"The newspaper was published?"
"That bastard Morgans, does he have a death wish?"
The five old men in the Holy Land flew into a rage upon receiving this news, wishing they could tear Morgans' head off right now.
But they also knew this man couldn't be killed.
After all... their World Government still needed his news agency to help control public opinion.
"Regardless, this man needs to be punished for releasing such news without authorization," Saint Saturn said coldly.
"Seconded!"
The other four old men had no objections.
Although they had a cooperative relationship with Morgans, that didn't mean he could provoke them recklessly.
This was a perfect opportunity to teach this bastard a lesson.
To prevent this arrogant fool from releasing any more explosive news.
"Although the newspaper has already been published, as long as we eliminate the entire Straw Hat Pirates, we can minimize the impact," Saint Mars said. "Then we'll publish news of their deaths to show the world the consequences of targeting Celestial Dragons!!"
Hearing this, the other four fell silent.
Upon reflection, Saint Mars' words made sense.
While they were furious about the death of a Celestial Dragon... they wouldn't mind using their demise to intimidate the seas.
Cold-blooded as it was, this was the optimal solution.
As for whether the Straw Hat Pirates might escape... that possibility never even crossed their minds.
If two Marine Admirals working together couldn't capture a group of rookies, then the Marines were truly hopeless.
After all... those were two of the Marine Headquarters' Top Forces!
Just then, the Den Den Mushi placed before Saint Warcury suddenly rang.
"Buro buro buro~"
"Buro buro buro~"
"Buro buro buro~"
"Click~"
"This is Sengoku."
"Sengoku?" Saint Warcury raised an eyebrow. "Have you dealt with the Straw Hat Pirates?"
Calling at this time... they must have eliminated the unnecessary elements.
After a moment of silence, Sengoku replied, "Apologies, the Straw Hat Pirates escaped."
"What did you say?!"
The five old men erupted in fury upon hearing this, their eyes practically spitting flames.
They had specifically dispatched two of the Marine Headquarters' Top Forces to capture the Straw Hat Pirates, yet... they still got away?
What the hell were the Marines doing?!
How could such a powerful lineup let a group of rookies escape?
"Sengoku, I demand an explanation!"
"Exactly, how could they escape when two Marine Admirals were working together?"
"Are Marine Admirals all useless?!"
Saint Mars was especially furious.
Back at Enies Lobby, that useless Aokiji had failed to capture the Straw Hat Pirates, allowing them to escape and humiliating their World Government!
And now?
Kizaru and Akainu working together still let the Straw Hat Pirates escape... How was that possible?
Could it be that heaven itself favored this pirate crew?
He refused to believe it!
"Kizaru was rescued by Rayleigh during his battle with the Blood-Eyed Ninja," Sengoku reported. "As you all know, Rayleigh's strength is formidable. With him present, Kizaru truly had no chance of capturing anyone."
"The opponent's power is in no way inferior to a Marine Admiral!"
"After all... this is the Pirate King's former right-hand man!!"
Hearing Sengoku's words, the group exchanged glances before Saint Mars spoke up: "That bastard Rayleigh is causing trouble again?"
If that man intended to stir up major trouble, it would indeed be quite problematic.
Who knew what kind of headlines he might create.
"No, he merely took an interest in the Straw Hat Pirates and thus intervened to stop Kizaru," Sengoku clarified.
He had to make this clear; otherwise, the Five Elders might order Rayleigh's arrest.
But that would be extremely unwise and must be avoided.
"Is that so...?"
Saint Mars sighed in relief. If it was just support for one pirate crew, then it wasn't a major issue.
As long as that man didn't set sail again, things wouldn't escalate further.
"What about Akainu?" Saint Warcury interjected. "Didn't he encounter the Straw Hat Pirates?"
"According to Akainu's report, he intercepted the Blood-Eyed Ninja—Meiser."
Crack!
Veins bulged on Saint Saturn's forehead as he roared, "Then why did he fail?!"
Akainu was their most favored Marine Admiral.
Yet... he failed to capture his target despite encountering him?
