How to Defeat Imu

"Last year, we reached the so-called 'Final Island,' Lodestar Island, only to discover it wasn't the true Final Island at all. The local magnetic field was simply too chaotic, so the Log Pose couldn't point to the next island. For the past year, we've been searching for a way to reach the real Final Island. During that time, we also went to Water 7 and had the Oro Jackson built." Roger spoke as he led Vikengam into the ship's cabin.

The Oro Jackson was quite large. From the outside, the entire vessel was painted in deep crimson hues.

At the bow stood a pair of cannons raised by mermaids. It was a standard three-masted sailing ship, and in the center of the deck stood a massive shiphouse resembling a dinosaur egg, which also served as the main entrance to the cabins.

In theory, the ship could carry seventy people at full capacity, but in practice, only ten were needed to keep it running.

The Roger Pirates currently had only seventeen members, so everyone had plenty of space.

Under Roger's introduction, Vikengam was soon brought to a cabin filled with all kinds of books.

"This is the ship's library. It contains precious documents we've collected during our adventures all over the world these past years. Many of them are one-of-a-kind copies." Roger smiled, sounding rather proud.

Rayleigh took the opportunity to add, "As the ship's scholar, this library will be yours to manage from now on."

"With pleasure." Vikengam's tone carried a hint of anticipation.

If what Roger said was true, and many of these were unique copies, then their value was beyond measure. He probably hadn't even seen books like these in Mary Geoise.

Entering the library, Roger quickly pulled several rolls of rubbings from the shelves and spread them across the table. "Before this, we went through a great deal of literature, trying to find clues to that unknown island. But in the end, most of those documents pointed toward these rubbings of writing we can't understand..."

"Ancient Language." Vikengam recognized the rubbings at a glance. "It is a form of writing strictly forbidden by the World Government. Its origins can be traced back to before the World Government was established. Very few related records remain today, and the vast majority of Ancient Language comes from rubbings taken from the so-called Poneglyphs."

"Poneglyphs... those should be those unusual stone blocks, right? During our previous journeys, we found a few. Some of these rubbings came from those special stones." Rayleigh nodded.

"That's right. As far as I know, there are around thirty Poneglyphs. Four of them are crimson and are known as Road Poneglyphs. Each records a set of coordinates. Once the four coordinates are combined, they reveal the location of the final island you seek." Vikengam's tone grew slightly solemn.

The moment he finished speaking, Roger, Rayleigh, and Jaba all became excited.

They had only found Lodestar Island last year. Over the past year, they had yet to find even the slightest lead on how to reach the Final Island. Vikengam's words had undoubtedly shown them the way.

Nothing else needed to be said. That one sentence alone had made bringing Vikengam aboard more than worthwhile!

"So that's how it is!" Roger clapped his hands. "Then apart from the four Road Poneglyphs, what is the purpose of the other Poneglyphs?"

"The other Poneglyphs represent a mystery buried more than eight hundred years ago—the history of the so-called Void Century. If they can all be gathered, it should be possible to decipher what exactly happened during those hundred years," Vikengam said.

"The Void Century..." Roger frowned slightly and muttered to himself.

Jaba stroked his chin. "It does sound interesting, but it doesn't seem particularly important. Personally, I prefer living in the present. History from eight hundred years ago... what impact does it have on people like us?"

Jaba's attitude was also the attitude of the Roger Pirates. They sought the Poneglyphs only because they wanted to reach the Final Island. They had little interest in history and the like.

It was not some goal they absolutely had to accomplish.

Roger had once felt the same way, but after the battle at God Valley, his mindset had changed.

Because he had witnessed that unexpected "monster," as well as a power that even someone as strong as Rocks could not resist!

As though recalling something, Rayleigh listened to Roger's muttering and turned to Vikengam. "At God Valley, that monster... what exactly was it? Do you know the truth behind it? Why did Rocks turn into something like a demon?"

"I don't know much." Vikengam's tone sank. "But as far as I know, the monster you speak of is called 'Imu,' the ultimate ruler of the World Government..."

"Huh?" Jaba asked in surprise. "Isn't the highest authority of the World Government your grandfather and the other Five Elders?"

"That is only what they show publicly. In truth, the Five Elders and God's Knights all serve Imu. They call him the King of the World, and Imu's name appears to be Nerona." Vikengam explained.

The revelation was too shocking, and Roger, Rayleigh, and Jaba all fell silent.

After a long while, Rayleigh suddenly seemed to remember something. "Saint Nerona Imu? Wasn't that one of the Twenty Kings who founded the World Government?"

"Yes..." Vikengam nodded. "That is indeed the case. So I suspect that Imu is an ancient monster who has lived for at least eight hundred years. For all those centuries, he has remained hidden behind the scenes, ruling the entire world while doing everything in his power to erase certain secret legacies, knowledge, and bloodlines."

Without waiting for Roger and the others to speak, Vikengam continued, "The power he possesses is also extremely dangerous. The Five Elders and God's Knights have all entered into some mysterious contract with him, allowing them to obtain so-called immortality and even eternal youth. You should have already experienced that at God Valley, shouldn't you?"

"That's true. Those knights kept coming back no matter how many times we cut them down..." Rayleigh clicked his tongue. "Just like in the treasure vault. I clearly cut that guy in two with one slash, yet he later recovered completely."

"Beyond that, he also possesses a dark power that can forcibly control others. Rocks was struck by that power, which was why he became like a demon, lost his mind, and turned into Imu's pawn," Vikengam said.

"That power really is terrifying..." Roger's expression gradually turned serious. "I fought Rocks at God Valley, so I could clearly feel how frightening it was. Garp and I joined forces and unleashed all our Haki in an instant, and even then, we barely managed to break the control. And clearly, that was only because the Imu you mentioned didn't take any further action. If he had intervened as well, then..."

There would have been no way at all!

That was how Roger felt now. Faced with that power, they had absolutely no means of breaking it!

"Maybe someday, we'll become thorns in that guy's side just like Rocks. If we can't find a way to counter his power, we'll be in real trouble when that time comes..." Jaba exhaled heavily, unable to hide the pressure in his voice.

"Indeed." Rayleigh nodded in agreement with Jaba.

"You said that for the past eight hundred years, he has been trying to eliminate those secret legacies, knowledge, and bloodlines...?" Roger looked at Vikengam and asked.

"That's right. The Buccaneer Tribe, the Davy Clan, and the D Clan are all things Imu has always sought to eradicate," Vikengam said.

"The D Clan?" Roger froze for a moment, then said, "I'm a D!"

At present, the name written on Roger's World Government bounty posters was 'Gold Roger,' but his true name was Gol D. Roger.

Roger had never understood why before. He had thought the World Government had simply made some kind of mistake. Now he understood. It had not been a mistake—they had deliberately concealed his true name, unwilling to let more people know that he was a member of the D Clan!

"I know you're a D. Quite a few people in the World Government know your name is Gol D. Roger. You don't need to introduce yourself to me." Vikengam raised a hand to stop Roger from continuing, then said, "The more something is hidden, the more it may be feared. That is why I have always believed that the way to break Imu's terrifying power may be hidden within the Void Century. If we figure out what happened during those hundred years, perhaps we can obtain the power to oppose Imu."

Hearing this, everyone nodded. Rayleigh clicked his tongue. "Looks like we really do have to uncover the truth. Otherwise, none of us will be able to sleep peacefully."

"Perhaps this is one of my missions... as a D," Roger said with deep emotion.