Imu remained seated in silence, methodically refining the plan in his mind.
After all, the ones he was scheming against were the King of the Dead, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, and Shimotsuki Ryoma—
Not a single one of them was easy to deal with.
[Knock knock knock]
Just then, a knock came at the door. With a mere thought, Imu instantly knew it was Stussy.
The two intricately carved doors opened by themselves.
"Lord Imu, I have three urgent reports to deliver."
Stussy stepped briskly to Imu's side, heels clicking against the floor, and spoke respectfully.
"Go on."
"Yes. The first matter is that the World Government facilities in the Teigu World have been attacked by a group calling themselves the 'Free Resistance'."
Stussy proceeded to outline what was known about the 'Free Resistance'.
In short, it was a terrorist group formed by those within the Teigu World who were radically opposed to World Government rule.
Such organizations weren't uncommon.
Even now, both the Demon Slayer World and the Titan World harbored similar factions lurking in the shadows.
But the 'Free Resistance' of the Teigu World was far more dangerous. They had acquired scattered Teigu and Shingu, as well as a substantial arsenal of conventional firearms.
On top of that, they had tamed numerous Danger Beasts and even controlled corrupted alchemists, making them a far more formidable threat than any resistance force in the other two worlds.
"I see."
Imu showed no signs of anger upon hearing the report.
"Issue an order: have CIPHER POL assist the first batch of graduates from the Celestial Dragon Holy Academy, with Longinus leading the operation."
"Yes, Lord Imu!"
Stussy noted the order with care, then moved on to the second matter.
"Lord Imu, the CIPHER POL-7 members stationed on Titan World sent a report: three individuals with supernatural abilities were recently discovered. After capturing and interrogating one of them, it has been confirmed that they gained abilities from consuming a wild Devil Fruit."
As Stussy spoke, a look of barely restrained shock appeared on her face.
Devil Fruit users appearing in another world?
Even though she had already reviewed the report beforehand, it was still difficult to accept or comprehend.
Weren't Devil Fruits supposed to be exclusive to their own planet—Starfish?
Imu, too, was deeply stunned, even questioning whether he had misheard.
However, Stussy's expression—and the certainty in her voice—left no room for doubt.
That's bizarre.
He had spent three full years in the Titan World, even traveling extensively aboard Noah's Ark, and yet… he had never heard of anything like this happening.
'Could this be something that only emerged after I left?' Imu pondered.
Then it struck him—what had changed?
Planetary Dominance.
The biggest difference was that the 'Planetary Dominance' function of the Star Map had now completely encompassed the Titan World.
Up until now, he had assumed that it merely allowed him to observe any corner of the Titan World at will, and to decide whether or not to annihilate it at any time.
But clearly, Planetary Dominance had brought far more than just surveillance and control.
"Have someone analyze the composition of seawater in the Titan World!" Imu suddenly commanded, a spark of realization flashing in his eyes.
"You mean... the Titan World isn't just seeing the emergence of Devil Fruits—but its seawater might be turning into that of Starfish as well?!" Stussy gasped, covering her mouth in astonishment.
"Exactly. The Science Division will handle the testing, but they only need to determine the results—no need to dig into the reasons behind it."
"Yes, your command shall be followed to the letter!" Stussy quickly replied, knowing that line was directed at her as much as it was an official order.
"Stussy," Imu said flatly, "can people in the Titan World even withstand the energy consumption required by Devil Fruit abilities?"
Imu suddenly recalled Kurusu from the Kabane World.
Back then, after consuming the Devil Fruit, that guy had suffered greatly due to his poor physical constitution.
And as far as physical endurance went, the ordinary people of the Titan World weren't much different from those of the Kabane World.
"They definitely can't," Stussy replied. "According to CP7's report, the person they captured suffered complete physical collapse and even coughed up blood from overexerting their ability during resistance. To extract intel, they had to summon the Medical Unit from the Academy for emergency treatment."
"Have them monitor the physical condition of the next few generations of infants in the Titan World," Imu instructed. "I suspect that not only is the environment and the presence of Devil Fruits being transformed—Starfish-ized, if you will—but even the constitution of their offspring may follow suit. And don't forget the local fauna!"
He had a gut feeling: the essence of the Star Map's Planetary Dominance was to assimilate other worlds into becoming second versions of Starfish.
Of course, the specifics would still require on-the-ground investigation to confirm.
But speaking of assimilation—
The Star Map did, in fact, have the ability to fuse worlds covered by Planetary Dominance with one another, or to convert them into satellites orbiting another Dominated World.
