"Hmph!!"
Kaido snorted, blowing white steam from his nostrils, but he released his grip, slammed his kanabo onto the ground, and sat cross-legged on the tatami.
Seeing him sit, King and the others behind him finally lowered their weapons. Opposite them, Ace and his crew also took their seats.
The atmosphere in the hall slowly eased, leaving only the desolate and profound sounds woven by the geishas' shamisen and shakuhachi.
Queen waved his hand at them, and the music abruptly stopped. The geishas tactfully stood up and retreated, leaving the banquet hall suddenly quiet.
At the same time, behind Allen, Nami, Robin, Gin, and Kid emerged from behind the wall. Along with Sanji, they took their seats at the low tables on either side of Allen.
With that, the core members of all three pirate crews were fully assembled.
Out on the street, in a dimly lit attic atop a building opposite them, several CP0 agents wearing white suits, masks, and pure white cloaks were sitting or standing.
Lucci stood by the wooden window, a white pigeon perched on his right shoulder. He held a collapsible monocular telescope, observing the banquet hall across the way.
"Emperors of the Sea, each possessing the power to easily destroy a nation. For three of them to gather in one place... this is a first in history," Lucci said flatly. He glanced back at the short-haired blonde Stussy and asked, "It looks like they're about to start. How is the wiretapping equipment?"
"The bugs planted on the pirates have already been brought inside, and the signal receiver is fully calibrated. We can start at any time," Stussy nodded in response.
"Are you sure the bugs won't be exposed? The forces gathered there right now are enough to overturn the entire sea. If it weren't for Blueno's ability, we probably wouldn't have even been able to get this close." Kaku suddenly spoke from the corner, his arms crossed and his back leaning against the wall, his eyes filled with concern. "We're deep in enemy territory now. If we're discovered, none of us will make it out of this country alive."
"Rest assured. I'm using Vegapunk's latest technology. Standard anti-wiretapping equipment can't detect it at all," Stussy chuckled confidently. As she spoke, she began to fiddle with the listening device on the table. The receiver started emitting a raspy, electromagnetic static.
"*Bzzzt*—Today we—*bzzzt*—"
"—form an alliance—*bzzzt*—to overthrow the World Government!!"
Lucci: "!!!"
Kaku: "!!!"
Stussy: "!!!"
Blueno: "!!!"
Hearing the conversation crackling through the harsh static, the four agents in the attic widened their eyes in sheer shock!
An alliance?!
Overthrow the World Government?!
They weren't discussing the division of Wano Country, nor were they negotiating a business deal. They were uniting to wage war against the World Government!!
Hearing such an explosive topic right out of the gate from the banquet hall across the street, the agents could no longer sit still.
"..."
A drop of cold sweat rolled down Kaku's forehead. He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound, shocked beyond measure.
Meanwhile.
Inside the banquet hall, just one street away from the hidden CP0 agents, all the pirates present were equally wide-eyed with shock. The entire room fell dead silent.
"Hey... I didn't mishear that, did I...!"
"Is... is this an alliance of the Emperors... meaning they want to go to war with the World Government?!"
"Is this guy... really planning to completely turn the whole world upside down...?"
Marco's expression was incredibly grave, a drop of cold sweat involuntarily sliding down his temple.
Many people in the room shared his reaction, with the sole exception of Kaido.
"Hey... aren't you being a bit too naive?" Kaido was unusually calm at this moment. He stared at Allen and spoke in a deep voice.
"The World Government is far from as simple as it appears on the surface. The Marines alone are a colossal behemoth, not to mention how much hidden power resides in the Holy Land. Do you even know?"
"Setting aside whether we'd agree to ally with you, if a full-scale war really breaks out, do you know what this world will turn into?"
"Even if we actually win the war, are you confident you can wipe out all of the World Government's forces? If you can't do that, what will the war even bring us?"
As Kaido finished speaking, Allen couldn't help but look at him in surprise.
This guy wasn't the unrefined brute he had imagined. Assuming Kaido was just a battle-crazed idiot who knew nothing but fighting was truly a misunderstanding.
At this moment, Ace also spoke up.
"I'll be honest with you, Allen. We will consider joining the New World Alliance, but we probably can't accept the proposal to go to war with the World Government."
