Holy Land Mariejois!
Inside a huge conference room!
Sengoku and the Gorosei were sitting together, discussing matters related to Ace's execution.
"How is the Marine force gathering?"
Pitte Saint maintained a gloomy expression, looking at Sengoku, and asked in a deep voice.
Sengoku frowned, his face solemn, and replied,
"Currently, famous Marines from all over the world are gathering at Marineford."
"Those closer have already arrived, and those further away will also arrive successively in the next two days."
"About half of them have gathered by now!"
Sengoku's expression remained tense while answering the question.
Although he had sent people to monitor Whitebeard's crew, he was still afraid that something unexpected would happen during the time the Three Admirals were away, leading to irreversible consequences.
After all, the enemy was the world's number one pirate crew, and he dared not be complacent in the slightest.
The Gorosei, however, did not seem as worried as Sengoku; they still had great faith in the Three Admirals' strength.
They dispatched Three Admirals at once to ensure a quick battle and swiftly deal with the Straw Hat.
Otherwise, if it was just to eliminate the Straw Hat, they felt that sending two Admirals would be enough to secure the victory.
After all, even a true Four Emperors would not be able to contend with two Admirals simultaneously.
Satan Saint noticed Sengoku's tense demeanor and said indifferently from the side,
"You're too nervous, Sengoku!"
"This time, we not only dispatched the Three Admirals!"
"But we also specifically sent 10 of the latest human weapons, the Pacifista, led by Sentomaru."
"The Pacifista are the strongest weapons created by Vegapunk based on Kuma's bloodline."
"And they incorporate Kizaru's laser abilities."
"The comprehensive combat power of a single one is even comparable to a weaker Shichibukai!"
"The Three Admirals plus these combat forces will absolutely make quick work of the Straw Hat."
"They will surely eliminate the Straw Hat and end the battle very soon!"
Hearing Satan Saint's words, Sengoku felt they were indeed reasonable.
Calming down and thinking about it.
They had sent such powerful combat forces, the Straw Hat would definitely not last long.
And it wouldn't take much time to return from Sabaody Archipelago to Marineford, so there really was no need to worry so much.
Only then did Sengoku slightly relax, feeling a bit relieved.
Seeing that his words had an effect, Satan Saint calmly continued.
"How many Shichibukai have arrived?"
"This time, we've mandated that all of them participate in the war; no one should dare to defy us and not come!"
Upon hearing Satan Saint mention this matter, Sengoku replied.
"Hawkeye and Doflamingo are already at Marineford."
"Blackbeard said he's on his way and should arrive in the next two days."
"Kuma has always followed your orders, mostly staying in Mary Geoise or nearby, so he's not an issue."
"As for the remaining three…"
Thinking of these individuals, Sengoku couldn't help but feel a headache.
He massaged his forehead, frowning as he said,
"I originally thought Jinbe would be the most cooperative."
"Unexpectedly, he firmly opposed this war."
"Now he's been sent to the sixth level of Impel Down for reflection."
"However, news came from there not long ago."
"It said that Jinbe declared he would never participate in this war, even if it meant being stripped of his Shichibukai position."
"It seems he's made up his mind this time!"
Upon hearing Sengoku's words, Satan Saint and the other Gorosei all frowned.
Saint Mars suddenly snorted coldly and said,
"Hmph! Since he's so uncooperative, then strip him of his Shichibukai title directly!"
"Once this war is over, we'll just find someone else to fill his position!"
"A Shichibukai who cannot be used by us has no meaning in being kept."
The other Gorosei had no objections to Saint Mars's words, implicitly agreeing.
Sengoku, hearing this decision, felt a pang of reluctance but understood that this was the only way to handle it, so he silently nodded.
Just then, Saint Warcury asked,
"What about the other two?"
Sengoku heard this and continued to reply.
"Moriah, after being defeated by Straw Hat, fortunately survived, but he seems to be severely injured. It's said he's still in a coma."
"One of his subordinates stated that given Moriah's current condition, he won't be able to participate in this battle."
Upon hearing this, the Gorosei did not show any dissatisfaction; instead, they appeared indifferent.
Saint Warcury calmly said,
"Moriah's current strength is no longer befitting a Shichibukai."
"We had already decided to secretly eliminate him after this battle!"
"Since he can't come to participate, then let someone go ahead and do it now!"
"Send CP0!"
When Saint Warcury spoke the last sentence, he glanced at the other Gorosei, as if asking for their opinions.
The others all nodded slightly, indicating their approval.
This matter was thus finalized.
However, they were not in a hurry to arrange this matter for now, but continued to listen to Sengoku's report.
