A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

"This variable must be completely eliminated!"

The Five Elders, wielding their swords, declared decisively, "Until they truly grow into the next Rocks Pirates!"

Silence fell in the room once again.

Erasing it? Easier said than done.

Even the Knights of God suffered a crushing defeat. On this vast ocean, besides the Marine Headquarters coming out in full force, who else can punish those monsters?

Just then, a faint footstep, seemingly from another dimension, echoed in the empty room.

The five elderly men, who were usually high and mighty and regarded all things as ants, stood up in unison the moment they heard the footsteps, then knelt respectfully on one knee with their heads bowed deeply.

A colossal shadow, its form beyond description, seemingly composed of endless void, silently appeared on the empty throne at the far end of the room.

There was no sound, no words.

But a terrifying pressure, enough to make heaven and earth pale in comparison, instantly enveloped the entire realm of power.

The shadow, or rather the being called Im, simply raised a hand, extended a finger, and gently pointed at the small, thin figure calmly serving soup to its companion in the image of the Den Den Mushi.

A single word came from the endless void, carrying an unquestionable will to erase everything.

"……Hungry."

The Five Elders shuddered violently, their foreheads beaded with cold sweat.

They understood what Lord Im meant.

Lord Im wasn't truly hungry; rather, he sensed from the cook a power over food that belonged to his kind and posed a threat to his position.

There can only be one god on this vast ocean.

There can only be one law of food that transcends all things.

Lord Im's will resounded like a silent thunderclap in the hearts of the five elders.

That simple syllable does not contain mere hunger, but rather a higher level of vigilance and hostility originating from the realm of laws.

On this vast ocean, someone has ventured into a forbidden territory that should not belong to mortals.

When Im's figure vanished from the throne as if he had never been there, the terrifying pressure that could freeze the soul also dissipated.

The five elderly men slowly stood up, their backs soaked with cold sweat.

They looked at each other and saw an unprecedented solemnity and determination in each other's eyes.

"Lord Im has been alerted..."

The Five Elders' voice was hoarse as he gripped the First Generation Kitetsu at his waist again; the icy touch calmed his wildly beating heart a little.

"It seems that the seriousness of the matter has exceeded our expectations."

"Hungry……"

The towering Five Elders chewed on the word, their eyes becoming incredibly deep.

"The last time Lord Im uttered this word was on the eve of the destruction of the Great Kingdom, when they attempted to use technology to usurp the authority of the gods."

"And this time, it's because of a chef's cooking."

The blonde Elder's tone carried a hint of absurdity, but even more so, a chilling dread that penetrated to the bone.

Chapter 177 Taking Action Personally

"It's ironic that we guard against the ambitions of the D clan and are wary of the resurgence of ancient weapons, yet we never imagined that one day this threat would appear on a pot."

"Now is not the time to discuss these things."

The Five Elders, with a scar on their foreheads, interrupted everyone's thoughts. His voice was resolute and full of decisiveness.

"Lord Im's will is clear: the Whitebeard Pirates, especially that cook named Rein, must be completely wiped out—not just defeated, not imprisoned, but utterly eradicated from this world, along with his strange abilities!"

The atmosphere in the room turned tense again.

How to erase it?

The blonde Five Elders raised the most crucial question.

"The Knights of God have failed. They are top-tier combat forces specifically designed to deal with ability users. Even they couldn't break through that chef's culinary domain. Sending more people would only be like delivering food to the enemy."

"Should we deploy the Navy Headquarters?"

The five elders holding knives shook their heads.

"Garp is reliable, but he and Newgate are old acquaintances, so he might not go all out. Sengoku and Zephyr are loyal, but they would probably only be evenly matched with the Whitebeard Pirates after they took the magic drug."

“Once the war becomes a stalemate and becomes known to the whole world, the prestige of our world government will be completely destroyed.”

This is indeed a dilemma.

The Whitebeard Pirates are like a hedgehog covered in sharp quills; anyone who touches them will get pricked and bleed, and one wrong move could even result in their death.

"Since conventional methods have failed..."

The Five Elders, who had been silent all along and had long white beards, finally spoke. His gaze swept over the other four people present, and his eyes flashed with a crazy yet resolute light.

"Then we'll have to resort to unconventional methods."

He slowly stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the world shrouded in a sea of ​​clouds. His voice was not loud, but it echoed in the room like thunder.

"We will take action ourselves."

Upon hearing this, the other four members of the Five Elders all shuddered.

To take action personally?

The meaning behind these four words is far too heavy.

They are the highest authority in the World Government, the five stars standing at the pinnacle of the world, and the true guardians of the Celestial Dragons.

For centuries, they have remained hidden behind the scenes, manipulating the world's chessboard; their very existence is the world's greatest secret and deterrent.

Not to mention taking action personally, the last time they left Mary Geoise together was during a turbulent era hundreds of years ago.

"Satan Saint, have you gone mad?"

The blond Five Elders were the first to raise a question: "If our identities are exposed, the entire world order will collapse! The Celestial Dragons' divinity will cease to exist!"

"order?"

