If word gets out that someone is on the Empty Throne, the World Government's prestige will be greatly diminished. Will the Affiliated Nation still recognize the World Government's status? Will they still respect the World Government?
At that point, the World Government will lose all credibility, and no one will stand by their side anymore. All they can do is suppress them with force, which is not what Imu and the Five Elders want to see!
"What's going on?! This is clearly not normal!"
Meanwhile, Sabo, hiding behind a pillar, was also shocked. What had he heard? What had he seen? Was such secrecy something he could not possibly access? What should he do next? Should he quietly leave? Or continue eavesdropping?
"It says here: 800 years ago, the queen who ruled the Alabasta Kingdom was named Nefertari D. Lily!"
"D!"
Having confirmed his answer, Imu was consumed by rage and murderous intent. Lily really was a traitor. Even though he didn't want to believe it, he had no choice but to accept it now. Lily deserved to die! Lily's people deserved to die too! They were all damned traitors!
Enraged, Imu shot a flat arrowhead from his sleeve toward Cobra!
This arrow, as nimble as silk, automatically became imbued with Armament Haki as it flew toward Cobra, dramatically increasing its destructive power to a level even greater than that of rare metal arrows.
Even a royal deputy standing there defending with all his might would find it difficult to withstand, let alone Cobra, who is just an ordinary person!
Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut isn't just overkill; it reflects Imu's intense hatred for Cobra, whom he mistook for Lily. It's only because Vivi wasn't there that she was the one being targeted as Lily's victim.
"Oh no! It's too late!"
Seeing Imu on the Empty Throne suddenly strike, Sabo couldn't save Cobra even though he was closer to Cobra. Imu's attack was too fast, and he couldn't rush over in time. He could only watch helplessly as Cobra was about to be pierced through!
"BOOM!!!"
"Clang!"
"Bite!"
Three sounds rang out in succession: the first was like a thunderclap, then the decisive tremor of swords being drawn, and finally the clash of metal!
Only those with exceptional abilities could hear the three sounds with almost perfect precision. An ordinary person like Cobra would only hear a thunderclap and see a dazzling flash of lightning, then experience tinnitus and blurred vision, unable to hear anything else and temporarily blinded!
" Mr. Vic!"
" Vic Boy!"*5
"Sinner Vic!"
The person who arrived was Vic. He thought it was Sabo who was in danger, but he did Cobra, the king who came to attend the Reverie!
However, Cobra and Sabo were in Imu's attack path, and Imu's attack speed was indeed very fast, so it's normal for Vic to misjudge in such a tight situation.
However, even if it was Cobra, Vic wanted to save him. The fact that Imu wanted to kill him so badly meant that he must be hiding a great secret. Moreover, from this, Vic also confirmed Imu's level of power. The King of the World had indeed reached the God Realm!
"Huh? King Cobra! What are you doing here?"
With a single slash, Vic deflected Imu's Armament Haki ribbon arrow, sending it flying through the air and piercing several large pillars before finally stopping. Only then did Vic have time to assess his surroundings.
The one on the high, Empty Throne must be Imu, but Imu is wearing a mask and a loose robe, so it is impossible to tell whether he is male or female. Only the crown on his head reveals his identity!
Not far ahead at the bottom of the steps were the Five Elders. Four of them were pointing golden pistols at him, while the other one, who wasn't holding a gun, was the bald, bespectacled Five Elders Izambaron V. Nusjuro. This guy was holding the Supreme Great Grade Sword, the Shodai Kitetsu, locked onto Vic!
At Vic's feet was Kobra, whom he had rescued, who had fallen off her wheelchair in Cobra. Not far behind her Sabo, who Cobra tried to block Imu's attack for Kobra but missed by a hair's breadth.
However, Sabo's strength was still somewhat lacking here, and his speed was not very good either. He barely made it halfway before Vic appeared in time to neutralize the killing move aimed at Cobra!
"Is it worth so many people attacking an ordinary person? You've really lost all shame to silence him! Tell me, what crime did King Cobra commit that warrants such a massive mobilization?"
Vic glanced at Cobra, who was still dizzy and had tinnitus, then looked at the Five Elders before focusing on Imu on the high platform!
This was the first time Vic had met Imu, but Imu's aura made him very uncomfortable. It wasn't because he disliked the other person and his brain automatically conjured up the feeling, but because he was genuinely uncomfortable and uneasy. The feeling was inexplicable, as if it were an innate rebellion!
" Vic sinner! Who let you come here? Have you already colluded with the Revolutionary Army?"
Imu remained calm on the high platform. The Armament Haki arrow he had fired earlier had already been retracted into his sleeve. Now that there were two more damned humans here, he wasn't in a hurry to make a move.
"A sinner? When did I become a sinner? Was it when I didn't help you massacre the island? Or when I killed Celestial Dragons? Or when I was forced to become a pirate?"
If you consider all of that, then I am indeed a sinner in your eyes, but I have a clear conscience. You haven't even fully ruled this planet yet, so what use are your laws? Doesn't it all come down to who has the bigger fist?
Vic stood in front of Cobra and retorted without backing down, "So what if Imu? So what if he's the King of the World? He's just a cowardly coward!"
Vic originally wanted to know whether Imu was a man or a woman, but Imu's speech was neither male nor female, making it impossible to tell. This was easy to do; Vic could easily produce dozens of different sounds.
"How dare you speak to Imu in such a manner!"
" The Celestial Dragons are descendants of the Creator, how dare you shed Celestial Dragons and defy the Creator's will! You are a sinner! And an ingrate!"
"It's not certain who has the bigger fist yet, Vic! Don't be so confident!"
"At this point, what's the point of saying anything more?"
"Good, good, good! Pangaea Castle is leaking like a sieve, what are those guards doing?"
Vic's question enraged the Five Elders. For so many years, who had dared to criticize their actions? Hadn't the triennial killing contest been going perfectly? Who had dared to utter a single word of dissent?
Thirty-eight years ago, something unexpected happened at God Valley, but those who need to be settled will be settled sooner or later. What is Vic anyway? They even took down the Pirate King Roger. What is a Four Emperors acting all high and mighty for? If Lord Imu hadn't not spoken, they would have already taken action.
"That's right! In this world, it has always been a matter of who has the bigger fist! It's just that for 800 years, we have been the ones ruling this world, and no one's fist has ever been bigger than ours."
Pirates are no good! The Revolutionary Army is no good! Joy Boy is no good either! And you, Vic, are even worse! What gives you the confidence to challenge our authority? Is it your self-righteous, smug strength Four Emperors? A frog in a well will always be a frog in a well!
Although Vic just slashed away Imu's arrow wrapped in Armament Haki, that was merely an angry strike against an ordinary person, which was already giving that person a lot of credit; it wasn't really a particularly powerful move.
With the strength of the Four Emperors, Vic can naturally break through it. If Vic thinks that he can rest easy and just compete to see who has the bigger fist after easily breaking through his moves, then he is truly a frog in a well!
If it weren't for the need to conceal the truth, Imu wouldn't even have bothered to intervene; leaving it to the Five Elders would have been sufficient!
"Heh! Lord Imu, is it? It seems you haven't grasped your own situation. Strength alone isn't enough to govern a country or the entire world."
When power corrupts the soul, one loses the ability to empathize with others. Such a ruler cannot last long. I think you must feel a sense of urgency. This Great Pirate Era may soon come to an end, but it's not just the Great Pirate Era that will end!