One Piece: I am Imu

"All right, enough. If you want to fight, there'll be plenty of chances later."

Sengoku took a step forward and inserted himself between Garp and Newgate, completely unfazed by the rising pressure coming off both men.

"We're about to meet with the other side—get your heads on straight."

Even now, Sengoku wasn't sure how exactly he should address Imu.

Even calling him 'Lord' felt a little awkward. Everything would depend on the outcome of this meeting.

"Hmph."

"Hmph."

Garp and Newgate both turned their heads with matching scowls, saying nothing as they followed Sengoku into the town.

"Alalala, good thing Fleet Admiral Sengoku is here," Kuzan muttered with a sigh of relief, seeing the mood ease up.

As Charlotte Linlin floated down to join them, he tilted his head curiously.

"Lady Linlin, you can fly—so why not just head straight up?"

"That's no fun. Since we've all run into each other here, let's go up together—makes things livelier! Mamamama~"

Charlotte Linlin laughed heartily.

"I see."

Kuzan nodded and didn't ask further.

In the blink of an eye—

The five of them boarded a bubble cable car that ascended the Red Continent's wall, taking nearly forty minutes to reach the top.

And once they arrived, they still had to climb a long and steep staircase before officially stepping into the domain of Holy Land Mary Geoise.

"Linlin!"

As Sengoku and the others emerged through the final gate at the top of the steps, setting foot on a vibrant land filled with clear rivers and lush greenery, a cheerful voice called out from nearby.

As expected—

A group of individuals was already waiting not far ahead.

Among them, Kaido was waving—not at all of them, but specifically at Charlotte Linlin.

Also present were: Kong, Tsuru, Zephyr, Raymond, Sakazuki, Douglas Bullet and Shiki.

They were about to have an audience with the mysterious Master of the Dimensional Gate, founder of the World Government, and deity of the Celestial Dragons: Lord Imu.

Mary Geoise was vast—and there was still a fair distance to cover before reaching Pangaea Castle.

The agreed meeting time was 14:00.

At exactly 13:35—

They arrived in front of the grand and majestic Pangaea Castle.

The Holy Land's Honor Guard stationed there had already raised the steel gates of both inner and outer checkpoints.

After passing through the gates and checkpoints, they officially entered Pangea Castle.

From there, the group continued upward—

When these thirteen titans arrived at the floor where the Empty Throne Hall was located, they saw, at the end of the corridor, a pair of Giant God Warriors standing guard on either side of a large door.

In the next moment—

Oimo and Kashii, with perfect coordination, slowly pushed open the great gate to the Hall of the Empty Throne.

A brilliant red carpet extended from the doorway all the way to the quiet depths of the grand hall.

"What?!"

Kong, Sengoku, and the others instinctively looked inside—

Only for their pupils to contract like needlepoints, their eyes widening involuntarily, and expressions of utter shock to overtake their faces.

What they saw were five familiar figures, kneeling on one knee at the far end of the red carpet—

The five individuals who held the highest authority within the World Government.

The Five Elders.

And they appeared to be bowing—submitting—to someone.

To the upper echelons of the military, this sight was nothing short of earth-shattering.

But no one spoke and they simply moved forward, entering the Empty Throne Room.

But not three seconds had passed—

Before their bodies tensed up instinctively, muscles tightening, nerves on high alert.

They felt an overwhelming tension and unease—

As if even the air itself in this place was a threat to their very existence.

How was that even possible?

All of them immediately grew wary, scanning their surroundings with guarded eyes.

The atmosphere grew increasingly solemn with each step they took along the red carpet.

Even someone as loud and carefree as Garp wore a serious expression and remained silent.

Especially when he saw the kneeling backs of the Five Elders—

And then—

All of them, almost simultaneously, looked up.

Their gazes swept past the three-tiered stone dais—

To the white-robed figure seated upon the Empty Throne.

That cold gaze glanced down at them, seemingly indifferent.

In that instant—

A dominion beyond all comprehension, divine in its detachment, as if this being were truly a god looking down upon the world.

Even though there was no overt release of Haki like Conqueror's Haki—

The effect was just as devastating.

Sengoku, Garp, Sakazuki, Whitebeard, Kaido, Linlin—all of them, without exception—

They all felt a powerful shock—both visually and spiritually.

That made even these renowned top-tier powerhouses experience true fear from the bottom of their hearts.

A pressure, invisible yet undeniable, weighed heavy on everyone's hearts.

"I've heard…"

A voice drifted down from above—icy and aloof, yet carrying a supreme dominance that compelled attention without effort.

