The Five Elders spoke in a low voice: "He's not even a pirate. Why would he go to Laugh Tale?"
Akainu smiled faintly.
"What kind of question is that?
Since when has what Uchiha Chiyu wants to do had anything to do with his status or title?
Did he follow orders when he wore a Marine coat?"
Cold sweat beaded on the Five Elders' brows.
"You're right. That man is extreme and obsessive—lawless. Once he sets his mind on something, no one can stop him. If he gets the last Road Poneglyph, he really might reach Laugh Tale and expose everything to the world…"
Suddenly, a thought struck them.
"Akainu—don't tell us you sent Ryokugyu to wipe out the Big Mom Pirates just to lend Uchiha Chiyu a hand—make it easier for him to get the third Road Poneglyph—and force our hand!"
Sakazuki's reply was ice-cold. "Absolutely not. Why would I ever help Uchiha Chiyu?"
"Save the tricks for someone else," the Five Elders sneered. "We know the World Government's been prodding you to deal with him, and you resent it. You see our power but refuse to move—so you used this mess to push us, didn't you? You realize we could sentence you to death for that alone."
Sakazuki, of course, would never admit it.
"I already said I'll shoulder any blame. If you want me dead, I can't stop you."
But they couldn't kill him. A Marine Admiral was already dead; if the Fleet Admiral fell too, what would that do to the World Government's prestige? And with the world this unstable, letting go of a top-tier fighter like Akainu was out of the question.
That didn't mean they weren't furious.
"Akainu, you forced our hand at a horrific cost. This won't just blow over. But the world is in chaos—we still need your strength. Go clean up Ryokugyu's mess."
Akainu gave a small smile. "Understood, honored Five Elders."
Watching his back as he left, they traded looks.
"A cold-blooded, ruthless man…"
"Do you think he really helped Uchiha Chiyu get a Road Poneglyph just to force our move—and paid that kind of price?"
"He's absolutely the type to do it. But even he probably didn't expect it to get that bloody. Ryokugyu Aramaki is one of his fanatics—he wouldn't plan to throw a man like that away."
The Five Elders weren't fools; they saw through Akainu's game quickly. But everything he'd done was an open gambit. And the truth was, they couldn't sit by and let Uchiha Chiyu reach Laugh Tale.
"Forget Akainu for the moment—stopping Uchiha Chiyu is urgent. Where's the last Road Poneglyph?"
The others shook their heads.
"It's been adrift for years. No one knows exactly where it is. But there are a few suspects…"
"First possibility: Red-Haired Shanks."
"Shanks? The son of Saint Figarland Garling, commander of the God Knights—and the twin brother of Saint Shamrock. He's got Celestial Dragon blood, yet chose to be a pirate and follow that bastard Gol D. Roger. Unthinkable…"
"Second possibility: Blackbeard."
"Marshall D. Teach—ex-Whitebeard pirate. In no time at all he climbed to become one of the new Four Emperors. His ambition and methods are rivaled only by his 'father' in savagery—"
"Rocks D. Xebec."
Silence fell.
"Every one of them is a headache…"
"And the third possibility?"
"Elbaf."
"Elbaf… 'the strongest nation,' land of giants. Not an easy place to break."
"In any case, Uchiha Chiyu must be stopped. If we can't confirm the last stone's location, then killing Uchiha Chiyu himself will suffice."
Another Elder spoke, voice low: "What's the plan—do we move personally? Or do we dispatch the God Knights?"
They paused to think.
"This is too important. We should report to Imu-sama and let him decide."
"Agreed. Uchiha Chiyu has become a paramount threat to the World Government—greater even than the revolutionary Dragon and the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger."
"Let Imu-sama decide."
…
Holy Land Mary Geoise, Pangaea Castle, the Room of Flowers.
This is a forbidden place—unknown even to the Marines and most of the Government. Only the Five Elders, the highest authority, may enter.
On the "Empty Throne," where not even the Celestial Dragons are allowed to sit, a shadowy figure sat composed and unreadable.
To the world, the Five Elders rule everything. Yet before this figure, they prostrated themselves with genuine reverence and fear.
"Imu-sama."
They bowed, trembling.
"What is it?" The voice from the Empty Throne was indifferent—neither male nor female, stripped of any human warmth, as if it belonged to something beyond humanity altogether.
The Five Elders hurriedly laid out all that had happened—especially everything concerning Uchiha Chiyu.
A chill flickered in Imu's eyes.
"Just one Uchiha Chiyu—and the World Government still can't deal with him?"
"How can the five of you be so useless?"
Called incompetent, the Five Elders didn't dare show a spark of anger. They were terrified.
"Yes, Imu-sama. We failed your trust. But what should we do now? Should we take the field ourselves?"
Imu's voice stayed cold.
"You can, if you wish. But you call yourselves the world's supreme authority. If you strike and come back empty-handed, it will announce the World Government's impotence to the world."
"So…"
"You bear the consequences."
They trembled. If the mission failed, death likely awaited them. They were Celestial Dragons—the highest of the high—but none of that mattered before Imu. Even the Five Elders were puppets here, to be disposed of at will.
They hurriedly took their leave.
Imu stared into the darkness.
"Uchiha Chiyu…"
"You are not of this world."
"What is your aim? Why hide your true face? Do you intend to destroy everything?"
"Who… are you?"
…
Staggering out of the Room of Flowers, the Five Elders exchanged weary looks and sighed.
"In hindsight, we shouldn't have reported to Imu-sama…"
"If we move and still can't kill Uchiha Chiyu, we'll be the ones to die."
