Mary Geoise, the royal palace shrouded in dim light.
On the empty throne at the heart of the great hall, Imu sat silently. His eyes, cold and piercing, stared down at the Five Elders standing together below. Beside them stood Figarland Garling, and the clearly disheveled Gunko, whose hands were clenched tightly around the throne's armrest beneath her cloak, exuding an invisible pressure that seemed to suck the very air out of the room.
After recounting everything that had taken place at Marine Headquarters, Gunko remained bowed low, not daring to straighten her back.
After all, this mission, leading five members of the God's Knights to negotiate with Elio had been an utter failure. Not only did she fail to reason with him, they were blasted back by Elio in one strike. Had Garling not been with her, she wouldn't have dared step foot into this hall, not even with ten times her courage.
Truth be told, if Garling hadn't accompanied her, she wouldn't have dared approach the royal palace at all.
A tense silence followed.
Then Imu rose abruptly, the motion sharp and sudden, his burning gaze sweeping across everyone present. His voice rang out, low and deep.
"He actually knows of that existence... Just who is this Elio?"
"Lord Imu, we absolutely cannot let this man live," said Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, the War God of Finance, lifting his head with trembling caution, yet eyes glinting with killing intent. "He's launched a mutiny and seized control of the Marine Headquarters. That alone we might have tolerated, but this... this cannot be forgiven. He knows of your existence. Elio must die."
At those words, Garling's brow creased slightly.
Though he was the commander of the God's Knights, possessing immense strength equal to or even beyond the Five Elders, he did not agree with Nusjuro's conclusion.
Elio had dared to launch a coup, seizing full control of Marine Headquarters at minimal cost. That alone meant he must possess some trump card, something powerful enough to challenge the World Government directly. And to some extent, that assumption had already proven true.
With nothing but his Conqueror's Haki, Elio had blasted Gunko and five other God's Knights from Marine HQ all the way back to Mary Geoise. At this point, Elio's strength could no longer be measured by the ranks of Vice Admiral, Admiral, or even the so-called Four Emperors of the sea.
After all, not even legends like Rocks, who once stormed God Valley, or Roger, who later claimed the Pirate King's throne, could wield their Conqueror's Haki to such devastating effect.
Should the World Government rashly go to war with someone like Elio, who possessed terrifying power and total control over the Marines, even if victory was eventually secured, the cost would be catastrophic. Their strength would be greatly diminished, and the Revolutionary Army, along with those lawless pirates across the Grand Line, would seize the chance to plunge the world into chaos.
With that in mind, Garling looked up toward the figure before the Empty Throne, then bowed slightly.
"Lord Imu, Elio mentioned your name directly, in front of one Admiral and an Admiral candidate. That means more than just those four now know of your existence. It's highly likely that Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr already know as well."
"If we continue keeping this secret, we'll be forced to go to war with Elio and his Marines. But even if we annihilate them in one stroke, the current global situation no longer allows us to act so unilaterally. According to the latest intelligence... the news of Elio's coup at Marine HQ has already been published and distributed by major newspapers across the Grand Line."
"And if the media knows, then it's likely the Revolutionary Army and other suspicious powers got the intel even earlier..."
Before Garling could finish, the transponder snail in his coat suddenly rang.
The moment the ringing began, Garling's expression changed. He quickly reached in, attempting to cut the call.
But he was too late.
After two rings, a deep voice came through the snail, "Father, it's Shamrock. We just received urgent intel, the Revolutionary Army's Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern forces, as well as their Grand Line troops, have mobilized almost simultaneously. Also, the spy in Wano reports that Kaido has learned of Elio's coup through Doflamingo, and is preparing to launch a grand-scaled war."
"I understand."
Garling ended the call quickly, careful not to speak further with Imu present. Then he looked up at the throne once again.
As the transponder snail went quiet, the hall was instantly plunged into utter silence. Though the Five Elders' expressions remained composed, inwardly, they were anything but.
Especially Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro. For this entire mess had partly come about because he had taken Spandine's advice and initiated an investigation into Elio.
Back then, he had simply thought to eliminate Elio before the man had the chance to build power. He feared causing too much unrest within the Marines, so he had ordered Enies Lobby to carry out the investigation, letting them take the backlash from the Marine officers.
He hadn't given it much more thought. In his eyes, Elio was an upstart, a future threat perhaps, but no real danger yet.
But reality had proven him fatally wrong.
This so-called "Upstart Vice Admiral" hadn't just launched a coup, he had turned the entire world stage into a chessboard. And it was all according to his plan.
For clearly, the fact that both the Revolutionary Army and Kaido had learned of the coup through Doflamingo wasn't due to their powerful spy networks, but because Elio had allowed it. He'd intentionally stirred the waters, plunging every faction into a stalemate.
Yet none of that was the most terrifying part.
What chilled Nusjuro to the bone was the fact that Elio actually knew of Lord Imu's existence.
That knowledge was the ultimate secret, one that not even the Five Elders shared lightly. Aside from themselves, only Figarland Garling and a few select God's Knights had ever known.
As Nusjuro tried to process all this and devise a response, Imu slowly turned his back to the group.
From his deep crimson eyes, ringed with strange ripples, came an icy glint.
"Tell Elio," he said in a cold voice, "I want to speak with him."
At the same time.
Marine Headquarters, war conference room.
Because of the God's Knights' unexpected appearance, Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr had also joined the meeting.
Aside from a few Vice Admirals currently on missions, every Vice Admiral and all three Admirals were present.
"Lord Elio, there is something I don't quite understand," said Gion, seated beside him. She took the opportunity to speak before the meeting formally began.
"When you faced the God's Knights earlier... why did you say they should fear not only Nika? Were you provoking them, or did you have another purpose?"
"It wasn't provocation, and there was no particular purpose," Elio replied with a calm smile.
"I just thought, if I didn't say something bold, it wouldn't feel... satisfied."