As for Imu, Teach had never believed in unlimited human potential.
The King of the Celestial Dragons had lived for eight hundred years. That alone said enough.
Strength did not increase endlessly. The World Government had existed for eight centuries, which also meant that Imu had stood at the summit for eight centuries. Once a person reached the absolute peak and became the ruler of the world, there was no longer any pressure forcing them to grow stronger.
At that level, improvement became painfully difficult.
More importantly, once someone achieved absolute dominance, there was no longer any reason to train with desperation. Comfort followed power, and comfort led to stagnation.
Even if Imu had obtained immortality through the Ope Ope no Mi and gained eternal life, that also meant eight hundred years without real combat.
Even if the body did not rust, would the battle instinct remain sharp?
Combat awareness was forged through constant life-and-death struggles. Without them, it dulled. A soul softened by comfort inevitably lost its edge.
Teach was certain of one thing. If Imu ever stepped onto the battlefield personally, it would be the final decisive war.
The only true unknown was Imu's ability.
In terms of raw strength, Teach estimated that Imu was at most slightly stronger than monsters who had already reached the absolute peak of humanity, figures like Edward Newgate or Shiki the Golden Lion.
That was still within acceptable expectations.
The benchmark Teach used was not Whitebeard, but Rocks D. Xebec.
Twenty years ago, Rocks truly possessed the qualifications to become King of the World.
If he had not been betrayed at the end, history might have taken a completely different path.
Even in old age, Rocks' strength had not declined. Only his stamina had weakened slightly. And even then, it took the combined forces of Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to bring him down, both of whom were nearing their own peaks at the time.
A monster that required two monsters to defeat.
That alone spoke volumes.
Rocks D. Xebec was the true hegemon buried by history, the strongest man of his era.
Imu might possess world-class combat power, but Teach did not believe Imu surpassed Rocks.
Two kings of two eras.
Rocks was stopped by two bearers of the Will of D.
Roger was defeated by time and illness. He arrived too early. Or perhaps he was simply born twenty years too soon.
Both men had the power to overturn the world and challenge the World Government.
Compared to them, the mysterious Imu did not feel invincible in Teach's eyes.
What truly terrified him was not Imu, but Uranus.
Destroying the Ancient Weapon Uranus was non-negotiable.
As long as Uranus existed, the World Government would retain its aura of mystery and fear. It was the foundation of their rule.
After eight hundred years, the World Government was already rotten to its core.
Unless it burned itself down and rebuilt from the ashes, its collapse was inevitable.
The Marines were the World Government's greatest weapon and the pillar of its violent authority, but they stood on the government's side because of position, not loyalty.
If one day the entire world opposed the World Government, it was far from guaranteed that the Marines would continue to support it.
At the same time, the Marines existed to maintain stability and protect civilians.
They were never a tool that could be manipulated at will.
The future Fleet Admiral Sakazuki was the clearest example.
His absolute justice stood above the World Government itself. He had openly confronted the Five Elders before. His justice was not about serving the government.
If the World Government ever violated his justice, it would become an enemy to be purged.
Justice was not limited to capturing pirates.
Even Sengoku, who strictly executed government orders, ultimately served Great Justice rather than the World Government. As an Admiral, he was aggressive and uncompromising. As Fleet Admiral, he became cautious and restrained.
Once the World Government lost its claim to Great Justice, once no one acknowledged its moral authority, the Marines would not stand with it.
The current internal reforms within the Marines already proved where their foundation lay.
Justice was the Marines' lifeblood.
When forced to choose between justice and the World Government, the Marines would lean toward justice, toward civilians.
A Marine force unified under justice would be stronger, more disciplined, and more terrifying.
Even if the World Government opposed these reforms, the Marines would eventually implement them anyway. Acting first and reporting later was not unusual.
Most Marines came from commoner backgrounds. Very few were nobles or officials, and those few were the root of internal corruption.
They would be purged.
Sakazuki was not someone who accepted favors or connections. He tolerated no evil within his sight.
When pushed far enough, people stopped caring about consequences.
Compared to orders from above, the future of the Marines was what the current leadership truly valued.
The Marines of the past had been weak.
That was the era when the Rocks Pirates dominated the seas, invading World Government-affiliated nations, plundering celestial tribute, and even killing Celestial Dragons.
Rocks' name was synonymous with fear.
Teach had learned fragments of that era.
