The atmosphere within the Empty Hall grew heavy and still.
It wasn't until Garp finally recovered from his shock that the silence broke.
He had always thought he was the only Colorless Haki practitioner in the World Government besides Imu.
Yet to his surprise, he turned out to be the seventh!
The string of blows to his pride quickly cooled the excitement that had been building in his chest.
Seeing this, Imu was quite satisfied—this was exactly what he wanted: for Garp to hold the World Government in reverence.
"From this moment, I grant you the title of Warrior God."
Garp lifted his head, waiting in silence, a gleam of anticipation in his eyes.
"Considering your background, and your former title as Marine Admiral of the seas, your name shall be 'Warrior God of the Four Blues, the Iron Fist.'"
"In addition, you shall also take over as the Hall Master of the War God Hall."
Garp was momentarily speechless. Hall Master? At this moment, who could he even command?
Still, that was fine—less work for him.
"Yes, I shall faithfully carry out your will, Lord Imu!"
Garp agreed without hesitation.
"Lord Imu, may I ask—who is the Warrior God of the Underworld and Hell?"
"Nerona Enma, who serves me in overseeing the Underworld and Hell, as well as the Reincarnation."
"Hah?"
At the words that drifted down from above, Garp felt his heart tighten. Once again, his mouth hung open in stunned disbelief.
The shocks he had received today far surpassed all those of the past decades combined.
The Underworld, Hell, Reincarnation?
These words belonged in myths—yet here they were, uttered in the gravest of settings.
The World Government not only ruled the Starfish World's realm of the living—it ruled its Underworld as well!
So even in death, people were still under the Government's authority?
That made Garp suddenly think of Roger…
"Next, I will teach you the training method for the Sixth Sense."
At once, Garp's spirit surged—this was the part he had been looking forward to the most.
"This method is called 'Meditation.'"
As soon as he spoke, Imu raised his right hand.
A streak of black light shot from his palm, striking Garp's forehead.
Within it was contained all of Imu's experience in training Colorless Haki.
...
The next day.
Both the Military Command and the Marine Headquarters received orders concerning Garp.
Monkey D. Garp was to formally resign as Marine Admiral, no longer under military jurisdiction, and was appointed Hall Master of the War God Hall, bearing the title "Warrior God of the Four Blues, the Iron Fist," equal in rank to the Five Elders.
Naturally, this left Kong, Sengoku, Zephyr, Tsuru, and the others in astonishment.
Yet once the shock passed, they were all sincerely happy for Garp.
Garp, for his part, was not stingy. He openly shared his insights on cultivating Colorless Haki with the lifelong friends beside him, holding nothing back.
Then the plan to merge the Navy and Air Force in the future, forming a new spacefaring Navy to operate across the cosmic seas, while handing over all internal planetary security to the Ministry of Public Security, concerned the fate of countless people across the Navy, Air Force, and Police.
This was also why Imu had given them advance notice—to let them be mentally prepared.
And on this plan, neither Kong nor Sengoku had any objections.
The information they had previously gathered from those space pirates—the United Federation, the Galactic Empire, and countless other pirate crews—had already made it clear that the World Government would face no shortage of dangers beyond the stars.
After all, they could not remain in the Starfish World forever.
Once the technology for manufacturing cosmic warships matured, the World Government would inevitably launch a large-scale expansion into space.
For that, they would need a space fleet of their own.
Merging the Navy and the Air Force was the best choice.
At the same time, this put great pressure on Dragon, the Minister of the Ministry of Public Security.
The plan even stated that in the future, Marineford would be handed over to the Ministry of Public Security as its headquarters.
In this way, the Ministry of Public Security, Enies Lobby, and Impel Down would form the components of a "Triangular Maelstrom."
He immediately summoned the current Director of the Public Safety Department, Bartholomew Kuma, and the Director of the Gendarmerie, Katakuri, to discuss the matter of taking over security for the entire Starfish World in the future.
But Dragon had not expected that before Kuma even arrived, he would receive another order from above.
Kuma was to be appointed as Minister of the newly elevated Ministry of Religion.
He would oversee all religious organizations in the Starfish World and the Other Worlds, and be responsible for eliminating all cults and related matters.
"Religion…"
In his office, Dragon furrowed his brow. Naturally, he was unwilling to see Kuma taken away.
