So, even though they felt Garp had a point, precautions still had to be taken.
"To prevent anything from truly happening to Impel Down, there is no such thing as being too cautious this time."
As Vice Admiral Tsuru spoke, she swept her serious gaze around the room.
Everyone she looked at nodded one after another.
"So this time, everyone is heading to Impel Down? This old man feels that doing so may actually provoke a conflict instead."
After Tsuru finished speaking, Kizaru also gave his opinion.
"This old man has already considered that."
Sengoku nodded lightly.
"Other than a portion of us, everyone else will remain on guard around the perimeter of Impel Down."
After that, Sengoku and Tsuru began explaining the operation.
This information had also been received by Mary Geoise the day before.
...
"Lord Imu, that is the situation. Should we take this chance to keep him there?"
At this moment, Saint Saturn, the Warrior God of Science and Defense, was kneeling on one knee as he spoke.
Upon the Empty Throne at the end of the hall filled with swords, Imu looked down at the five kneeling figures below.
"You cannot keep him there."
Imu's voice was extremely indifferent, though faint dissatisfaction could be heard within it.
If Cyrus could be kept there so easily, then what meaning would all the things they had done during this period have?
Would that not make everything meaningless?
Having personally fought Cyrus twice, Imu understood very clearly that Cyrus was the variable of this world.
Whether it was Devil Fruits or the people of this world, nothing should have been that powerful.
Aside from being wary of Cyrus, Imu was even more curious.
Why had such an overwhelmingly powerful individual suddenly been born?
It was simply incomprehensible.
Below the throne, the kneeling Five Elders quietly exchanged glances after hearing Imu's words, but none of them spoke.
They were waiting for Imu to make a decision.
"Continue with the previous matter. Send people to infiltrate the Hunter Guild and find a way to grasp a certain amount of authority within it."
Imu spoke, without mentioning the matter of Impel Down this time.
"Also, during the Hunter Guild's Hunter Exam, send people to participate. If you discover anyone with decent talent, eliminate them during the exam."
"Yes!"
The Five Elders had no objections and immediately accepted the order.
After that, the place fell silent.
Only after quite a while did the Five Elders quietly raise their heads. The throne was already empty. Imu had disappeared at some unknown point.
The five of them rose and returned to the Room of Authority.
However, on the way back, none of them spoke a word. The atmosphere was clearly heavy.
"Lord Imu is very wary of Cyrus."
"Watch your words!"
"The Hunter Exam matter must be carried out as soon as possible. But if we do this, will it anger Cyrus?"
The Five Elders were clearly even more apprehensive toward Cyrus now.
At this moment, they were worried that making moves during the Hunter Guild's exam might provoke his fury.
If an enraged Cyrus gave Mary Geoise another slash, Mary Geoise might not be able to withstand it.
"Let us hope it will not. That man is truly impossible to understand. Even now, we still don't know what his true goal is."
As the Five Elders spoke, the Room of Authority fell silent.
…
"Raise the sails."
Cyrus boarded the Rose Hunter, his gaze moving toward the four people sitting cross-legged on the deck.
"My apologies. The ship isn't that large, so there are no cabins suitable for all of you. During the journey to Impel Down, I'll have to trouble you to stay on the deck for now."
As Cyrus spoke, the Rose Hunter began turning, then left the harbor.
"Brother Katakuri!"
Smoothie hesitated, seeming to want to say something.
"We are powerless to change this. I can only protect all of you." Katakuri spoke when he heard her, then looked toward Smoothie.
"Now, it's time to deal with the matter of our brothers and sisters. I'll handle this myself. None of you need to appear."
After saying that, Katakuri walked toward Brûlée, then entered the Mirro-World alone.
Some things had to be done eventually.
…
Both the Marines and the Hunter Guild were taking action, but outsiders could not see any of it.
The Rose Hunter sailed straight toward Impel Down, and half a month later, it stopped before the Gate of Justice.
"The Gate of Justice."
Robin raised her head, looking at the enormous gate with disbelief in her eyes.
"The people of the past really were good at creating such exaggerated things."
After saying that, Robin turned back toward Cyrus.
"Chairman, what do you think?"
"Me?"
Hearing Robin's question, Cyrus raised a hand and pointed at himself, then looked toward the Gate of Justice.
