Joy Boy and Caelan were still on Egghead, while Dressrosa, as the Neo Navy's headquarters, housed the bulk of its forces.
Imu believed that, aside from Joy Boy and Caelan, no one in the world could stop the power of the Celestial Dragons' national treasure.
No, rather, it should be said that only Caelan could stop it.
Not even Joy Boy could withstand it. The power to annihilate an entire island in an instant was not something one person could block, unless it was with the God Slayer Spear.
As long as he wiped out the Neo Navy stationed in Dressrosa, Imu didn't care how enraged Caelan would become.
There wouldn't be a million new soldiers joining the Neo Navy overnight, nor would a dozen admiral-level warriors appear out of nowhere.
Dressrosa would be destroyed, Caelan would lose control, the navy would be crushed, the Five Elders would fall in battle, and Imu would escape to a safe location and plan his return.
It was a perfect escape strategy.
After seeing Joy Boy become Caelan's subordinate, Imu had abandoned the idea of defending Mariejois and dying with honor on the Empty Throne.
He had once thought he could die with dignity beneath the God Slayer Spear. But now, that was no longer possible.
So he would provoke Caelan's wrath and use that chaos as a chance to escape.
He would find time to breathe, wait for Caelan to grow old and die in some corner of the world, or simply wait for another opportunity.
As the conspirator and victor from eight hundred years ago, he had patience.
As long as he lived, the future held endless possibilities.
"Lord Imu is wise. This move will deal a heavy blow to the Neo Navy. I will begin preparations immediately."
The two members of the Knights of God, who had just lost their immortality, began flattering Imu.
If the power of the national treasure was used, Caelan's base of operations would be completely destroyed. Millions of elite troops would be reduced to ash, and Caelan's most loyal, powerful forces would be wiped out.
With that, the Neo Navy would no longer have the advantage in military strength.
Only a few high-end combatants, such as admirals and vice admirals, would remain, and they would no longer be a match for the World Government.
Even if Caelan was left as the last standing powerhouse, they could still go into hiding and avoid a direct clash.
"Go. Prepare everything quickly. Deploy the national treasure at once."
Imu glanced at Saint Saturn and spoke calmly.
Disobeying his orders and secretly preserving a giant robot that should have been destroyed two hundred years ago was already enough to warrant death.
If not for the current lack of manpower, he would have killed him already.
"Understood, Lord Imu. I will take my leave."
The group retreated as instructed, preparing the sacrificial ritual to activate the national treasure.
In Mariejois, Saturn and Saint Nusjuro, separated from the other two, exchanged glances. Unlike the two newly demoted Elders, they didn't feel optimistic.
Just a moment ago, everyone was saying that Caelan posed an incomparable threat, and now they were preparing to provoke him again?
What if, after Dressrosa is destroyed, Caelan comes charging straight to Mariejois?
Imu planned to run.
That thought popped into both Saturn's and Nusjuro's minds.
Eliminate Caelan's army, then flee and hide elsewhere.
That was something Imu would absolutely do. Those who had followed him the longest knew that his victory eight hundred years ago was far from fair.
But while Imu could flee, what about them?
It was possible that Imu would bring them along, but more likely he would not.
Someone had to stay behind to bear Caelan's wrath. Who knew what that madman might do?
A sense of dread crept into their hearts. They feared they were going to be abandoned.
Saturn, in particular, was almost certain. His chances of being discarded were nearly one hundred percent.
The giant robot on Egghead should have been destroyed when it attacked Mariejois two hundred years ago. That order had come directly from Imu, and Saturn was responsible for carrying it out.
But as the "God of Science and Defense," Saturn had preserved the robot in secret, hoping to study its power.
Now, that robot had become Caelan's tool. The knots on it had helped evolve Caelan's Haki, and its remains had served as the medium to resurrect Joy Boy.
This turn of events had granted Caelan gains worth nearly half the World Government's power, more than what the Neo Navy had at present.
You could say Saturn was responsible for 80% of Caelan's overwhelming gains at Egghead.
If he had followed Imu's orders and destroyed the robot two centuries ago, Caelan would not have gained so much today.
When Saturn recalled the particular look Imu had given him before leaving, a chill ran down his spine.
Maybe Nusjuro had a chance of escaping with Imu, but he, Saturn, would definitely be left behind.
"Satan, what are you thinking about?"
Nusjuro asked.
"Whatever you're thinking, I'm thinking the same," Saturn replied solemnly, knowing that some words shouldn't be spoken. After all, their lives were bound to Imu's immortality. "Death isn't far away."
"I really envy those two newcomers. They're still so full of energy."
Nusjuro understood his meaning and sighed.
Even though those two from the Knights of God had lost their immortality, they were also freed from Imu's leash.
That wasn't the case for Saturn and Nusjuro. They should have withered away centuries ago, kept alive only by Imu's power.
Once that was withdrawn, they would instantly crumble to dust.
"Yeah, I envy them too." Saturn nodded, his tone ambiguous. "They have a chance to live, but they won't use it."
Those two had not followed Imu for centuries. They were the type of newcomers who had been thoroughly brainwashed.
It would take at least a hundred years for that influence to fade—but they didn't have a hundred years.
Nusjuro suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Saturn, didn't that giant robot attack Mariejois two hundred years ago?"
"I remember we defeated it, and you were the one in charge of destroying it. So how did it end up on Egghead?"
He had been so overwhelmed by Caelan's performance in Imu's memory playback that he hadn't thought to question it earlier.
"That ancient robot looks like a standard model. It's probably not the same one from two hundred years ago," Saturn replied with an awkward laugh. "Haha, let's go prepare the sacrifice to activate the national treasure."
"Alright, let's go."
Nusjuro didn't suspect anything and went to work on the preparations.
Though ancient robots were rare and highly advanced weapons from the Great Kingdom eight hundred years ago, the chance of a second one existing wasn't zero.
Had Nusjuro paid closer attention to Emet during the memory playback, he would have noticed that one of its helmet horns was broken—a battle scar from two centuries ago.
Unfortunately, he had been too focused on Caelan and missed it entirely.
Soon, with all four Elders working together, the sacrifice for activating the national treasure was completed.
A massive shadow above the clouds began drifting toward Dressrosa.
Within twelve hours, Dressrosa would become a deep, bottomless whirlpool in the sea.
…
Egghead Island.
Caelan and Stussy had just finished training and were preparing to rest.
Suddenly, fragments of the future appeared in Caelan's mind.
(To be continued.)
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