For the next few days, Imu remained in the Underworld rather than returning to the world of the living to check on the latest developments of the World Government.
Because there was still one final matter here that required his full attention—possibly even his personal involvement.
And on this day…
The diplomatic delegation to the Pure Land of the Shinobi World returned aboard a ghost ship.
Willy Tybur stepped into the main hall of the Palace and reported the entire journey and its key details to Enma, who sat upon the throne.
Not long after, Willy Tybur left the hall.
After Willy left, Enma went to see Imu to report to him.
"Father, Willy Tybur said that Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo is willing to hold peaceful talks with us—but only after we've dealt with the King of the Dead. At that time, he'll send his younger brother, Ōtsutsuki Hamura, to lead a delegation for a formal visit and negotiate matters concerning the World Government and the Shinobi World."
"He also mentioned that Jabba, Rayleigh, and Kozuki Oden, who went to the Pure Land alongside the King of the Dead, have already fallen in battle. As for Roger—he's been captured."
Enma had just stepped into the violet-hued space when he delivered the key points of the message. But when he spoke the latter part, a clear look of regret crossed his youthful face.
"So Hamura is the one coming. As expected—either Hagoromo is still being restrained by that 'Gate of the Underworld,' or he was injured in the battle with the King of the Dead... or perhaps both."
Imu murmured to himself, thoughtful.
That was certainly good news.
Although Hamura possessed the Tenseigan, he was no match for Hagoromo, the actual 'Master of the Pure Land'. There was a definite gap in their strength.
Which meant that, in the upcoming negotiations, Imu had fewer concerns to worry about.
"In that case, have Willy Tybur head back to the Pure Land immediately. Tell them to come—I'm actually quite eager to have a little chat with them."
"Yes, Father!"
Enma responded at once and hurried off to inform Willy Tybur.
Imu paused for a moment in thought. A round trip for Willy Tybur would take at least two or three days. In the meantime, he could make a quick visit to the Shinobi World to check on the situation there.
He had always acted decisively—once the thought crossed his mind, he followed through immediately.
He stepped out of the 'alternate dimension' without hesitation.
Then, with a flick of his hand, he opened a 'Gate of the Underworld' in midair.
He briskly departed from the Starfish Underworld, where he had spent so much time.
Imu cast a glance at the familiar room inside Pangaea Castle.
Then, without the slightest attachment, he summoned the portable 'miniature Dimensional Gate'.
Upon entering the Teigu World through it, he used instantaneous teleportation—and in the next moment, he was already inside the Noah's Ark.
There, Imu saw Stussy sleeping lightly on the sofa, keeping watch beside his body.
He could feel that her sleep was shallow—more like vigilant rest. With the slightest noise, she would probably awaken.
In his soul state, Imu gazed at Stussy's exquisitely beautiful sleeping face, his eyes flickering.
He had already read the memories in her mind and understood everything that had transpired over these past days—
Including the scenes of her conflict with Historia, and more recently, with Esdeath, who had just returned from the Shinobi World two days ago.
But Imu didn't feel angry. On the contrary, he showed a faint smile.
He couldn't help but feel a faint tremor in his heart at the situation.
He gave a slight shake of his head and returned to his physical body.
The next second, Imu opened his eyes.
After returning, Imu didn't comment on the situation between Stussy, Esdeath, and Historia.
Even though Stussy and Esdeath had exchanged a blow, he simply ignored it.
But that, in itself, was a silent acknowledgment that Stussy had been in the right.
Instead, it was Esdeath who was punished for previously disobeying his orders—Imu placed her under house arrest.
She was forbidden from leaving the Ark of Noah for an entire year!
That very night, he summoned Historia instead and spent the night with her.
Thus, the matter between the three women came to a close.
Imu turned his attention once again to matters of the World Government.
As usual, he began by reviewing the current development on Starfish itself.
All in all, there were no major issues.
Starting with the outer region:
The orbital defense systems of the eight moons, including the Moon itself, were still under construction.
