CP0's voice—sharp as a drawn blade—cut through the gentle breeze, and the killing intent packed inside it seemed to press against everyone's throats.
People stiffened.
Heads lowered.
No one dared so much as blink.
Commoners were strictly forbidden from looking directly upon the Gorosei's true faces—a rule woven deep into the World Government's system, as natural and unquestioned as the tide. Even within Marine Headquarters, only senior flag officers of Commodore rank and above were permitted that "privilege."
No one here was foolish enough to wager their life on the Gorosei's mood.
So, aside from the representatives of the Member States, everyone present—regardless of status—knelt one after another. Long robes and ceremonial gowns rustled across the plaza like a low, frightened wave.
"Hail, Gorosei Excellencies!"
The voices rose in unison, reverent and trembling, reverberating beneath the Stairway to Heaven. At the same time, the plaza filled with the click-clack of Visual Den Den Mushi activating in rapid succession.
Then—through the World Government's secured channels—the image went live.
A worldwide broadcast.
In an instant, every nation, every island, every faction across the seas witnessed the same spectacle:
Soldiers.
Officials.
Dignitaries.
Wealthy merchants.
Journalists.
A dense tide of humanity kneeling as one, bowing to welcome the descent of five figures who embodied the highest authority of the world.
"It's starting!"
"A live broadcast to the entire world!?"
"The World Government is serious this time!"
"So… we're finally seeing what the Gorosei actually look like?"
"Tsk tsk tsk… the Government's highest authority, and the newly appointed Commander and Vice Commander of the Knights of God… they're really putting their power on display!"
"What a grand spectacle…"
Across the world, voices erupted—then overlapped—then drowned each other.
Pirate captains leaned toward screens.
Non-Member State leaders stiffened in their chairs.
Underground brokers paused mid-transaction.
Even those who mocked the Government couldn't look away.
For most people, the Gorosei were myths made flesh—five elders who lived in seclusion, ruled from the shadows, and were spoken of the way people spoke of gods: with fear, with awe, with prayers they didn't realize they were making.
Even at the World Conference, only a handful of representatives were ever allowed to see their faces.
But today…
Today, the entire world would.
The Visual Den Den Mushi's image slowly shifted.
And under the gaze of countless eyes, deep and measured footsteps began to echo down the cloud-wreathed Stairway to Heaven, where towering stone and jagged cliffs cast long, cold shadows.
Thud… thud… thud…
People were different—shaped by rank, wealth, and bloodline. They moved differently, breathed differently, lived differently.
Yet those footsteps had only one meaning.
Authority.
Each step carried a weight that seemed to sink straight into the bones, and even before a single face appeared, the urge to kneel rose like an instinct carved into the spine.
In the plaza, cold sweat beaded on foreheads.
Those watching through screens felt tense.
Those present felt something worse—an invisible pressure that made breathing difficult, as if the air itself had thickened into iron.
No one dared lift their head too quickly.
No one wanted to be the first to die for curiosity.
The footsteps drew nearer.
The pressure intensified.
At some point, the bright sunlight spilling over the plaza vanished—swallowed by a vast shadow that spread like a curtain being drawn across the world.
And then, finally, an aged, rasping voice descended like a verdict.
"Rise."
The instant the word fell, the mountain-like pressure vanished, as though it had never existed.
Bodies felt lighter.
Lungs remembered how to breathe.
Yet no one moved at first.
People exchanged cautious, fearful glances, as if waiting for an invisible executioner to swing.
After several seconds, a merchant guild president—too rich to be brave, but too proud to stay kneeling forever—raised his head a fraction.
Nothing happened.
He didn't die.
That single moment of survival spread through the plaza like a spark. Slowly, others followed, rising one by one, stiff and careful.
And there, on the immaculate white steps of the Stairway to Heaven, five ancient figures stood in a straight line.
One kept his hands in his pockets.
One rested a hand on the hilt of his sword.
One leaned upon a weathered cane.
The others stood with eerily serene expressions.
Black cloaks billowed violently in the frigid sea wind.
And the aura rolling off them—bone-chilling, deep, ancient—made even seasoned politicians feel their scalps tingle with fear.
The supreme authority of the World Government.
The five Warrior Gods.
The Gorosei.
So these are the Gorosei…
They look terrifying…
This presence…
It's suffocating…
Thoughts like that flashed across faces that tried hard not to show fear—and failed anyway.
Even staring at them for too long felt wrong, like looking directly into the sun. People's eyes slid away instinctively.
At the same time, across the world, countless viewers were seeing those faces for the first time.
"This is the World Government's supreme authority…"
"They look unbelievably powerful…"
"Tch. So what?"
"Even with all that, Rogers Darren nearly took them down, didn't he?"
"To me they're just old men pretending to be gods…"
Voices clashed—some awed, some shaken, some sneering.
Yet one truth remained impossible to deny:
Even with the North Blue openly seceding from the World Government's Member State system, the World Government still stood as the most colossal, dominant power on the seas.
And the Gorosei stood at its apex.
A calm, steady voice rang out from the steps, carrying effortlessly across the plaza and through every Den Den Mushi feed.
"Welcome, esteemed representatives of the Member States, who have traveled great distances to witness this grand ceremony in the Holy Land—a momentous occasion for our World Government."
To be continued...