Although Sengoku felt the Gorosei's decision was ruthless, he also knew their temperament well, so he didn't say much.
Instead, he followed their wishes and continued to report.
"Regarding Empress, I've already sent a Marine to explain this summons."
"But according to the Marine's report, he hasn't even met Empress yet."
"The people of Nine Snake Island say that the Nine Snake Pirates went out to sea and haven't returned."
"However, according to the time estimation, she should be returning soon."
"Now we can only wait for the Marine's reply!"
After listening to Sengoku's report, the Gorosei all nodded, indicating their understanding.
At this moment, Saint Nasujuro asked again,
"Is there any movement from Whitebeard's side?"
"Oh! Whitebeard's side…"
"Purupurupuru…"
Sengoku was halfway through his answer when a den den mushi suddenly rang.
He took out the den den mushi and looked at the Gorosei.
Seeing that all five silently nodded in permission, Sengoku immediately answered the den den mushi.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, something terrible has happened! Whitebeard has made a move."
As soon as the call connected, a panicked voice came from the other end.
Hearing that it was about Whitebeard, Sengoku immediately became tense and said seriously,
"Is it a report from the surveillance ships?"
"Connect their call, I'll listen directly!"
The voice on the other end obviously hesitated for a moment, then reported with some fear.
"This…"
"The Marine sent a total of 23 ships to monitor Whitebeard's main ship, the Moby Dick."
"Just now…"
"All of them simultaneously lost contact!"
Upon hearing this, cold sweat immediately seeped from Sengoku's forehead, and he exclaimed,
"What?!"
The Gorosei listening nearby also frowned.
Is Whitebeard about to make his move?!
At this moment, the report from the den den mushi continued to sound.
"Other pirate crews are also stirring in the New World!"
"This way, we can't predict how many forces they will bring!"
"Not only can we not grasp any intelligence, but we've also completely lost track of them."
"We have already immediately arranged for other surveillance ships to go, but we don't know if we can find Whitebeard and his crew now!"
Upon hearing these reports, Sengoku's brows were so furrowed they could trap a mosquito.
His expression was incredibly grave, and he said in a deep voice, as if to himself,
"They must have already started their operation!"
"We have no idea when or where they will strike!"
Saying this, Sengoku suddenly roared into the den den mushi,
"Notify everyone, as long as Ace is still imprisoned, there's a possibility of a decisive battle at Impel Down!"
A response immediately came from the other side.
"Yes!"
Then, Sengoku immediately hung up the phone.
He then looked at the Gorosei and quickly said,
"We need to recall the Three Admirals immediately."
"We still don't know if Whitebeard and his crew have sent anyone to act ahead of time."
"We must prepare for battle in advance."
The Gorosei all hesitated upon hearing this.
They still really wanted to eliminate Straw Hat here.
Satan Saint thought for a moment and then said,
"First, contact them and ask about the situation!"
"The Three Admirals have been deployed for some time now; Straw Hat should be on his last legs by now!"
"If Straw Hat hasn't been completely eliminated yet, we can recall two Admirals first."
"That way, there shouldn shouldn't be any unexpected problems."
In Satan Saint's view, even if Straw Hat hadn't been completely wiped out by now, he should have suffered heavy casualties and had little combat capability left.
Leaving one Admiral to finish the job would definitely be more than enough.
The other Gorosei all nodded in agreement with the suggestion put forward by Satan Saint.
Sengoku also knew the Gorosei's determination to eliminate Straw Hat this time, so he agreed to this arrangement.
Then, he called Aokiji.
Among the Three Admirals, he still valued Aokiji more.
When Sengoku's call came, the Three Admirals had just watched Straw Hat escape.
They were still in an eerie silence when the ringing of a den den mushi pulled them back to reality.
Aokiji took out the den den mushi from his person and answered.
"Aokiji, what's the situation like?"
Seeing the call answered quickly, Sengoku immediately asked.
But what struck both him and the Gorosei as odd was that the other end of the den den mushi sounded very quiet, with no sounds of battle.
Just then, Aokiji's voice suddenly rang out.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! I was just about to report to you!"
Upon hearing this, Sengoku and the Gorosei immediately thought of something.
Aokiji said he was about to report, and there was no sound of battle on his end.
So, without much thought, the Gorosei and Sengoku immediately guessed the outcome.
A hint of a smile appeared on Satan Saint's face, and he said calmly from the side,
"It seems Straw Hat has been eliminated!"
"Without this huge hidden danger, we'll have a lot less trouble in the future!"
Although the others did not explicitly state it, it was clear from their faces that they were all pleased.
However, just then, Aokiji's voice continued to ring out.
"We failed the mission!"
"Straw Hat escaped!"