"The cost of a full-scale war and the odds of winning simply don't match up. Dragging the entire world into the quagmire of war isn't something we want to see."
"At least until the right opportunity presents itself, our Whitebeard Pirates will not choose to start a war with the World Government," Ace said bluntly.
Allen had only just proposed the idea, and it was immediately rejected by both parties, making the atmosphere in the room feel a bit awkward for everyone present.
But Allen just smiled in relief and said, "I understand your thoughts, and this was to be expected. Since that's the case, let's get into the specifics. First, the World Government's military might."
"The first, and the most troublesome one, is the Marines scattered across the world and the Marine Headquarters, which is filled with experts."
"Even though Garp and Sengoku have stepped back from the front lines, they remain in the Marines. The current Fleet Admiral Akainu, along with the three Admirals—Kizaru, Fujitora, and Ryokugyu—are among the few top-tier powerhouses on the sea."
"Add to that the officers stationed at Headquarters and scattered across various branch bases, as well as a massive number of elite field officers, and the Marines are undoubtedly the most powerful army under the World Government's banner."
"Everyone sitting here deals with the Marines year-round, so I'm sure you all have a solid understanding of this information. I can say with absolute certainty..."
Allen's gaze sharpened, and he said confidently, "Our pirate crew is more than capable of handling them!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was left dumbfounded.
The implication of his words clearly meant that his pirate crew possessed the strength to single-handedly take on the entire Marine Headquarters. They couldn't help but be shocked.
This was especially true for the Whitebeard crew. During the Summit War two years ago, they had fought the Marine Headquarters head-on, and they knew better than anyone how grueling that was.
And that was when Whitebeard was still alive.
After that single war, not only did Whitebeard die in battle, but the Moby Dick suffered heavy losses, and nearly half of their subordinate pirate fleets had disbanded or left over the following two years.
Meanwhile, through the World Military Draft, the Marines had rapidly recovered to their peak strength, becoming even stronger than they were back then.
Ace and Marco wore grave expressions, inevitably maintaining a skeptical attitude toward Allen's claim.
But thinking about it carefully, given the current strength of the Demon Lion Pirates, especially Allen's own power, he indeed had the right to be this confident.
Kaido was also secretly calculating in his mind.
Allen's strength went without saying; Marine Admirals weren't considered top-tier powerhouses in his eyes, and the same was likely true for Allen.
Although Kaido didn't know much about the executives under Allen, he could at least roughly evaluate Sanji.
As the user of the Azure Dragon Fruit, no one in the world was more qualified to judge Sanji than him. It was safe to say that anyone possessing that power could probably easily become a Marine Admiral.
And from the information he got from King and Queen, the strength of the other major executives of the Demon Lion Pirates wasn't much weaker than Black Leg Sanji. Add to that the varying strengths of the numerous Demon-level executives...
Looking at it this way, his claim of being "capable of handling the Marines" wasn't just empty talk.
Allen's gaze swept across the room. After giving them a moment to react and think, he continued, "Aside from the Marines, the Holy Land of Mary Geoise also hides quite a bit of power. One of them is the espionage organization directly under the Five Elders, known as the 'strongest'—the CP0 agents."
To those seated, the CP0 organization was nothing unfamiliar, especially to the Animal Kingdom Pirates.
Because of the Seastone produced in Wano, they had dealt with the World Government quite often. The All-Stars and the Tobi Roppo had even had multiple direct encounters with CP0 agents.
"Those mask-wearing bastards? They're just like rats hiding in a stinking gutter, a bunch of cowards who hide their heads and tuck their tails," Queen said with a look of disdain.
Across the street, the agents hiding in the attic heard this through the wiretap, and veins couldn't help but bulge on their foreheads.
Kaku gritted his teeth in anger, clenching his fists as he cursed, "That fat bastard! How dare he call us rats in a stinking gutter...!"
Blueno patted his shoulder and said awkwardly, "*Cough, cough*, alright Kaku, calm down before you expose our presence."
Then, they heard Allen's voice continue through the listening device.
"Those agents aren't much of a threat to you, but they aren't who I want to talk about. I'm talking about the Five Elders."
"The Five Elders?"
"The Five Elders?"
Kaku and Blueno exclaimed in surprise at the same time.
