Pangaea Castle — the Chamber of Power.
The atmosphere was so heavy it felt as though it might condense into liquid and drip onto the floor.
The Five Elders stood in a row, their gazes like icy blades, fixed on the man before them—the one wearing frog-shaped glasses, his long beard braided neatly at the chin, a military cap perched on his head, emblazoned with the seagull emblem that symbolized the Marines.
Once the seagull cap was on, Fleet Admiral Sengoku loved no one.
"Sengoku!"Saint Marcus Mars spoke first, his voice laden with oppressive authority."You owe us an explanation!
"Garp, Kuzan, Borsalino—three of the Navy's highest combat assets—and yet none of them could stop a single Gern?!Not only that, you allowed him to land on the Holy Land with ease and slaughter the Knights of the Gods!
"Is this what you meant by 'blocking him'?!"
Faced with the Five Elders' interrogation, Sengoku appeared unusually calm—there was even a faint hint of counterattack in his expression as he replied evenly:
"An explanation?Gentlemen… some things are never meant to become common knowledge across the seas."
His sharp eyes swept over the five of them.
"Once the pirates of the New World—especially the other three 'Emperors'—learn that Gern has completely broken with the World Government, that we're on the brink of open, all-out conflict… what do you think they'll do?
"Will they carve up G-10's sphere of influence while the chaos lasts?Or will they join forces to drive the Marines entirely to the fringes of the New World—and turn it into a true pirate paradise?"
"At that point, the balance of the New World will collapse completely.The Marines will take the first and hardest blow, and the losses suffered by the World Government's allied nations will be catastrophic.
"When that happens… who will bear responsibility?"
(With Gern's existence, the New World can no longer truly be called a 'pirate paradise.')
Without giving them any chance to interrupt, Sengoku abruptly shifted gears, his tone turning sharp and uncompromising:
"And more importantly—
"When you decided to move against G-10, when you chose to attack the key subordinates of a Marine Admiral, did any of you bother to inform me?Did you once seek the opinion of the Fleet Admiral of the Marines?!"
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nasjuro snorted coldly, attempting to crush Sengoku with sheer status.
"Sengoku! Watch your words and remember your place!The Marines are merely an organization under the World Government's—"
"Merely what?!"Sengoku cut him off without the slightest courtesy, his voice rising sharply.
"Disposable chess pieces?Dogs that come when called and are kicked aside when convenient?!"
He jabbed a finger violently toward the direction outside Pangaea Castle, his voice nearly roaring:
"Don't forget—Gern is in Mary Geoise right now!
"You know exactly what his abilities are, don't you?!
"Or has the World Government already found itself a new Pangaea Castle, and no longer cares if this one becomes the next 'Ruins of a Fallen God'?!"
That near face-ripping roar—combined with the naked threat embedded within it—left the Five Elders momentarily speechless.
They weren't fools.
In an instant, they understood.
Sengoku had done this on purpose.
He had long anticipated that Garp, Kuzan, and Borsalino wouldn't be able to stop Gern—or wouldn't stop him with lethal resolve.
He was deliberately using Gern as a razor-sharp, uncontrollable blade to force their hand.
To pressure the World Government into granting the Marines greater independence—and real political power.
Realizing the ruthless calculation behind Sengoku's strategy, the Five Elders' faces darkened. Rage burned in their chests.
Yet they had to admit it—
Sengoku had them by the throat.
Stopping Gern?
If it came down to it, relying on their far stronger, far stranger immortality—greater even than that of the Knights of the Gods—any one of the Five Elders was confident they could exhaust Gern to death in a prolonged battle.
But…
That damned "Heavenquake" Devil Fruit.
Its destructive power was simply too terrifying.
Gern didn't need to win.
He only needed to unleash himself without restraint.
When the memory of the South Blue's still-forbidden Ruins of a Fallen God surfaced in their minds, even the Five Elders felt a chill run through their hearts.
They didn't dare gamble on whether, when pushed to the brink, Gern would truly go mad and "quake" Mary Geoise itself into oblivion.
After all—
the most horrifying thing about Logia-type abilities was that they could completely reshape an environment using their power alone—and leave scars that could never be erased.
After a long silence, Shepherd Ju Peter finally spoke, his tone carrying resignation and reluctant compromise.
"He has already killed two Knights of the Gods.
"The two culprits responsible for attacking G-10 and seriously injuring Enel… we have already handed them over."(They were killed by Gern.)
"As for Figarland Garling Saint… before you arrived, we had already issued strict orders forbidding him from intervening any further."
He paused, then continued:
"So… Sengoku.Can you… put an end to this farce now?"
Hearing words that bordered on surrender, Sengoku sneered inwardly.
The moment had come.
He dropped all pretense and stated his terms directly, his tone calm once more—but utterly unyielding:
"I can.But there are conditions."
"First.From this point forward, the Marine Headquarters will have complete autonomy over all strategic planning and operations targeting major pirates.The World Government is forbidden from interfering in any form."
"Second.The New World's G-10 base and its surrounding seas shall be designated as the fully autonomous territory of 'Heavenquake' Gern.The World Government shall not intervene in its internal governance or external defense policies."
"Third.Gern and his forces are to be formally recognized as the 'Fifth Pole' of the New World.The World Government must publicly declare its support for his role in maintaining order across designated regions."
"Fourth.All losses stemming from this incident, as well as all subsequent compensation, shall be paid in full by the World Government's treasury."
"And finally—There must never again be any covert operation targeting Marine senior officers or their直属 forces without the explicit approval of the Marine High Command."
Sengoku listed his demands one by one.
Each condition dramatically expanded the Marines' independence and authority.
Especially the recognition of G-10's autonomy and the "Fifth Pole" status—it was essentially an indirect admission of Gern's standing as a New World Emperor, merely draped in Marine colors.
The Five Elders listened, their expressions growing increasingly grim.
They couldn't help but suspect that this entire spectacle had been a joint act between Sengoku and Gern.
Yet in the end—
they clenched their teeth and slowly nodded.
"…Very well. We agree."
Saint Saturn forced the words out through clenched teeth.
"Now—immediately—make him stop.Make him leave Mary Geoise."
"Deal."
A faint, nearly imperceptible smile appeared on Sengoku's face.Then his gaze shifted to Saturn.
"But I still need one person."
"…Who?"
"Revolutionary Army cadre—the commander of the Eastern Army, Jewelry Ginny."
"Impossible!"
Saturn rejected it outright, his voice suddenly rising.
"Don't push your luck, Sengoku!Don't forget who put you in that seat!"
Sengoku frowned, his voice turning icy cold.
"In that case…please feel free to handle Gern yourselves."
"You think…"Saturn's expression twisted savagely as he stood up and strode toward the exit, leaning heavily on his cane."…that we truly have no way to deal with him?"
Watching his retreating back, Sengoku sneered silently.
At that moment, he recalled the Den Den Mushi call Gern had made before storming G-1.
"Military power ultimately serves politics.And politics… will always bow to military power in the end."
Only now did Sengoku truly understand what Steel Bone Kong had meant by leaving him a "trump card."
"Kong was right…the Marines must be firmly in our own hands."
After all—
the old legends had already faded.The era of the Great Pirates was sweeping across the seas.
And the World Government… could never afford to lose the Marines.
Justice that reigns over the seas—that was Sengoku's true ambition.
And this—
was the best era possible.
[Supplemental Illustration: The Era of Four Admirals(Also placed earlier in Chapter 252: The Era of Four Admirals)]
The Era of Four Admirals