"Gremmy has also disappeared."
Wandenreich, Silbern.
Yhwach had already learned of Gremmy's disappearance from Haschwalth. He sat upon his throne with his eyes closed, a long-absent sense of unease welling up within him. Since retreating into the shadows a thousand years ago, he had planned everything to perfection.
His plan should have been flawless: recuperate in the shadow of the Seireitei, a place saturated with Reishi, the very source of Quincy power. A millennium would pass, allowing the Shinigami to rot in the complacency of peace while the Quincies sharpened their blades in the dark. Once he fully recovered, the conquest of the Seireitei would be decided in a single stroke.
A thousand years ago, during his invasion of Soul Society, he had been blindsided by Hyosube Ichibei using the Soul King's Left Arm, resulting in his Almighty being sealed. Only death could break that seal. Thus, being "slain" by Yamamoto Genryūsai had been part of the plan. If the invasion succeeded then, great; if not, his death would eventually facilitate the unsealing.
But now, as the plan neared its finale and his full resurrection was within reach, accidents were happening one after another. The Five Elders' invasion, the existence of the "Abyss," and now the loss of seven Sternritters, including a pivotal war power like Gremmy.
As Beltz suspected, Yhwach at this stage did not yet have the ability to use Auswählen; he had to wait until his complete awakening.
"You have done well."
Yhwach praised Haschwalth's order to lock down the Empire. No matter how chaotic the outside world became, the interior of the Empire had to remain stable. This was his stronghold and his safe house while he recovered. Nothing else could go wrong here.
"Retire. For the next ten years, the Empire shall remain in this state of total isolation. No one enters, and no one leaves."
"Yes, Majesty." Haschwalth bowed slightly and slowly withdrew.
Yhwach, eyes closed, allowed himself to slip into a deep slumber. Only in this state did he enter the true form of the Father of the Quincies. He did not lose consciousness; instead, he slowly submerged into the souls of the Five Elders.
Using the blood and soul fragments of the five monsters that had invaded, he had created clones. By granting them Schrifts, he had drawn out a deeper power within their souls: the power of Devils. By further enhancing that power, he had even enabled the Five Elders to merge, synthesizing into "Imu."
The Devils and the Abyss were clearly linked to that Imu. Yet, he had been unable to gain further intelligence. Today, Yhwach decided to try one more time. As he merged his soul fragments deeper into that demonic energy, his consciousness was suddenly jerked by a powerful attraction!
In an instant, he felt his soul traversing dimensions! His consciousness descended into a space entirely different from the Wandenreich.
"..."
Yhwach looked around. He was in a room filled with flowers, like a young girl's secret garden. Before him stood a girl with heterochromatic eyes.
But it was only a momentary connection. In the next heartbeat, Yhwach's consciousness snapped back into his own body!
!
Yhwach's eyes flew open, a trace of shock visible in his gaze. That was...
He narrowed his eyes. In that split second, he seemed to have traveled to a completely different world. His consciousness had established a link with a certain existence in another realm!
Could it be... Imu?
Yhwach had found the corresponding soul through the demonic fragments within the Five Elders. If he wasn't mistaken, that was the so-called Imu. His mind had synchronized with Imu, far away in the "Abyss," through the demonic power. For that one moment, his consciousness had even invaded the other's soul!
Though it was brief, Yhwach confirmed that the other party was not within the Three Realms.
"...A Devil, is it?" Yhwach's lips curled upward.
He could feel that Imu possessed impressive power, though still inferior to his own. He could slowly invade the other's mind. Once his own power was fully restored, he could use this slow intrusion to eventually assimilate Imu's consciousness entirely!
If he succeeded, he would effectively control the "Abyss" forces, an independent power outside the Three Realms. Those powerful Devils would become his subordinates. The loss of the Sternritters would mean nothing compared to gaining a legion of even stronger demonic soldiers!
Of course, he needed to take it slow. Currently, he could only maintain the link for an instant, seeing nothing but a garden and a girl.
What Yhwach didn't know was that back in the Seireitei, Keiko, standing directly "above" Silbern, breathed a sigh of relief. Yhwach's ability to connect with Imu wasn't just because of the soul factors in the Five Elders. It was because she had used the "Connection" power of the Soul King's Right Leg to bridge Yhwach and Imu.
This was a plan coordinated with the Soul King: connect the villains of two worlds so they could be defeated all at once. The Soul King had given her immense benefits, but the price was giving Yhwach a "fair" chance to compete.
