodded in agreement.
One of the members of the CP immediately took the three fragments and quickly left.
After this couple left the main hall.
Saint Saturn then turned his head to look at Sengoku.
"On the navy side, the expansion of military spending has been approved."
Starting today, we will expand our military with all our might and intensify our training.
"We must strengthen surveillance over the New World."
Sengoku bowed his head. "Yes!"
The Five Elders asked a few more questions, then waved for him to leave.
After Sengoku left, the meeting room fell silent.
After a long silence, Saint Saturn spoke up, "Should we report this to Imu?"
The other four looked at each other in bewilderment.
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter thought for a moment, "Let's report it. After all, Pure Gold involves immortality, which is no small matter."
The five reached an agreement and got up to head to the Flower Room.
Among the Flower Room lies the deepest part of Pangaea Castle.
It is said that the true ruler of the World Government, Lord Imu, lives there.
The five people knelt in front of the door, bowing their heads respectfully.
Saint Saturn reported the events in detail, concluding with, "Lord Imu, should we use the Uranus to 'extinguish the lights' on Hachinosu?"
Inside the door, there was a long silence.
Then, a voice slowly came from behind—
"He does not belong to the D. Clan. No need to turn off the light."
The five people were taken aback and looked at each other in bewilderment.
Not a member of the D. Clan?
That kid Roy, isn't he D?
Saint Saturn asked cautiously, "Then... about the Pure Gold..."
"Do as you please."
The voice was flat, devoid of any emotion.
"Expanding the army is acceptable, but do not rashly attack the New World. The time is not yet ripe."
The five bowed their heads. "Yes!"
The door Flower Room slowly closed.
The five people stepped back and looked at each other in bewilderment.
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter frowned. "He doesn't belong to D? Then why was he valued so much before?"
Saint Saturn shook his head. "I don't know. But Imu's words can't be wrong."
He paused, then looked at the other four.
"Since Lord Imu says there's no need to turn off the lights, then let's leave Hachinosu alone for now."
However, military expansion must be accelerated.
The navy needs greater strength.
The other four nodded in agreement.
The Five Elders ' orders were quickly relayed.
The Marine Headquarters has begun a new round of expansion and training.
The military budget has tripled, and all branches are frantically recruiting.
The shipyard worked day and night to keep up with the demand, and new warships were launched and put into service one after another.
Sengoku, he personally formulated new strategic policies, with the goal of reaching New World.
But everyone knows that the navy won't be making any major moves anytime soon.
The losses this time were too great; it will take time to recover.
Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates were also recuperating.
The Moby Dick was anchored in the waters off Sphinx Island. Marco was busy treating the wounded every day, Jozu was leading his men to reinforce the defenses, and Vista was in charge of patrolling and guarding.
Whitebeard sat on the deck, holding a wine bowl, gazing at the distant sea.
He took out the Pure Gold fragment and tossed it in his hand.
" Roy, kid... I won't be so polite next time we meet."
He chuckled and tucked the fragment into his pocket.
Meanwhile, the Golden Lion are living a pretty comfortable life.
He kept the Pure Gold fragments close to his body, taking them out to look at them several times a day, becoming more and more satisfied with each look.
Indigo was gesturing wildly and shouting "Ah ah ah!" beside him.
The Golden Lion laughed heartily, "Once I figure this thing out, I'll be immortal!"
Indigo nodded frantically and gave a thumbs-up.
The Golden Lion laughed even louder.
If he knew this thing was fake, he'd probably be so angry he'd jump off the floating Sky Island.
The worst off is Big Mom's side.
On Whole Cake Island, Big Mom's rage has lasted for a full week.
She smashed countless pieces of furniture, cursed Roy, Sengoku, Garp, and even included Kaido in her insults.
Katakuri and the others kept their distance, and no one dared to approach.
"Mama mama mama!!!"
Big Mom's screams echo several times a day.
The servants cautiously cleaned up the mess, afraid that they might become the targets of the anger if they weren't careful.
Smoothie and Cracker were still injured and unable to move, lying in bed. The Big Mom Pirates were severely weakened.
In contrast, life on Hachinosu was much more peaceful.
On the training field, Bullet's roar still resounded.
"Push harder! Didn't you eat?! One more set!"
The new recruits gritted their teeth and trained relentlessly, afraid of being scolded.
At the harbor, Tesoro and Enel were once again competing to see whose lightning was faster.
The two exchanged blows, their movements flashing like lightning, terrifying those around them.
Yamato takes Pea and roams around the island every day, calling it "patrol," but it's really just playing.
Hawk Eyes remained sitting alone on the reef, staring blankly at the sea.
The Red Count occasionally takes a stroll on the island, greeting everyone he meets with a smile, like a kind old man.
Crocodile was holed up in his office, handling various tasks.
Lafitte, Van Augur, Jesus Burgess have already integrated into life on the island. They train with Bullet every day, and their strength is improving by leaps and bounds.
That evening, Roy stood alone by the window, gazing at the distant sea.
The setting sun painted the entire sky orange-red, seagulls circled overhead, and everything looked so peaceful.
But Roy knew this was only temporary.
The World Government will not let this matter of Pure Gold go unresolved.
The three emperors, too, will not give up easily.
What should we do next?
Blackbeard, he's probably still a good son on Whitebeard's ship, right?
What exactly is this Void Century?
Besides Poseidon, where are the other two Ancient Weapon?
Can lunar technology be put to use?
What secrets does Laugh Tale, the Laugh Tale, hold?
And that mysterious Imu...
Roy rubbed his temples and sighed.
There's too much to do, let's take it one step at a time.
He turned and left the window.
Behind us, the setting sun slowly sank into the sea, and night fell.
The lights on Hachinosu lit up one by one, creating a particularly warm atmosphere in the night.
Tomorrow will be another new day.