Next Bonus, 100!!
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Mary Geoise, the very heart of the World Government, concealed countless secrets.
And at its apex, shrouded in the deepest mystery, was the hidden sovereign of the Celestial Dragons—Lord Imu.
The "throne" Jin had mentioned was the Empty Throne.
Forged 800 years ago by the twenty kings who founded the World Government, it was the symbolic center of the world.
It was a throne upon which no one was ever meant to sit.
The twenty kings had left their weapons before it as a testament to their oath. Just as the pinnacle of world power was held jointly by the Five Elders, there was to be no single, absolute king. It was a vow of equality among them, a promise to never again allow a single dictator to rise.
Should any individual dare to claim it, the other nations were bound by oath to unite and strike down the would-be tyrant.
So... was there someone on that throne?
Jin had posed a fatal question. And the key—he had posed it in the name of Saint Sommers.
Had Saint Sommers betrayed Lord Imu? Or was Jin merely using his name?
Behind this question lay a truly venomous dilemma, one designed to kill the body and crush the soul: did they, or did they not, acknowledge Saint Sommers as a Celestial Dragon?
To acknowledge him meant his words were true. It meant a king did indeed rule the world from the shadows.
That was an admission the Five Elders could never make. Therefore, Sommers had to be an imposter.
But if Saint Sommers was an imposter, what then? His command of the CIU was illegitimate. Jin's claim that they were Revolutionary Army agents would have to be accepted as fact.
The World Government would not only be unable to hold Jin accountable—they would be forced to appease and even reward him.
The straight path had become a dead end in both directions.
It was infuriating.
Silence fell over the chamber. For a moment, none of the Five Elders knew how to respond. This Jin... he was far too sharp.
And there was another, more terrifying implication.
If Saint Sommers had been captured, it meant Jin possessed a way to overcome his immortality.
He was dangerous. As dangerous as Rocks.
Garling Figarland was no fool. His mind raced, and he understood the celestial trap Jin had laid.
The bait was Sommers, Vergo, and every agent who had attacked the Konomi Islands.
If the World Government wanted to deal with Jin through "legal" channels, without tearing the world apart, they were trapped.
And Jin, likewise, had played his part. He hadn't killed anyone yet. He had left the choice—the impossible choice—to them.
To save Saint Sommers was to admit the throne was occupied, to admit the World Government had framed and attacked a member nation.
Paradise would descend into chaos. The Marines, the World Government, the Celestial Dragons themselves—all would be in peril.
The warning was clear.
It was a threat—blatant and absolute.
His audacity was breathtaking. To threaten the Five Elders, the Celestial Dragons, and Him...
Rage flared in Garling's eyes. A powerful aura erupted from him, shattering the table and chairs.
"How dare he!"
"This is an outrageous provocation!"
"I will kill him!" he roared, his fist clenching with a sound like cracking bone. He would not allow anyone to display such arrogance before them. Sommers was his man. If he were killed by this upstart, Garling would be utterly disgraced.
Jin seemed oblivious that Garling's "him" was referring to himself.
"Lord Garling is absolutely right!" he declared, his voice full of righteous indignation. "A traitor of this magnitude... I'll cut him down for the Celestial Dragons myself! I'm on my way to execute the man impersonating a World Noble right now!"
Kill a Celestial Dragon?
"You dare!" Garling thundered. "You... are not worthy!"
"Oh?" Jin cut him off. "So, Sommers is a Celestial Dragon, then? Because that's not what the Memory-Memory Fruit showed me."
The Memory-Memory Fruit.
The Five Elders and Garling froze.
They understood now. They understood the source of his confidence. He had proof. He held the moral high ground. He had prepared for this.
If they pushed him too far, he would burn everything to the ground. If he announced the existence of Lord Imu to the world, everything would collapse.
With Jin's power, if he truly decided to cause chaos, the World Government and the Marines would pay a catastrophic price.
The balance of the world would be shattered.
The Four Emperors, the restless kingdoms, the Revolutionary Army—would they not seize such an opportunity?
"Keep him stable," one of the Gorosei whispered. "That is the will of our Lord."
"A misunderstanding, King Jin," Topman Warcury said, his voice smooth and measured. "Lord Garling simply meant that a criminal of this magnitude is beyond your jurisdiction. He must be handed over to the World Government for judgment. As for his claims... they are baseless fabrications. I believe we have much common ground, King Jin. There is no need for such misunderstandings between us, is there?"
Jin chuckled. "I feel the same way. Oh, and by the way, I've recorded this entire conversation. If anything... unfortunate... were to happen to me, it will be broadcast to the world. I'm sure you wouldn't want that."
A recording??
The faces of the Five Elders, Garling, and the members of the God's Knights turned to stone.
"Very well," Topman said, his voice tight. "We will send someone to retrieve... Sommers." He couldn't stand it anymore. Talking to a man who recorded his phone calls was... infuriating.
The line went dead.
The Five Elders took a collective deep breath, trying to calm their explosive rage.
"I will go and retrieve him," Garling said, his anger still simmering. "I want to see for myself what this man is made of."
"Wait," said Nusjuro, shaking his head. "We must see our Lord."
"He awaits you at the throne."
Garling suppressed his rage and followed them to the throne room.
Imu sat upon the Empty Throne, looking down at them, an oppressive silence filling the chamber.
They waited, their hearts filled with trepidation.
After a long moment, Imu issued a series of commands.
First, the Five Elders were to stabilize the situation with Jin and ensure the truth of the matter was not leaked. All related evidence was to be recovered, if possible.
Second, the God's Knights and CP0 were to launch a full-scale investigation into Jin and the Winter Blossom Kingdom. Specifically, they were to determine if he was in possession of the Ancient Weapon, Pluton. The Mark of the Covenant between Imu, the Elders, and the Knights had been blocked, preventing them from sensing Saint Sommers. Imu suspected Pluton was the cause.
Third, Saint Saturn was to pressure Vegapunk to accelerate the replication of the ancient super-energy source—the Mother Flame. It was the key to powering Uranus. After 800 years, Uranus's energy reserves were depleted. Each use required a long period of recharging. The Mother Flame would drastically shorten that time.
Once all conditions were met, once the time was right, they would do to Jin what they had done to Rocks—concentrate all their power and erase him from existence.
To annihilate a Yonko-level power was not a simple matter. It required the perfect alignment of timing, location, and personnel.
To deal with Whitebeard, Sengoku had used Ace as bait and assembled the majority of the Marines' elite forces. And even then, despite all their planning, Whitebeard's final words—"The One Piece is real!"—had sent the world into a frenzy, causing the number of pirates to increase, not decrease.
Sengoku had won the battle, but lost the war.
And the leverage Jin held now was far more dangerous than Whitebeard's final declaration.
It struck at the very heart of the World Government's legitimacy. If the truth were revealed, every kingdom would question their rule. The World Government's power was built on the foundation of its member nations. If that foundation were to crack, they would face a crisis of unprecedented proportions—a repeat of the events of 800 years ago.
The fact that someone sat upon the Empty Throne was a bomb waiting to explode.
When Rocks had rampaged through the Holy Land, he had escaped, and it had taken a long time to finally deal with him. He had known the truth, and he had used it as a shield. Until they were certain of a one-hit kill, Imu and the Five Elders had not dared to move.
Jin was now in a similar position.
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