Imu: I Want to Talk to Him!

In the dimly lit royal palace hall of the Holy Land Mary Geoise, Imu, seated on the Void Throne, cast a cold gaze upon the Five Elders, Ferland Gringo, and Junzi, who stood before them. Junzi looked somewhat disheveled. The hands hidden beneath her cloak clenched the armrests of the throne, exuding an almost suffocating pressure.

After recounting everything that had happened at Marine Headquarters to Imu, Junzi remained hunched over, not daring to straighten up.

She had led five other members of the Knights of God to Marine Headquarters, not only failing to negotiate with Akira but also being blown back by him in a single wave. Fortunately, Ferland Gringo accompanied her; otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to stand in this hall, even with ten times the courage.

Of course, without Ferland Gringo, she wouldn't have dared to enter this palace rashly.

After a brief silence, Imu, having heard Junzi's report, abruptly stood up. His eyes fixed intensely on the individuals present, and he said in a deep voice, "He knows of my existence? Who exactly is this Akira?"

"Lord Im, this person must not be allowed to live!"

The Financial God, Ethanbaron V. Nasjuro, cautiously raised his head, his killing intent palpable as he declared, "He staged a mutiny and seized control of the Navy. We can compromise on other matters, but this is absolutely intolerable! Knowing of your existence, Akira must die!"

Hearing this, Ferland Gringo, standing nearby, frowned slightly.

Although he was the leader of the Knights of God, commanding powerful members and possessing strength comparable to the Five Elders present, he did not agree with Ethanbaron V. Nasjuro's suggestion.

The fact that Akira dared to stage a mutiny and seize control of Marine Headquarters with minimal cost indicated that he definitely had a trump card to challenge the World Government, a fact that had already been partially validated.

Simply using Conqueror's Haki to blast Junzi and the other five Knights of God members back to Mary Geoise from Marine Headquarters meant that Akira's strength could no longer be judged by the standards of a Vice Admiral, an Admiral, or even the so-called Yonko of the seas.

Even powerful figures like Rocks, who had attacked God Valley, or Roger, who later became the Pirate King, could not wield Conqueror's Haki to such an extent, despite its unparalleled power.

If the World Government rashly went to war with Akira, who possessed such terrifying strength and controlled the Navy, even if they ultimately won, they would be severely weakened. This would allow the Revolutionary Army and the lawless pirates of the Grand Line to exploit the situation, leading to even worse consequences.

With this in mind, Gringo looked up at the figure standing before the Void Throne, then bowed slightly. "Lord Im, Akira directly mentioned your name in front of the Three Admirals and a Vice Admiral candidate. This indicates that they are not the only ones who know of your existence; it's highly likely that Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr already know."

"To continue keeping this secret, we can only go to war with Akira and the Navy he controls, ensuring we eliminate them all in one fell swoop. Clearly, the current situation does not allow us to do so. According to the latest information I have, the news of Akira's mutiny and takeover of Marine Headquarters has already been printed and distributed by major news outlets across the Grand Line."

"Before these news outlets knew about it, I believe the Revolutionary Army or other ill-intentioned forces would have already obtained this intelligence..."

Before Gringo could finish speaking, the Den Den Mushi in his arms suddenly rang.

As soon as the Den Den Mushi rang, Gringo's expression changed drastically, and he seemed to hastily try to hang up.

However, he was a step too late.

After two "Bru Bru" rings, a deep voice came from the Den Den Mushi, "Father, it's Shamrock. I just received the latest intelligence: the Revolutionary Army's Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern armies, as well as the Grand Line Army, have almost simultaneously mobilized. Additionally, a spy in Wano Country reports that Kaido has learned of Akira's mutiny at Marine Headquarters through Doflamingo and is preparing to launch a top-tier war."

"Understood."

Because Imu was present, Gringo dared not say more. He uttered this single word and decisively ended the call, then looked up at the figure before the throne.

As the Den Den Mushi fell silent, the hall instantly became deathly quiet. Although the Five Elders' expressions remained unchanged, they were panicking internally. Ethanbaron V. Nasjuro, in particular, felt this way because, to some extent, the current situation was a result of him heeding Spandam's advice and investigating Akira.

Thinking to eliminate Akira before he could grow stronger, his initial thought was merely to avoid causing internal turmoil within the Navy. Thus, he ordered Enies Lobby to investigate, intending for them to bear the wrath of the Marine Headquarters officers. Beyond that, he had no excessive worries, as he believed that the young Akira might pose a threat in the future, but was insignificant at the moment.

However, the reality was that this Rear Admiral, whom he considered to have not yet fully grown, had not only brazenly staged a mutiny but also used it to draw in various factions. While it all seemed to unfold naturally, it was all within Akira's calculations.

He was certain that the Revolutionary Army and Kaido, who controlled Wano Country, learned about the Marine Headquarters mutiny through Doflamingo not because of their powerful intelligence networks, but because Akira intentionally allowed it, aiming to thoroughly muddy the waters and create a situation with multiple conflicting interests.

Of course, none of that was important.

What mattered was that he hadn't expected Akira to know of Lord Im's existence.

After all, Lord Im's identity had always been the highest-level secret, known only to the five of them, Ferland Gringo, and a select few original members of the Knights of God.

As Ethanbaron V. Nasjuro was secretly contemplating how to deal with the current situation, Imu, standing before the throne, slowly turned around, his back to everyone. A chilling glint flashed in his dark red, rippling eyes as he said in a deep voice, "Tell Akira I wish to speak with him."

At the same time.

Marine Headquarters Building, Operations Conference Room.

Due to the sudden appearance of the Knights of God, the veteran trio Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr had also arrived at the conference room.

All Vice Admirals present at Headquarters, along with the Three Admirals, were in attendance, except for those dispatched on missions.

"Lord Akira, there's something I don't quite understand."

Before the meeting began, Gion, seated beside Akira, took the opportunity to ask with some confusion, "Why did you tell those Knights of God members that they should fear not just Nika? Were you deliberately provoking them, or did you have another purpose?"

"It wasn't provocation, nor was there any particular purpose," Akira replied with a smile. "I just felt that not saying anything would make it less imposing."