56 Chapter 56

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At the same time, in the "Holy Land" of Mariejois, within the halls of the World Government, an air of solemnity filled the mostly empty top meeting room. A Five Elder with long straight white hair and a long beard sat on the sofa. He exuded an oppressive aura as he lifted his head, gazing towards the conference room door.

There, a CPO member in a mask knelt on one knee. Sensing the tension in the Five Elder's tone, the CPO member promptly nodded and reported, "Masters Five Elders, all news scheduled for early release has been dispatched to the World Economic News Agency. Our agents will personally verify each detail prior to newspaper publication. Rest assured, no errors will occur."

Pleased with the response, the bearded Five Elder nodded and commanded, "Very well, you may stand down and remain on call for further orders."

"Yes, Lords Five Elders," replied the CPO operative, rising to diligently guard the corridor and ensure the conference remained uninterrupted.

In the meeting room, another Five Elder, identifiable by a birthmark on his forehead, watched the CPO member depart before stating confidently, "Morgans is no fool; he knows perfectly well the consequences of defying the World Government's commands."

He then grasped a bounty poster, continuing, "By controlling the World Economic News, we wield the power over public opinion. Neither the underprivileged from the four seas nor those at the bottom of the Grand Line and New World have the right to the truth."

Another Five Elder, with short blond hair, agreed, "We now await the positive report from 'Kong' regarding that sinner's eradication. Next, we shall turn our attention to Whitebeard, then Kaido, and proceed to cleanse the entire first half of the Grand Line."

Their discussion trivialized the gravity of the planned purging. To them, it seemed the inhabitants of the Grand Line were mere livestock owned by the World Government.

Amidst the discussion, a sudden, urgent voice called out from the corridor, "No, this is terrible!"

Frowning, the Five Elders demanded, "Let him in. What could possibly warrant such panic?"

An intelligence agent rushed in, visibly unnerved. One of the Five Elders grew impatient, asking, "Has the Naval Headquarters fallen to Whitebeard?"

"No, no," replied the agent, shaking his head.

"Then what is the issue?" the blond elder inquired, demonstrating his irritation. He believed it was high time to reassess the competence of their agents; it seemed they could barely differentiate between a real threat and a false alarm.

The agent managed to report despite the immense pressure, "Moments ago, Fleet Admiral 'Kong's life card unexpectedly burned to ashes!"

An ephemeral stillness gripped the room.

"How is that possible?!" exclaimed the blond Five Elder in disbelief. All eyes turned towards one another in shock.

A life card, unique to the New World, responds to the health of its owner, shrinking in times of weakness and returning to normal with restoration. Many top World Government officials and Celestial Dragons keep such cards to monitor the well-being of those on travels outside the Holy Land.

If the life card is suddenly extinguished, it means its owner has... died. Hence, Kong, the General of the World Government's army, is dead at this moment. "Can't even 'Kong' handle that 'sinner'?" exclaimed one of the Five Elders with a beard, wide-eyed in disbelief. I glanced at the other Elders, and we shared the same shock.

The mission to eliminate the criminals had been approved by us. We were well aware of the preparations 'Kong' had made. He had at his disposal ten "Seraphs," equivalents to backup Admiral-level powerhouses still within the experimental phase of the PX project, along with 'Kong' Kong himself. Such a force should have been able to annihilate a Four Emperors pirate group on the spot easily. And now, the priority target, a lone 'sinner,' was Kong's focus.

Not long ago, 'Kong' had sent someone to assure us to wait for 'good news.' Yet, what awaited us now was the grim report of Generalissimo 'Kong' Kong's death. Accepting this reality was not easy. Could there be another powerful entity backing that lone sinner? Various thoughts swirled around.

Suddenly, a phone bug rang in the arm of the short blonde Elder. The caller was the fleet in the North Blue. Upon taking the call and learning the operation had failed as well, the Elder with the short hair fell silent. He clenched his fist until his joints turned white. Could the North Blue's joint operation to erase all traces of the sinner also have failed? The very thought sent us into a frenzy.

Several Five Elders struggled with the news of 'Kong's death. However, the most senior Elder, sitting on the main seat, cloaked in a black suit with white curly hair, a fluffy white beard, a flat hat, and a scar on his face, finally spoke. Holding a cane, he calmed the panicked intelligence personnel, instructing them to leave.

The blonde Elder opened his mouth to speak, but the bearded Elder raised a hand, silencing him. He then addressed us all. "Panic is useless now. The second phase of the 'Operation Demon Slaying' has failed. We must now inform the 'Im-Sama' to initiate the third and final phase of the 'Slaughter Demon' plan."

"Phase 3?!" we all expressed in shock. "Using 'that against the sinner could mean the destruction of the Sabaody Archipelago too!"

"Yes," the bearded Elder stated, a trace of emotion on his face, acknowledging the severity of the final phase. This last resort could obliterate an entire kingdom from the Grand Line. Even though we planned this stage as a contingency, employing it was never our wish. However, now we must consult 'the adult' for orders, which will likely result in another region vanishing from history.

"What of the Sabaody Islands? They're inconsequential, merely host to entertainment facilities and residences. It's acceptable even if only one-tenth survive. Our priority is to eradicate that sinner," declared the bearded Elder. "None of us, nor the lord, wish to witness the rise of another 'Rocks.'" The mention of that name brought silence to the group. 

We then rose to venture into the depths of the Holy Land Mariejois. For the World Government's stability and rule, another 'Rocks' could not be allowed to emerge.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world, as we sought guidance from 'Kong,' ready to unleash 'absolute power,' Bai Ye made his move. Accompanied by the sound of an explosion, Kaido, ruling his territory as if in a realm of his own, now assumed his position.