"Rōmu… could it be… Rōmu didn't die back then?!"
The elder in the blue suit froze—then flashed in front of Kong in an instant.
The other four tensed as well, eyes locked on Kong without blinking.
Forty years had passed, yet the imprint that name left in their minds was as unchanging as their faces.
That godlike Conqueror's Haki—
even watching it through projection back then had left them deeply shaken, fear buried in their bones.
"No."
"There is no evidence that Rōmu is alive."
Kong answered in a deep voice, unsurprised by their reaction.
Because it was that man.
He had crushed nine peak-level monsters—Navy, World Government, pirates alike—by himself, and still went on to defeat the "Thirteen Kings" who stood like gods.
A being like that…
even the Five Elders at the top of power could only look up at.
The blue-suited elder let out a long breath, his nerves easing at once.
Behind him, even the kimono elder and the other three visibly relaxed, returning to their prior state.
Beside Kong, Garp snorted and casually dug at his nose, eyes full of open mockery.
"So you five can be afraid of someone too, huh."
"You—!"
The dark-green-suited elder's mustache twitched. He raised an arm toward Garp, teeth clenched.
But he didn't push it further.
He knew Garp was one of those damned "D" bloodlines—and he didn't want to tear the mask off completely.
"Marine."
The kimono elder narrowed his eyes at Garp, voice heavy.
He emphasized the word "Marine" deliberately—telling him to remember his identity.
At the same time, he shot a look at the green-suited elder, signaling him to lower his arm.
"Hmph."
The green-suited elder withdrew his hand, still fuming.
Only then did the kimono elder turn back to Kong.
"Explain."
"Why did Roger's offspring drag those three troublemakers into this?"
Once he confirmed Rōmu wasn't back, his briefly stalled mind began turning at full speed.
Whitebeard. Shiki. Kaido.
They were nowhere near Rōmu—but they were still the strongest monsters of this era, and their forces were impossible to ignore.
If they struck together…
if the response was mishandled, Marineford really could be sunk.
For forty years, the World Government had painstakingly rebuilt its authority.
He would not allow anyone to smash it again.
The other four nodded.
Unlike the ordinary Celestial Dragons, they still possessed basic rationality—they understood what it meant for three Emperor-level forces to crash into Marineford at once.
Kong glanced sideways at Garp, who was still picking his nose, and felt a headache coming on.
"This is serious business."
Only then did Garp lower his hand, his expression turning grim.
"This has nothing to do with Roger."
"Whitebeard's main reason is that Ace is his Second Division Commander… and the 'son' he acknowledged."
"As for Shiki and Kaido—"
"They're only using this as a chance to take revenge for Rōmu."
In an instant, the Five Elders understood.
In the end, it was still because of Rōmu.
If not for Rōmu, at most it would have been only Whitebeard.
"I understand."
The elder in the dark red suit frowned, staring at Kong and Garp.
"So tell us—how do you plan to respond?"
"The Navy has made thorough preparations," Kong said.
"But facing war declarations from three major forces, we're still stretched thin."
"In terms of sheer scale, these three are stronger than the Rocks crew ever was."
"So…"
"I'll be mobilizing Vegapunk's science forces—including the Pacifista units."
The elder in the black suit tapped the cane in his hand lightly.
"You can decide that as Commander-in-Chief. Why come to us?"
The blue-suited elder asked flatly.
Kong didn't dodge.
"Because I'm still uneasy."
"I want authorization for CP0 to deploy as well—and for them, during Ace's execution, to be placed entirely under Fleet Admiral Sengoku's command."
The Five Elders didn't answer immediately.
All of them frowned at the same time.
CP0's strength was beyond question.
Even at God Valley, they had contributed to the ambush on Rōmu—if Sengoku's blow had been just a bit stronger, perhaps Rōmu would've been killed before absorbing Rocks.
If CP0 joined, the safety margin increased dramatically.
But CP0 was their direct force—their people.
Marines died? So be it.
CP0 dying? That hurt.
Especially the captain.
That was one of their most useful "pets."
Kong lifted his head, studying their silence without changing expression.
Then he spoke again, calmly pressing the blade in.
"This conflict is at Marineford—Navy Headquarters."
"If Marineford is sunk due to insufficient manpower, the World Government's face won't survive it either."
The Five Elders narrowed their eyes and fell into thought.
Kong wasn't wrong.
They didn't care about the Navy as "people."
But Marineford was still the Government's flag.
If Marineford was sunk…
it was not a result they could accept.
"Fine."
The kimono elder raised his head and spoke first.
"CP0's mobilization authority will be granted."
Kong's brow immediately eased.
He knew CP0 well—especially whoever could serve as captain.
That level was Admiral-tier.
Now, counting them up—
Kong, Garp, Sengoku, Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji, plus CP0's captain—
that made seven top-tier fighters on the Navy's side.
With that, even if Whitebeard, Shiki, and Kaido had been hiding their true strength and exceeded the Admirals…
a two-on-one suppression was still possible.
And the extra man could cover emergencies.
Kong felt his shoulders loosen, the unease in his chest fading.
He nodded slightly to the Five Elders and turned, ready to leave with Garp.
But—
"Wait."
The kimono elder spoke again.
Not only Kong and Garp—even the other four elders looked puzzled.
With steady footsteps, the kimono elder—cradling the Shodai Kitetsu—walked up to Kong and lifted his head.
"What is the execution date?"
"It's time for the five of us… to stretch our legs."
