Chapter 421: Rising

The crowd around them remained silent, yet no one disputed Nasu Shourou’s words, for what he said was an undeniable fact.

The rise of Britannias had far exceeded their expectations!

Long silence.

Satan could no longer hold back; his gaze was venomous, as if he had made up his mind:

“The repair of the Heavenly King has progressed faster than we anticipated—it now not only releases massive energy surges but can also precisely lock onto targets!”

“Should we use it now and erase Britannias?!”

“Or… directly assassinate Knight Gao Wen?!”

Pet Saint froze, quickly stopping him:

“Before confirming Britannias is manufacturing ancient weapons, do not act rashly.”

“As for our combat strength, it may not be as urgent as we thought.”

“A few days ago, I received word that Lord Im has conquered Elbaf.”

“All the giants there have been blessed, transformed into Devil Giants—this force alone is sufficient to destroy every power on the Grand Line!”

Satan Saint was stunned:

“Lord Im succeeded?!”

“Isn’t that obvious?!”

Pet Saint declared firmly:

“After all, he is the one who, eight hundred years ago, defeated Joy Boy, purged the seas, and ascended to the pinnacle!”

“When he acts personally, nothing is impossible.”

“After dominating Elbaf, Lord Im has set out for the Cross Guild’s headquarters—news should return within days.”

The expressions on their faces eased; the earlier tension and anxiety vanished completely.

As long as Lord Im acts, nothing on the sea is a problem!

This was the consensus among the five, and a truth proven countless times over eight centuries!

Nasu Shourou Saint exhaled slowly:

“With such power at our disposal, and Knight Gao Wen under Lord Im’s control, Britannias having the Marines is no major issue—especially since we have the Heavenly King.”

“The advantage still lies with us; our top priority remains fully securing the situation before dealing with Britannias.”

“Even…”

“Seize this opportunity to sweep clean the New World and reshape the sea’s balance of power!”

Bang!

Bang!

Bang—!

A rapid knocking at the door sounded.

Before the five could speak, the office door was shoved open; a high-ranking CP0 official stepped in swiftly and knelt before them.

Though masked, anyone could see his panic!

“Five Elders!”

“The investigation into Britannias’ secret construction of ancient weapons has concluded.”

“Our agents have confirmed: within Britannias’ inland sea, there exists a hidden shipyard.”

“After several failed infiltrations, we shifted focus to cargo ships traveling to and from Britannias—and we found something.”

“Over the past few months, vast quantities of wood from the Adam Tree have been shipped to Britannias, alongside cargo vessels carrying various ores docking at its ports.”

“Additionally, we have detected the presence of Zettoumaru within Britannias!”

“It is almost certain.”

“Begepang is currently in Britannias, and there is a high probability they are constructing an enormous warship.”

“The possibility of an ancient weapon cannot be ruled out!”

The five exchanged glances, then waved their hands, signaling the CP0 official to leave.

Bang—!

After the office door closed.

Nasu Shourou Saint’s expression finally changed; a faint, barely noticeable smile touched his lips:

“As expected.”

“Exactly as we originally suspected—Gao Wen truly has been secretly manufacturing ancient weapons.”

“That’s why he infiltrated Impel Down during the Summit War.”

“But…”

“If this is the case, then Britannias’ internal affairs…”

Yet.

Before Nasu Shourou Saint could finish, the knocking at the door interrupted him again.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang—!

The five turned again toward the office door, their eyes now tinged with anger.

Wuqiu Li Saint glared:

“Enter.”

It was again the same CP0 official, but this time his face was pale—not from fear of the Five Elders, but from a phone call he had just received upon leaving!

“Five Elders… our agents, besides investigating Britannias’ shipyard, also probed potential energy sources capable of powering Poseidon.”

“It has been confirmed: only one energy source can power Poseidon.”

“But Britannias possesses an enormous reservoir of geothermal energy—exceeding one-third of the combined total of all other places on Earth!”

“If this power could be…”

Snap—!

Wuqiu Li Saint’s wine glass shattered in his hand; his face turned deathly pale, almost ghastly.

The CP0 official noticed this, his body trembling.

He had seen this expression before—had even worn it himself countless times. It was rage, but far more, it was terror!

The terror of something far beyond one’s control, something that might turn and devour you!

“Leave!”

Wuqiu Li Saint’s voice was icy.

The CP0 official scrambled out, fleeing the Five Elders’ meeting room.

Silence.

A deathly silence once again enveloped the meeting room.

For the first time, an emotion called unease surfaced on their faces.

Satan Saint swallowed hard, his voice trembling:

“If I recall correctly, the Red Dragon’s ability is to control geothermal energy.”

“With Begepang’s talent, how long would it take him to decipher the Red Dragon’s control mechanism and apply it to Poseidon?!”

No one answered Satan Saint’s question.

Because they knew Begepang’s talent far surpassed imagination.

And because they did not know how long Britannias and Begepang had already been cooperating!

When they infiltrated Impel Down before—was it to rescue Zettoumaru, or to use him as leverage to secure cooperation with Begepang?

All they knew was that they rarely felt cold.

A bone-chilling, soul-deep cold!

If Britannias truly builds an ancient weapon, our final trump card for dominating the world will become useless.

When both sides possess mutual annihilation capability, a balance of deterrence will emerge.

“Is a power rising to stand equal to us?!”

Satan Saint’s face twisted in disbelief!

In fact, during the World Government’s eight-century rule, Lord Im’s position was transcendent—he rarely interfered in sea affairs; the true rulers of this world were the Five Elders.

Having enjoyed absolute power, how could they possibly tolerate anyone sharing it?!

“Activate the ancient weapon immediately!”

“I want Britannias erased from the map!”

Enraged, Satan nearly lost his reason; Nasu Shourou Saint was equally furious.

He gripped his long blade tightly, his eyes dark and menacing:

“This so-called World’s First Martial Arts Tournament is nothing but a decoy—Gao Wen’s ploy to draw attention away while he secretly builds Poseidon. Even fabricated a fake permanent pointer to Laugh Tale.”

“His real goal was to construct Poseidon in secret!”

“We can wait no longer!”

“Anyone who dares challenge the World Government must be eradicated—not just their body, but their very existence!”

As the two raged, Wuqiu Li Saint, beside them, suddenly calmed and spoke:

“Britannias’ destruction is inevitable, but how we carry it out need not be rushed now.”

The preliminary rounds of the World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament have ended; the sixteen strongest contenders have been revealed.

In a few days, they will arrive at the Round Table Arena in Britannias, where the final battle will be held; for this reason, the knight Gao Wen has even evacuated the civilians from Camelot in advance.

Rather than act now, it would be better to wait until they gather in Britannias...

Take them all out at once!

That way, the pressure we face afterward will be reduced countlessfold.

Na Shoulang Sheng froze in surprise.

He turned to look at Wuquli Sheng, his longtime colleague, his eyes filled with deep wariness.