"Better to hand it to the God Knights…"
"Enough. What's done is done. We have to throw everything we've got at this."
"If the five of us strike together, forget Uchiha Chiyu—we could wipe out the Emperors."
"Easy to say. Every time we see Uchiha Chiyu, he's stronger than before. He keeps beating opponents he shouldn't. That's what worries me."
"True. Back in Wano, he shouldn't have been anywhere near Kaido's level. Two years later, he'd already trained himself beyond Kaido. He's terrifying—but precisely because of that, this has to end now. Otherwise he'll threaten the entire world."
…
Meanwhile.
After taking Totto Land, Chiyu's power hit its peak. Not even Whitebeard at his prime—or the Pirate King, Roger—had ever held so much territory or influence.
Totto Land, Wano, Dressrosa, Punk Hazard, the Thunder God's Three Isles…
Counting Chiyu's own holdings, he controlled the equivalent of three Emperors' worth of turf.
At this point, beyond the World Government itself, no force could truly match him. Red-Haired Shanks's crew, the Whitebeard–Straw Hat alliance, Blackbeard's Destroyers' Alliance—none of them compared to Chiyu's Undying Legion.
There was, of course, one more power you couldn't underestimate: the Revolutionary Army. Their path was different from all the rest—agitators and organizers inside nations, pushing revolutions from within, eroding the World Government's power from the back. They've declared it openly: they aren't enemies of the world—they're enemies of the Celestial Dragons' system of exploitation and privilege.
Honestly, if Chiyu hadn't exploded onto the scene and grown into a world-shaking force, the Revolutionaries would still be the Celestial Dragons' biggest headache. Pirates and Emperors wouldn't even be second on the list.
By now, the World Government had stopped updating Chiyu's wanted poster. Bounties in the billions are meaningless. Only Admirals or the Five Elders themselves could ever capture someone like him, and those sorts of people don't need a bounty to move. Aside from spooking civilians, wanted posters had lost all point.
At this moment the Undying Legion burned across the world like wildfire. Not just within their borders—Marines, civilians, ordinary people everywhere were defecting and flocking to their banner. It wasn't merely a faction anymore; it was starting to look like a popular faith.
Because his territory was too vast, Chiyu had to split his forces to hold it.
Black Arm Zephyr held Wano, with Ain, Binz, and Shuzo under him—and support from Ashura Doji, Denjiro, Kawamatsu, and, nearby on Zou, Nekomamushi, Inuarashi, and the Mink Tribe.
Totto Land was jointly garrisoned by the Empress Boa Hancock and Trafalgar Law. Along with their own crews, Chiyu assigned Barbara, Baby 5, and others to reinforce them.
Smoker and Tashigi still guarded Punk Hazard.
Hina handled coordination from Dressrosa, positioned to mobilize anything, anytime.
Franky—and his old subordinates Bred and Box—stayed with Chiyu at their original stronghold, Thunder God Island.
And those were just the visible pieces. Many nations he'd helped before were quietly backing the Undying Legion: places all across the East Blue; Alabasta; Skypiea; Water 7; the waters around Thriller Bark; Fish-Man Island; and more.
These days, Chiyu could only convene strategy sessions through video Transponder Snails.
"Chiyu-sama," Trafalgar Law reported, "things are stabilizing in most regions. Our Undying Legion is now over a hundred thousand strong—and growing fast. The question is: what do we do next?"
Chiyu's ultimate goal had never changed: purge every last strand of darkness from the One Piece world. That meant pirates would die, the World Government would fall, and the Celestial Dragons would get no mercy. Now two of the Emperors were gone, and the old Seven Warlords system was dead—some slain, some absorbed, all out of the picture.
The plan: find Laugh Tale's secret and use it to leverage the whole world—then wipe evil out in one stroke.
"We have three of the four Road Poneglyphs," Chiyu said. "The last one's exact location is unknown. It might be with Red-Haired Shanks. It might be with Blackbeard. It might be in the giants' country—Elbaf. For now, I intend to move on Red-Haired Shanks first."
"Shanks, huh?" Zephyr rumbled. "The last of the old Four Emperors. If he falls too, that'll mark the true beginning of the new era."
Boa Hancock frowned. "Chiyu-sama, you've never lost—but Shanks is no pushover. Marching into his home ground raises another problem: how do we command dispersed forces at the same time?"
Chiyu shook his head.
"No large-scale war this time. You say our fronts are stable, and we've restored our numbers—but Wano and Totto Land took a toll. The Undying Legion needs time to recover and prepare for the final battle. I'm going to fight Red-Hair alone."
Everyone was stunned.
"Chiyu-sama! Even for you, taking on an Emperor's entire crew by yourself is too risky!"
The one speaking was Nami, who hadn't been heard from in a while—older now, and formidable. She'd mastered the Smooth-Smooth Fruit, begun training in Rokushiki, and awakened Observation Haki. She could handle herself just fine.
Chiyu was calm. "Shanks and I have already crossed blades. On paper I won, but in truth, I lost to him. We made a pact: once we were both in the New World, we'd settle it. It's time."
They wanted to argue more, but Chiyu ended it: "That's my final decision."
Franky grinned. "Hey, even if you're going solo, you still need a ship. Sure, you can fly—but you can't crisscross the whole New World like that."
"Bring me."
Chiyu hesitated, then nodded. "All right."
Franky beamed. "Perfect. I've got a little 'surprise' I want to introduce to the world. Let Red-Haired Shanks be the first to try it!"