Holy Land Mariejois. Pangea Castle, Between the Flowers
The only three remaining members of the Five Elders—Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, Saint Topman Warcury, and Saint Shepherd Ju Peter—were kneeling respectfully before the Empty Throne.
"Master," Warcury said, his forehead pressed against the floor. "Following your instructions and after several rounds of rigorous screening, we have selected 20 'Shallow Sea' contractors and 10 'Deep Sea' contractors. The restructuring of the God's Knights can be considered preliminarily complete."
"Thirty people..."
From the darkness above, Imu's faint response drifted down, devoid of any discernible emotion. "Not enough. Continue to replenish the ranks. The scale of the God's Knights must expand. This level is far from sufficient."
Cold sweat broke out on the brows of the three Elders as they chorused, "Yes, Master."
"And the 'Abyssal' contractors? Do you have any recommended candidates?" the cold voice enquired.
The three Elders instinctively glanced at each other. Though they were all the Master's servants, there was a clear hierarchy. The lowest-tier apprentice knights, the "Blades of the Gods," were granted the Shallow Sea mark. Formal "God's Knights" were granted the Deep Sea mark.
Above them sat the highest grade: the Abyssal Mark, which was extremely rare. Generally, only the Supreme Commander of the God's Knights and those of the Five Elders' rank were qualified to possess it.
Thus, the Master's question was clear. He was finally preparing to fill the vacancies in the Five Elders and the Supreme Commander position!
"There are, Master," Warcury said solemnly after a moment of quick thought. "The current patriarch of the Donquixote family is mature, prudent, reliable, and possesses—"
Clink!
The sound of a ceramic cup shattering abruptly cut Warcury off. The three Elders looked up in shock to see Imu frozen on the Empty Throne. The teacup in his hand had fallen at some point, reduced to shards on the floor.
"Huff... huff..."
The slender shadow gripped the armrest tightly, breathing heavily. It took over ten seconds before he stood up with some difficulty, staring at the horizon outside the window with a look of utter uncertainty.
"Master?!" Warcury and the others had never seen Imu lose his composure like this. They exchanged worried glances before asking cautiously.
"What a domineering aura..." Imu ignored them, his eyes fixed on the sky as he muttered to himself. "Unbridled, making no attempt to hide itself... but it vanished in a mere flash. A delusion?"
Who—or what—could possess that level of pressure? Joy Boy? Davy Jones? No, that wasn't right. Even at their peak, if those two had unleashed their Haki to the maximum, they wouldn't have reached the level of what he had just felt...
As for that brat Shane? Even more impossible. That kid was, at most, only a fraction stronger than his own vessel avatar.
Could it be? Imu looked up, squinting at the boundless starry sky. Was it a powerhouse from another star system simply passing by? That seemed the most likely possibility; in the past eight hundred years, he hadn't been without similar experiences.
Regardless, there was no follow-up. He could not sense the location or direction of the presence, nor even its continued existence.
Imu closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he had regained his calm. He slowly sat back on the throne, his long fingers lightly tapping the armrest. The lapse in composure from a moment ago seemed as if it had never happened, though the broken ceramic shards still lay silently on the floor.
"I am going into seclusion," he spoke softly, his voice returning to its usual indifference. "The three of you will continue with the expansion of the God's Knights. Suspend the promotion of Abyssal contractors for now. During this time, unless I summon you personally, do not disturb me."
"Yes, Master." The three Elders bowed their heads in haste. They watched Imu's shadow disappear behind the wall, then looked at each other, their expressions exceptionally grim.
They all knew that the Master's "World" was nearing completion. At that point, the Master would no longer be confined to the Between the Flowers and could act as he pleased. This was the reason they tolerated the New World being swallowed step by step by Curtain Call; it was their greatest confidence and reliance.
But what was this? Their always-composed Master was taking the initiative to go into seclusion to accelerate the completion of his World... What threat had he sensed in that single instant?
Meanwhile, at the Golden Inari Shrine.
Shane had already retracted his attention from the direction of the Red Line. Several young shrine maidens hid behind doors and eaves, watching him with looks of curiosity, joy, or reverence as he strolled leisurely through the shrine.
