"Greetings, Lord Imu!"
The five men who outwardly held the highest authority in the world now knelt in unison on the cold floor of the great hall, offering their supreme reverence to the distant figure seated upon the Empty Throne.
As the silence settled in, Imu's voice, cold as a winter gale, reached the ears of the Five Elders.
"The Grand Line—an ocean where geomagnetism, celestial phenomena, ocean currents, and airflows are in utter chaos. Where standard navigation techniques and seafaring experience are rendered useless. A sea where people cannot determine their position or course, and are constantly under threat from natural disasters and giant sea beasts."
The Five Elders listened quietly. If Lord Imu was speaking of this, it could only mean it had deeper significance.
"If something as small as the Grand Line is like this, then consider the cosmos—a sea of stars beyond number, vast beyond measure. It must be even more chaotic, more dangerous."
"That… was what I began contemplating seven hundred years ago."
At this, the Five Elders exchanged sidelong glances without raising their heads—they had not yet grasped Lord Imu's true meaning.
"One day, I happened to take note of the Log Pose. It can record the magnetic fields between islands, guiding the user toward the next island."
"So then, could there also be invisible magnetic fields between stars?"
The five men flinched slightly in place.
It sounded utterly impossible—yet the idea was hauntingly provocative.
Imu's words stirred deep ripples in their minds.
"After that, I spent four hundred years attuning to the magnetic fields within and surrounding this planet… then three hundred more sensing the fields of stars across the universe, searching for similar magnetic signatures."
"…"
By the time they heard this, the Five Elders could no longer contain their shock.
Their heads rose involuntarily, their eyes wide with disbelief as they gazed upon that figure—godlike, or perhaps something far more terrifying.
And yet, Imu showed no sign of noticing their astonishment. He continued speaking, calm and unhurried.
"Two years ago, I finally located a star whose magnetic signature matched that of this planet. Using that resonance, I connected a 'Magnetic Route' and created an interstellar wormhole capable of instantaneous travel."
"I named it... the Dimensional Gate."
As his voice fell silent, the Five Elders remained frozen in place, still kneeling dumbly on the floor.
Not from reluctance—but because they were still struggling to process the sheer weight of what they had just heard.
Imu did not rush them. Instead, he granted them a moment of silence.
For a while, the vast, shadowed Empty Hall returned to stillness.
It wasn't until the man seated at the center—Saint Topman Warcury—hesitantly spoke up.
"Milord, this… this Dimensional Gate…"
There was no visible movement from Imu on the golden-crimson throne. Yet, about fifteen meters in front of the Five Elders, just before the high steps lined with a luxurious red carpet—
A faint, bluish starlight began to shimmer.
It quickly expanded before their very eyes, swelling into a slowly rotating galactic cluster.
Then, that star cluster grew further, forming a rectangular gate three meters tall and two meters wide.
The specks of starlight adorning its surface soon faded away on their own, revealing an image: green mountains, blue skies, and clear waters.
It looked almost like a projection cast by a Den-Den Mushi—an illusory image, yet vivid and real.
"C-Cough… S-So, what you're saying is… this gate—what we're seeing beyond it—is… it's another world?"
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro trembled visibly as he spoke, flushed with excitement.
He was clearly overwhelmed.
"Yes."
That single, weightless word—yes—made the five men below clench their jaws tightly.
Because they did not dare raise their voices or let their emotions explode in front of Lord Imu.
That would be far too presumptuous—
So they had to endure it!
"Whew—"
Back in his private quarters at Pangaea Castle, Imu let out a long breath and sank into the couch, his entire body relaxing. He took a swig from a bottle of top-tier red wine—
Truth be told, ever since he had revealed the existence of the Dimensional Gate to the Five Elders, he'd felt as though a weight had been lifted from his chest. The constant inner turmoil and frustration over whether to disclose it were finally gone.
Now it was out of his hands—how to explore and develop that other world would be left to the top talents from all sectors who would gradually get involved.
After all, the control of the Dimensional Gate was still in his hands!
"But with this," Imu murmured, his thoughts conflicted, "I, the World Government, and the entire Starfish civilization... are about to embark on a long and endless journey to conquer the myriad worlds. A journey with no finish line—only destruction could mark its end. Whether this path takes a hundred years, a thousand, or just one… no one can say."
He had, in fact, once considered sealing away the Dimensional Gate forever—focusing solely on tidying up the chaos within the One Piece World, living out his life as the ultimate puppet master behind the scenes.
But how was that any different from a policy of total isolation?