However, the Air Force had dispatched Borsalino and Enel with ample food, water, and Den-Den Mushi to Jupiter and Venus—Starfish's two nearest neighboring planets.
Their mission was to survey every planet within the planetary system and transmit footage back for analysis by upper-level government departments.
Now for internal affairs:
The World Government was still diligently working to persuade smaller nations and inhabitants of minor islands to relocate to the newly developed cities on the Red Line.
Although it was difficult to convince people to leave their ancestral homes, the overall progress was going well.
Almost every day, fleets escorted by the Navy arrived beneath the Red Line. There, civilians were transferred to large, newly installed bubble cable cars that carried them up to the continental plateau. Once on top, police forces under the Ministry of Public Order took over and maintained security.
Those traveling by sea were mostly commoners. In contrast, the wealthy and the nobility, seeking greater comfort, paid exorbitant sums to move via spacecraft—bringing in a significant stream of income for the World Government.
Overall, the number of cities on the Red Line was growing, the population increasing, and things were becoming quite lively.
But the work wasn't over yet.
Imu's goal was to get the majority of Starfish's population relocated there. Then, by providing eugenics-based birth policies and generous welfare benefits, he aimed to trigger a massive population boom over the next ten years!
These people of Starfish were the true foundation of the World Government's plan to one day rule over all worlds. No matter how many outsiders came from other worlds, they could never be more than a secondary force.
As for the now-uninhabited islands, they could be completely repurposed for agriculture or aquaculture.
After finishing up with Starfish, Imu wasted no time in opening the report on the Shinobi World.
A meeting with Ōtsutsuki Hamura was imminent, and he needed to fully understand the current state of affairs there.
Imu smiled in approval as he read the triumphant reports from Sakazuki and Kuzan.
But once he reached the end of the report, his expression turned to surprise.
It stated that both Sakazuki and Kuzan had, during the course of battle, awakened the ability to manipulate the Burning Rule and the Freezing Rule.
This was unquestionably a major power boost.
But the final section of the report mentioned a more pressing issue: Lucifero, the 'Demon King' of the Underworld.
It emphasized that Lucifero was a massive threat that could not be ignored, and strongly recommended finding a way to shut the Gate of the Underworld as soon as possible.
"I wonder if Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo can shut the Gate of the Underworld. If not, then I guess I'll have to do it myself…"
...
Shinobi World.
With Sakazuki and Kuzan having slain Nahamah and Lilith, the First Main Battle Corps began gaining victory after victory, as the mid- and lower-ranking devils started to panic.
They had never imagined that those two Highest-ranking Devils could be killed by humans.
As for the few remaining high-ranking devils—some, sensing danger, immediately fled back to the 'Underworld', while others were slain on the battlefield by Charlotte Oven and Dalmatian.
In this situation, the First Main Battle Corps coordinated with bombing support from the rear and from airships above.
With minimal casualties, they exterminated most of the devils they encountered along the way.
The remaining devils were captured alive, rendered unconscious, sealed into specialized cages delivered by the Science Division, and ultimately handed over to CIPHER POL, who would transport them back to the Titan World, where personnel from the Biochemical Research Institute were already prepared.
Not long after, Oven, Dalmatian, and the others stood atop a field of volcanic lava ruins, where they saw an enormous black fissure suspended midair.
At that moment, large numbers of devils were either flooding out from within or madly trying to flee back inside. The chaos caused them to collide with one another, and without the slightest mercy, they began attacking and killing each other in a violent frenzy.
"That's the 'Gate of the Underworld,' huh…"
Wearing a black Justice overcoat, Charlotte Oven murmured softly.
Ever since joining the World Government, he'd witnessed strange and wondrous things nearly every day.
These devils, however, were something truly astonishing—if only because they were, indeed, devils.
After all, they were mythical creatures he had heard about since childhood.
"I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to see a real angel—or even one of those so-called gods…"
He also considered asking for one of the devils after the war. He knew that Mom loved collecting strange creatures like these.
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