Chapter 99: The Void Throne and the Untouchable
Garp's recounting of the events on Sabaody was... enthusiastic, to say the least. He vividly described Figarland Garling's arrogance and his intent to attack fellow Marines. He emphasized that if Ian hadn't awakened his Devil Fruit, the consequences would have been disastrous.
"The Human-Human Fruit... Awakened?!" Sengoku's focus immediately snapped to this revelation. "Ian... is he... is he still himself?" The Fleet Admiral's face was a mask of deep concern. "The risks of a Zoan-type Awakening are immense. And the Human-Human Fruit awakening in a human... I've never even heard of such a thing!"
It was true. Awakening a Zoan was notoriously more difficult and dangerous than a Paramecia, with a high failure rate that could result in the user's mind and body being consumed by the fruit's inherent "will." An Awakened Human-Human Fruit in a human was uncharted territory. None of them could say if there was a risk of Ian being devoured by the "demon" of his own fruit. After all, who had ever eaten the standard Human-Human Fruit before? Even Sengoku's own fruit was the Mythical Zoan, Human-Human Fruit, Model: Daibutsu.
Garp scratched his head. "He seemed normal to me. Nothing seemed off." He then noticed the uncharacteristic silence from the third person in the room. "Uh, Tsuru... are you... are you angry?"
From the moment he started his story, Garp had noticed Chief of Staff Tsuru's unusual quietness. An incident of this magnitude would normally require her to formulate a strategy for dealing with the Five Elders in Mary Geoise. Why was she so silent today?
"Garp," Tsuru's voice was calm, but it carried a weight that made Sengoku break out in a cold sweat. "What you just said... Was Peacock there when you arrived?"
Garp and Sengoku instantly understood her focus. Tsuru, like Garp, had rushed to the scene upon hearing the news. Her concern, however, was far more personal. The thought of her own granddaughter being in the line of fire...
"So," Tsuru continued, her voice still level, "Garling intended to execute Peacock as well... Is that correct?"
She didn't raise her voice. She didn't need to. The simple repetition of the known facts was enough to send a chill through her two old friends.
…
Entering the Holy Land of Mary Geoise and facing the Five Elders, the highest authority of the World Government, was a cumbersome process, involving multiple layers of security checks. It was almost laughable, as if someone could simply waltz in with a knife and assassinate the five most powerful men in the world.
Ian, with his knowledge of the original world, knew better. Those five were effectively immortal, each possessing monstrous power. Even a Yonko couldn't easily kill them, let alone an ordinary assassin with a hidden blade. The checks were merely a formality.
After completing the procedures, Garling led Ian and his group into Pangaea Castle, the heart of Mary Geoise. Ian had long wanted to see this place. Now, arriving after his fruit's Intermediate Awakening, it was the perfect opportunity for some discreet reconnaissance.
Buzz...
Buzz...
...
Ian's enhanced Super Vision and Hearing expanded rapidly. In the blink of an eye, his senses enveloped the entire massive structure of Pangaea Castle. This was the seat of the World Government, where the Five Elders conducted daily affairs and held summits with kings from across the world.
At that very moment, in a grand hall within the castle, the five public faces of the world's highest power were kneeling before a throne. Ian's upgraded vision could see the Elders clearly, but the figure on the throne was shrouded in an impenetrable darkness, obscuring all features and even gender. It wasn't a flaw in his ability; it was a property of the figure's own power.
Around the throne stood twenty ancient weapons, symbols of the oath sworn by the twenty founding kings eight hundred years ago. They represented the principle that there was no single king in this world, that supreme power was shared by five. The irony was palpable, as the mysterious figure to whom the Five Elders were kneeling sat upon the very symbol of that shared power—the Empty Throne.
Though Ian couldn't see this "king behind the curtain," he knew who it was.
Imu.
The true ruler of the World Government.
"So, he has arrived... that Marine boy..." A voice echoed in the hall, androgynous and impossible to place. "I hear his Human-Human Fruit has Awakened, granting him the ability to freely control his body? This... uncomfortable fighting style... reminds me of someone."
The comment about his enlarged fist piqued Ian's interest. Was Imu thinking of an old rival?
"Lord Imu," one of the Five Elders, Saint Saturn, spoke reassuringly. "The Awakening of the standard Human-Human Fruit in a human has no precedent in recent centuries. No one knows its true form or its capabilities. I will ascertain these details during the inquiry. What is certain is that... what Jock Ian ate was definitely not the Paramecia-type known as the 'Gum-Gum Fruit.'"
This statement provided Ian with valuable intelligence. Even the centuries-old Five Elders were in the dark about the Awakened Human-Human Fruit's full potential. This meant his abilities contained hidden depths known only to himself.
"Hmm, 'I' know it is not," Imu's voice remained flat. "It merely makes 'Me'... uncomfortable. That is all. The will contained within the Human-Human Fruit is inherently... special." A pause, then a statement delivered with the cold finality of a natural law. "As an 'Untouchable,' I wonder what kind of ridiculous 'prayers' he will make."
Ian, listening from a distance: "..."
Untouchable form.
What a fitting term from a self-proclaimed god.
Judging by the tone, "sarcasm" wasn't the right word. It was a statement of fact, like declaring water wet or stone hard. When one states facts, there is no biased emotion in their self-perception. In Imu's view, he was the supreme god of this world, and ordinary humans were born as untouchables.
"Yes, Lord Imu is correct," Saint Saturn said, bowing his head. "I will take responsibility for investigating the full circumstances of Saint Charlos's death—"
Imu raised a hand, cutting him off. "That is your affair. It has nothing to do with 'Me.' You may leave. 'I' am returning."
With that, Imu's figure gradually faded from the hall. The Five Elders rose and departed. Their conversation was over, but Ian's investigation was not.
Imu did not vanish into thin air. Instead, he moved at an impossible speed towards the deepest recesses of Pangaea Castle.
Suddenly, Ian's eyes twitched, and he was deeply shocked once more.
In the deepest part of the castle, there existed a zone of absolute black, a vacuum that completely defied his enhanced senses. It was utterly unobservable.