From where the Four Elders knelt, a long staircase extended upward.
At the top of the staircase, Imu sat upon the elevated Empty Throne, his narrow eyes surrounded by red rings, rarely showing any trace of human emotion.
But now, they were filled with rage!
"I already know."
Hearing those words, the Four Elders became terrified.
Why was Imu called the Creator?
And why could he sit upon the Empty Throne and rule the world from the shadows for eight hundred years?
The reason was simple.
His power surpassed everything in the world.
"Master Imu, Straw Hat Luffy's combat power exceeded all expectations…"
"Even while surrounded by the Admirals and trapped inside the illusion of Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's Devil Fruit, he still managed to win…"
"If I may say something disrespectful… that man has already grown to a point where he can no longer be erased easily."
"Please give your orders!"
The four lowered their heads.
Imu silently looked down beneath the throne.
There were twenty weapons embedded on both sides of the staircase.
They were the swords of the twenty founding kings of the World Government.
Those blades symbolized the original ideal behind the creation of the World Government.
Equality.
But Imu had stolen the fruits of victory and become the true absolute sovereign.
Originally, everything had been proceeding perfectly.
There had only been one accident.
Nefertari Lily…
No.
That woman's true name should have been Nefertari D. Lily.
She was the one who scattered the Poneglyphs across the world.
And within those ancient texts lay the secret of the Ancient Weapons.
No matter how powerful Luffy himself became, Imu did not care about that.
But the moment the Ancient Weapons were found, the world he ruled would finally be at risk of collapsing.
"The death of Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro will shake the authority of the World Government."
After a long silence, Imu spoke coldly:
"We need a sacrifice to console the dead."
Upon hearing this, the eyes of the Four Elders darkened.
The Warrior God of Scientific Defense, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, asked in a low voice:
"What will be the target?"
"Dressrosa."
"What?!"
The four were shocked.
The Warrior God of Agriculture, Shepherd Ju Peter, asked suspiciously:
"Doflamingo knows many things. Furthermore, the SMILE factory is located there. If we destroy Dressrosa…"
"It does not matter."
Imu slowly rose from the Empty Throne.
His figure vanished like a ghost while only a few words echoed through the hall.
"Accept York's request."
"Allow her to become a Celestial Dragon."
"And provide the necessary resources to complete that as quickly as possible."
The four received the orders simultaneously.
They continued kneeling for several more minutes until they were certain Imu had truly departed.
Only then did they rise one after another.
"Things are becoming more and more troublesome…"
As he walked out of the Empty Throne chamber, Shepherd Ju Peter massaged his forehead and asked:
"Are we launching a Buster Call on Dressrosa?"
"This is Master Imu's order. That island must disappear!"
said the Warrior God of Justice, Topman Warcury, coldly.
"What will be the justification?"
"Isn't it natural for turmoil to occur in a country where a revolution happened? After all, it is practically a pirate nation already."
Saint Saturn narrowed his eyes.
"It does not matter how many humans die. Hundreds of thousands can easily be replaced. Dressrosa… the Marines… it is all the same."
---xXx---
Onigashima.
The war had ended.
Only Mihawk and Zoro were still locked in an intense battle.
As the victorious side, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet began cleaning up the battlefield.
Both allies and enemies had suffered terrible losses.
With a simple wave of his hand, Luffy collected the twenty-one Empty Fruits floating in the air.
Most of them had already transformed once again into Devil Fruits.
At that moment, Jinbe approached.
First, he looked at Sengoku lying on the ground.
Then at Aokiji, who raised his hand in surrender.
"Luffy, the casualty report has arrived."
"I see."
Luffy nodded slightly.
Jinbe began the report.
"The Straw Hat Grand Fleet's losses are as follows: Gecko Moria, captain of the Third Division, died in battle."
"Jozu of the Sixth Division died in battle."
"From the Heartless Legion, formerly the Beasts Pirates: Jack, one of the Three Calamities, died in battle."