Could that Blood-Eyed Ninja truly rival a Marine Admiral in strength?
The thought briefly crossed Saint Saturn's mind before he dismissed it.
Judging by the battle at Enies Lobby, the opponent didn't possess Admiral-level combat prowess—otherwise, they wouldn't have needed such convoluted tactics.
After all... someone at that level wouldn't need such elaborate methods to destroy a Buster Call.
"Moria suddenly appeared and prevented Sakazuki from pursuing the Blood-Eyed Ninja."
"That useless trash has the power to stop Akainu?!"
Saint Saturn's words left Sengoku momentarily speechless.
Truthfully... this was something he, too, found puzzling.
Could that worthless fool who hid in the Devil's Triangle playing with zombies really have the strength to hold back Sakazuki?
Even if he had regained his mastery of Haki, he shouldn't be a match for Sakazuki.
Yet the facts were undeniable—whether he believed it or not.
As for whether Akainu had intentionally let them escape... he'd sooner believe Whitebeard was an ally than suspect Akainu of betrayal.
"I asked you a question!"
"Moria's strength has indeed improved dramatically," Sengoku explained. "Though still inferior to Sakazuki's..."
"...it would be impossible to quickly subdue him."
"Moria didn't give Sakazuki the chance to kill him either—after delaying him briefly, he escaped."
"Escaped..."
Saint Warcury let out a bitter laugh.
Not only had they failed to capture the Straw Hat Pirates, but they'd also let Moria slip through their fingers?
Were this generation's Marine Admirals... truly so incompetent?
For a moment, Saint Warcury questioned whether appointing these three as Admirals had been the right decision.
"Moria has mastered the ability to fly, and his speed is extremely fast," Sengoku said. "Even if Sakazuki used Moonwalk to chase him, he wouldn't be able to catch up."
"The Shadow-Shadow Fruit, huh..."
Saint Saturn immediately grasped the crux of the matter. It seemed Moria had significantly improved his mastery over his Devil Fruit Ability.
"Wait, according to your account, Akainu should have engaged the Blood-Eyed Ninja before Moria arrived."
"Correct."
Sengoku nodded, naturally understanding the implication. He explained, "But the Blood-Eyed Ninja possesses what appears to be an immortal body."
"Immortal body?!"
Saint Saturn's pupils constricted sharply. How could the enemy have such an ability?
Wasn't this the power of immortality that only Imu-sama could bestow upon others?
Why did the enemy also possess such an ability?
"Only appears to be," Sengoku clarified. "Akainu briefly fought him but couldn't kill him."
"Every time Akainu destroyed the Blood-Eyed Ninja's body, he would reappear unharmed before Akainu."
As he spoke, Sengoku's expression grew grave.
Even he found this report utterly unbelievable when he first read it.
What kind of bizarre ability was this?
"Did Akainu confirm he was killing the real body?" Saint Saturn asked.
At this point, he had no time to dwell on Akainu's lethal methods. The priority was to understand the nature of this supposed immortality.
"Confirmed," Sengoku replied. "Akainu's Observation Haki was locked onto the target the entire time. He was certain it was the real body!"
And this... was precisely what left them baffled.
What kind of Devil Fruit Ability allowed the user to revive instantly after being killed and resume attacking?
An unseen Mythical Zoan?
Or a rule-based Paramecia ability?
Saint Saturn fell silent for a moment before saying, "My interest in him grows by the minute."
This ability resembling immortality... what exactly was it?
He was deeply curious.
If only they could capture and study him properly.
"No wonder Akainu couldn't subdue him," Saint Mars remarked. "So he has such an ability."
Saint Mars pondered. Since the enemy hadn't used this ability during the Enies Lobby incident, it was possible he had only recently acquired it.
At this moment, the words "Devil Fruit" surfaced in Saint Mars's mind.
He wondered if some god-tier Devil Fruit had appeared by chance, only to be stumbled upon and consumed by this brat?
The probability wasn't low...
"So, this guy relied on this ability to help the Straw Hat Pirates escape Sabaody Archipelago?"
