"Praise Lord Imu!"
"In all seriousness, Lord Imu's sincerity has deeply moved me."
"I have decided to give serious consideration to the prophecy and destiny left by Joy Boy."
Since Imu was being so generous and frank, Fang Huo did not hold back his own praise, giving Imu a bit more confidence.
At the very least, he had to make Imu send out that kirin fruit delivery.
"That failure Joy Boy is not worth following."
"Look at the fate of the D Clan and the Fish-Man Race."
"You are a smart man; you should know how to choose and what to let go of."
"Your stage should be ruling this world, not being the Vice Captain of a pirate crew."
Imu spoke, immediately belittling his arch-rival Joy Boy, his words faintly carrying a hint of threat along with an even greater temptation.
"Communicating with Lord Imu has truly benefited me greatly."
"I will make the most correct choice."
"When the time comes, I will give Lord Imu a surprise!"
"Let's end our chat here for now; that brute Rocks is calling for me."
Fang Huo's mouth quirked up like an unstoppable AK; using Rocks' arrival as an excuse, he directly ended the negotiation.
---
Imu listened as Gu Yue Fang Huo constantly addressed him with the honorific 'Lord Imu' while calling his own Captain, Rocks, a 'brute'.
It seemed this fellow Fang Huo was extremely cunning and full of ambition.
Fang Huo might be lying to him, but Fang Huo certainly didn't have much loyalty toward Rocks either.
After all, how could a Haoshoku awakener capable of possessing multiple Devil Fruit abilities be content to remain subservient forever?
As long as there were sufficient benefits, Fang Huo could just as easily betray Rocks, or even replace him.
This brat Fang Huo possessed so much intelligence and so many resources.
Imu did not believe that Fang Huo would remain Rocks' Vice Captain forever.
"Even if you want to embezzle my kirin fruit, don't think you'll have an easy time!"
A flash of contempt crossed Imu's eyes. This Devil Fruit was both a test for Fang Huo and a perfect opportunity to drive a wedge between Gu Yue Fang Huo and Rocks.
Since Fang Huo actively asked for it, then He would give it openly and honorably!
He wanted to see if that brute pirate Rocks would completely trust Fang Huo.
A mere Mythical Zoan fruit was nothing in Imu's eyes.
'Nusjuro! Deliver the kirin fruit to Gu Yue Fang Huo's hands.'
'Tell him the deal with Mu is concluded.'
As the Divine Blade's consciousness link disconnected, Imu's voice immediately appeared in the minds of the Four Elders.
'Yes! Lord Imu!'
Saint Nusjuro did not understand why Lord Imu would make such an arrangement, but he did not dare to defy Imu's command.
After all, Satan Saint, who had previously intercepted the robot emitt for himself, had already been turned to bone.
"Remember, make good use of this Devil Fruit and find a way to sow discord between Gu Yue Fang Huo and Rocks!"
"You can announce that this kirin fruit is a down payment for Fang Huo's cooperation with the World Government, or it could be a down payment for taking out Rocks."
"Also, release news that the World Government intends to recruit Gu Yue Fang Huo as one of the Gorosei, to become one of the world's highest authorities."
"In short, Mu wants to see Gu Yue Fang Huo and Rocks have a falling out!"
Imu was not that easy to fool; He could even scheme Joy Boy to death, let alone a mere Gu Yue Fang Huo.
This time, with Gu Yue Fang Huo taking the initiative to provoke and demand so much, in Imu's eyes, Fang Huo had already exposed a weakness.
Imu wanted to make Gu Yue Fang Huo pay the price for his arrogance, conceit, and greed.
He knew that trust between humans was not that solid.
Especially for ambitious men and Haoshoku awakeners like Gu Yue Fang Huo and Rocks.
Even between Joy Boy and those races and friends, under Imu's instigation and sowing of discord, rifts and misunderstandings would occur, even betrayal.
He did not believe Gu Yue Fang Huo would have much loyalty toward Rocks, nor that Rocks would have much deep trust in Gu Yue Fang Huo.
They were just two ambitious men thrown together by luck and interest.
---
"Understood!"
The Four Elders instantly understood Imu's meaning; Lord Imu's anger just now must have been related to Gu Yue Fang Huo.
Bribing Fang Huo openly to drive a wedge between him and Rocks was indeed an excellent plan.
The World Government didn't mind losing a Mythical Zoan fruit, but could Gu Yue Fang Huo guarantee Rocks' trust in him?
As long as a crack was created between Gu Yue Fang Huo and Rocks,
then the World Government could continue to exploit those cracks to get things done.
Although the Four Elders didn't know why Imu suddenly thought of bribing and alienating Fang Huo, they still reported the matter of the Rocks Pirates raiding the GP Scientific Research Island.
"Great Hammer Corps?"
Imu's expression was a bit grim; He felt there was a ninety percent chance that Gu Yue Fang Huo would just pocket the kirin fruit.
But He still decided to give the kirin fruit to Gu Yue Fang Huo.
He would use a Mythical Zoan fruit to gamble on Fang Huo's greed and desire for power, while simultaneously using this kirin fruit to sow discord between Fang Huo and Rocks.
"Whatever! Now even Elbaf has defected to the Rocks Pirates."
"One more Great Hammer Corps won't make a difference."
Imu didn't care about this Great Hammer Corps; under His control of the dark, no matter how many giants there were, they would just be His immortal warriors.
In Imu's eyes now, a single Gu Yue Fang Huo was ten or a hundred times more important than the Great Hammer Corps!
Joy Boy, Davy Jones, the Mermaid Princess, Queen Lily's backup plans... intelligence on the pluto battleship and the [Mother Flame]... all of these were more important than the Great Hammer Corps.
---
On the other side.
Fang Huo put away that special communicator, the Divine Blade, and quickly flew back to the research island.
"Fang Huo! Who were you in contact with?"
Rocks saw Fang Huo in a good mood and immediately asked out of curiosity.
Had Fang Huo found something good again?
"I got in touch with Imu, intimidated and bluffed Him for a bit, and successfully swindled a Mythical Zoan kirin fruit."
Fang Huo spoke proudly, having no intention of hiding it from Rocks.
Since he had swindled the Mythical Zoan kirin fruit through his own ability, he wouldn't share it with the other Cadres of the Rocks Pirates.
He also mentioned to Rocks Imu's ability to directly communicate via consciousness with the Divine Blades, Gods Knights, and the Gorosei.
This ability was countless times stronger than Rocks' unique Observation Haki, which only allowed him to communicate mentally with the D Clan within a certain range.
After hearing Fang Huo's brief description and explanation, Rocks' eyes widened.
"Imu wants to recruit you as the head of the Gorosei?"
"To be honest, are you tempted?"
"Also, do you really know where Imu hid Uranus?"
"If we can lure Imu out of the Holy Land Mary Geoise, can we really go and steal Uranus?"
Rocks' eyes flickered; truth be told, he believed few in this world could refuse the 'pie in the sky' Imu had offered.
Perhaps for the sake of world peace, or to change the Celestial Dragons and the world, Harald would have directly accepted Imu's recruitment to become one of the world's highest authorities.
"Get that look out of your eyes. Do you think I'd hand my life over to Imu's control just for that position?"
"Is there something wrong with your brain?"