When Luo Chen's abilities were mentioned, the Five Elders all frowned deeply, completely bewildered.
Saint Saturn analyzed, "There are several suspicious points about Luo Chen right now."
"One, is how he, inside Impel Down, while wearing full Seastone handcuffs, was able to escape unharmed."
"Two, his strength has improved too quickly."
"During his East Blue period, a Marine Rear Admiral could still pose a threat to him."
"Two months later, the Marines gathered their full strength, and were actually no match for him."
Speaking of this, one of the Five Elders, Jaygarcia Saturn, also found it inconceivable. His eyes were filled with astonishment and confusion.
If Red Hair and the God's Knights hadn't arrived in time, all the Marine high command at Marineford would have died.
Faced with a meteor of that scale, Sengoku, Tsuru, and Garp... not one would have survived.
Of the three Marine Admirals, Aokiji and Kizaru were already captured alive.
In the end, only Akainu might have been left all alone.
Fortunately, this did not happen.
Otherwise, the Marines, which the World Government had built for over eight hundred years, would exist in name only.
Saint Saturn continued, "Three, are the multiple unexplainable abilities Luo Chen possesses."
"If we can clarify these three points of doubt, we can resolve the Luo Chen issue with minimal cost."
The blond Five Elder said with regret, "This person rose too quickly. Otherwise, we could have planted a spy by his side to find out the truth."
Saturn shook his head. "It's too late to say that now. Luo Chen is growing rapidly, and he has no reverence for the Celestial Dragons. If he is not eliminated quickly, he will become a great disaster."
The meaning in his words was to obliterate Luo Chen as soon as possible. They could not give Luo Chen any more time to grow.
They didn't know if Luo Chen still had room to become stronger. But as long as they killed him, all problems would be solved.
The bald Five Elder said in a deep voice, "Luo Chen has already become a major force. Not just his own strength, but he also has many powerful individuals by his side."
"In this war, Whitebeard was saved by him. With Edward Newgate's character, he will not sit by and watch Luo Chen be besieged."
Saint Saturn said resolutely, "We must kill him anyway. With Luo Chen's current reputation and strength, he can rally countless supporters with a single call."
"If we don't kill him now, more people will only join him in the future."
"At that time, the cost to kill him will be even greater."
"As for Luo Chen's subordinates, they are basically the vicious pirates from Level 6 of Impel Down."
"Whether they are loyal or not is a question."
"We can secretly send people to contact them, attempt to turn them, and have them strike Luo Chen from behind at a critical moment."
His words made the other four nod. It made sense.
Saint Saturn continued, "We originally intended to make an example of Whitebeard, to suppress the rising trend of piracy."
"As a result, Luo Chen instead used this battle to shock the world."
"This matter is a failure for us."
"But thinking about it differently, it might just be a better opportunity."
He scanned the four and said slowly, "After summoning two meteors, Luo Chen's prestige and strength, in the eyes of the world, may have already surpassed Whitebeard's."
"To annihilate him while he is at the peak of his power."
"The blow to the pirate world, the warning to the people, the effect would be even greater than destroying the Whitebeard Pirates."
"We will use Luo Chen, 'kill the chicken to scare the monkey', and intimidate all pirates!"
Saint Saturn's words were resounding, implying it must be done. The other four pondered and agreed.
"Alright, we will execute Luo Chen as a warning to others."
"For Luo Chen's crime of killing a Celestial Dragon, we will continue the hunt. Gather all our forces for a single, decisive strike."
"This world is still ours. It belongs to Lord Imu."
"We will make an example of Luo Chen, to awaken those who attempt to rebel. Those who make an enemy of the Celestial Dragons will never have a good end."
Seeing they agreed, Saint Saturn proposed, "The Sabaody Archipelago in seven days is our chance."
"We shall descend personally, unite the God's Knights, CP0, and the three Admirals, and annihilate Luo Chen."
"Aokiji and Kizaru are heavily injured. Send someone to the Dressrosa Kingdom to bring back the Heal-Heal Fruit user."
The bald Five Elder, the blond Five Elder, and the others thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
'Since Luo Chen is coming to pick up the traded goods, he must come in person. If he sends a subordinate, then after the Five Elders get the two Admirals back, they will definitely kill Luo Chen's subordinate and take back the traded goods.'
...
One day later, Impel Down, Level 6.
Sengoku sat cross-legged in the depths of the prison cell, his hair disheveled.
He lowered his head, silent, like dead wood.
A moment later, the sound of footsteps came from outside the cell, slowly stopping in front of the iron gate.
Sengoku raised his head and looked at the person behind the dark bars.
Garp had a complicated expression. He asked, "What did you call me here for?"
He didn't know what attitude to take toward Sengoku. What this old friend had done had touched Garp's moral bottom line.
Sengoku slowly stood up, walked to Garp, and asked in a low voice, "Did you bring the thing I asked you to bring?"
Garp glanced at the surveillance Den Den Mushi in the corner of the cell and gave an imperceptible nod.
A smile appeared on Sengoku's face. He brushed back the black hair covering his face. One lens of his round glasses was already broken.
His appearance made Garp feel terrible.
Since they met in their youth, he had never seen Sengoku so dejected.
Sengoku smiled slightly. "The next thing, Garp, you must help me."
Garp frowned slightly. "What exactly are you planning to do?"
Sengoku had someone pass a message, asking him to bring a video Den Den Mushi to Impel Down. But he hadn't specified what for.
Sengoku took a deep breath, still smiling. "To clear Luo Chen's name before the world, and to confess my sins to the world."
Garp asked instinctively, "Didn't Tsuru already say it?"
Sengoku shook his head. "Tsuru said it, but I haven't. This still leaves the World Government room to maneuver."
Garp was suddenly alarmed. "The World Government is preparing to deny Tsuru's statement?"
"More than that." Sengoku said slowly, "A short while ago, the Five Elders sent someone to contact me. They are preparing to pin what I did on Tsuru, and sentence her to death."
Garp's face instantly darkened.
"They want to make Tsuru your scapegoat? The Five Elders are truly shameless!"
Seeing Garp's agitation, Sengoku signaled him with his eyes to calm down.
"Quiet down. The surveillance Den Den Mushi is still listening."
After speaking, Sengoku had Garp take out the video Den Den Mushi he had brought.
"Only if I confess can Tsuru escape this disaster."
As Sengoku spoke, he took off his Marine "Justice" coat.
Garp frowned. "Sengoku, you are defying the World Government's decision. The you of the past would never have done this."
Sengoku's movement of smoothing the Justice coat paused, and he smiled bitterly:
"Those two meteors from Luo Chen... they woke me up."
"The looks in the eyes of the many Marines at Marineford the moment they learned the truth... they pierced me awake."
His voice was low. "What the World Government is doing to Tsuru now is no different from what I did to Luo Chen."
"I was wrong. I abandoned my belief in justice."
"The World Government is also wrong. It has also abandoned its belief in justice."
"In this final period of my time, I hope I can be a just man."
Hearing Sengoku's last sentence, Garp's expression changed drastically. He shouted, "What are you going to do?!"
'Final period of my time?'
'Sengoku, he...'
"If I don't die, the World Government won't give up, and Tsuru will become the scapegoat," Sengoku smiled.
"Although Tsuru verbally disowned me, she didn't leave when the meteor came."
"She still remembers me as her old friend."
Sengoku smiled happily.
He took a piece of white cloth from his breast pocket. The edges were ragged, as if torn from clothing.
On the white cloth was a line of crimson text, written in blood.
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