"..."
The expressions of the Five Elders remained unchanged.
"What about those pirates?"
An elder brought up a matter of concern, seemingly believing that the emerging Golden Underground Palace concealed the whereabouts of Pluton, and ordered in a deep voice, "Under no circumstances should any pirate escape, seal off the secrets of Pluton, and let no one know the whereabouts of that Ancient Weapon!"
"Already..."
"It's too late..."
Sengoku's voice was somewhat heavy, directly casting all the blame onto the Konoha Pirates: "The strength of the Konoha Pirates is very formidable, not at all inferior to the Rocks Pirates of old; they covered the escape of other pirate groups..."
"What are you all doing!"
Upon hearing this, an elder wanted to start scolding.
"We can't be too harsh on them..."
Another elder shook his head, not particularly dissatisfied with Sengoku's report: "If that suddenly emerging pirate group is indeed as strong as the Rocks Pirates, it would be difficult for them to stop the enemy; even being able to overwhelm them is already commendable..."
"Let's not dwell on it..."
Yet another elder interrupted their conversation, sternly questioning Sengoku: "So, the news about Pluton, the Ancient Weapon, has leaked out, correct?"
"Maybe, maybe not..."
Sengoku proposed a dubious notion and continued: "However, we did not find the specific location of Pluton in the Golden Underground Palace; we merely touched upon how eight hundred years ago, the Alabasta Royal Family indeed possessed Pluton, this Ancient Weapon..."
"That's good."
The Five Elders immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"However..."
Sengoku suddenly came out with another breath, revealing a piece of news that made the Five Elders uneasy: "The Golden Underground Palace mentioned history from eight hundred years ago..."
"!!!"
All the Five Elders subconsciously widened their eyes!
Not... You've got to be kidding!
How could Alabasta possibly harbor such a secret!
Did the King of Alabasta from eight hundred years ago actually store the blank history of one hundred years in the Golden Underground Palace? And it has even been discovered by a group of escaping pirates?
Just as the Five Elders were about to question Sengoku about what secrets the Golden Underground Palace of Alabasta was hiding, Sengoku preemptively posed his own question!
"I have something I want to ask..."
Sengoku's demeanor turned solemn as never before, and he inquired: "The Golden Underground Palace mentioned a being named Imu in Mary Geoise, is this true? Why does the Konoha Pirates group of pirates also know this?"
"..."
The eyes of the Five Elders suddenly filled with terror!
Such a secret...
It also appeared in the Golden Underground Palace?
The newly emerged pirate group, the Konoha Pirates, even assassinated the Heavenly Celestial Dragons with Clown Buggy, but they also found out this internal secret of Mary Geoise?
Inside that Golden Underground Palace...
Just what secrets are hidden?
How much of the secrets inside were actually known by the pirates?
How many people now know that Lord Imu still exists?
The Five Elders looked at each other in shock, seemingly eager to glean the answers to their questions from each other's expressions, yet they could only discern confusion, bewilderment, shock, and unease on each other's faces!
"Should we continue questioning..."
An elder with a white beard sat on the sofa, his brow tightly furrowed, with an unprecedented tension on his face.
Anyone who learns of Imu's existence must be eradicated!
Even they, the Five Elders, being the highest authorities of the World Government, dare not peep into the secrets behind Imu!
Who knows how many secrets concerning Imu are hidden in the Golden Underground Palace; do they even have the right to know them? The secrets concealed within that palace might be ones they dare not explore...
"End the call with Sengoku first."
An elder reminded his colleagues to hang up Admiral Sengoku's call, and before the call ended, solemnly instructed: "Tell Sengoku that no one is allowed to know the secrets of the Golden Underground Palace currently, and pirates who already know must be immediately eradicated by any means necessary!"
"The Navy... does not have this capability..."
Another elder had to remind his colleagues as well.
The call was disconnected.
The Five Elders needed to convene an internal meeting first.
Because they needed to hold an internal meeting to determine whether they should continue questioning Sengoku about the secrets concerning Imu in the Golden Underground Palace.
"Even if we don't ask..."
"Actually, quite a few pirates already know..."
An elder sighed, proposing a past approach: "If we dare not decide, let's first consult Lord Imu..."
"However..."
An elder holding a Samurai Blade, wearing glasses, said in a deep voice: "Merely asking whether we can learn from Sengoku about the Golden Underground Palace's secrets might anger Lord Imu, wouldn't it?"
Nothing else...
It's just a bit odd...
Going to consult Imu directly about the secrets concerning Imu to know whether we can learn about them?