Imu didn't say much about his trump card and quickly cut off the communication. His trump card was to avoid fighting and let the Four Elders draw the enemy's fire. There was nothing more to say.
In the palace, only four of the Five Elders remained, quietly speculating among themselves.
Uranus had been destroyed by Caelan, yet Lord Imu still appeared confident. His trump card must be even more powerful than Uranus.
Could it be the ultimate weapon of the ancient giant kingdom?
But they had never heard of such a thing.
"Forget it. Either way, we'll just follow Lord Imu's instructions."
Saturn chose to stop overthinking it.
He and Nusjuro were both bound by the power of immortality. With no way to retreat, they could only obey.
"It's now certain that the Neo Navy will launch a general offensive."
"There's no point in the navy guarding the outside. Let them regroup at the Holy Land and serve as the first line of defense."
Nusjuro made a suggestion.
The navy was guarding Enies Lobby and the last remaining bit of territory outside, but under the threat of Caelan's massive offensive, it no longer held any strategic value.
Their final use was to serve as cannon fodder.
"Yes, that's true." Saturn nodded slightly, then added with concern, "But we may not have enough food and supplies for so many in the navy."
"Even now, the navy still has hundreds of thousands of mouths to feed."
Although the navy had suffered multiple disasters, a lean camel was still bigger than a horse. The remaining forces were still significant and difficult to support.
"Let the Celestial Dragons suffer. I'll take the blame."
"We've come this far. There's no need for them to keep eating so well," Nusjuro said coldly. "Besides, Caelan has already breached the Holy Land. Those people won't survive anyway."
"As for the useless slaves, let them build fortifications without any food. Let them die while working."
The amount of food one Celestial Dragon consumed in a single meal could feed a hundred people for a full day.
With around 200,000 Celestial Dragons, the cost was staggering.
Cutting food to the millions of slaves in the Holy Land also saved enormous resources.
The food saved this way could easily support an army of 700,000 or 800,000 for a full month.
Win or lose, this would not be a long war.
"It's still not enough," Saturn shook his head. "We can seize more food from the surrounding countries. As for the slaves, use them as cannon fodder and let them starve. It's unfortunate, but necessary."
"The navy has 700,000 to 800,000 soldiers and officers. We also have 170,000 CP agents and millions of slaves. Together, that's an incredibly terrifying force," said one of the two new Elders promoted from the Knights of God.
"That's not all," Nusjuro snorted. "Including Akainu, we have a total of fourteen admiral-level combatants."
Akainu, Sora Aragaki, the original nine members of the Knights of God, and the remaining two Five Elders made up fourteen top-tier fighters.
Even if only four of the remaining Knights of God possessed true admiral-level strength, the other five were still powerful, even if slightly weaker.
And the CP organization still had hundreds of vice admiral-level officers beneath them.
Even after Caelan killed three of the Five Elders, one Knight of God was slain, and several admirals were abducted, the World Government was still this strong.
"With our remaining forces, we could wipe out any faction except Caelan."
"Even if the Revolutionary Army and Big Mom Pirates joined forces, we'd still have more than enough strength."
"But unfortunately, they aren't our enemies."
Saturn's expression was filled with frustration and helplessness as he punched the table. "It just had to be Caelan."
He couldn't understand where this man had come from, or why he chose to oppose the World Government.
Just months ago, he was a bounty hunter working with the navy. If he had joined them and risen slowly, they were willing to grant him the title of Five Elder.
Even if Caelan had wanted to stand as an equal to Lord Imu, they might have accepted it.
Wouldn't it have been better to exploit the world together and stand above the masses?
But things hadn't gone as expected. Caelan insisted on opposing the World Government.
In just a few months after entering the Grand Line, he had plunged the once-stable world into chaos and pushed them to the brink of collapse.
"Don't dwell on it, Saturn." Although Nusjuro understood Saturn's frustration, he knew there was no point. "Have Akainu come. It's time to prepare for the final battle."
"…Alright." Saturn sighed and dialed Akainu's Den Den Mushi.
"Buru Buru…"
The line connected quickly, and Saturn said in a low voice, "Caelan is about to launch a general attack. Retreat to the Holy Land with all available forces."
On the other end, Akainu asked in surprise, "How do you know that?"
He hadn't received any intel. Until today, Caelan's behavior had seemed normal.
"You don't need to know how we know. Just follow orders."
Saturn tried to suppress his anger.
"And if I don't follow orders? What can you do about it?"
Akainu crossed his legs on the desk and sneered.
"Don't you want revenge for your daughter? She died at Caelan's hands!"
Saturn shouted.
"Heh." Akainu's tone turned cold. "Now I'm not so sure if it was Caelan… or you."
"Tell me what I want to know, and I'll consider whether to save your lives."
All he knew was that Hibari's life card had turned to ash. He hadn't seen the circumstances with his own eyes.
It could have been Caelan… or the World Government framing him.
But it didn't matter. He was already on the path of revenge.
If Caelan had done it, then going all out against the Five Elders in the end would be the best outcome.
If it was the World Government, then he would use their power to fight Caelan, and take the chance to destroy him.
Still, for some reason, even though Caelan was arrogant and dismissive of him, Akainu had a hunch that it was more likely the Five Elders who had acted.
"Caelan took Vegapunk in Egghead. We used the chance to send Uranus to destroy Dressrosa."
"In the end, Caelan showed up, and Uranus was destroyed," Saturn said bitterly. "That's what happened. Come to Mariejois and avenge your daughter."
"Uranus, one of the three ancient weapons, was destroyed?"
Akainu was stunned, then quickly composed himself.
Strangely, he wasn't surprised. A weapon that could destroy a country, being destroyed by Caelan… felt oddly fitting.
Maybe that was the kind of man Caelan was. Someone who should be able to do that.
Someone invincible.
But still, the World Government was beyond pathetic.
They tried a sneak attack when Caelan wasn't present, and still suffered a crushing defeat.
"Now that you know, will you come?" Saturn urged him.
Akainu sneered and said meaningfully, "Of course I'll come. But you'd better make sure you bring everything you've got. Don't hold back when it counts."
(To be continued.)