Upon hearing this, the smile on Satan Saint's face instantly vanished, and the satisfied expressions on the other Gorosei's faces immediately turned to dissatisfaction, as they all frowned.
Sengoku, meanwhile, had a look of shock in his eyes, and he asked with a puzzled expression,
"What happened?"
"With the three of you there, how could you let them escape?"
Aokiji replied, "It was Kuma who did it!"
"We were engaged in battle with the Straw Hat, and Kuma suddenly appeared on the battlefield, using his ability to help the Straw Hat escape!"
"Kuma… betrayed us!"
Upon hearing this, Satan Saint cried out in disbelief.
"This is impossible!"
Seeing Satan Saint react with such agitation, Sengoku and the Admirals on the den den mushi were deeply surprised.
They only knew that Kuma had some kind of deal with the Gorosei, which was why he agreed to become a Shichibukai.
But what exactly it was, they were not clear.
However, despite Satan Saint's agitated protests of "impossible," he quickly regained his composure.
He trusted that the Admiral's report would not be wrong.
As for why Kuma would do such a thing, he could only ask him personally later; for now, focusing on Aokiji's report was most important.
Seeing Satan Saint calm down, Sengoku continued to ask, "How are the casualties?"
Aokiji surveyed the surrounding situation, and after a rough assessment, he reported, "Of the 1,500 Marines we brought, approximately 1,200 or more are dead or wounded."
"Seven out of 10 Pacifista were destroyed!"
"And… Sentomaru and Akainu are injured!"
Upon hearing the report, Sengoku and the Gorosei couldn't help but frown.
Their side had suffered such heavy losses.
"I didn't expect even Akainu to be injured!"
Sengoku's eyes showed shock as he exclaimed.
Then, he continued to ask, "What about the Straw Hat?"
"How many of them died?"
"Even if they escaped, they shouldn't be a threat now, right?!"
When Sengoku asked this question, the Gorosei all perked up their ears, listening intently.
Their side had suffered such heavy casualties, and even Akainu was injured.
Then surely the Straw Hat must have suffered even more severe casualties!
Perhaps the Straw Hat is no longer a threat to them now.
When they reach the New World, other pirates will easily deal with their remnants.
Just as the Gorosei were thinking this, Aokiji's very solemn voice came from the den den mushi.
"The Straw Hat's casualties are…"
"Zero!"
Boom!
As soon as these words were uttered, it was as if a thunderclap exploded within Sengoku and the Gorosei.
Everyone was instantly filled with extreme incredulity.
Their eyes were wide with shock, their brows deeply furrowed, and they subconsciously emitted an extremely terrifying aura!
The entire room instantly became incredibly oppressive, almost suffocating.
Sengoku roared in disbelief, "What did you say?!"
"How is that possible?!"
"The three of you acted at the same time, and you didn't even take down a single person on their side?"
"Our side suffered such heavy losses, and even Akainu was injured."
"You're telling me the Straw Hat had zero casualties?"
"Is Straw Hat really that strong?"
Sengoku found this news incredibly unbelievable.
Their side had the Three Admirals acting simultaneously.
Even if two Admirals dealt with Straw Hat, the last Admiral, along with Sentomaru and the Pacifista, should have absolutely overwhelmed the rest of the Straw Hat!
But with such a configuration, they couldn't even take down one person from the Straw Hat?!
And instead, Akainu was injured.
Could Straw Hat really be strong enough to simultaneously fight two Admirals, injure one of them, and still find time to support the rest of the Straw Hat?
If that were truly the case, then Straw Hat's strength would have reached the level of Whitebeard, who is currently known as the "World's Strongest Man"!
Sengoku and the Gorosei dared not imagine such a result.
Straw Hat is still so young, yet he has already grown to this level.
How terrifying will he be in the future?
In their minds, they all implicitly assumed that Akainu was injured by Straw Hat.
This was undoubtedly the case!
That's why they made the above inference and were all shocked by Straw Hat's strength.
However, just as they were collectively shocked and incredulous, the atmosphere among the Three Admirals was extremely quiet.
The three of them looked at each other, and each saw embarrassment and other different expressions on the other's face.
Akainu's was anger, an expression that vowed to tear the Straw Hat to shreds next time they met.
Kizaru, on the other hand, looked evasive, as if saying, "Don't look at this old man, this old man is just an extra!"
And Aokiji had a look of solemnity and shock.
The shock the Straw Hat brought him… was too great!
After a brief silence, Aokiji took a deep breath, suppressing some of the shock in his heart.
Then, with a heavy and serious tone, he reported to Sengoku and the Gorosei.
"Straw Hat… did not make a move!!!"