Holy Land Mariejois.
Inside a vast circular council chamber—
The Five Elders formed a ring, each wearing a grim, oppressive expression.
Bang!
The elder in a black suit with white curly hair slammed his cane into the floor and roared:
"The Marine is useless!"
"Do we even know what they're doing with the budget we hand them every year?!"
"Why didn't they discover Romu sooner?!"
He was so furious his curls trembled.
"Hmph."
The elder in a deep-blue suit with long white hair draped over his shoulders sneered coldly.
"Are they ever any different?"
"Even CP0 had nothing—no intelligence at all. Where did this Romu crawl out from?"
"And only now we find out he has Conqueror's coating?"
"Damn Rocks… how did he gather so many monsters?!"
The elder in a dark-red suit with blond hair, and the bald elder in a green suit, both joined the condemnation.
Every one of them was seething—especially whenever the names Rocks and Romu came up.
At that—
The remaining elder's brows tightened.
He looked impatient.
His voice dropped like ice:
"Enough."
The instant he spoke, the other four turned sharp, displeased eyes on him.
This elder wore a white kimono.
Shaved head.
Round glasses.
A small mustache beneath his nose.
And across his lap—
The strongest of the "cursed blades" series:
Shodai Kitetsu.
He was the only one not in a suit.
The most mysterious of the five.
He rested the blade on his leg, then swept his gaze across the four.
Flat, indifferent:
"Save your complaints for when Lord Imu snuffs out your 'lamp.'"
The words were calm.
But the other four Elders instantly swallowed the last of their anger.
They shot wary glances toward Pangaea Castle.
No movement.
No sign of anything.
Only then did they fall silent and look back to the kimono-clad elder, waiting.
He didn't change expression.
He continued:
"Given how things are now, our original plan won't be enough to hold back these… insects."
"Let's hear it."
"What do you propose?"
The four suited Elders all went quiet, hands to chins, thinking—then they began debating.
"They're all insects, but Conqueror's coating makes him a sturdier ant. We can't dismiss him."
"Agreed. The Marine 's suggestion makes sense—pull some manpower from Enies Lobby and Impel Down."
"But if we do that… won't we be making too much noise?"
"Not an invalid concern. The more we mobilize, the easier it is for information to leak. If Rocks learns we've prepared that much, won't he simply abandon the strike on the festival?"
"I think he will."
"Then our plan to eradicate Rocks fails again."
"…."
Ten minutes passed in circles.
No conclusion.
Finally, they stopped and turned their eyes back to the kimono elder, who had remained silent.
The black-suited elder asked:
"How many should we deploy, in your view?"
The kimono elder lowered his head slightly, the corner of his mouth lifting.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he posed a question:
"Don't you feel it?"
"That the number of lowborn rabble is… growing?"
He raised his head sharply.
A blade-like stare shot through his lenses and swept the four.
All four frowned.
Then—
Their expressions shifted.
"…You mean—?"
"If we do that, won't the fallout be too large?"
"…."
They heard the implication.
Perfectly.
"They're insects either way," the kimono elder said, smiling faintly.
Hnnng—
His thumb pushed the Shodai Kitetsu's guard upward.
A gleam of steel—about ten centimeters—slid free.
"Kill one and you've killed."
"Kill ten thousand and you've killed."
He paused, sheathing the blade again.
Under the four Elders' heavy gazes, he rose and walked to the tall windows.
Hands behind his back.
He looked out over the vast sprawl of Mariejois.
His voice was cold, almost detached:
"We've been quiet for too long."
"So long…"
"That these insects have forgotten their place."
"They've forgotten what it means to fear 'gods.'"
He turned back.
Eyes like knives.
"My suggestion isn't 'how many' we should deploy."
"It's how many we can deploy."
"Enies Lobby."
"Impel Down."
"CP special forces."
"The scientific combat units—Vinsmoke."
"And the elite houses of the lesser kingdoms."
"All of them."
"Move."
"Kill."
"Rocks. Romu. And every insect that's been stirring in the dark."
"Leave none alive."
"And if any dare flee—"
"Chase them to the ends of the sea."
He stepped forward, each word harder than the last:
"Use the festival as cover."
"And conduct a purge."
Purge.
The word hit the chamber like a guillotine.
A gust of wind slipped in.
It tugged at the kimono.
It flicked the edges of the other four Elders' suits.
They were silent for several seconds, brows knotted, weighing it.
Finally, the black-suited elder spoke, voice cautious:
"They're insects, yes…"
"But the scale is enormous."
"Should we request Lord Imu's approval?"
The others nodded.
They didn't care how many died.
They cared about only one thing:
What the one in Pangaea Castle wanted.
"No."
The kimono elder replied without hesitation.
"Lord Imu has been sleeping lately."
"There's no need to disturb him over insects."
The suited Elders all nodded at once.
Agreed.
The kimono elder lifted a hand, lightly blowing away a dandelion seed that drifted in from the garden.
Calmly:
"Then it's decided."
"We've been quiet too long."
"It's time these insects relearn what 'god' means."
"God Valley."
"Total war."
The tone was almost gentle.
But the air reeked of blood.
…
A few minutes later—
Marineford, Marine HQ.
"Kong!"
Tsuru's voice was tight.
"What did the Five Elders say?"
Sengoku and the others stared at Kong as he ended the call.
Kong's face had gone hard as iron.
He wanted to tell them the world was about to fall into chaos unlike anything in living memory.
He hadn't expected the Five Elders to order Impel Down, Enies Lobby, CP0, Vinsmoke, and the top forces of multiple kingdoms to mobilize.
Not for a battle.
For a slaughter.
For a cleansing of the entire world.
He could already picture it—
Oceans and continents drowned under World Government fire.
Blood in the wind.
Bodies without number.
His mouth felt sealed shut, like two mountains pressed against it.
He tried to speak—twice.
Nothing came out.
"What is it, Kong?!"
"Did they refuse reinforcements?"
"Then what do we do?! Our top-end power can't hold God Valley!"
"Kong, should we submit another request?!"
"…."
They were panicking now.
They thought the request had been rejected.
Bang!
Kong's fist hammered the desk.
Hardwood split open.
Three months later—
His voice came out rough, sandpaper-dry:
"It'll be bloodier than anything you can imagine."
Bloodier?
Sengoku's eyes narrowed—then lit with a sudden realization.
He tested cautiously:
"Bloodier…"
"You mean a Buster Call?"
"Buster Call?!"
Everyone's gaze snapped to the golden Den Den Mushi near Kong's desk.
Faces turned grave.
A Buster Call—
A special operation authorized by the World Government.
Once issued, ten battleships, five vice admirals, and elite forces deployed at full speed.
Indiscriminate bombardment.
Total annihilation.
A region erased from the map.
A weapon meant to wipe out anything—and anyone—that threatened the Government's rule.
Kong straightened and looked at Sengoku.
A bitter smile surfaced.
"Buster Call?"
"Against a top-end force like the Rocks Pirates, it's useless."
He drew a slow breath.
Then, word by word, he said it:
"The Five Elders' order."
"Three months from now—"
"Impel Down. Enies Lobby. CP0. The Vinsmoke family."
"And the elite forces of the kingdoms."
"All will gather at God Valley."
"This isn't an operation."
"It's total war."
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