"I'm just curious why these guys still haven't opened the gate."
Cyrus narrowed his eyes as he stared at the tightly shut Gate of Justice.
"Should we notify the Marines?"
Robin froze, then also turned to look at the Gate of Justice before asking.
"No need."
Cyrus shook his head and placed a hand on his sword.
"If they've shut the door, then we'll just open it."
The moment his voice fell, dozens of slashes shot out in an instant, landing on the gate in the blink of an eye.
The enormous Gate of Justice shook violently.
Then cracks appeared across it one after another.
The massive Gate of Justice shattered into over a hundred pieces, which then crashed down onto the sea below.
Rumble!
The fragments of the Gate of Justice alone created waves comparable to a massive tsunami in the New World when they struck the sea.
Waves over a hundred meters tall came crashing down toward the Rose Hunter.
Swish!
Another slash cut the incoming giant wave apart.
The fissure left behind by the slash passed through the Gate of Justice and extended far into the distance.
Cyrus sheathed his sword and looked at the slash stretching beyond the broken gate. He raised a hand to stop the ship from continuing forward.
"Chairman, we didn't come here to fight this time. Or is coming here to fight also part of your plan?"
"This was only a greeting. It's to notify the Marines that I've arrived."
On the deck, Whitebeard, Big Mom, and the others all showed different expressions when they saw Cyrus make his move.
That was the Gate of Justice.
In a sense, it basically represented the Marines.
Even for them, whether they could destroy the Gate of Justice was one thing.
More importantly, destroying it was equivalent to tearing down one of the Marines' important defensive lines.
That was essentially declaring war on the Marines head-on.
Even the former Whitebeard and Big Mom would have had reservations.
But Cyrus did not seem to think much about it at all.
He simply made his move.
"If that's the case, this plan may not proceed smoothly," Issho said.
"It's fine. Sengoku is called the Buddha and a wise general. He knows what should be done. Let's go. Continue forward."
As Cyrus spoke, he raised his hand. The sea ahead had already calmed slightly.
The Rose Hunter advanced through the Gate of Justice!
…
Impel Down.
The top combat forces of the Marine higher-ups had gathered, and everyone's expression was serious.
Just as everyone's nerves were stretched taut, a gurgling sound rang out.
In an instant, everyone instinctively moved away from the large figure.
The warden of Impel Down, Magellan, user of the Paramecia-type Venom-Venom Fruit.
He was said to be unmatched inside Impel Down, and his Devil Fruit ability had an enormous territorial advantage within the prison.
The only bad thing was that the Venom-Venom Fruit's ability also had a huge effect on Magellan himself. Even Magellan could not resist the powerful toxins.
The result was stomach trouble.
Out of twenty-four hours in a day, Magellan spent two-thirds of his time in the toilet.
"Ahem."
Even Magellan could not help feeling somewhat embarrassed when he saw everyone's reaction.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, since Cyrus is personally coming over, should we send someone to guide him in? We should also open the Gate of Justice."
Magellan spoke to conceal his embarrassment.
"Hm?"
Sengoku had originally been silent and stern-faced, as if thinking about something. But the moment Magellan said that, Sengoku clearly sensed something was wrong.
"Wait. The Gate of Justice hasn't been opened?"
Sengoku stared at Magellan with wide eyes.
"I haven't received any notice that the Gate of Justice was opened."
Magellan immediately shook his head, then added, "Impel Down is extremely important. It is located in the Calm Belt and surrounded by Sea Kings. The Gate of Justice is the first defensive line.
"If the Gate of Justice is to be opened, news will be sent here in advance."
Sengoku frowned, then gave Vice Admiral Tsuru a look.
Tsuru nodded and took out a Den Den Mushi, but before she could make the call, the whole of Impel Down began to tremble faintly.
No.
It was the sea before them that had moved!
"Too late."
Although the movement they felt now was still small, Sengoku's face had already darkened.
"Prepare to intercept the impact."
Sengoku looked toward the three Admirals beside him.
"Understood."
Akainu immediately nodded.
Aokiji was lazy as ever, while Kizaru seemed to be spacing out.
"It's a slash. Cyrus must have made his move."
Garp raised his eyes and looked toward the vast, boundless sea ahead, his expression grave as he spoke.