"Huh?"
Aqua blinked, then shook her little head like a rattle-drum.
"No, no! That would make my other mommies sad!"
"Other....mommy...s?"
The corner of Imu's mouth twitched beneath her veil, and she glanced sideways at Orion.
"Yeah, yeah! Aqua has lots of mommies! Besides Mommy Gunko, there's Mommy Gion, Mommy Hina, Mommy Hancock, Mommy Kujaku..."
"They're fake! They're all fake!"
Hearing Aqua list so many mothers in one breath, Imu instinctively interrupted.
Then, her tone softened considerably.
"From now on, Aqua has only one mother, and that is Imu. Starting today, the Flower Chamber is your home. Aqua can dig wherever she wants and plant vegetables wherever she likes."
As she spoke, Imu swiftly pulled out the magic book from her robe.
The moment the pages flipped open, a gleaming golden hoe flew out and floated in front of Aqua.
"Wow—"
Never expecting Imu to produce a golden hoe from a book, Aqua's eyes instantly sparkled with stars.
She exclaimed excitedly, "Mommy Imu, you're amazing!"
With that, Aqua reached out and grabbed the golden hoe.
Since it was made of pure gold, even though it looked small, Aqua struggled to lift it.
However, Aqua's attention wasn't really on the golden hoe anymore.
Her heart was completely captivated by the magic book in Imu's hands.
Unable to lift the hoe, she dragged it along as she toddled over to Imu and asked curiously.
"Mommy Imu, what is this book?"
Gunko and Luna didn't dare linger any longer.
Under Imu's sharp gaze, they both stood up and left the pavilion.
Seeing this, Imu subtly withdrew her gaze and instantly transformed into a loving motherly figure.
She bent down and crouched in front of Aqua, speaking gently.
"This is a magical book. Whatever Aqua wants, just tell Imu, and Imu can make it appear!"
"Anything?" Aqua, after all, was just a five- or six-year-old child, and once her curiosity was piqued, it was unstoppable.
"Of course," Imu nodded.
"Then... then, can you make a gun appear? I want to give it to Uncle Orion!"
"Sure!" Imu waved her hand lightly over the magic book, and a handgun floated out from it.
"Wow, Mommy Imu is the best!"
Aqua grabbed the gun, her little face flushed with excitement.
"And? And? Aqua wants a teddy bear!"
Imu waved her hand tirelessly once more, and a teddy bear taller than Aqua appeared out of thin air.
"Wow, wow, wow, Mommy Imu, you're so wonderful! Mwah~"
Saying this, Aqua leaned close to Imu, stood on her tiptoes, and planted a kiss on Imu's face veil.
Amidst Aqua's repeated calls of "Mommy," Imu gradually succumbed, paying no heed to Orion's expression as he sat behind her.
She continuously pulled various toys and objects from her magic book, eliciting constant exclamations of delight and praise from Aqua.
...
Half an hour later, Aqua departed fully loaded, happily skipping off to play with Luna and Gunko.
Only after Aqua had run far away did Imu snap out of her trance induced by the soft, sticky-sweet calls of "Mommy."
Her pupils contracted as if awakening from a dream, and she cast an incredulous glance toward the departing Aqua.
As the shadow ruler of the World Government who had lived for eight hundred years, how could she have been completely "dominated" by a six-year-old child for a full half hour?
"Not bad, Imu. I never imagined you'd be so experienced with children!"
Just then, Orion—who had been quietly sitting in the pavilion without disturbing Imu and Aqua—suddenly spoke.
Smiling at Imu, who stiffened abruptly at his voice, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"It seems your victory eight hundred years ago wasn't just luck. The care you've shown Aqua proves that in winning hearts, you surpassed even me back then."
Hearing this, Imu unconsciously clenched her fists beneath her long sleeves.
Her affection for Aqua was genuine, yet Orion accused her of manipulation.
'Even if I were to win someone over, it'd be you!'
'Aqua is just an innocent, cheerful child—why would I need to manipulate her?'
Though these thoughts crossed her mind, Imu showed no outward reaction.
She turned and sat opposite Orion, deftly changing the subject.
"Lately, the box has accumulated many Devil Fruit abilities again. However, the box seems to have a capacity limit. After the Impel Down incident, the Devil Fruit energies inside collectively escaped once more."
"Escaped again?" Orion frowned slightly. "Dr. Vegapunk theorizes that Devil Fruits might be manifestations of humanity's collective desires. Their emergence in large numbers likely indicates the world's situation has reached an extreme, meaning the World Government has reached a critical point where destruction precedes renewal. Recently, I've believed all my actions were steering toward a favorable trend, preventing mass formation of collective human desires—thus halting new Devil Fruit manifestations."
"Since the Devil Fruit energies were gathered and escaped collectively, they probably won't reappear in the Grand Line. Otherwise, the box's existence would be meaningless!"
"Meaningless?" Imu seized the key point in Orion's words. "Are you suggesting this box is also a product of humanity's collective desires?"
Orion nodded. "You could interpret it as a manifestation of righteous desires."
Pausing briefly, Orion suddenly shifted topics.
"Haven't you always wondered whether I'm from the past or the future? Would you like to hear the truth?"
Imu feigned nonchalance, replying softly.
"Say it if you wish."
Orion didn't keep her in suspense any longer and said straightforwardly.
"You're right about one thing—I am indeed not from this time and not from this world. Perhaps one day in the future, a new time-space passage will appear before me, forcibly pulling me into it and sending me to another world in a different time."
"This means that the escaped Devil Fruit energy might have gone to another time, possibly even my homeland!"
"If that's the case, then my homeland may have undergone a major upheaval or disaster. Under the shadow of death brought by this upheaval or disaster, the people there have developed powerful thoughts and desires, yearning to gain formidable abilities to overcome the crisis."
Hearing this, Imu abruptly looked up and stared at Orion while blurting out her thoughts.
"You want to leave Imu?"
Caught off guard by Imu's reaction, Orion blinked in surprise.
"If I leave, what would you do?"
"Without you, the Third World will inevitably head toward destruction."
Imu's gaze remained fixed on Orion, her gaze turn resolute.
"In that case, Imu might as well destroy it with her own hands."
Orion chuckled and casually remarked, "And then live alone on the desolate Red Line for all eternity?"
???
A flicker of emotion appeared in Imu's eyes, and her tone carried an unprecedented hint of panic.
"You can eavesdrop on Imu's thoughts?!"
"No need to be alarmed!"
Orion waved his hand with a smile.
"Although my Observation Haki allows me to monitor the entire Red Line, I'm not so bored as to eavesdrop on others all the time. I won't be leaving for now, at least not at the moment. As for the future, you have even less to worry about!"
"Because I've already sent Garp to find the Sun God Nika, whom you fear. According to the message Garp sent back, he has already brought him aboard the warship and is on his way back to Marineford."