When Marine forces encountered the Rocks Pirates without top-tier fighters present, retreat was often the only option.
The Marines were so weak that when Shiki the Golden Lion attacked Marineford alone, he treated them with open contempt.
He came from that era.
An Admiral had once been beaten half to death by Rocks in a short exchange and left crippled for life.
Kong, then an Admiral, had been defeated multiple times. At the time, there were only two Admirals. One was crippled. Kong survived through sheer tenacity.
It was only after the rise of Garp and the fall of the Rocks Pirates that the Marines expanded rapidly and became the hegemon of the seas.
Because they had defeated Rocks, the Marines were feared throughout the New World.
For a time, the New World was both a pirate paradise and Marine territory, with fortresses everywhere.
Vice Admiral Tsuru began her long-term deployment during that era.
But this dominance did not last.
The remnants of the Rocks Pirates split apart and formed their own crews. Their power grew rapidly.
A series of great battles gave birth to three legendary pirates.
With multiple hegemon-level forces entrenched in the New World, pirates rose again and clashed evenly with the Marines.
This balance existed only because pirates never truly united.
If they had, the Marines would have been overwhelmed.
Now, the New World had returned fully to pirate hands. The Marines maintained only symbolic footholds.
Yet with the growth of the four Admiral candidates and the older generation still standing, Marine strength had once again reached its peak.
Teach instinctively expanded his Observation Haki.
It stretched toward the horizon, then farther, pushing into the void of space itself.
He searched.
And found nothing.
The distance was simply too great.
This was only an instinctive attempt. Space was vast. Failure was expected.
Still, it revealed something important.
Uranus remained a threat that lingered in his mind.
But now that he understood it, the threat felt manageable.
Preparation required time.
Fortunately, the World Government would not deploy Uranus lightly.
He had time.
The interrogation ended there.
Teach had obtained what mattered most.
Other crew members continued questioning the hypnotized god. One recorded everything carefully. Even minor details could hide critical information.
The blueprints for the Ark Maxim were easily obtained. They were stored within the temple.
Otto examined them closely, excitement evident in his expression.
Though it was only a ship, it contained super-technology and the core knowledge of lunar civilization.
The blueprints had been preserved for over a thousand years.
Most of the text was readable. Some portions required clarification from Sky Island terminology.
Originally, Redyat had assisted him, but now the god himself was available as a living reference.
Even Enel had been able to build the Ark Maxim.
The design was surprisingly straightforward.
Hard to believe, yet true.
The languages of the moon and this world were nearly identical, with only slight deviations.
Northwest of Birka, within a fog that never dispersed, lay the so-called Kingdom of God.
Ordinary people who entered would lose their way.
"So this is the Kingdom of God," someone muttered.
According to the god, this was where retired gods lived along with their families and guards.
Not exile.
Retirement.
As they approached, signs of life became evident.
Teach did not care about these Sky Islanders.
What he wanted was their knowledge, culture, and lunar technology.
Hidden among them were treasures no individual could remember alone.
The original Ark Maxim had been destroyed long ago.
After arriving in the White Sea, conflicts over its control had led to war among the Sky People.
In the end, no one benefited.
The Ark was destroyed, and the most crucial blueprints were lost.
Yet those living in the Kingdom of God knew nothing of it.
As they advanced, the faint smell of blood reached them.
Laffitte had already acted.
He had silently eliminated those ahead.
Teach felt no burden over it, but he had no intention of doing it himself.
Laffitte enjoyed such work.
Violence was his art.
Sometimes Teach wondered if Laffitte needed a partner.
A figure came to mind, but he had not decided yet.
When they arrived, the fog vanished behind them, revealing a clear boundary surrounding the hidden world.
Laffitte stood ahead, waiting.
Everything was clean.
No trace remained.
A true infiltration master.
The Kingdom of God itself was a small Sky Island hidden by clouds.
From afar, it looked like nothing more than mist.
Then a magnificent city appeared.
It gleamed.
The words of the god echoed in their minds.
"A god must rule with virtue, but after stepping down, should they not receive the highest respect?"
For a moment, it almost sounded convincing.
Almost.
Gem-studded gates.
Golden walls.
This was not Gold Town, but it was still an enormous fortune.
Accumulated over a thousand years.
Likely extracted from the Blue Sea below.
The inside was ordinary.
Only the exterior dazzled.
But even that was enough to remind them.
Gods lived well.