Holy Land Mary Geoise, Seat of Power.
The room, which usually echoed with the rustle of newspapers or the murmur of tea-time conversations, was eerily silent today.
The Gorosei, five figures who stood at the apex of the world's power, sat upright, their expressions unprecedentedly solemn.
They did not speak, only exchanged glances, an invisible pressure permeating the air.
Saturn Saint broke the silence, "What exactly does the Young Master want to do? Is it not enough to lure the Whitebeard Pirates by publicly executing Ace? He even wants us to prepare for an all-out war... What does he mean by this?"
After he spoke, no one in the room responded.
A moment later, Nasujuro Saint slowly said, "This matter has exceeded the scope of what we can decide. The slightest misstep could lead to disaster; we must go to the House of Flowers to meet Imu-sama."
"Let's go now!" Warcury Saint stood up and walked out without the slightest hesitation.
The others no longer hesitated, rising to follow him.
The group of five passed through the deep corridor and arrived at the forbidden land where exotic flowers bloomed year-round—the House of Flowers.
A pavilion stood silently in the center of the sea of flowers, with a figure seated within it.
The moment the Gorosei stepped into the House of Flowers, they reined in all their aura and authority. They walked slowly to the outside of the pavilion, and without the slightest hesitation, they uniformly prostrated themselves on the ground, in the most humble posture, bowing their heads to the ground.
"Imu-sama!"
Inside the pavilion, Imu, dressed in a black robe with only a pair of dark red eyes visible, was engrossed in a book. She seemed oblivious to the outside world, not even lifting an eyelid.
It wasn't until the five had knelt for a long time that she turned a page of her book and slowly said, "Why are you not in the Seat of Power, but here instead?"
Saturn Saint lowered his head even further and spoke first: "Imu-sama, we just received news from Gunzogū. Young Master Ian has not only ordered the Marine to publicly execute Ace, the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division, but also wants us to prepare for an all-out war."
He paused, carefully choosing his words: "Imu-sama, to deal with a mere Whitebeard Pirates, the three Admirals of Marineford and one hundred thousand elite troops are more than enough. Could it be that the Young Master has other plans by having us prepare for an all-out war?"
Imu finally put down the book in her hand, her tone still flat: "Whatever Ian wants to do, you only have one task: absolute obedience."
She paused, as if mentioning it casually: "However, it's not hard to see from this that Ian's target this time is not just Whitebeard. He might want to use this opportunity to draw in the other so-called 'Emperors' of the New World as well."
As soon as these words were spoken, the bodies of the five prostrated figures stiffened simultaneously.
Saturn Saint bit the bullet and spoke again: "Imu-sama, only a commander of the Whitebeard Pirates is being publicly executed. The other Four Emperors should have no reason to join in this commotion, right?"
Imu's gaze finally fell on Saturn Saint; no emotion could be discerned in her dark red eyes.
"If it were just a commander, that would indeed be the case."
"But don't forget, Whitebeard, Kaido, and Charlotte Linlin, their past camaraderie was quite deep. Especially Kaido and Whitebeard; back then, they steadfastly followed Rocks and charged into God Valley."
Hearing Imu mention the old story of God Valley, the Gorosei's hearts sank. When the God Valley incident erupted back then, the Rocks Pirates charged straight in. Although internal turmoil occurred, the main force was not greatly affected. Rocks, moreover, slew all in his path, ultimately forcing their Imu-sama to possess Saturn, who was participating in the God Valley battle at the time, and control Rocks through black manipulation. Otherwise, the consequences at that time would have been unimaginable.
And during the God Valley incident, when a betrayal occurred within the Rocks Pirates and Rocks single-handedly confronted Imu and Saturn, Whitebeard had always been by Rocks' side. Kaido, by chance, even obtained the Fish-Fish Fruit, transforming into an Azure Dragon and returning to Rocks' side.
Such a deep bond meant that even decades later, Whitebeard and Kaido still had the possibility of joining forces again.
Imu glanced at the silent five, her voice growing colder: "Did you come here because you are worried about the situation worsening, or because you think my son Ian is acting too impulsively?"
"Have you forgotten? From the moment Ian left the Holy Land, I told you that no matter what he does outside, your job is absolute obedience!"
"Next, follow Ian's instructions and prepare for an all-out war."
"If there is any dereliction of duty..."
"I wouldn't mind supporting new Gorosei to take their place."
"After all, I only have one son, and the title 'Gorosei' can be held by anyone!"
As her words fell, Imu's figure vanished into the depths of the pavilion, leaving the Gorosei, drenched in cold sweat, prostrated amidst the sea of flowers, not daring to rise for a long time.
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