Only long after those words fell did Imu's figure slowly rise.
His body passed through layer upon layer of churning gray smoke, like a black spear rising from the seabed, before finally hovering in midair.
He gazed toward the distant sea with a complicated look in his eyes, staring for a long time. On that perpetually unruffled face, clear signs of emotion appeared for once.
He was not afraid of people being born in this era bearing the wills of Nidhogg, Joy Boy, Davy Jones, and all the rest.
Because he had always believed he could eliminate those threats, every time, in every generation, no matter what form they returned in.
But now, something that worried Imu even more had happened.
He had encountered someone he could not understand, someone who wielded a power that did not belong to this world.
Since the fall of Joy Boy and the others, this was the first time he had felt such intense unease.
That unease was like a fine needle, piercing the confidence that had never once been shaken.
"Where did you come from..." Imu murmured, his voice scattered into fragments by the wind. "What did you come here... to do? To help the new Davy?"
Tap, tap, tap, tap!
On the ground, three figures hurried toward Imu, their steps brisk and synchronized, their boot soles striking the shattered stone paving with a rapid series of dull thuds.
When they reached the spot directly beneath Imu, all three dropped to their knees in unison, heads bowed, their postures humble and reverent.
"Lord Imu," they said together.
Imu's gaze shifted slightly downward, settling on the three kneeling figures.
There was no unnecessary emotion in those deep eyes, like the surface of a still lake.
"I require any information concerning 'Ron.'" He paused, as