New World Marine Branch G1 Fortress.
Newspapers filled the sky once more, falling from above. Some Marine Officers personally opened fire, shooting down several News Coos that were scattering the papers.
They believed this was surely another plot by the Rocks Pirates.
After all, newspapers under the World Government usually charged a fee.
Even the Marines were no exception.
Only newspapers like these, which disrupted the order of the seas and harbored malicious intent, would be scattered for free like this.
However, the contents of the news this time shocked even the Marine high-ranking officers who "firmly believed" the Red Soil Island incident was a rumor.
The lives of the Gorosei and the Gods Knights were held in the hands of a King of the Celestial Dragons hidden behind the scenes?
This King of the Celestial Dragons named Imu was the true King of the World?
Imu had undergone the Perennial Youth Operation of the Ope-Ope no Mi and gained eternal life?
The Perennial Youth Operation of the Ope-Ope no Mi?
The ultimate Devil Fruit for which the Celestial Dragons had long offered a bounty of 5 billion Berries?
He could also control others' freedom and lives through contracts?
---
Piece after piece of information caused even the Three Marine Admirals to turn pale with shock.
They truly did not know of the existence of the King of the World, Imu.
They only knew that the highest authority in the world was the Gorosei.
They thought the Gorosei were already the pinnacle of power, but they never expected an immortal King of the Celestial Dragons to be hidden behind them.
When they saw the speculations in the newspaper, their expressions became incredibly solemn.
In this Red Soil Island incident, the Celestial Dragons had lost one of the Gorosei, two Gods Knights, and several Divine Blade... Even the World Government's current massive recruitment for Marineford could be a way for them to select powerful experts to become Imu's servants, replenishing the strength lost in the Red Soil Island incident.
Even the Fleet Admiral and the Three Marine Admirals might be chosen by Imu as Contracted Individuals, their freedom and lives completely controlled.
Becoming Imu's loyal dogs for life.
---
Because in this news release, Fang Huo did not reveal the benefits of being contracted by Imu.
Such as the benefits of eternal life and Immortality, along with greater power and higher authority... Fang Huo wanted everyone to feel fear and wariness toward Imu.
If those benefits were revealed...
Fang Huo believed that some experts and high-ranking Marines would surely abandon their principles to join or curry favor with Imu for the sake of Immortality, great power, and supreme authority.
After all, every era has people willing to discard their freedom and lives in pursuit of power and eternal life.
---
Kong looked at the news content, a hint of deep thought flashing in his eyes.
He saw the danger of being controlled by Imu, but he also saw the supreme power that came with being one of Imu's Contracted Individuals.
Contracted Individuals had their lives and freedom controlled by Imu.
But another implication was that Contracted Individuals had gained the complete trust of the King of the World, Imu.
A flicker of temptation suddenly arose in Kong's heart.
If he were to abandon justice and freedom, he could become more than just the Fleet Admiral or the General Commander-in-Chief.
It might not even be impossible for him to become one of the high-and-mighty Gorosei.
Of course, this was provided that the King of the Celestial Dragons behind the scenes, Imu, was willing to grant positions of power to non-Celestial Dragons.
After all, the Gorosei and Gods Knights who currently held supreme power were all pure-blooded Celestial Dragons, direct descendants of the Twenty Kings.
The World Nobles known as the Descendants of Gods!
Even the CP organization, which reported directly to the Celestial Dragons, held a status higher than the Marines.
A CP0 Captain would dare to challenge a Marine Admiral or even the Fleet Admiral.
After all, for the past century, the position of General Commander-in-Chief had always been filled by the CP Chief, with a status higher than the Fleet Admiral.
Just as the Commander of the Gods Knights was a candidate for the Gorosei.
The CP Chief was the candidate for the General Commander-in-Chief.
In the eight-hundred-year history of the World Government, there had only been a few "Legendary Marines" who rose from Fleet Admiral to Commander-in-Chief.
Now, with the exposure of information regarding Imu, the King of the Celestial Dragons.
Kong understood that those miracle Fleet Admirals who became Commander-in-Chief had most likely pledged their absolute loyalty to the Celestial Dragons.
Like Cipher Pol agents, they were completely loyal to the Celestial Dragons, utterly abandoning Marine justice to practice the Dark Justice of the CP organization.
A justice where everything revolved around the Celestial Dragons!
---
The newly promoted Marine Vice Admiral, Sengoku, who had earned the nickname Buddha Sengoku due to his Mythical Zoan Great Buddha ability.
At this moment, he had also finished reading this "rumor" newspaper.
His perception of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons underwent a complete reconstruction at this moment.
He recalled Admiral Kong's vague hints that to be promoted to Admiral Candidate, one had to complete the Celestial Dragons' "test."
Completing some Dark Justice mission assigned by the Celestial Dragons.
Otherwise, Marine Vice Admiral was the pinnacle for a righteous Marine, with no chance at the position of Admiral Candidate.
Let alone ascending to the positions of Marine Admiral or Fleet Admiral.
The clever Sengoku had already guessed that besides strength, loyalty to the Celestial Dragons was the key to promotion.
For the sake of his ideals, he had even prepared himself mentally to "temporarily go against his conscience to reach a high position."
After all, to make the Marines rule over the world and to change this world, he had to reach a higher position.
Marine Admiral wasn't even his ultimate goal; he wanted to be the Fleet Admiral!
But now that he knew of the existence of the King of the World, Imu, a trace of confusion appeared in his conviction.
Could he really make the Marines rule over the world?
To make the Marines rule over the world, he had to reach a higher position.
And to reach a higher position, he had to be loyal to the Celestial Dragons.
Now, he despairingly discovered that reaching a higher position meant the possibility of having his freedom and life completely controlled by this King of the World.
Then could he still fulfill his ideals?
Striving to reach a higher position only to end up as Imu's servant.
"Hey! Sengoku!"
Iron Fist Garp noticed the drastic change in his friend Sengoku's conviction and aura, and he quickly slammed a hand down hard on Sengoku's shoulder.
"Sengoku! Calm down! As long as we aren't controlled by Imu and the World Government, the Marines are still the Marines of justice!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru saw at a glance that something was wrong with Sengoku's conviction; after all, Sengoku had often spoken of his ideals and justice in front of her and Garp.
"Tsuru, if this King of the World wants to turn the Fleet Admiral and the Admirals into Contracted Individuals, what should the Marines do?"
Buddha Sengoku murmured absentmindedly. If the Red Soil Island incident hadn't happened, perhaps the chance to become one of Imu's Contracted Individuals would never have fallen to non-Celestial Dragons like them.
But now the newspaper said the Celestial Dragons had suffered heavy losses, with several of the Gorosei and Gods Knights already fallen.
If Imu relaxed the rules for Contracted Individuals and no longer selected only from the Celestial Dragon elite...
Then the Fleet Admiral and Admirals of Marineford might all become Imu's puppets.
Would such a Marine force still be a Marine force of justice?
"Sengoku! Don't believe everything in the newspaper. The Rocks Pirates definitely have their own plot."
"They just want to drive a wedge between the World Government and Marineford, and disrupt the plans for the massive Marine recruitment."
"We can't lose our composure now, or we'll truly fall for the Rocks Pirates' trick!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru's expression was grave. In truth, she believed about seventy or eighty percent of the information, but she knew there must be many more secrets involved, filled with the maneuvering and calculations between the World Government and the New World Alliance.