"No, not quite."
At this, Saint Nusjuro's eyes flashed with confusion.
No?
Could there be another twist?
"Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, appeared on Sabaody Archipelago for unknown reasons," Sengoku said. "The Straw Hat Pirates survived and escaped thanks to him."
"Crack—"
Veins bulged on Saint Nusjuro's face as terrifying killing intent radiated from his eyes.
So it was this traitor all along?
Not just him—the other four elders also grasped the key to the situation.
It must be that bastard Kuma who used his Devil Fruit powers to send the Straw Hat Pirates flying!
Otherwise, how could these rookies possibly escape the encirclement of two Marine Admirals?
Even if that Blood-Eyed Ninja possessed some kind of immortality-like ability, it wouldn't matter... because the others would still die!
Yet because of that scoundrel Kuma, the entire Straw Hat Pirates managed to escape!
"How truly... unexpected."
"We've received your report," Saint Shepherd said with a grim expression. "Now focus your efforts on dealing with Whitebeard."
"As for the Straw Hat Pirates and Moria... I'll have CP agents track them down."
Saint Shepherd also understood that the Navy couldn't be entirely blamed for this incident. After all... who could have predicted so many people would come to the Straw Hat Pirates' aid?
So... let them concentrate on Whitebeard for now.
Punishments could be discussed later.
"Understood."
Click
Ignoring the disconnected Den Den Mushi, Saint Saturn spoke up: "Now I understand how the Straw Hat Pirates survived the Devil's Triangle."
"All this time, it was because of Kuma!!"
Combining today's intelligence with previous events, everything made sense now.
That bastard Kuma had never truly tried to kill the Straw Hat Pirates!
He might have even helped them back then.
That damn traitor!!
"We were truly careless..." Saint Mars frowned. "Who would have thought he'd betray us?"
A Royal Seven Warlord who willingly served as their dog, only to turn traitor for the Straw Hat Pirates in the end?
Saint Mars couldn't comprehend his motives.
Could it be that after Bonney recovered and escaped, Kuma no longer had any restraints... and thus acted recklessly?
"Perhaps... it was the madness of a dying man?" Saint Warcury speculated.
At these words, the others fell silent.
While the theory sounded far-fetched... it wasn't impossible!
"Of course, we can't rule out that Kuma might have known someone among the Straw Hat Pirates," Saint Shepherd suggested.
That would explain things.
"Regardless, we'll never know what Kuma was truly thinking," Saint Saturn said. "He's already undergone Consciousness Removal Surgery. Even if we kill him now, we won't obtain any useful information."
Because... Kuma is already dead!
He's truly become nothing more than a biological weapon now—Pacifista PX-0!
So... Kuma's true intentions will forever remain a mystery.
Even they can no longer extract any information from him.
"Is that so—"
"Then we should focus on minimizing the fallout," Saint Warcury said.
"As I mentioned earlier," Saint Shepherd continued, "have CP agents track down the Straw Hat Pirates."
"Once found, eliminate them immediately—don't give them any chance to resurface!"
As long as news of the Straw Hat Pirates' survival doesn't spread, their dignity won't be completely lost.
"Seconded!"
"By the way, find a way to capture that Blood-Eyed Ninja," Saint Saturn said. "I'm growing increasingly curious about his abilities.
That seemingly immortal power... is it derived from his bloodline, or did he consume some divine-level Devil Fruit?
Whichever it is, it's worth obtaining for ourselves!"
"Indeed, this Blood-Eyed Ninja must be captured!"
"An immortal body... such power belongs only to the gods. It should not exist among the lower beings."
"Exactly. His very existence is an affront to divine authority!"
At this moment, the five old men reached a unanimous agreement—the Blood-Eyed Ninja must be apprehended!
"Have Stussy cooperate with CP0 to gather intelligence in the New World," Saint Warcury said. "As for Paradise and the Four Seas, let the CP units handle the search."
"Even if it's like searching for a needle in a haystack, we must find this man!"
"Seconded!"
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