Soon, Diarmuid, Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, Gion, and Sengoku had all drunk from the Fountain of Youth. Including the Chief of Staff, seven people had partaken, leaving thirteen portions remaining.
Hina and Stussy would definitely need their shares.
Since the Fountain of Youth was obtained by Diarmuid in exchange for the "world coordinates," and was given directly to him by Imu, Sengoku and the others were content with their single sips. None were greedy; they left the distribution of the remainder to Diarmuid.
Diarmuid already had a plan. Hina and Stussy were a given, as were Garp and Zephyr. That accounted for four more, leaving nine portions. It seemed there weren't many others left to give it to, at least for now.
Oh, wait, Kong should probably have one, right? That left eight. People like Doberman didn't need to be considered yet; they were still relatively young.
Immortality wasn't something to be handed out lightly.
Even though he had plenty in stock, Diarmuid looked at Imu with a hint of lingering curiosity. "So, I'm not asking for more stuff, but just out of curiosity... regarding immortality, is there anything else besides the Op-Op Fruit and the Fountain of Youth?"
Imu smiled, hiding nothing. "There likely are others, perhaps quite a few varieties. I may be tired of this world, but I am not truly omniscient. Once I attained immortality and an undying body, I stopped paying much attention to such things. However, to my knowledge, there are two other things that can provide it."
"What are they?" Diarmuid asked.
"Over two hundred years ago, alchemists created a metal called 'Pure Gold.' Unlike the Op-Op Fruit or the Fountain of Youth, Pure Gold doesn't provide a massive surge of vitality. Instead, it drastically slows the consumption of one's life force. Theoretically, it is an alternative form of immortality," Imu said calmly.
Diarmuid knew about that. Pure Gold. There was a young girl, over two hundred years old, who still looked like she was eleven or twelve because she possessed Pure Gold. Imu was right; compared to the Fountain and the Fruit, Pure Gold was like a cheat code. It didn't increase your life force; it just made it last exponentially longer. If you had enough life force to live for one year, wearing Pure Gold might make it last ten.
The girl hadn't changed in two centuries. One could calculate that with Pure Gold alone, living for a thousand years was no problem. Moreover, compared to the Fountain of Youth, Pure Gold was easier to track down. Diarmuid actually had some leads on it, but he figured he could just delegate that search to his subordinates now.
"That's one. What's the other?" Diarmuid pressed.
"The Elixir of Life," Imu replied.
"The Elixir of Life?" Diarmuid frowned. He had never heard of it, and judging by the expressions of Sengoku and the others, neither had they.
"Yes, the Elixir of Life. I have never seen it myself, but I discovered mentions of it in ancient texts. It is a man-made method of immortality. By brewing this elixir, the consumer can attain longevity. However, as far as I know, I am the only immortal in this world, so whether it truly works or if anyone ever successfully brewed it, I cannot say."
As she spoke, Imu pulled a parchment from her pendant and gestured for Diarmuid to come closer.
Diarmuid hesitated for a second, but realizing they were no longer enemies, he stepped forward. Imu handed him the parchment. "The brewing recipe. If you're interested, feel free to tinker with it."
Diarmuid: "???" The recipe was in your hands this whole time!?
He was stunned for a moment, but then it made sense. Imu likely didn't want another immortal appearing while she ruled. But now that she was leaving, she didn't care. She might even hope more immortals appear so that if she ever returns in centuries or millennia, she might have someone she knows to talk to.
Diarmuid glanced at the recipe. Good grief. He recognized the words, but he'd never heard of the ingredients. Water of the Underworld? Ghost-Shade Grass?
What kind of nonsense is this? Are you sure some chuunibyou kid didn't just make this up? This isn't exactly a high-fantasy world, is it?
With one look, Diarmuid decided the recipe was likely worthless. Besides, he already had immortality; he didn't need to go hunting for weird ingredients. Still, it might come in handy someday, so he tucked it away.
Truthfully, from a personal standpoint, his hostility toward Imu had vanished, replaced by a significant amount of goodwill. She was stunning, elegant, and incredibly generous, handing out immortality like party favors. How could he not like her?
