The Secret of the Temple
Roy suppressed his inner turmoil, trying to maintain a calm and composed mindset, until the unknown entity completely disappeared and the cracked ground slowly closed up. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and re-examine the temple with a scrutinizing gaze.
"This ground actually blocked my senses. No wonder I didn't discover the secrets underground before." Roy was curious about the secrets underground. He didn't dare to release his Observation Haki recklessly before because he was afraid that the unknown entity would sense his presence. After the entity that seemed to be Imu completely entered the underground, the ground blocked his Observation Haki's perception ability, leaving him only able to worry anxiously on the surface.
However, he could only suppress his inner turmoil and wait for the being that resembled Imu to come out before going in to investigate.
Taking this opportunity, Roy continued to observe the surrounding murals.
It seems that in that distant era, the Lunar People had a fierce conflict with another powerful force. Although the Lunar People won the final victory, their home was already damaged and their energy was exhausted. Therefore, they had to pilot huge spaceships to this blue planet covered by the sea. The murals that followed were destroyed by humans and cannot be identified.
"Imu, what do the murals in the temple's underground area and around here signify?"
Fortunately, Roy's wait did not last long. It seemed to be just a routine check, and the being that resembled Imu soon emerged from underground and stepped back into the darkness.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
After the footsteps faded into the distance and disappeared completely in the empty temple, Roy slowly sank his Virtualization body into the ground.
"Hiss! What is this...?" Beneath the ground were all sorts of exquisite instruments, and the vast space encompassed far more than the entire underground area of the temple, leaving Roy dazzled and bewildered.
Roy seemed like a primitive man who had stepped directly from the medieval era of cold weapons into a futuristic world full of science fiction, helplessly marveling at the power of technology.
"Could this be the technology of the Lunar People? Or am I wrong, Celestial Dragons are indeed descendants of the Lunar People?"
"Wait, these instruments seem... somewhat similar to those cockpits. Could it be that the entire underground project is the cockpit of some giant spaceship?" Roy's mind was in turmoil, and his thoughts were somewhat dazed. "Is it the giant spaceship shown in the murals that led all the Lunar People away from their home and into this blue world? In other words, the entire temple, no, the entire Holy Land Mary Geoise, is part of this spaceship?"
"Who!" In the instant Roy's mind wavered, a vast soul wave swept over, carrying boundless pressure, directly crushing Roy's body into dust.
The unknown entity appeared instantly underground in the temple, silently looking at the spot where Roy had been standing.
After a long pause, he said in a mechanical tone, "So you actually chose to self-destruct decisively? Not even a trace of your soul remained."
Moments later, a figure wearing a towering helmet sat atop the Empty Throne in Pangaea Castle, while the Five Elders, symbolizing the highest power in the world, knelt before him.
"Oh, Lord Imu, what brings you here?"
"Have you decided which lights must be erased from history?"
Imu remained silent for a long time, his eyes, like those of Rinnegan, sending chills down one's spine. After a long while, Imu spoke in a tone devoid of any emotion, "Someone has broken into the temple."
"This... this is an offense of allowing outsiders to trespass into the temple. We beg Lord Imu to punish us."
"This is what that person looks like." Imu didn't scold or punish him, but instead casually tossed out a portrait, which landed in front of the Five Elders.
Although he crushed the enemy's body in an instant, it was easy for him to draw the person's appearance based on a moment's memory.
"He's a high-ranking member of CP0, responsible for guarding the Holy Land's security," the Five Elders, dressed as samurai, said with a grim expression after glancing at him.
"I didn't expect even CP0 to become untrustworthy?" The curly-haired Five Elders also had an unfriendly expression.
"Find out who's behind him and deliver a devastating blow." Imu rose from his throne and walked straight past the Five Elders, his tone devoid of any emotion, yet chilling nonetheless. "I don't want to see another person appear in the temple, do you understand?"
"Yes!"
Puff!
Bright red blood was spilled all over the ground.
"Captain, are you alright?!" Even the usually composed Crocodile the Sand couldn't help but exclaim upon seeing this.
"How could that be? Lord Roy is already the World's Strongest. No one could possibly hurt him." These words were naturally spoken by Augustine, the brainwashed fan.
"Captain, I'll go catch a Sea Kings right away and use its life force to heal you," Kaoru said anxiously, tears welling up in her eyes.
Everyone wore expressions of utter shock. After all, even Whitebeard, who was known as the World's Strongest, hadn't been able to hurt Roy. Coupled with Roy's invincible demeanor all the way, they simply couldn't imagine that Roy could be injured.
"This is a wound to my soul, so my life force isn't of much use. But don't worry, I'll recover after a while." Roy wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his face as pale as paper, but his eyes gleamed with a sharp light.
"That person is powerful, but he is by no means invincible." In that brief exchange, Roy sensed that the person's strength might be even greater than Whitebeard's, but it was definitely not enough to overwhelm him. If he were given a few more years to allow all his abilities to reach their ultimate limits, he might be able to surpass that being who resembled Imu.
He had decisively exposed himself earlier in order to prevent the person suspected to be Imu from following the trail back to him. Although that person had been hiding behind the scenes and probably had his own limitations, and might not necessarily be able to take action against him, Roy still preferred to keep the initiative in his own hands.
"However, that person's strength is not only in himself. If that spaceship is the Celestial Dragons's National Treasure, or even the Uranus, then it is indeed a very troublesome matter."
"The Holy Land Mary Geoise is so enormous. To support such a massive entity traversing the stars, the energy required must be terrifying. A single shot could sink a continent into the sea. Moreover, judging from the content of those murals, it seems that the Lunar People made the Moon uninhabitable by using this terrifying weapon. It seems that before obtaining Pluton, I will have to maintain a diplomatic relationship with the World Government for a while longer."
"However, if the Uranus is this spaceship, then what Doflamingo mentioned last time is out of the question. Could the Celestial Dragons' blood sacrifice be referring to Imu?" Roy had a headache, feeling that there might be some deeper secret hidden behind this.