Pangaea Castle
Silence filled the room after Imu spoke. Everyone looked shocked. Replace the Four Emperors? The Revolutionary Army? With their own people? It sounded crazy to leaders who only knew how to destroy or control completely.
Supreme Commander Garling spoke first "Imu sama sorry for my word but, putting puppets where strong rulers stand? That looks weak. Luffy attacked because he thought we were weak. Now you want to show the whole world we're weak?"
But Commander Shamrock leaned forward, excited "Father, wait. Destroying everything just leaves empty space for new enemies. But what if we put our people in charge? Imagine Wano ruled by someone loyal to us. Imagine Big Mom's lands run by our people, using her power for our order. That's not weak that's smart control."
Gunko smiled coldly. "Controlled puppets? Yes. Instead of random fear, we have rules. The message becomes: 'Fight the World Government, and your own leaders will punish you.' We make the monsters work for us."
Sommers nodded calmly. "And the story changes, Imu-sama. We're not just bullies; we're builders. We bring peace to wild seas by putting good, chosen rulers in charge. People will see our control as helpful, needed. They'll believe in your power."
Killingham just grunted, confused. "Puppets? Weak. Kill the strong. Put a strong puppet? Same problem. Then kill the puppet? Too much work." He crossed his arms, hating the complicated plan.
Saint Nusjuro looked worried. "Imu-sama, this is a huge idea. But it's very hard. The Emperors aren't just strong; they're symbols. They stand for freedom, chaos, fear, dreams. To replace them, we need people strong enough to be respected in places like Wano or Big Mom's land, but loyal enough to just follow our orders. And the Revolutionary Army? Dragon isn't just a man; he's an idea. To replace him, we need to replace the idea of fighting back. That's a battle for people's minds, not just swords."
Saint Saturn said with a worry "And Luffy? He fights against control like this. He won't just fight our puppets; he'll become a hero for everyone who hates them. He'll gather people who want freedom, not our rules. He could ruin everything before we even start."
Imu felt heavy. Garling thought it was weak. Shamrock saw it as a game. Gunko saw a cruel system. Sommers saw a story to tell. Killingham saw too much work. Nusjuro and Saturn saw huge problems. They weren't wrong. But the other choice – endless fighting, always watching for Luffy and Dragon – felt like slowly dying.
He looked at Garling, then Shamrock, then everyone. Fear still churned in his stomach, but a hard, desperate hope grew too. He couldn't win by just being more violent. He had to change the rules.
He sat up straighter. The heavy crown felt like a weight. "Luffy declared war because he thinks we're a cruel, unchanging bully. Dragon fights because he thinks we're rotten and must fall. The Emperors rule because they think only power matters in a sea with no rules."
He paused. "We'll show them they're wrong. We'll show the World Government can change. We can bring order not just by fear, but by making things work. We won't just put new kings in place; we'll make our rule help the lands we control. Wano suffers under Kaido? We'll put a leader there who rebuilds, feeds people, brings pride all under our flag. Big Mom's people live in fear? We'll put rulers there who keep them safe and rich under our guidance. We'll make the good things about our rule real, something people can see."
He looked right at Saturn. "And Luffy? When he comes, and he will come, he won't just fight one big tyrant. He'll fight a world where many powerful people –even rulers like the way things are now. He'll fight not just Marines, but leaders and bosses who owe their power and their people's safety to us. He'll be the one trying to tear down a world that works, even if it's not perfect. We'll make him the bad guy, not just to us, but to the millions who are finally safe under our new way."
The room was silent. Even Killingham stopped moving, thinking hard. This wasn't about total, scary control anymore. It was about taking over the idea of power itself, making the World Government's rule seem like the best choice, or even a good thing, through leaders we picked. It was a huge risk, betting they could build a safe, strict world fast enough to survive the coming storms.
Imu slumped back, tired from explaining his plan. The fear was still there, quiet under the surface. But now, mixed with it, was a small, scared hope. He had said no to just destroying everything. He had chosen to be the puppet master, the builder of a fancy prison.
"Start getting ready," he ordered, his voice sounding a little more like a real ruler. "Now..i have decided who will become new emperor of the sea Manmayer Gunko ,Shepherd Sommers, Rimoshifu Killingham you three will become new emperor of the sea, and Shamrock you probably thinking why i did not choose you because you exactly look like shanks people will get suspicious and for revolutionary army we will choose someone from CP0"
"We'll build a new world. Not on the ashes of our enemies, but on the thrones we give them. The world won't burn. We'll rebuild it."
As the Five Elders and God Knights stood up, looking shocked, excited, or still unsure, Imu stayed seated. The silence came back, but it felt different. Less like a grave, more like the quiet before trying to build something impossible. He had set them on a path that was either brilliant or crazy. He had chosen to fight the coming fire not with more fire, but by trying to drown the world in a cold, controlled sea of his own making.
The Empty Throne felt colder than ever. The target on his back felt bigger. But for the first time since waking up here, Imu felt like he wasn't just waiting to be killed. He was trying to build a shelter, weak and broken as it might be, against the storm. He just prayed it wouldn't fall down and bury him alive.