"You seek an audience with me. The strongest of this era. My vassals."

As the words fell—

The thirteen figures standing behind the kneeling Five Elders remained silent for a long moment.

In the end, it was Garp who, unable to hold back, opened his mouth to reply—

"Yes, we—hm?!"

But before he could finish—

The already oppressive air—like thorns pressing into their backs and thick as water—suddenly solidified into an unimaginably heavy force.

[Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.]

All thirteen of them recoiled, their faces shifting with shock as torrents of Haki erupted from their bodies in response—

Their instincts driving them to resist the crushing pressure that closed in from all directions.

But even their externally projected Armament Haki—

Couldn't hold for even three seconds.

[Bang. Bang. Bang.]

They dropped to one knee on the thick, velvety red carpet.

"Since you are vassals, you should answer like vassals."

Imu's voice echoed once more from above, falling upon all their ears.

This statement brought mixed reactions across the thirteen figures.

They had solemn expressions, frowning.

Silently, they intensified their Haki output—

But they didn't openly oppose it, only Whitebeard, Kaido and Shiki were visibly furious.

Even Whitebeard—who had previously been defeated—now had flames of rage burning in his eyes.

To them, this was nothing short of humiliation.

The three unleashed explosive waves of Haki from their bodies.

Even Charlotte Linlin, perhaps carried away by the moment, followed them unleashing a wave of pink lightning Haki.

[BOOM!!!]

Conqueror's Haki!

Gradually pushed back the crushing, invisible pressure.

Bit by bit, their kneeling forms began to straighten.

"Hmph—"

But just as Whitebeard, Shiki, Kaido, and the berserk Linlin began to rise—

Imu let out a faint snort.

And in the next moment—

The previously dim hall of the Empty Throne suddenly brightened.

Sengoku, Zephyr, and others—who had remained 'obedient' and thus not provoked further suppression—

Now noticed golden motes of light floating through the air around them.

And then, with stunned eyes, they witnessed something incredible—

Whitebeard, Shiki, Kaido, and Linlin's Conqueror's Haki—

Was forcibly pushed back into their bodies.

So strong!

Unfathomably strong.

Whitebeard finally revealed a bitter expression.

He gave a helpless shake of the head and withdrew his Conqueror's Haki—

Leaving only a thin layer of Armament Haki on his body, which immediately eased the crushing pressure he'd been feeling.

Once again, he was forced to recognize just how profound Imu's mastery of Haki truly was.

The second to yield was Kaido.

He thought about how much he genuinely enjoyed his current life, and about his daughter Yamato at the Military Academy.

Besides—

With someone like Imu possessing such power, Kaido figured, it wouldn't be the worst thing to call him boss. Especially considering Imu's status and control over the Dimensional Gate.

Certainly better than taking orders from those wrinkled old fossils in the Five Elders!

The third was Shiki.

Once he realized he had no chance of resisting, his face turned deathly pale as he accepted the brutal truth.

He really didn't want to be thrown back into Eternal Hell.

After someone has tasted freedom again after losing it, the fear of losing it a second time becomes even more unbearable.

Lastly was Charlotte Linlin.

But she had clearly lost all sense of reason.

She was still screeching and thrashing madly.

"Insolent."

Imu's already razor-sharp gaze turned icy cold.

He raised his right hand and made a small gesture—index and middle fingers beckoning slightly in Linlin's direction.

At that moment, her frenzied body froze in place—

And a heart-shaped crimson soul floated out of her chest.

Everyone in the hall—Sengoku and the others—saw it clearly.

Moments later, they saw Linlin collapse into unconsciousness.

Kaido's expression instantly turned to one of alarm.

Meanwhile—

The crimson heart drifted gently to Imu's side, where he casually collected it.

Now was not the time to deal with it.

"Y-You... what did you do to Linlin?!"

Kaido's voice rang out across the hall, tinged with fury.

Imu shot him a glance—but said nothing.

And yet the golden pressure around Kaido's body instantly intensified—

Crushing him down against the red carpet with brutal force.

Earlier, when Imu had distributed his pressure evenly, the best he could do was force them to one knee, and even then only for a limited time.

But now that most of that pressure was focused entirely on Kaido—

It gave everyone the impression that even someone of Kaido's caliber could be utterly pinned down, unable to move.

Once again, Garp, Shiki, and the others were left deeply shaken.

"You may now speak your questions."

Imu rested his right hand against the armrest of the Empty Throne, propping his face against it.

His head tilted ever so slightly as he gazed down at them calmly—

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