"Two of the Tobiroppo, Sasaki and Who's Who, died during the Vice Admirals' siege."
"Out of more than twenty thousand pirates, fewer than three thousand survived."
"As for Big Mom…"
Jinbe also reported the Charlotte Family's situation.
"Charlotte Daifuku, Charlotte Oven, and Charlotte Snack, one of the Four Sweet Commanders, died in battle."
"As for the Marines…"
"One of the Five Elders, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, died in battle."
"Admiral Ryokugyu died in battle."
"Holy Knight Alexis Bunting died."
"Holy Knight Baptiste Ackroyd died."
"Vice Admirals Dalmatian, Onigumo, Strawberry, Momonga, Doberman, and five other Vice Admirals died at the hands of the Charlotte Family while protecting the Marines' retreat."
"Several Rear Admirals."
"Several Colonels."
"More than ten thousand soldiers died, and around twenty thousand Marines were captured."
"Of the hundred Pacifistas deployed, more than fifty were destroyed. Twenty-seven were separated by Law's ability and remain intact. The rest managed to evacuate."
"Additionally, out of the more than one hundred warships sent, twenty-two were sunk."
"And finally…"
Jinbe looked toward Sengoku and Aokiji.
"These two."
After hearing the report, Luffy remained calm.
There were no immortals in war.
And the casualties were already lower than he had expected.
Less than half of the Heartless Legion's main forces had died.
All because Nusjuro had targeted them as the primary threat from the very beginning.
"So… this is what the World Government wanted?"
Luffy's gaze settled on Sengoku.
Then he asked calmly:
"Sengoku… since you abandoned the front lines and still ended up being captured by me while protecting the Marines… you don't have any objections about how I'll deal with you, right?"
Sengoku, at seventy-seven years old, was very straightforward about the situation he faced.
"To be honest, I don't know why the World Government wants you dead so badly…"
This was extermination, not imprisonment.
"As for how you want to deal with me, I have no complaints. You let those Marines leave and didn't massacre everyone. On the contrary, I should be thanking you."
"They are merely ordinary people coerced by those above them. To me, it doesn't matter whether they live or die."
Luffy waved his hand, and several branches grew from the ground beneath Sengoku, helping him stand up. The branches then transformed into chains, binding him from all sides.
"I'm not going to kill you. You're already an old man, killing you would serve no purpose. The Neo Marines created by my grandfather might still need your strength."
Sengoku: "..."
This brat still had not given up?
How could he possibly join the Neo Marines?
Was this some kind of joke?
He was a former Fleet Admiral of the Marines. If he truly did that, the consequences would be devastating.
As if sensing his thoughts, Luffy smiled and said:
"My grandpa is here too. Let him talk to you later. I really have no interest in arguing with a stubborn old man. If you keep insisting to the very end, you might become another Kaido."
Then he turned to look at Aokiji.
Aokiji raised his eyebrows and said with a smile:
"I can join your Neo Marines. By changing places, maybe I'll be able to see a different world."
After a pause, he sighed again.
"Mr. Garp abandoning the Marines really shocked me… just like Mr. Zephyr."
One of them had been the teacher who trained him when he first entered the Marines.
The other had been like a guide, a beacon lighting his path.
Because of that, Aokiji felt no psychological burden in joining the Neo Marines.
After spending decades in the old Marines, perhaps changing environments would truly allow him to see different scenery.
At that moment—
"Monkey D. Luffy!"
The Golden Emperor, who had silently observed everything until the dust settled, finally approached.
Luffy turned to look at him.
The richest man in the world.
Of course, he knew him.
Every now and then, news about that person appeared in the newspapers.
Alongside him was Morgans.
Luffy had a good impression of that guy. After all, Morgans had been reporting on him since the East Blue days.
"Hehehe! Straw Hat, I've already finished writing today's news! I'm going to let the entire world know the 'truth' of what happened here!"
Morgans laughed excitedly.
