After everything was explained, Kaito didn't bother staying in the room any longer. Rather than wasting time playing politics with these people, he might as well go find Shalria and indulge in the extravagant life of the Celestial Dragons.
Once Kaito left, the blond Gorōsei's face twisted in anger. He raised his voice and shouted,
"You all saw it. That Uchiha Kaito is an uncontrollable figure. Are we really just going to let him sit comfortably in the Marines like this?!"
The long-bearded Gorōsei and the birthmark-faced Gorōsei both nodded in agreement.
Kaito's attitude just now had been very clear—he held absolutely no respect for the World Government.
The white kimono Gorōsei exchanged a glance with the black flat-hat Gorōsei. After a brief moment, the white kimono one finally spoke slowly,
"As for Uchiha Kaito, unless Imu-sama gives a direct order, it's best if we don't touch him. Sending him to Onigashima was already us overstepping."
The birthmark-faced Gorōsei didn't see a problem with that and said bluntly,
"That's understandable. We all know how important the Op-Op Fruit is—it must be under the control of the World Government!"
The blond and long-bearded Gorōsei both agreed with stern faces.
"Exactly. That Uchiha Kaito has been collecting powerful Devil Fruits nonstop. There's no way he wouldn't be interested in the Op-Op Fruit."
"For all we know, he may have already eaten it. His abilities keep coming out of nowhere... that Kaido might very well be a fake!"
Seeing things getting out of hand, the black flat-hat Gorōsei's expression turned grim.
It was extremely rare for the five of them to fall into such a dispute, but now, everything had devolved because of Uchiha Kaito.
Still, he stood with the white kimono Gorōsei. Imu's will could not be defied.
Thinking of this, the flat-hat Gorōsei said in a deep voice,
"That's enough. If you really want to do something about Uchiha Kaito, why don't you go speak to Imu-sama directly?"
When the flat-hat Gorōsei brought up Imu again, the blond Gorōsei clearly wasn't pleased.
"Stop bringing up Imu-sama all the time! What, are you his spokesperson now?!"
As soon as he finished speaking—and before the flat-hat Gorōsei could erupt—the blond Gorōsei's face suddenly twisted in agony. He collapsed onto the sofa and began writhing uncontrollably in pain.
The sudden change startled the others. But they quickly realized—this had to be Imu-sama's punishment.
It seemed Imu-sama was already displeased with their behavior.
Seeing the blond Gorōsei writhing in pain on the sofa, the other four quickly rose from their seats, dropped to their knees, and cried out loudly,
"Imu-sama! We overstepped! Please, spare him just this once!"
To be fair, in times like this, they were more united than ever.
Because no one could guarantee that something like this wouldn't happen to them next. Saving the blond Gorōsei now was like protecting themselves later.
Even after the four pleaded, the blond Gorōsei's suffering didn't end immediately. It dragged on for a while before it finally began to subside.
By then, his face had gone ghostly pale, and his entire body was trembling. Still, he forced himself up from the sofa and knelt beside the others, repeatedly murmuring apologies.
Seeing their comrade's miserable state, the others wore grim expressions. But this was the price of defying Imu-sama.
They all knew the truth—on the surface, they were the highest rulers of the World Government.
But in front of Imu...
If the day ever came when Imu grew tired of them, their fate would be no better than that of the enslaved captives they kept.
And so the five Gorōsei continued kneeling in silence—none of them dared rise until a cold voice echoed in all their minds at once:
"Do not interfere in Uchiha Kaito's affairs. As for him, I have my own plans."
Upon hearing that, the five Gorōsei looked as though they had been granted divine pardon. Together, they kowtowed a few more times before slowly rising to their feet.
The white kimono Gorōsei cast a glance at the blond Gorōsei, who was still shaken from the pain, and said calmly,
"Do you understand Imu-sama's will now?"
The blond Gorōsei, face still pale, didn't dare show the slightest resentment at the obvious taunt. He merely nodded.
The other three were even more subdued—especially the birthmark-faced and long-bearded Gorōsei.
They'd been running their mouths earlier too. The fact that Imu-sama hadn't punished them was already a blessing.
Who would dare speak another word?
Still, just thinking about the "culprit" behind all this—Uchiha Kaito—made the resentment in their hearts grow even heavier. But the heavier it became, the worse they felt.
It was like knowing the child isn't yours, yet still having to feed him every day. The frustration was unbearable.
...
Mary Geoise
Atop the triple-layered throne sat a tall, shadowy humanoid figure.
The only visible part of him were his eyes—two crimson pupils ringed by concentric black ripples.
This dark figure was none other than the true ruler of the World Government—Imu.
If Kaito were here, he'd definitely be confused by those eyes.
In his memory, Imu's eyes were supposed to be golden. When did they start resembling the Sharingan?
(Back when Kaito was still on Earth, he had been misled by online fan speculation. He hadn't seen this part of the actual story before crossing over. The idea of Imu having golden eyes was fan-made. In the latest arc, a close-up of Imu's eyes clearly shows they are red.)
Imu's entire body was shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to see his true form.
Gazing into the empty grand hall, he seemed to mutter to himself,
"A bunch of meddling wastes. Compared to Uchiha Kaito, you all have zero value."
Just moments ago, he had given that blond Gorōsei a brutal warning from afar. If that fool dared act up again, someone else would be sitting in his seat next time.
After a pause, Imu shook his head and continued,
"So confident you think you can control this Uchiha Kaito? I've never even heard of the Uchiha clan, but just those eyes alone... it's highly likely he and I come from the same place. Do you understand what that implies?"
This time, Imu's tone was eerily different—much calmer and more curious, almost like it came from someone else entirely.
Sure enough, right after speaking, Imu's body began to tremble. His tone turned gritted, furious.
"It's not your place to tell me what to do! You're nothing more than a parasite clinging to life inside my body!"
"Heh... I'm a parasite? Then what does that make you? Without me, weren't you just some side character in Joy Boy's little entourage?"
That jab clearly struck a nerve. Imu's eyes flickered with a strange red light. Gradually, his trembling body started to settle.
Breathing heavily, Imu growled through clenched teeth,
"In the end, we're both traitors... But the difference is, I succeeded. And you—you're just another stepping stone on my path to evolution."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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