The Five Elders had barely swallowed the tea in their mouths when they heard Sengoku's words.
They finally couldn't hold it in any longer—
All five of them sprayed their tea out at once.
"Sengoku, you bastard! Can't you just say everything at once?!" the Five Elders complained irritably as they realized how undignified they had just looked.
If these five elderly men hadn't taken such good care of their health over the years, such shock at their age might have triggered heart attacks.
Sengoku pretended to look apologetic, but inwardly he was laughing.
Sorry about that… this reaction is exactly what I wanted.
All of you are clearly ecstatic inside, yet you're still trying to act calm…
Of course, Sengoku would never say those thoughts out loud.
"My apologies, esteemed Five Elders."
"The Seraphim simply possess too many abilities. It's difficult to explain them all at once," Sengoku said with a sly smile.
"Ahem…"
"Just be careful not to damage them," the elders coughed awkwardly before signaling for him to continue.
Under Sengoku's command, the Seraphim stacked themselves in a formation like a human tower.
Then Sengoku personally demonstrated the test.
He instantly activated his Golden Buddha form.
Brilliant golden light flooded the entire area.
The next moment—
A massive Buddha shockwave blasted directly toward the Seraphim.
Feeling the terrifying power behind Sengoku's attack, the Five Elders shouted in panic.
"Damn it! Sengoku is serious! That's the Buddha Palm shockwave!"
"Sengoku, you idiot! If you destroy even one of those Seraphim, we won't forgive you!"
The Five Elders were so nervous that their hearts nearly jumped out of their chests.
In truth, the abilities the Seraphim had already displayed had far exceeded their expectations.
Even if Sengoku hadn't shown the combined defensive ability, they would still have approved funding.
Now—
Their only concern was that Sengoku might accidentally destroy the Seraphim.
These machines represented the future of both the Navy and the World Government.
They absolutely could not be damaged.
Not even during testing.
The terrifying Buddha shockwave surged forward.
Just before it struck—
The ten Seraphim simultaneously raised their hands.
In the next moment, an invisible defensive barrier appeared around them.
BOOM!!!
The massive shockwave exploded around their bodies.
The ground shook violently under the immense force.
The terrifying shockwaves spread outward.
Trees, buildings, and structures around the training field were instantly obliterated.
Dust rose into the sky like a storm.
The Five Elders craned their necks anxiously, staring toward the Seraphim.
Gradually, the dust settled.
The ten Seraphim stood there.
Unchanged.
Their appearances were exactly the same as before.
Not a single scratch could be seen.
Not even a speck of dust had landed on them.
It worked.
Gulp…
The Five Elders could no longer maintain their composure.
They swallowed hard and stood frozen in place.
After a long moment, they finally regained their senses.
"They… actually blocked it."
"That was a full-power strike from the Fleet Admiral!"
"Even with combined defense, this is still unbelievable!"
"How terrifying… Are these really machines created by humans?"
"What kind of genius could invent something like this…?"
"With these Seraphim, the seas will become far more peaceful."
"Even now, it still feels like a dream…"
After wave upon wave of shock, the Five Elders' expressions had become incredibly complicated.
Are we dreaming?
A combined defense that could withstand the Fleet Admiral's full attack?
Could such a war machine really be developed by an eight-year-old child?
If that were true—
Then without a doubt, that child's technological genius had surpassed Vegapunk.
And who was Vegapunk?
The world's greatest scientist.
A man said to possess technology five hundred years ahead of the world.
And now—
He had been surpassed by an eight-year-old child?
Who would believe such a thing?
Even the Five Elders themselves still struggled to believe that these machines had truly been invented by a child.
"Sengoku…"
"These Seraphim were really invented by Kizaru's younger brother, Xia Yu?"
"An eight-year-old child… his brain hasn't even finished developing yet!"
"And he can create something like this?" the Five Elders asked with disbelief.
They had heard Sengoku's reports earlier.
But they had never imagined the machines would be powerful enough to change the balance of the entire world.
Sengoku's smile was almost reaching his ears.
The Five Elders' expressions right now looked exactly like his own the first time he witnessed the Seraphim's abilities.
Looks like the moment has come.
Time to reveal the real purpose of this visit.
"Yes."
"These Seraphim were indeed created by Xia Yu."
"I witnessed it personally," Sengoku said honestly.
"And according to Xia Yu…"
"These Seraphim are not the strongest models yet."
"With his technology, he can even create Admiral-level Seraphim."
"…What?!"
The Five Elders' eyes widened again.
Admiral-level Seraphim…
Could such machines actually be developed?
This time their entire worldview had been shattered.
Since when was creating such war machines so easy?
Even Vegapunk, the world's greatest scientist, had needed two full years to develop the Pacifistas.
Yet an eight-year-old child had already created Warlord-level Seraphim.
And now he could even produce Admiral-level versions?
"How long?" the Five Elders asked excitedly.
If Admiral-level Seraphim could be mass-produced within a year…
The Navy would become unstoppable.
Even the Four Emperors could be eliminated if the Navy wished.
Warlord-level Seraphim could break the balance of the seas.
But Admiral-level Seraphim…
They would ensure that only one power remained in the world.
The Navy.
"It's hard to say," Sengoku said thoughtfully.
"But Xia Yu assured me it wouldn't exceed this number."
He raised one finger.
Seeing the gesture, the Five Elders nodded with satisfaction.
"One year?"
"Excellent!"
"Heaven truly blesses Mary Geoise! Hahaha!"
One year?
What nonsense.
They clearly underestimated Xia Yu.
Sengoku smiled bitterly.
"Esteemed Five Elders… I believe you misunderstood."
"Not one year."
"One week."
"Xia Yu said the Admiral-level Seraphim can be completed within a few days—at most one week."
"…!"
Less than a week?!
The Five Elders stared at him in disbelief.
Xia Yu's talent…
Was actually more terrifying than Vegapunk's?
Vegapunk had needed enormous funding and years of research just to develop the Pacifistas.
Yet this eight-year-old child could produce far stronger weapons with less time and fewer resources.
Truly terrifying.
The Five Elders slowly smiled.
If that were the case—
The day the Navy swept across the seas was approaching very soon.
Their hearts were filled with excitement.
Seeing their reactions, Sengoku stepped forward.
"The technology is not the problem."
"But there is still a practical issue."
"As the saying goes—money can stop even a hero."
"The Navy's budget is simply too limited."
"The funds used to develop the Warlord-level Seraphim were squeezed out of the warship construction budget…"
"So as for the Admiral-level Seraphim…"
The Five Elders exchanged glances and smiled.
"No matter the cost, the Admiral-level Seraphim must be developed."
"How much funding do you need?"