The long-bearded elder, known as Saint Satan, turned around with a cold smile on his face.

"If that chef continues to grow stronger, how long do you think our so-called order can be maintained? When he can use his cooking to create monsters comparable to generals, our order will be a joke in the face of absolute power!"

"That chef's abilities have reached the level of the laws, the power of creation, while our rule is built on destruction and domination. This is a fundamental conflict, and there is no room for compromise."

"I agree."

The Five Elders slowly drew the first generation Kitetsu from their waists, the blade reflecting a chilling glint in the candlelight.

"Instead of waiting to be killed, it is better to take the initiative. The downfall of Rocks was because he tried to become the king of the world, and his threat was obvious."

"But this Raine, his threat is more insidious. He doesn't want to overthrow the throne, but to undermine the legitimacy of our rule from the very foundation. This kind of threat is far more deadly."

"However, if all five of them go out together, they will be too conspicuous, and their movements will be impossible to conceal."

The five elders, who were tall and imposing, raised a new question.

"We don't need five people."

A calculating glint flashed in Satan Saint's eyes.

"We don't need to send out our entire force to deal with just one cook and a bunch of good-for-nothings."

He looked at the Five Elders holding the sword: "Nasujuro Sei, your demon sword is enough to sever cause and effect. You are the best candidate to deal with that chef's strange domain."

The bald Five Elders, known as Nasujuro Sei, nodded without saying a word, but gently brushed the blade with his fingertips, and a silent lament seemed to echo in the air.

"As for the other person..."

Saint Satan's gaze swept over the remaining three, finally settling on the tall, silent Elder Five.

"Saint Vochuli, your Beast Form is best suited for clearing out large-scale naval battles like this, and can also deter Whitebeard's earth-shattering shockwaves to the greatest extent possible."

Upon hearing this, Saint Vocuri slowly nodded, a cruel smile curving his lips on his always dignified face.

"Two... are those enough?"

The blonde Five Elders were still somewhat worried.

"enough."

Satan's voice was filled with absolute confidence.

"The two of you, along with a top-tier personal guard, are enough to wipe them off the sea before the navy's encirclement closes in."

"This matter must be resolved swiftly and decisively in the shortest possible time. Before the world can even react, the Whitebeard Pirates must be completely wiped out, as if they had never existed."

The decision has been made.

Two of the Five Elders, the World Government's top combat force, decided to personally intervene for the sake of a sixteen-year-old chef.

If this matter were to get out, it would be enough to cause the entire ocean's structure to collapse instantly.

It's important to understand that even in the God Valley Incident, which annihilated the once-invincible Rocks Pirates, they were only planning from behind the scenes and never actually set foot on the battlefield.

This time, however, they sensed a real threat.

A threat from the kitchen that could shake the foundations of their eight-hundred-year rule.

The nights in Mary Geoise are deeper than any sea in the New World.

There was no starlight, and the clouds were as thick as solidified lead, making it hard to breathe.

Two figures left the room of power silently, without alerting any guards or taking any normal route.

The bald swordsman Nasujuro Sei casually took a step forward, and he and the first generation Kitetsu in his hand seemed to merge into the gap in space, appearing in the secret port beneath the Red Line the next second.

Meanwhile, the towering Vocuri Saint transformed into a twisted, indescribable, enormous black shadow, like a moving curtain of night, silently slipping away.

In the harbor, a massive steel warship, entirely black with no flags, yet whose hull lines exude ferocity and power, had been waiting for some time.

On the deck, hundreds of warriors dressed in specially made black combat suits and wearing masks that concealed all their expressions knelt on one knee. Their aura blended into the darkness, and each of them possessed terrifying strength no less than that of a vice admiral in the Navy Headquarters.

This is the Five Elders' direct guard, the true dark side of the World Government, and the ultimate trump card that even CP0 has no right to know.

When the two Elders boarded the warship, the pitch-black behemoth made no noise. The propellers on the bottom of the ship emitted a ghostly blue light, and like a ghost, it slid into the deep sea and disappeared into the night in an instant.

It was as if it had never existed.

However, the invisible ripples it creates have already begun to subtly influence this sea.

Chapter 178 The Sea That Shouldn't Exist

A new world, in some unknown sea.

"Ah!"

Gatz, who was arm wrestling with Oden on the deck, suddenly sneezed loudly. The terrifying blast blew the unsuspecting Oden away, and he only stopped after crashing into the mast.

"You bastard Gatz! You ambushed me!"

Oden rubbed his aching head and shouted angrily.

"I...I don't know what happened either,"

Gatz scratched his head, looking innocent: "I just suddenly felt a chill down my back, like I was being watched by something scary."

"Really? I didn't feel anything?"

Oden jumped up without a care in the world.

"Again! This time I'm determined to beat you!"

The deck was filled with a cheerful atmosphere again, and no one took Gatz's unintentional remark seriously.

Only Ryan paused almost imperceptibly while chopping vegetables in the kitchen as he prepared dinner.

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the cabin and looking towards the distant horizon.

The smell of the wind... has changed.

It's no longer just salty, fishy, ​​and damp; it has a hint of... rust and decay.