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Chapter 37: Shocking Plan! Emergency Meeting of the Five Elders
"What did you say?!"
"Night Leopard—you actually let Tree Demon Lotte and Whitebeard escape?!"
"Not only that... you didn't even recover the Heavenly Tribute!"
"Do you realize what this means?!"
Steel Bone Kong stood in front of his desk, slamming his fist down as he roared at the silent Night Leopard and Zephyr.
He never imagined!
That Night Leopard and Zephyr together would return empty-handed!
Fortunately, only he—as Fleet Admiral—knew about the ambush. If word got out, it would undoubtedly trigger another storm!
But even so,
Steel Bone Kong was still shocked by Night Leopard and Zephyr's failure.
After all, Night Leopard was currently one of Marine Headquarters' strongest forces, and Black Arm Zephyr was a rising genius.
Yet even the two of them couldn't succeed.
They hadn't even retrieved the Heavenly Tribute stolen by Whitebeard and Tree Demon Lotte!
What on earth happened?!
Zephyr hurriedly stepped forward.
"The main reason for this mission's failure lies with me. Admiral Night Leopard performed admirably..."
"Zephyr—be quiet!"
Night Leopard frowned and spoke gravely.
Zephyr immediately fell silent.
Then, the Admiral in his coat raised his head to look at Steel Bone Kong.
"The failure this time was primarily due to my misjudgment. Additionally, the intelligence provided by CP0 was far too inaccurate."
"If there's responsibility to bear, I'll take it all."
Steel Bone Kong couldn't help but press his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
Finally, he let out a heavy sigh and sat back down heavily in his chair.
He looked up at the two men before him.
"Speak. What exactly happened?"
He couldn't understand.
How could Night Leopard and Zephyr together fail to stop those two?
What unexpected variable had occurred?
As the words fell,
Night Leopard nodded slightly and began recounting the encounter.
At first, Steel Bone Kong's face still showed some anger, but it quickly turned grave. By the end, he let out a deep sigh.
"So Tree Demon Lotte has already grown to this extent?"
"This is not good news..."
Steel Bone Kong had originally thought it was Night Leopard and Zephyr's mistake.
But after hearing their account, he finally understood what had happened.
Tree Demon Lotte's growth rate
Defied all common sense!
With his bizarre Devil Fruit combined with rapidly advancing swordsmanship, as long as he didn't fall prematurely, becoming one of the world's top powerhouses was only a matter of time.
By their next encounter,
This kid's strength would likely have leaped again.
Steel Bone Kong didn't blame Night Leopard too harshly.
From their description, there had indeed been a chance to kill Tree Demon Lotte.
But it would have required sacrificing Zephyr's life.
For Night Leopard as his master, such a choice was impossible.
Steel Bone Kong furrowed his brow tightly.
"CP0's intelligence really is unreliable. Though no one anticipated Tree Demon Lotte's growth speed, this failure is undoubtedly tied to them as well."
"You two have worked hard enough. Go rest for now."
"I'll send the report to the World Government."
Night Leopard nodded silently. This mission had been a heavy blow to him as well.
He rose and left with Zephyr, who was still clenching his fists in frustration.
Zephyr's face was filled with unwillingness.
Tree Demon Lotte had only grown for such a short time, yet possessed such terrifying strength. He too had to work harder to catch up!
No matter what, he had to wash away this humiliation!
Bang.
Watching the door close,
Steel Bone Kong seemed to age several years in an instant.
He pulled a report written by Sengoku from his drawer.
Looking at the large words on the cover, he clenched his fist tightly.
"Do we really have to try this plan... go this far?"
"Regarding the Possibility of Establishing a Special Pirate System"
Steel Bone Kong stared at the document in silence.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and locked the Pandora's box back in the drawer.
In his view,
The peace of the seas should be protected by the Marines!
Establishing a special pirate system would undoubtedly cause an uproar!
Moreover, in the current seas, even the rising pirate stars were no match for the Rocks Pirates.
This plan
Was not yet the time.
Though Steel Bone Kong had high hopes for Sengoku's future as Fleet Admiral,
Establishing a special pirate system was no small matter. As the current Fleet Admiral, he had to carefully consider the full impact.
Steel Bone Kong pulled out his Den Den Mushi.
Buru buru buru—
Steel Bone Kong dialed, narrowing his eyes slightly.
All he could do now was report what he knew to the World Government.
Let those old fossils deal with the headache!
...
Late at night.
Holy Land Mary Geoise.
In the resplendent grand palace,
The Five Elders—the highest authority on the surface—had convened an emergency meeting.
"What's going on? Calling us all here so urgently—what happened?"
"Even if a Celestial Dragon died in Paradise, it's not necessary to gather all of us, right?"
"Could it be about Rocks?"
Aside from the long-bearded elder,
The other Four Elders wore puzzled expressions.
For something to warrant such an urgent meeting, it must be no small matter. Could it involve the D clan?
The long-bearded elder didn't answer.
He simply pulled several documents from his coat and tossed them to the others.
The Five Elders caught them and flipped through a few pages.
Their expressions changed dramatically.
"This Tree Demon Lotte's progress speed is simply terrifying!"
"Could he also be one of the D clan?!"
"We need to eliminate Rocks as soon as possible. If Tree Demon Lotte is allowed to grow, he'll be even more terrifying than Rocks!"
The Five Elders discussed heatedly.
In their view, Lotte had already been classified as one of the D clan.
After all—aside from those people—who else could grow at such a speed?
The long-bearded elder frowned slightly and cleared his throat.
"Ahem! Silence!"
The other Elders immediately quieted and looked at him.
The long-bearded elder narrowed his eyes and pulled out another document.
"I haven't finished yet."
"Gol D. Roger has entered the New World."
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