What if, one day, a powerful being from beyond the stars descended upon them? In just twenty-four years, space pirates were set to arrive on the moon hanging above their heads.
Even if they didn't seem all that powerful now…
Rather than waiting for the enemy to come knocking, it would be better to seize the initiative—use the Gate's convenience to strengthen his own forces and expand the influence of the World Government.
Strike first!
...
Inside the Room of Authority, the Five Elders who had returned were steeped in silence. Everyone was processing what they had just seen, what they had just heard, and what lay ahead.
"You speak first," said Saint Topman Warcury, who as usual presided over the meeting. "According to Lord Imu's orders, the first to enter the Dimensional Gate will be you—CIPHER POL."
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter responded in a deep voice, "Our mission is to scout the other planet's ecosystem, environment, and climate. If there's an existing civilization, we'll need to investigate their political system, population, capabilities, technology, and military strength."
"To be honest, while the mission is challenging, we have plenty of intelligence personnel. The key is to avoid drawing too much attention. So for this first batch, we need to strictly control the number of operatives. My preliminary thought is to keep it under ten. As for who exactly, I'll need a bit of time to select the right people."
"Very well. Once your side is ready, send them through immediately. We must get a general understanding of that world's condition."
Topman Warcury nodded, then turned to look at Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro and asked, "According to Lord Imu's divine directive, all future military operations in other worlds will gradually shift to focus on land-based forces. That means we need to enhance our army's combat effectiveness as soon as possible. What's your take on that?"
Ethanbaron replied calmly, "What else is there to say? We just follow Lord Imu's commands. I see no issue. All this old man needs to do is ensure the troops are properly reequipped. Just make sure the Council of Internal Affairs approves the paperwork quickly, so we can place orders and get materials to the factories."
According to Imu's instructions, the army's current flintlock rifles—standard for rear-guard units—would be completely replaced with automatic rifles from the North Blue, along with the addition of tanks and other armored vehicles.
If they wanted to proceed with this, the military's manufacturing plants would need to start producing the new weapons. But to purchase the necessary materials for production, they would first require approval from the Council of Internal Affairs.
Of course, they could also purchase ready-made weapons directly from various islands and nations in the North Blue, but even then, approval from the Council would be required before any military funds could be spent.
While this might seem redundant, it was a politically necessary measure—a form of procedural justice.
"You don't seriously expect me to believe you haven't noticed—Lord Imu is clearly using the army to balance out the Navy," said Saint Topman Warcury with a toothy grin.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro scoffed. "Hmph. I don't think Lord Imu is wrong. The worlds we'll encounter won't necessarily resemble ours, where ninety percent of the surface is ocean. In those places, ground combat will obviously fall to the army. What, are the Navy supposed to charge in riding battleships?"
"Indeed," murmured Saint Marcus Mars thoughtfully. "I get the feeling that, over time, the army will only grow more important. Meanwhile, the Navy might end up stuck at home most of the time."
"Which is exactly why Lord Imu mentioned transferring Navy officers suited for ground warfare over to the army. Heheh... We used to be troubled by how dominant the Navy had become—but now, everything's falling into place."
"Lord Imu's wisdom is far beyond our reach. We simply follow his lead," said Ethanbaron with his usual unwavering fanaticism.
"The world beyond the Dimensional Gate may be critical, but we still have plenty to deal with at home—slavery, piracy, the Heavenly Tribute. Lord Imu considers all of them priorities as well. These problems must be cleaned up quickly. We can't allow them to become obstacles in our conquest of the stars."
That final statement from Topman Warcury was met with unanimous approval from the other four Elders present.
Any prior doubts they had about the changes were gone. Now that they knew of the Dimensional Gate and the multiverse, there was no room left for hesitation.
If they were going to strike outward, they first had to secure their rear.
"The slave issue can start being resolved after the upcoming World Summit," said Saint Jaygarcia Saturn. "But the reform of the Heavenly Tribute system will have to wait for the next Summit, four years from now. We can't afford to delay entry into the Gate until then. And then there's the pirates—still a huge problem."
"Then we'll clean up our own mess while we probe the first alien world," said Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro coldly. "If that world proves too dangerous, we sacrifice a batch of CP agents. Didn't Lord Imu say it himself? He has absolute control over the Gate—it can be shut down at any time."
His words were harsh, but Saint Shepherd Ju Peter nodded in agreement.
To them, CIPHER POL, the Navy—they were all just tools. Everything was for the sake of preserving the Celestial Dragons' eternal rule.