Of course, "fair" was a relative term, as the competition was being orchestrated by her. By letting Yhwach and Imu merge and the Wandenreich and World Government integrate, they could resolve the villains of both worlds in a single battle.
While a combined force seemed unstoppable, villains are born to be defeated. The anti-World Government forces in One Piece, along with the Gotei 13 and Aizen in Bleach world, would serve as the alliance to take down Yhwach.
As Keiko, she could lead the Shinigami and negotiate with Aizen. As Beltz, he would hollow out the Wandenreich from within, killing or bribing the Sternritters who weren't fully loyal to Yhwach. And Erensig would take charge of One Piece.
The three identities had clear roles. Even if Yhwach awakened fully, he would find himself missing several Sternritter souls to absorb, making his "awakened" state weaker than in the original timeline. And the Soul King's body he intended to absorb would already belong to Beltz.
Naturally, Yhwach would have a new "supplement": the World Government. If he merged with Imu, the members of the World Government would become his new "Sternritters," and he could use Auswählen on all of them.
The final battle would be Yhwach, his loyalists, and the World Government versus a "Three-in-One" Beltz (who had absorbed the Soul King's remains) leading the allied forces of Pirates, Shinigami, and Aizen.
The advantage was hers!
However, as Yhwach and Imu merged, Beltz would eventually have to defect. Once Yhwach deeply understood One Piece, he would inevitably discover Beltz and Liltotto's activities there. Their identities would be exposed. Thus, before the fusion reached that critical point, he would have to flee with Liltotto and the turned Sternritters.
In One Piece.
Imu had experienced a momentary lapse of focus.
"Lord Imu?" The personal maid, Gunko, noticed and whispered.
Imu remained silent, brow furrowing slightly. She felt something enter her body. Her physical health was fine, but her soul had undergone a change. She reached out, and a dark power flickered in her palm.
This power was different from Haki. Haki is the manifestation of spirit and will; this power was pitch-black and viscous like oil—a physical substance. it radiated an evil, ominous aura.
"Lord Imu..." Gunko was startled. As a close attendant, she had never seen Imu display such an ability.
Imu stared at the black energy. After that unknown soul fragment flowed in, she felt she possessed this power. It was an ability called a Schrift.
Schrift 'A' — The Abyss!
An 'A' Schrift! Schrifts had levels, but the 'A' rank was unique. Because 'A' usually represented Yhwach's own Almighty, only Uryu Ishida in the original Wandenreich had the talent to awaken an 'A' rank. Now, through the synchronization via the Soul King's power, Imu had awakened the highest rank.
Abyss. This Schrift allowed Imu to wield the power of the Abyssal Devils. Imu already possessed the ability to turn people into Devils via Domi Reversi, but the Abyss power enhanced this further. She could now not only turn people into Devils but also strengthen, modify, and even restructure them at will.
"Bring the remnants of the Rocks Pirates," Imu commanded. As Gunko turned to obey, Imu added: "Also, bring the criminals from the sixth level of Impel Down to the Holy Land. I have a great use for them."
Though confused, Gunko obeyed. Once she left, Imu closed her eyes. She didn't know where the power came from, but it solved her current crisis. The One Piece World was in chaos; she needed a stronger army to rebuild the world order.
Liltotto had captured the Rocks remnants long ago. However, Imu's "Mark" couldn't be given to just anyone. Only thirteen "God's Covenant" spots existed for "Depths" contracts. Only those could be brainwashed, made absolutely loyal, and remotely controlled while receiving massive power boosts.
The Rocks remnants hadn't been strong enough to earn such a "blessing" before—unless they were at the level of Kaido or Big Mom. But with the "Abyss" power, the number of Covenant spots had increased from thirteen to fifteen. As the Schrift power grew, this number would rise further.
With two new spots and the Abyss power, she could finally build her own true Devil Army.
The efficiency of the World Government was high. Soon, the requested prisoners were brought to the Holy Land in seastone cuffs. Among the Rocks remnants were Captain John, Ganzui, Barbel, and Gill Bastar, along with LV6 inmates from the "Eternal Hell" of Impel Down, most notably the infamous Sanjuan Wolf.
These men, despite years of imprisonment, were still full of malice and defiance. As pirates, they wouldn't yield easily.
Gunko looked at them with cold, heterochromatic eyes.
"Why does His Majesty want these people brought here?" Saint Figarland Garling, commander of the Knights of God, asked Gunko in confusion.
Gunko didn't answer. Instead, an ominous aura erupted from her! In an instant, her presence shifted entirely.
Imu... had arrived.