The two had strange expressions and subconsciously looked up at Lucci and Stussy, only to see that their expressions hadn't changed, seemingly completely unsurprised by this statement.
The Five Elders, the highest authority of the World Government, respectively held the titles of "Warrior God of Finance," "Warrior God of Agriculture," "Warrior God of Justice," "Warrior God of Environment," and "Warrior God of Science and Defense."
In Blueno's mind, there was absolutely no impression of these men possessing formidable combat power.
Kaku glanced at Blueno, then looked at the other two. "Hey, Lucci, Stussy... do you guys know something..."
"Shut up, Kaku. Don't ask about things unrelated to the mission." Lucci's voice was as cold as ever, showing absolutely no desire to discuss this matter with Kaku.
The listening device stopped emitting sound, and the dim room fell silent once more.
Across the street.
The banquet hall was also completely silent. Regarding Allen's sudden mention of the Five Elders, everyone present showed expressions of confusion.
Having reached the position of core executives within Emperor-level factions, their knowledge and experience surpassed the vast majority of people in the world.
Even so, there were still very few among them who knew the true faces of the Five Elders.
Only Kaido, who had personally participated in the God Valley Incident, had a strange glint in his eyes. He looked thoughtful, seemingly lost in memories of the past.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke up:
"Almost forty years ago, when I was still on Rocks' ship, I participated in the battle at God Valley. That was also when I got the Azure Dragon Fruit."
"Saturn, one of the Five Elders, appeared there. That old bastard looked like a demon that crawled out of hell, as hideous as a giant spider."
"Although I didn't see the other Five Elders, they probably aren't much different from him. Aside from the Five Elders, there was also a group there called the Holy Knights," Kaido said with a disdainful look in his eyes.
To him back then, the Five Elders and the Holy Knights were opponents whose strength could pique his interest.
But now...
Heh, just a bunch of trash.
"I don't even care about the Five Elders, and that bullshit CP0 and the Holy Knights are just wild dogs. But!"
Kaido's tone shifted, his eyes suddenly turning grave as he said in a deep voice, "Above the Five Elders, there is an even higher existence. Even a supreme overlord of the sea like Rocks died by his hands."
"Back then, even when countless powerhouses like Roger, Garp, and Whitebeard joined forces, they couldn't defeat him in a head-on fight."
"And that is the true face of the World Government. The only one who sits upon the Empty Throne!"
As Kaido's resounding words fell, the entire hall was dead silent. Clearly, the impact of these words had severely shocked everyone. Even Nami and the others were stunned.
"Someone the Pirate King Roger couldn't beat..."
"Not just Roger, but the Marine Hero Garp and the World's Strongest Man Whitebeard too. Even working together, they couldn't win?"
"Above the Five Elders, there's actually an existence...!"
Upon reacting, everyone present voiced their shock. Revealing this earth-shattering secret was like dropping a bomb into a small lake, instantly kicking up massive waves.
Once these words spread across the sea, it would undoubtedly cause massive chaos worldwide.
Not just because there was someone stronger than Roger, Garp, and Whitebeard, but because above the Five Elders, the one truly ruling the World Government was an existence hiding behind the scenes!
For Robin, who had read countless books and was well-versed in archaeology and history, the information Kaido revealed caused an even greater stir in her heart.
She looked stunned for a good while before reacting, murmuring slowly, "The Empty Throne... Legend has it that 800 years ago, 20 royal families allied to conquer a certain kingdom and founded the World Government, then relocated to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise."
"And deep within Mary Geoise, rumor has it there is an Empty Throne surrounded by 20 weapons, representing the vow of 'equality among all' forged by the 20 nations."
"The symbol of the Empty Throne is the refusal to let anyone hold sole sovereign power, embodying the ideal that the 20 royal families jointly wield the world's authority. But..."
Robin furrowed her brows tightly. "There's actually someone sitting on the Empty Throne."
If they learned of this, what would the World Government's affiliated nations think? What would the scholars, thinkers, and countless commoners around the world think?
Without a doubt, this would inevitably cause massive upheaval on a global scale!
"Imu. That is his name."
Allen's gaze sharpened. Under everyone's astonished stares, he said in a deep voice, "The one sitting on the Empty Throne is named Saint Nerona Imu!"