"Remember to make my picture look good. It has to be the best one!"
Morgans: "..."
Do you think you're some kind of idol?
Well… maybe he actually was.
After this news spread, how many people around the world would begin to see him as some sort of spiritual leader?
After all, he killed one of the Five Elders!
"Please keep in contact with me!"
Morgans handed over a business card.
"These are my contact details. If you get any major news, use this number to call me anytime. Well then, goodbye, Straw Hat! I look forward to the day you become the Pirate King!"
Shortly afterward, he left.
Luffy stored the Den Den Mushi number.
It might prove useful in the future.
"And you? What do you want?"
The Golden Emperor smiled, clapped his hands, and said:
"That was a magnificent battle. I truly admire you, Mr. Luffy!"
Unlike the Pirate Empress, Tesoro spoke about his own past without hesitation.
"I used to be a slave."
Tesoro was born into a poor family. His father was a compulsive gambler, and his mother abandoned him.
He grew up in misery.
He wanted to earn money.
He was beaten countless times and lived while desperately fleeing.
After escaping, Tesoro met his first love at a slave market.
To free her, he worked himself to exhaustion.
But just when he finally managed to gather enough money, a Celestial Dragon passed by and became interested in her.
Before those world nobles, Tesoro lost control and attacked the opponent.
As a result, he became a slave as well.
He only managed to escape by chance when the fish-man adventurer Fisher Tiger climbed the Red Line alone and freed countless slaves.
As for his first love…
She had already died at the hands of the Celestial Dragons.
"You are my hero, Mr. Luffy!"
The Golden Emperor's eyes shone intensely, exactly like Bartolomeo's in Loguetown.
Suddenly, he knelt.
"Your grandfather, Mr. Garp, founded the Neo Marines. To develop a military force of that level requires an astronomical amount of money! And the only thing I possess is money. I am willing to provide sufficient military funding for the Neo Marines without asking for anything in return!"
"Then what is your request?"
Luffy laughed.
This was the second important man who had come to him voluntarily.
"No… I don't have any special request. If there is one…"
The Golden Emperor raised his head.
His eyes were cold, filled with resentment and killing intent.
"The Celestial Dragon from back then is still alive. He escaped by luck when you invaded the Holy Land. If possible… one day, I hope to crush him personally with my own hands!"
"Alright. I'll allow it."
Luffy patted his shoulder and helped him stand up.
There were many perverts in the world of One Piece.
But there were also deeply passionate men.
Gild Tesoro was clearly one of them.
Before losing everything, he had met someone who brought warmth and happiness into his life.
And even now, he still could not forget it.
Luffy did not hate people like that.
Since the other party was practically begging to follow him, he naturally accepted.
"Thank you very much!!"
Tesoro looked extremely happy.
He was the user of the Goru Goru no Mi, the owner of Gran Tesoro, the greatest entertainment city in the world.
The richest man in the world.
Someone who controlled around twenty percent of all the money circulating worldwide.
Even the World Government did not dare touch him easily, fearing it would trigger a global financial collapse.
And even so…
He still could not get revenge.
That was why the man before him was someone worthy of following!
Sengoku watched everything silently.
The sins committed by the Celestial Dragons would inevitably demand their price.
That was exactly what the World Government feared.
When a rebel leader emerges, the oppressed people naturally gravitate toward that light.
There is no eternal monarchy in the world.
Where there is oppression, there will be resistance.
At that moment, Sengoku suddenly realized that after stepping down from the position of Fleet Admiral, perhaps he was finally beginning to see something different.
Perhaps joining the Neo Marines really could change the world.
Suddenly—
Pururururu!
The sound of a Den Den Mushi echoed.
Luffy picked up the receiver and answered.
From the other side, Nami's voice rang out immediately:
"Luffy! We captured a bunch of people over here! It's the Blackbeard Pirates! Is the war on your side over? Hurry up and get here!"
(End of Chapter)