Looking at the many empty seats on both sides of the table, Sengoku felt a deep pang of sorrow. The Marines had suffered devastating losses in this war. Just among officers ranked Rear Admiral and above, dozens were dead. For those below that rank, the casualties were in the tens of thousands.
"Aokiji, how's Akainu's condition?" Sengoku asked with concern as he noticed the empty seat beside Aokiji.
"No need to worry, Fleet Admiral. His injuries weren't too serious. It's mostly fatigue and exhaustion. He should recover soon," Aokiji replied.
Hearing that Akainu's condition wasn't critical, Sengoku let out a small breath of relief. Amidst so much bad news, at least this was one good thing. If Akainu had been out of commission for a month or two, their situation would have been disastrous.
"This emergency meeting has only two objectives."
"First: To draft a plan to capture Katie."
"Second: To establish the Marines' strategic direction moving forward."
With each word, Sengoku's tone grew heavier, and by the end, it was sharp and commanding. Everyone noticed that capturing Katie was listed before their future strategic planning.
This wasn't just an order of topics—it was a declaration. To Sengoku, Katie's threat outweighed every other concern. From this moment, Katie's name was engraved onto Sengoku's personal "must eliminate" list.
No one present objected; they all understood Sengoku's anger. This war, which had once been estimated at an 80% chance of Marine victory, had been turned into a crushing defeat because of Katie's interference. The humiliation inflicted upon the Marines was unbearable. Even the usually laid-back Aokiji wouldn't be calm in this situation.
"Doberman, play the video from Impel Down."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
The prepared screen slowly lit up. Though no one knew why Sengoku was showing them this, they waited patiently. Sengoku wouldn't waste their time without reason—especially not now.
And since the footage came from Impel Down, their curiosity grew. Katie's rampage had begun there, and they had a feeling this would reveal some shocking secret.
The video began.
The first scene showed Impel Down's cold, oppressive environment. Then, the view shifted to a blonde woman unfamiliar to the room's occupants. Behind her were three Jailer Beasts, followed by a dark, foreboding passageway.
Even without an explanation, most of them guessed this was the path leading to the lower levels of the prison. But they weren't concerned about that.
What they wanted to know was: Where was Katie?
Their question was answered the next instant.
Katie's face appeared on the screen—dressed in an Impel Down guard's uniform.
Although they already knew what had happened, many couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. Katie, with her terrifying strength, had deceived the guards by pretending to be one of them.
The footage continued: Katie tricked the guards and successfully led away the three Jailer Beasts.
But then, something unexpected happened. The blonde woman recognized Katie's true identity.
The Marines, however, didn't think it mattered. Aside from Magellan, no one in Impel Down could have stopped Katie anyway.
Yet, the next few minutes completely shattered their expectations.
Katie, who had fought Mihawk and Akainu—standing toe-to-toe with them—was actually held back for several minutes by this unknown blonde woman.
While the result didn't change—Katie still won—it was the process that drew everyone's attention.
"What… What the hell is going on?"
They could hardly believe their eyes. If this was true, then what had they just witnessed a few days ago during the war?
No one had an answer. The room was silent except for the sound of the video playing. All eyes remained locked on the screen.
The scene shifted again, showing an even darker and colder environment. Even though they were only watching a recording, the chilling atmosphere was palpable.
But it wasn't the environment that captivated them—it was the two figures about to fight.
No, it was really only one figure: Katie. Her opponent merely drew attention because of her identity—Shiryu of the Rain, former Chief Jailer of Impel Down.
The battle erupted instantly. Compared to before, this fight was on a completely different level. The people in the room, all powerful individuals in their own right, could still follow it, but they frowned as they watched.
They knew Shiryu well. He was indeed strong—stronger than many of them present.
But even so, it was impossible to imagine him overpowering Katie. Katie had lasted over twenty minutes against Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman, even forcing Mihawk to take her seriously. Shiryu's swordsmanship, while good, wasn't even close to Mihawk's. They weren't even in the same league.
A few minutes later, the video ended with Katie's explosive finishing move.
Silence fell over the conference room.
Everyone had the same expression: grave, confused, and bewildered.
What had happened to Katie in those thirty-odd hours? Why was there such a drastic difference between the man in this video and the one they fought?
If they hadn't seen it themselves, they would have sworn it wasn't the same person.
"Fleet Admiral… you must know something. Just tell us. We can't make sense of this."
One of the Vice Admirals, too impatient to hold back, voiced what they were all thinking. He was certain Sengoku knew something they didn't—otherwise, why show this footage?
"First of all, let me make one thing clear: The Katie in that video and the Katie you fought are the same person."
"Based on what we've gathered, and with intelligence from Blackbeard—which, while unconfirmed, is highly credible—we've narrowed it down to two possibilities."
"First: Katie has been hiding his true strength all along."
"Second: Katie possesses a terrifying ability—one that allows her to copy the powers of others. Not just Devil Fruits, but swordsmanship, Haki… everything."
"Impossible!"
This time, no one could keep calm. Sengoku's words were too absurd, too unbelievable.
Copying abilities? That was something out of fiction. There was no way such a power could exist in reality.
And yet… Sengoku's face was deadly serious.
At that moment, they all realized—he wasn't joking.
"Th-this is insane…"
Even with that, they still couldn't accept it. The very idea that such an ability existed was simply too monstrous to believe.