In that instant, everyone stiffened.
"You mean…?"
Kong sucked in a breath, realizing what was being said.
But the kimono elder didn't answer him directly.
"Report the execution date in advance."
"You may leave."
The meaning was unmistakable.
Kong couldn't hide his excitement.
He nodded hard, turned, and left the chamber with Garp.
Once they were far from the hall, Garp's voice dropped, hostile.
"Kong."
"Why would those five freaks personally move?!"
Garp was nearly eighty.
He had never seen them truly fight.
He never imagined they would volunteer to enter a war.
"I don't know."
Kong shook his head.
He, too, had never seen them fight.
But then his eyes narrowed with fervor.
"That's secondary."
"The key is: Rōmu won't show up."
"Those five…"
"I've never seen them make a move either, but from their aura alone—"
"they're not below you and me."
"They may be stronger."
"This is settled."
"Even if the other two Emperor crews show up, Marineford will be unbreakable!"
Garp glanced back at the ornate council hall, thoughts churning.
"…Hope you're right."
Then he shook his head.
Navy HQ. World Government. Warlords. Vegapunk's forces. CP0.
With the entire machine mobilized, it should be enough to crush Whitebeard, Shiki, and Kaido.
Not to mention—
those five monsters who never seemed to age.
Back inside the hall—
the four elders in suits stared at the kimono elder near the window, voices rising one after another.
"Isn't giving CP0 command authority enough?"
"They're trash, but they still have some strength. Their deployment should be sufficient."
"Hmph. You didn't even consult us before making that decision."
"Rōmu is dead. What's the point of us moving? It's just wasting the eternal life Lord Im granted us."
Different words—
one shared meaning:
they were unhappy that the kimono elder decided the Five Elders would act personally.
"A waste?"
"I don't see it that way."
The kimono elder shook his head slowly, then lifted his gaze toward Pangaea Castle.
"Last time, if we had been there, Rōmu would never have been able to absorb Rocks and undergo that damned explosive growth."
"The World Government paid the price for forty years."
"And most importantly—"
"we lost thirteen sleeping kings."
"I never found a good solution."
"But now those filthy worms are delivering themselves to our doorstep—declaring war on the World Government."
"The Navy can handle them."
"But since we finally have this chance…"
"shouldn't we make it cleaner—more thorough?"
"I'm sure Lord Im will be pleased."
The four elders fell silent.
Their dissatisfaction faded, replaced by knitted brows and cold calculation.
By the window, the kimono elder let out a quiet sound.
"Revenge?"
"Those lowly creatures…"
"God's servants will show them that humans cannot provoke gods."
"Lord Im doesn't need to stoop to these vermin."
"But we—servants of the divine—should cleanse the trash for Him."
The four elders' faces darkened.
A moment later, they spoke together, voices flat and cruel.
"Then let the foolish lowborn witness the power of the god's envoys."
The kimono elder nodded.
His right hand moved.
The Shodai Kitetsu slid out an inch.
"Come to think of it…"
"It hasn't tasted fresh blood in a long time."
Even under sunlight, the blade flashed with a chilling sheen.
The kimono elder could feel it—
it craved blood.
Shodai Kitetsu was the strongest of the Kitetsu line.
A pure cursed blade.
He sheathed it again and fell quiet, gaze deep, unreadable.
After a long time, in a voice only he could hear, he murmured:
"Rōmu…"
His body trembled—just slightly.
He still couldn't forget that godlike pressure.
"Damn it!"
His aura surged for an instant.
Outside the window, a withered yellow leaf was crushed into powder.
In truth, the kimono elder's reason for deploying wasn't only "revenge" and "showing the world the power of god's envoys."
The real root was still Rōmu.
That battle at God Valley—Rōmu versus the Thirteen Purple-Gold Kings—
shattered every insider's pride and confidence, including his own.
Forty years later…
that name was still a thorn embedded in his heart, twisting, tormenting him.
What frightened him most was this—
every time he recalled Rōmu's heaven-shaking might…
for a split second, the reverence he held toward the Supreme Throne's Lord Im would waver.
That was unacceptable.
It haunted him day and night.
He feared that one day, before Lord Im, he would reveal that weakness.
If that happened…
his end would be no better than the leaf he had just pulverized.
If not for fear of arousing suspicion from Im and the other elders, he would've long ago slaughtered Whitebeard, Shiki, Kaido—even Big Mom—
anyone connected to Rōmu—
just to crush that fear into ash.
So when he heard that three of them were joining hands to attack Marineford…
he had already begun crafting the justification for taking the field himself.
He exhaled.
The corner of his mouth lifted.
Forty years.
He had finally waited for a chance to personally erase everything tied to that man.
"If I kill every one of these vermin…"
"maybe I can finally escape that torment."
"Yes."
"I will."
He swore it, again and again, inside his chest.
And so—
the highest-spec war of the new era, the so-called "Summit War," was about to erupt.
Soon after, Kong and Garp returned to Marineford and informed Sengoku and the others that CP0—and even the Five Elders—would be joining the battle.
The room exploded with morale.
Without hesitation—
Fleet Admiral Sengoku issued the order:
Ace's execution date would be moved up to three days later.
And the exact date would be printed across every newspaper in the world.
What they didn't know…
was that Rōmu had already been poised and ready—
waiting for them to announce it.
In an instant, the seas surged again.
The New Era's highest-spec war—
the Summit War—
was about to ignite.'
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