But the Titan World served as the World Government's forward operating base in the war against otherworld threats. It was absolutely not a candidate for fusion.
Put bluntly, the Titan World existed as a buffer zone—a first line of defense meant to prevent overly powerful enemies from invading the Starfish homeworld directly. A disposable world that could have its Dimensional Gate shut at any time and be abandoned.
"Yes!" Stussy replied firmly. Then, picking up her notebook, she continued, "Lord Imu, compared to the previous two updates, this one's actually good news. Deputy Director Redfield of CIPHER POL-0 has successfully located the Logia-type Dark-Dark Fruit on a winter island in the second half of the Grand Line."
"Oh?"
Imu raised an eyebrow. So the Dark-Dark Fruit had finally been found.
Now that was genuinely good news.
The Mythical Zoan-type Nika Fruit—there was still no telling when that one would be found.
But for now, the question at hand was who should receive the newly acquired Dark-Dark Fruit.
...
Meanwhile, Stussy had finished her report and swiftly exited the lounge to relay Imu's latest orders.
Yet the very second the door clicked shut behind her—
Tiny sparks of white light began to gather on the single-seat sofa across from Imu.
He immediately tensed.
Around him, countless strands of golden sword aura flared into existence—each one crackling with lightning-charged energy, sizzling through the air with a sharp hum.
"Don't be alarmed—it's me, the Ruler of the World Government."
A familiar voice spoke as a familiar figure appeared, seated casually on the sofa.
It was a small pale figure, looking no older than a boy in his early teens, with only a mouth where a face should be.
Truth.
"You can manifest directly in front of me?" Imu asked, slightly easing his stance as the golden sword auras slowly dissipated.
"Of course I can. This is my home turf, remember?" Truth replied with a grin.
Imu had to admit—that was fair. This Teigu World, or rather, this entire universe… it was indeed his domain.
"So, you've finished absorbing the knowledge of the Kabane World?"
"I have," Truth confirmed. "Most of it was repetitive data, but there were some intriguing discoveries—especially concerning negative emotional states."
He sighed in mild amusement before flashing a mischievous smile. "As per our agreement, you're to grant me access to the knowledge of two more worlds, aren't you?"
"Yes," Imu answered without hesitation. "I've decided to open the Dimensional Gate to the Demon Slayer World. There are a few interesting things there as well."
This had long been part of Imu's plan. To the World Government, the Demon Slayer World was, at most, a mass-scale heavy industry site and one of the secondary sources for auxiliary troops. Losing it wouldn't be a major blow—perfect to use as a bargaining chip.
"Demon Slayer, huh? That's the one with man-eating demons, breathing techniques, and the Blue Spider Lily... Sounds decent," Truth mused. "Though, what I really want is to enter the Zero-Magic World. Its magic systems seem far more interesting."
Imu's face remained utterly blank.
Of course Truth knew. That kind of widely circulated data couldn't be kept from him—not when he had access to the alchemists working under the World Government's name.
Even if he couldn't freely travel through the Dimensional Gates just yet, he could still gather information through them.
"Our agreement," Imu said coldly, "is that I decide which worlds to open to you—not the other way around."
Imu spoke calmly, completely unbothered by the other's identity or power.
"Mm… fine," Truth nodded with mild disappointment.
"Oh, and do you need me to remind you that the condition for unlocking this second Dimensional Gate was that you agreed to fight for me once, with everything you've got?" Imu asked coolly.
"No need," Truth replied without hesitation.
"Good."
Then Imu added, "By the way, they say that any alchemist who lays eyes on you becomes a Stigmata Alchemist—one who doesn't need transmutation circles, who can ignore elemental laws and mass restrictions, and reshape matter freely. So why don't I have those abilities?"
Truth fired back with a smirk, "Are you an alchemist? Do you revere knowledge? Do you believe in equivalent exchange as an absolute truth?"
Imu shot back, "I can activate transmutation circles. Doesn't that count? And as for the rest—does it really matter?"
Truth clicked his tongue. "Tch. Alright, alright. But don't say I didn't warn you—without sufficient knowledge, you'll never reach Isaac's level."
He shook his head, almost resigned.
Imu gave a nod to show he understood, then said, "You don't need to worry about that. I expect that once you leave, I'll have the fundamental abilities of a Stigmata Alchemist."
"No problem. You already do. Farewell!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Truth vanished without a trace.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Imu's lips.
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