Seven days ago, when he temporarily left the One Piece world, this place had been a ruin. Now that he had returned, the shrine was brand new. Vermillion torii gates and white shimenawa ropes swayed in the breeze, and the cherry trees in the courtyard were in full bloom, petals fluttering down.
It was clear that the reconstruction and "opening" of Wano led by Kuina, Yamato, and the others was going well.
Except... the cenotaph for "Kozuki Moria" had also been rebuilt. It was a bit of an eyesore. Shane looked at it, speechless. He knew the legends of the national hero Moria were already deeply rooted in the hearts of the locals. Even if he destroyed it again, they would just rebuild it.
Sigh, there's no helping it. He would just have to handle it at the source. He was a stickler for details; what he loathed most was false history becoming mainstream, with a villain in hero's skin being worshipped in a shrine.
On a cherry tree branch, Shane found his Transponder Snail curled up and napping. The little guy woke up with teary eyes, crying piteously. It hadn't expected to see its master again after being "abandoned" for seven days.
Shane apologised guiltily and spent a moment comforting it; he really was someone who often forgot about his snail. Then, he dialled Kuina directly.
"Lord Shane!" Kuina's surprised voice rang out. "You're finally out of seclusion! I was just about to look for you, but you specifically instructed me not to disturb you before seven days were up... Ah, do you have instructions?"
"Nothing major. Just have someone contact Gekko Moria," Shane said casually. "Tell him that within a week, he is to return all the corpses he stole from Wano and personally apologise to the people of Ringo in public, clarifying the truth. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind paying him a personal visit for a cup of tea."
On the other end, Kuina froze and bit her lip. If she remembered correctly, when Lord Shane left the Flower Capital, he headed toward Ringo, right? He likely went into seclusion there. Ringo had been the territory of the Shimotsuki family since ancient times, and many of their graves had been plundered—including her most famous ancestor, the legendary Sword God, Shimotsuki Ryuma.
Since Lord Shane was active in that area, it was impossible for him not to notice. So, the reason he suddenly developed killing intent toward a Warlord he'd never met was obvious. Just like when he gave up the title of the World's Strongest Swordsman, it was all for her...
"Thank you, Lord Shane," Kuina said, her voice serious and filled with a smile as she took a deep breath.
With her own name, her words might not carry enough weight. But if Lord Shane himself made a statement... there was no doubt. When those words reached Gekko Moria's ears, he would be scared out of his wits and would honestly return every stolen remains of the Shimotsuki family.
"Hm?" Shane was utterly confused. "What are you thanking me for?"
Hmph. Although I haven't mustered the courage for a direct confession yet, Lord Shane is as tsundere as ever, Kuina thought.
"Ahem, it's nothing..." She felt a bit of secret pride and quickly changed the subject. "Ah, right, Lord Shane, I was just about to report on the recent movements of Navy Headquarters."
"The Navy?" Shane's attention was successfully diverted. He arched an eyebrow. "It's only been seven days. What nonsense are they up to now?"
In the last war, Navy Headquarters lost nearly half its strength and suffered an unprecedented blow. Even the strongest dog needs time to lick its wounds. It had only been a few days; he didn't believe the Navy would dare reach out toward the Finalizers again so soon.
"No major operations," Kuina said gravely. "But there are some suspicious movements. According to Victor's intelligence department, Navy Headquarters seems to be centralising the Dyna Stones scattered across a dozen branches back to the HQ. They are moving very secretly."
"If it weren't for a Rear Admiral and Vice-Base Commander in one of the branches who happens to be a mole for us, we might have been kept in the dark right under our noses."
Navy Headquarters had planted spies within the Finalizers long ago. It was only polite to return the favour. Once Curtain Call established a massive intelligence network, they naturally reciprocated. It wasn't difficult, especially after the North Blue Celestial Dragon massacre was publicised and the Navy began to fracture internally.
While planting someone at the very top might be unrealistic, there were simply too many grains of sand mixed into the slightly lower middle and high-ranking officer ranks. Moral and ideological superiority was a far more effective weapon than any "sugar-coated bullet."
