Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
At this moment, the Five Elders had returned from God Valley.
Without stopping to rest, they headed straight toward Pangaea Castle.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Continuous footsteps echoed through the corridors.
Creak—
The five old men pushed open the massive doors.
A grand and magnificent hall appeared before them.
At the very top of the solemn chamber stood the Empty Throne, towering high above all else. Numerous swords and blades were planted before it.
And seated upon the Empty Throne—
Was none other than Imu, leader of the Celestial Dragons and the true ruler of the World Government.
At that moment, Imu had been resting with closed eyes.
Hearing the doors open—
Those sharp, hawk-like eyes slowly opened.
The Five Elders lined up in formation and knelt on one knee.
"The Five Elders pay respects to Lord Imu!"
Their voices echoed throughout the hall.
"I already know about Rocks' death."
Seated upon the Empty Throne, Imu spoke calmly.
The news had spread long ago.
Although Imu rarely left Mary Geoise, attention was still paid to world affairs.
"It was Is who ended Rocks."
One of the Five Elders reminded.
By the time they had arrived at God Valley, the island had already sunk beneath the sea.
According to Kong's report—
And today's news—
They knew Is had been the one to kill Rocks.
"I know."
After a pause—
One of the bald Five Elders slightly raised his head.
"Lord Imu… Is's recent achievements should be enough to earn your approval now, shouldn't they?"
"I approved of him long ago."
Imu supported their face with one hand and replied coldly:
"Is is indeed someone worthy of cultivation."
"If he is willing…"
"One day, he could reach your current positions."
The bald elder's expression changed slightly.
At that moment, the elder with scars on his face spoke slowly:
"Is now bears the title of God in the eyes of the world."
"In the future, he will surely lead our Celestial Dragons toward even greater glory."
"Hopefully."
Imu's tone remained indifferent before suddenly changing topics.
"Though Is is the successor chosen by all of you…"
"Are you certain you can still control him?"
"His strength now shouldn't be much weaker than yours."
The instant those words fell—
The Five Elders fell silent.
Is's growth speed had long exceeded their imagination.
He had even ended Rocks at God Valley.
That terrifying strength already had few equals.
Moreover—
Not a single one of his subordinates was ordinary.
Gradually—
Even they had begun feeling that Is was slipping beyond their control.
In a one-on-one battle—
None of them could confidently say they would certainly defeat him.
"No matter what…"
The bald elder pondered.
"Is is still a Celestial Dragon."
"He wouldn't betray the World Government… would he?"
Imu sneered.
"Haven't there already been enough betrayals throughout history?"
The horrifying aura emanating from Imu immediately pressured the Five Elders.
Dense sweat formed across their foreheads.
"What I hate most…"
"…is betrayal."
"Since Is is the successor chosen by all of you, then you must ensure he remains under control."
"He cannot be allowed to walk the path of betrayal."
"We understand."
The Five Elders answered together.
"Has God Valley already sunk beneath the sea?"
Imu asked again, changing topics.
"Yes…"
"It has sunk."
"Is that so."
Imu's expression remained calm.
"That thing…"
"…should have sunk along with it."
"No matter."
"It sinking is fine."
"After all, no one capable of taking it has appeared yet."
"When such a person appears…"
"…we can simply retrieve it again."
The Five Elders exchanged glances.
"Will someone capable of taking it appear in this era?"
"Who knows?"
A meaningful smile appeared on Imu's face.
"If there's nothing else…"
"You may leave."
"Yes!"
The Five Elders responded in unison before standing.
Just as they prepared to depart—
Imu spoke once more.
"Oh, right."
"Don't forget about Is."
"He is a double-edged sword."
"He may bring prosperity to us…"
"…or destroy us."
"We understand."
The Five Elders replied.
Leaving Imu's palace, they closed the doors behind them and walked down the corridor.
"What should we do regarding Is?"
The bald elder sighed.
"Trying to control that boy now is extremely difficult."
"Is has indeed done many things beneficial to the World Government…"
Another elder said slowly.
"But we underestimated the speed of his growth."
"If he harbors thoughts of rebellion…"
"…there's little we could do to stop him."
"For now, we should continue observing."
"At present, Is still remains within Mary Geoise."
"As long as he's there…"
"He alone is enough to suppress countless pirates."
Is had killed Rocks.
Ended the Rocks Era.
Received the title of God—
Recognition granted by the world itself.
As long as a god remained—
Chaos could be suppressed.
At the very least—
With Is around, they no longer feared pirates becoming an overwhelming threat to the World Government.
"Whether this double-edged sword becomes useful depends entirely on how we wield it."
"For now…"
"Observe him more closely."
"If he possesses no rebellious intent…"
"…then in the future, pushing him into power would be ideal."
"But if he does harbor rebellion…"
"…then we'll need to find a way to eliminate him."
The Five Elders genuinely admired Is.
Yet now—
They were beginning to realize they could no longer control him.
Thus, greater caution became necessary.
Is's influence was expanding continuously.
And they could not guarantee—
That he lacked ambitions of rebellion.
If Is truly sought betrayal—
Then for the World Government—
It would be a catastrophe capable of destroying everything.
None of them wanted that outcome.
…
"We treated him like family."
"We raised him as our successor."
The bald elder sighed softly.
"I hope he doesn't disappoint us."
First Half of the Grand Line, a certain sea.
A lone man sat aboard a small boat, reading a newspaper with interest.
"A Celestial Dragon named Is…"
"…bestowed with the title of God?"
"How interesting."
Looking at the headline, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Captain! We've spotted a small boat!"
Not far away—
A pirate ship had appeared.
One of the lookouts shouted.
"Why report something so trivial?"
The pirate captain barked.
"Just fire the cannons and sink it."
"Yes!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Cannons roared as shells flew toward the small boat.
Flash!
A crimson light streaked through the air.
At some unknown moment—
An umbrella had appeared in the man's hand.
The incoming cannonballs exploded instantly.
Only small ripples disturbed the sea.
"W-Wait…"
"H-He's…"
"The Red Count!!"
The pirate captain's face turned pale.
His body instinctively staggered backward.
The man aboard the small boat—
Was none other than Red Count, Patrick Redfield.
Within the first half of the Grand Line—
He was already a famous powerhouse.
Incredibly strong.
Preferring solitude.
Though he had never attacked Marines and thus lacked a high bounty—
No pirate in the first half of the Grand Line dared underestimate him.
A faint smile formed on Red Count's lips.
Then—
He vanished.
The next moment, he appeared aboard the pirate ship.
Looking at everyone around him—
His smile disappeared.
Instead—
Disgust filled his expression.
"Your hearts…"
"…are filthy."
The reason Red Count preferred solitude—
Was because of his terrifying Observation Haki capable of reading hearts.
Ever since childhood—
He had seen the ugliness hidden within others.
He disdained associating with such people.
Thus—
He always walked alone.
And whenever he encountered especially vile hearts—
He often chose to erase them.
His overwhelming strength made short work of every pirate aboard.
Soon afterward—
He returned to his small boat.
Opening the newspaper again, he smiled lightly.
"Celestial Dragon Is…"
"I wonder…"
"…whether you are truly different from other Celestial Dragons."
He had seen Celestial Dragons before.
Every single one possessed revolting hearts—
Filling him with disgust.
Yet—
For some reason—
He felt Is differed from those idle, decadent Celestial Dragons.
Is possessed overwhelming power.
Countless followers.
And had even ended Rocks—
Receiving the title of God from the world.
Someone like that—
Interested him greatly.
He wanted to know—
Just how different Is truly was.
Please subscribe automatically, please subscribe automatically.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/c/GojoSP