Mary Geoise.
The Five Elders sat in a circle, their expressions grave.
"The slave transport fleet has been robbed."
"Our stocks are running low. That shipment of slaves must be delivered as soon as possible."
The ten thousand able-bodied slaves were of great importance. If they didn't have enough by the deadline, they would have no choice but to forcibly round up people from the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Who was so bold? It's been a long time since such a heinous incident has occurred."
Excluding Doflamingo's actions, it had actually been over a decade since a Heavenly Tribute fleet had been successfully robbed.
"It was a pirate named Bellamy."
That name was very familiar to the Five Elders; after all, the incident with the Lvneel Kingdom had happened not long ago.
"Him again."
"I recall that this man has been active for less than two years, correct?"
"He's completely lawless."
"He cannot be left alive."
"Let Kizaru go and take care of him."
After a brief discussion, the Five Elders made their decision: dispatch Admiral Kizaru to the Grand Line to pursue the heinous criminal Bellamy. Upon encounter, he was to be killed on the spot.
"This incident is far too egregious. Erase all records of him."
As long as they erased Bellamy's history, it would be as if this incident never happened. The World Government was exceptionally skilled at such methods. So much so that whenever a serious incident occurred, the Five Elders' first instinct was to erase that part of history.
"Wait a moment," one said. "New intelligence has arrived."
"Let me see."
The report that Onigumo was pursuing Bellamy was delivered to the Five Elders in the nick of time.
"Ah, it's Onigumo. He should be able to take down Bellamy."
"The Marines have acted quickly. He's about to catch up."
Each of the three Admirals bore important responsibilities. Unless there were special circumstances, it was best not to deploy them, lest an opportunist take advantage of the opening. Kizaru was in charge of the Marine Science Unit, a division of extreme importance to both the World Government and the Marines. The existence of Vegapunk, in particular, made the Five Elders place even greater importance on the Science Unit. If the Revolutionary Army were to ever abduct Vegapunk, the World Government would be in real danger.
Now that Onigumo was close to succeeding, there was no need to send Kizaru.
"Inform Onigumo to use all necessary force to kill Bellamy."
"So be it."
Bellamy's strength was not yet at a level that required the Five Elders to mobilize their full might. If not for the extreme nature of his actions, intelligence about him would never have even reached Mary Geoise.
"Tell Onigumo that no matter what methods he uses, he must kill Bellamy on sight."
Onigumo's ruthlessness was well-known within the Marines. "Sacrifice everything for the sake of justice" was his life's motto. The Five Elders were particularly fond of such thoughtless tools. If only there were more men like Onigumo in the Marines.
"This is still too hasty. If Bellamy keeps running, Onigumo may not be able to catch him."
"We have no choice. The Pacifista are still under development. We don't have enough manpower."
This world was crawling with pirates. Even if every Marine had eight legs, they wouldn't be able to catch them all. The creation of the Pacifista was born from this very predicament of the Marines' insufficient manpower.
"Should we mobilize CP?"
A new debate arose among the Five Elders regarding the deployment of Cipher Pol. In the end, they concluded they should wait. They would wait for news from Onigumo. In the next few days, if Onigumo was fast enough, he should encounter Bellamy.
"For now, that's all on the matter of Bellamy."
"Next is the boy named Portgas D. Ace."
"Another 'D'!"
Every single member of the D. clan was on the World Government's top-secret list. Where had this boy named Ace come from?
"Has his background been thoroughly investigated?"
"He is Garp's adopted grandson."
Garp... The Five Elders all had a headache when it came to that troublesome man. The Marines desperately needed Garp's combat strength, but the old man was simply too disobedient. He constantly defied the World Government's orders and stubbornly refused promotion to Admiral. If Sengoku hadn't always been there to cover for him, the World Government would have had a falling out with Garp long ago.
"Furthermore, the intelligence department has some speculations. It is highly likely that Ace is connected to Roger."
The meeting room fell silent for a moment. One of the Five Elders, holding a cursed sword, slowly stood up.
"What is that man Garp trying to do!"
"Calm down. The intelligence is not yet confirmed."
Roger's impact on the world had been earth-shattering. Any information related to him was enough to put the Five Elders on high alert. Especially this boy, Ace, who was very likely Roger's posthumous son. This time, Garp had gone too far.
"Can we capture him?"
"It's likely impossible now. The boy is currently on Whitebeard's ship."
At the mention of that name, the room fell silent once more.
"Whitebeard..."
The elder with the cursed sword sighed and sat back down. "Tsuru was right. This sea is becoming more and more chaotic."
"The storm of the era is accelerating. The Pacifista research must be expedited."
"Deploy CP0. Ace's identity must be confirmed as soon as possible."
"So be it."
After a moment of silence, the Five Elders' meeting officially came to an end. It was clear that they were not optimistic about the future of the world.