Yet in his years as Minister of Public Security, he had indeed encountered numerous cases involving cults.
The ignorance, bloodshed, and cruelty in those cases remained vivid in his memory to this day.
Moreover, as the World Government conquered more Other Worlds, strange and chaotic religions—many wielding supernatural powers—would inevitably emerge in endless numbers.
Thus, there was indeed a need for a Ministry of Religion to take unified control.
And it would require a strong and capable person to serve as Minister.
Dragon had simply not expected that those above would choose Kuma.
...
The Religious Department—
This was an important division that Imu had decided to establish after a long period of contemplation.
He had previously stated that he did not want the World Government to be overly influenced by religious beliefs.
But after research, he realized this was impossible.
First, the World Government did not possess "a shared ideology." Second, it was also impossible to promote "atheism."
Not to mention that the Celestial Dragons themselves had, for over eight centuries, publicly claimed to be the "descendants of the Creator."
And more importantly, in the omniverse, gods and demons undoubtedly existed.
The "Truth" of the Teigu World was, in fact, a type of god.
There was also the "God of Void" from the Zero Magic World, and in the shinobi world, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—who had eaten the Chakra Fruit—could, in a certain sense, also be regarded as a god by most humans.
On top of that, Imu himself was the "Lord of the Underworld," which in itself could be considered a divine being.
Therefore, prohibiting officials from having religious faith was unrealistic.
However, it was also unacceptable to allow religions to grow unchecked among the populace, developing however they pleased.
The World Government needed to provide them with a framework, to establish a set of rules for the game.
Imu first clarified his core approach—
Non-evil, lawful religions would be permitted to freely preach under the World Government's oversight, and citizens of the World Government would be free to follow the faith of their choice.
However, no religion would be allowed to force citizens into conversion; every citizen would have the right to refuse religious affiliation.
Furthermore, all religions would be subject to the Religious Department's inspection and supervision. Religious activities outside their main premises would require prior reporting.
Each religion's pope would first be chosen through an internal election, then submitted for official appointment by the Religious Department before assuming the position.
Lastly, no religious doctrine could contain even the slightest insult or denigration toward the Celestial Dragons.
Imu did not dwell further on the specifics of these, instead deciding to leave them in the hands of the first Minister of the Religious Department—
Bartholomew Kuma!
Silent and reserved, calm and composed, inherently kind yet not indecisive, possessing his own wisdom, willing to sacrifice for others—combined with his outstanding Devil Fruit powers and immense potential for growth in strength—
And most importantly, despite his past with the World Government as a slave, he was still willing to give them a chance when he noticed the changes. Moreover, he was already a man of faith, often holding the Bible in his hands.
Thus, Imu considered him the most suitable candidate for the position of Religious Minister.
...
That day—
Imu stepped through the "Gate of the Underworld" and appeared above Court of Souls in the Starfish Underworld.
Enma stood below, holding the cat-sized Matatabi in her arms, keeping close to her father's side.
"Father… is it finally time?" she asked.
Imu nodded. "Mm. It's time to merge the Titans' Underworld."
As he spoke, his sharp golden eyes turned toward the man below—broad-shouldered, powerfully built, a dark purple coat draped across his shoulders.
It was none other than Jyrex, former Marshal of the Holy Land Defense Forces and now the Marshal of the Underworld Army Headquarters.
As Imu had anticipated, he ultimately agreed to give up his life, becoming a soul and coming to the Underworld to take over the Underworld Army for the World Government.
From that moment, Enma finally had a top-tier combatant she could present with pride.
Even Eren Yeager could only obediently stand behind Jyrex at this moment.
Imu summoned his "Star Map" and began swiftly moving his fingers across it, bringing up the option to merge Underworlds.
[Do you wish to merge the Underworld of Planet No. 0003, codename "Titan World," into the Underworld of Planet No. 0000, codename "Starfish World"? (Yes/No)]
[Note: Choosing to merge will expand the Underworld space of the Starfish World. In the future, the souls of the dead from the Titan World will automatically enter the Starfish World's Underworld. This will enhance the core power of the Underworld's will, with a certain probability of causing the Underworld's will to develop a highly self-aware consciousness.]
"Yes!"
Imu did not hesitate and confirmed his choice on the spot.
[Merging initiated. Estimated time required: 100 hours.]
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