As for her previous plot to rule the world... Diarmuid decided to let bygones be bygones. He certainly wasn't going to pursue it. If anyone else wanted to, they were welcome to try, if they had the guts to try and kill her.
Checking his greed, Diarmuid looked at her seriously. "The trade is complete. How do we record the world coordinates you want?"
"Wait a little longer," Imu said with a playful glint in her eyes. "About ten more minutes."
Diarmuid blinked, realizing that Imu had indeed been stalling for time. But since the fighting had stopped and they had an agreement, she was no longer hiding it.
With time to kill, Diarmuid chatted with her. In the distance, Gion and the others were excitedly discussing their newfound eternal youth. Seeing Diarmuid talking to Imu, Gion didn't seem jealous; after all, the woman was leaving anyway, and they had already "profited" immortality from her. Be generous, Gion!
Imu didn't talk about world politics, power, or grand strategies; she no longer cared about those things. Instead, she asked curiously, "How did the world coordinates and the space-time aura inside you get there?"
Diarmuid had a rough guess, it probably happened when he transmigrated. But he couldn't say that.
"I don't know," he replied. "To be honest, if you hadn't mentioned it, I would never have known such things existed inside me."
It wasn't a lie; he truly didn't know for sure.
Imu didn't press him. She wasn't that tactless. Instead, she looked ahead with anticipation. "Tell me... what kind of world do you think I'm going to?"
In that moment, the eight-hundred-year-old Imu looked like a young girl about to embark on her first big trip, full of excitement for the future, her eyes brimming with wonder.
Diarmuid strongly suspected that the "world coordinates" in his body pointed to Earth. If she actually ended up on Earth, it would be fascinating.
"Perhaps a world with a highly advanced military," Diarmuid suggested. "Powerful weapons, bombs that can vaporize an island in one blast, and ships that fly through the sky."
"A guess befitting your status as a Marine," she nodded, not suspecting a thing. "Perhaps I am being persistent, but Diarmuid... I truly want to ask you one last time. Won't you come with me?"
This time, she didn't just speak; she reached out. Her fingers, which Diarmuid found to be perfect, lightly grazed his cheek. A seductive smile played on her lips as her flawless face leaned in close to his.
"After this, the Marines will reach the top of the world. There will be no more challenge or excitement for you here, will there? Come with me. Whatever they can give you, I can give. Whatever they cannot give, I can provide as well. We can conquer another world together. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Diarmuid quietly took a step back to create some distance. It wasn't that he was being rude; he was just afraid he might actually lose his self-control.
Though he didn't speak, Imu understood his answer. A flash of loneliness crossed her eyes.
"What a boring man..." she whispered.
"Hahaha, next time. Definitely next time," Diarmuid replied with a hollow, breezy laugh.
Imu didn't bother responding to such an insincere brush-off. She simply shook her head.
Two or three minutes later, the ground began to tremble.
Beneath the ruins of the castle, the earth was thrust aside as a ship, roughly the size of a battleship, slowly rose from the soil. A shimmering film of light coated its surface, leaving it pristine and free of dirt. It looked incredibly sleek, a true spacecraft with a high-tech aesthetic.
"Uranus?" Diarmuid exclaimed.
"Indeed. Uranus," Imu nodded calmly. The time she had been stalling for was spent activating the long-dormant Ancient Weapon.
"Follow me," she commanded, turning toward the ship.
Sengoku and the others were also captivated by the legendary weapon. Seeing Diarmuid and Imu move toward it, they began to follow.
However, after only a few steps, Imu spoke with clear annoyance: "Unrelated personnel are not to disturb me. Wait here. I never go back on my word."
Sengoku: "???" Unrelated personnel? I'm the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, thank you very much!
But after a thought, he decided not to provoke her. Forget it, I won't bicker with this woman.
Still the same arrogant Imu, Diarmuid thought with a smile.
He wasn't particularly worried. In terms of strength, even if he couldn't guarantee a win against her, he wouldn't exactly be helpless. Even if he couldn't win, he wouldn't be taken out in a single shot.
And so, with an air of confidence, Diarmuid followed Imu toward Uranus.