Imu: I'm Going to Conquer the Stars and Sea, Ortolan
"As you said, the only measure in this world is strength, so the ownership of this throne should also be judged by strength..." Ortolan said softly.
At the same time, one of his hands was also resting on the armrest of the throne.
"Strength is good too," Imu nodded.
However, after a moment, he spoke again, saying, "I originally intended to give you this throne, but after seeing you, I felt that doing so would be too arrogant and disrespectful..."
Imu, who has ruled the world for over eight hundred years, still considers the respect due to Ortolan at this moment, which shows that he truly regards Ortolan as someone of equal standing.
"Hahaha, what are you saying? If you're willing to give it to me, I'm perfectly happy to accept," Ortolan laughed heartily.
However, this was just a joke. He hadn't actually come to receive any favors before he arrived at this throne.
The throne he desired was one he seized through his own strength, not one that Imu handed to him.
Imu didn't take this seriously, and after smiling, said, "Well then, now we have two paths before us, and we need to make a choice."
"Which two roads?" Ortolan asked.
"The first path is a fight to the death. It's the two of us who must fight until one of us dies. As for what happens next, needless to say, the victor takes everything and redefines this world..." Imu paused for a moment, then continued with some emotion, "But for me, this world will remain unchanged. If I win, I will still be on this throne, waiting for the next person like you to come... Or, if I get impatient, I will destroy this world with my own hands and bury it with me."
Clearly, Imu no longer cares about this world, and the same goes for this throne. He is fed up with it and even has some inclination towards self-destruction.
Perhaps it was because the long period of time had brought him endless loneliness, and as a king, as the strongest, he held himself to his own standards and was unwilling to associate with lambs.
At most, he might hide in some corner of the world and do some interesting things when he's bored, but these things will still make him lose interest. When he has no more attachment to this world, he might really destroy it and use it as his graveyard.
Before Ortolan could speak, Imu said with a smile, "But, is there any irreconcilable hatred or reason between us that must lead to a fight to the death?"
Ortolan was stunned for a moment. Usurping Imu's throne should have been the reason for their irreconcilable enmity, but to his surprise, Imu himself didn't care about such things. As for any other hatred or grudges, to be honest, Ortolan couldn't think of anything else.
When he first met Imu, how could he possibly harbor any hatred towards him?
You could even say he got along quite well with Imu... Both of them maintained respect for each other; respecting your opponent is respecting yourself.
"It seems not..." Ortolan said after pondering for a moment.
Having eliminated the struggle for the throne, he had no reason to kill Imu.
"Oh, right, there's one thing I absolutely will not give up, so this might be the decisive factor in our fight to the death. If you can give up, we won't have to choose the first path." Imu said as if he had suddenly remembered something.
"Which point?" Ortolan asked, somewhat surprised.
Imu could easily give up even the throne of the King of the World, but who would have thought that he had an even more obsessive love?
"Uranus, the Uranus," Imu said, stroking his chin with a serious expression, "Is the only thing I cannot give you. So if you insist on having Uranus, then we will have no choice but to fight to the death..."
"Huh? Why?" Ortolan asked.
"Uranus comes from outside this world, so it's the only key to leave this world. This world has lost its meaning for me, so if things continue smoothly and I can get Uranus running again before I really choose self-destruction, then I plan to ride Uranus and leave here to see the scenery outside the world... That might bring me a sense of freshness enough to cleanse my decaying soul... Don't you think that's a very interesting thing?" Imu said enthusiastically.
"Leaving this world?" Ortolan murmured, then asked Yu, "Doesn't this thing have any blueprints or anything? Can't we just build another one?"
"Theoretically, it is possible. Back then, we were able to create Pluton because we stole some of Uranus's technology... However, before that, there was no one I was willing to share Pluto Uranus. But if it were you... if you could beat me, I could give you a copy of the blueprints for Uranus. As for whether you can build it later, that depends on your own abilities," Imu said after thinking for a moment.
After a slight pause, Imu sighed, "I heard from that kid Satan that it seems like in another ten or eight years at the latest, Uranus' energy technology will be realized. That technology, in the hands of a scientist who works as Vegapunk, could very well be replicated. Nowadays, they call it the Mother Flame..."
"That's true." Ortolan nodded.
As for Imu referring to Saint Saturn, the first of the Five Elders, as 'boy,' considering his age, Ortolan surprisingly didn't find anything wrong with it.
"So, if you had come ten or eight years later, you might not have seen me by the time you arrived in Mary Geoise and reached this throne..." Imu laughed.
Judging from what he said, it seems that if it were another ten or eight years later, after this guy could completely unlock Uranus, he might just pack up and go off to conquer the stars and the sea.
However, in the original story, it seems that Imu did not do this. Instead, he wanted to destroy the Straw Hat Pirates, who could potentially shake his throne, and extinguish that light.
This seems a bit contradictory... but then I thought about it again, Imu just said that he hates pirates the most, so in the original story, he wanted to kill the Straw Hat Pirates, right?
Perhaps in his eyes, the Straw Hat crew were not the people he wanted to wait for, but rather the future predicted by Joy Boy, whom he loathed so much. Therefore, he would rather destroy the world than let Joy Boy succeed.
Perhaps, after he resolves the future predicted by Joy Boy, he will still leave?
Ortolan didn't dwell on the matter. After a moment's thought, he said, "Regarding Uranus, leave me the blueprints. I'll build a new one if I'm interested later. This original one is yours. As for the energy issue, we can cooperate after we resolve our disputes. Once the so-called 'Mother Flame' is built, I'll personally send you off to the afterlife..."
"Alright, that way, when you get tired of this place in the future, you can choose to come find me in the starry sky. Maybe then, we'll even become like-minded partners, hahahahaha." Imu nodded in satisfaction, agreeing to Ortolan's request.
Then, Imu continued, "But all of this is based on the premise that you will win, so if I win..."
"What do you want?" Ortolan raised an eyebrow.
"If I win, you'll stay here in Mary Geoise and keep me company as a companion to relieve my boredom. I can give you anything you want, except for one thing: after I solve the problem of Uranus, you have to come with me and leave this world together, so I won't feel lonely on the way." Imu stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then said.
"Good grief, you win and then just walk away, but you win and then you just walk away, huh?" Ortolan rolled his eyes and teased.
Seemingly finding this amusing, Imu smiled and nodded, "That's right, exactly."
"Then I'll have a lot of people to take with me... Unlike you, whose bonds have all died, I still have many people I can't bear to part with..." Ortolan pondered for a moment.
"Uranus is very large..." Imu smiled and responded.
"Since that's the case, I'll agree to your request, but I'm not going to lose..." Ortolan nodded confidently.
"Then let's go. Those boring and meaningless battles outside can stop. I've already prepared our battlefield. Come with me..." Imu said, turning and walking out of the hall.
Seeing this, Ortolan didn't hesitate and followed after him.