"Dyna Stones?" Shane's gaze instantly went cold.
With those in the picture, the Navy's goal was easy to guess. They were undoubtedly attempting to detonate the End Points, intending to destroy the Finalizers along with the entire New World. Such an act sounded insane. But for a Navy Headquarters that was in an increasingly desperate position and behaving more radically, they were truly capable of it.
"Speaking of which, Zephyr's Neo Marines have also been collecting those things everywhere, haven't they?" Shane squinted, asking suddenly.
"Yes, Lord Shane. As expected of you, you caught the key point immediately," Kuina said quickly. "Based on our deduction, the Dyna Stones currently in the Navy's possession are insufficient in number. If they truly want to detonate the End Points, they must seize the portion held by the Neo Marines!"
"It's impossible for the current Navy to take the initiative against us in the short term, but targeting the Neo Marines isn't that difficult. After all, Zephyr is currently their only top-tier combat power."
Kuina paused before continuing. "So, generally speaking, Zephyr is in a very dangerous position right now. Yesterday, after Kuzan learned of this, he immediately applied to head toward the vicinity of the Neo Marines headquarters to observe and protect them in secret."
"You were still in seclusion then and shouldn't be disturbed. After some hesitation, I approved it. Counting the time and Kuzan's speed, he should already be in position."
"I see. You did well," Shane nodded slightly. The bond between Kuzan and Zephyr was undeniably deep. It was normal for him to worry about his mentor's safety; Shane would have agreed on the spot as well.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Just then, a hurried knocking came from Kuina's side.
"Big Sis! Big Sis Kuina! Are you in there? I have an emergency to report!" Jack's loud voice bellowed.
"Come in. What is it? Just say it."
"Uh, your receiver isn't..."
"It's a call from Lord Shane."
"Eh?! The Boss! Boss Shane is finally out! Hehe, then there's nothing to worry about. I was actually a bit..."
"I told you to stop rambling and just say it!" Thud! A dull sound echoed.
"Oh," Jack said, rubbing his head piteously before speaking into the phone. "Hello, hello? Boss, can you hear me? It's like this: Jinbe just sent a message saying his people saw a Navy warship passing by Fish-Man Island, heading this way into the New World!"
A warship? Both Shane and Kuina's gazes sharpened. Just one ship. And it didn't choose to come down via the Mariejois route, but like a pirate ship, it coated itself and snuck into the New World through the seabed? They were clearly afraid of being noticed by Curtain Call. There was a major secret operation afoot!
"Did they see who's leading it?" Shane asked.
"One of Jinbe's fishmen saw them. He didn't know much, just said he saw two guys with missing arms talking on the deck—one in red and one in green. But based on Jinbe's deduction, it's most likely Navy Admirals Akainu and Ryokugyu!"
A single warship, yet they deployed two Admirals at once? Combined with the previous intelligence...
"They're going after Zephyr!" Kuina's expression changed as she blurted it out. "Lord Shane, I'll alert Kuzan immediately and mobilise our people to provide support and surround the Nav—"
"No need. The Marines's movements are too secretive, and the Neo Marine's area of activity is too close to the Red Line. Mobilising troops now might not be in time." Shane interrupted. He glanced at the sky and said flatly, "I'll go there myself."
Akainu leading the team? That actually sparked a bit of interest in him. In the last war, he had been entangled in Imu's dark plot and didn't have the time to deal with that old dog. This time, it was finally time to settle the score.
"Understood, Lord Shane." Kuina felt an immediate sense of relief and nodded. She knew her Lord had a secret method of teleportation; by transferring to the territory closest to the Red Line, he would indeed be much faster.
As for the outcome... Heh. With her Lord personally taking action, could there be any suspense? She only needed to send out a logistics fleet to handle the post-battle clean-up.
"Hm?" She suddenly noticed something and looked out the window in curiosity.
Strange. It wasn't dark yet. Why was there a meteor streaking across the sky of Wano? It was golden, dazzling, and piercingly bright. And it was moving so incredibly fast that in the blink of an eye, it had crossed the horizon and was gone...