Only long after those words faded did Imu slowly float upward.
His body passed through the layers of surging gray smoke like a black spear rising from the seafloor, finally stopping in midair.
He stared at the distant sea with a complicated gaze for a very long time. On that face, usually without the slightest ripple, clear emotional fluctuation appeared for once.
He was not afraid of people being born in this era carrying the wills of Nidhogg, Joy Boy, Davy Jones, and others.
Because he had always believed he could erase those threats. Every time. Every generation. No matter in what form they returned.
But now, something that worried Imu even more had happened.
He had met a person he could not understand. A person who wielded power that did not belong to this world.
Since the fall of Joy Boy and the others, this was the first time he had felt such intense unease.
That unease was like a thin needle stabbing into the confidence that had never been shaken.
"Where did you come from..." Imu murmured softly, his voice shredded by the wind. "Why have you come here? To help the new Davy?"
Tap, tap, tap!
On the ground, three figures quickly ran toward Imu. Their steps were orderly and urgent, boots striking broken stone in dense, muffled beats.
When they reached the space directly below Imu, all three knelt in unison, heads lowered, their posture humble and reverent.
"Imu-sama," they said together.
Imu's gaze shifted slightly downward and landed on the three kneeling figures.
Those deep eyes held no unnecessary emotion, like a lake without ripples.
"Mu requires all information regarding 'Ron.'" He paused, then seemed to remember something and added, "Including someone called Monkey D. Garp."
"Yes, Imu-sama."
Imu said no more. In midair, his figure slowly drifted toward the stone temple in the mountains.
Crash!
Nearly half the island had already been swallowed by seawater. From the massive cracks, seawater continued to surge in, like countless greedy mouths devouring the remaining land bite by bite.
The surviving Marines had begun emergency rescue operations. Footsteps hurried across the slick ground, shouts rising and falling.
"Someone! Someone! We've found Sengoku-san!"
With one Marine soldier's shout, a group of figures in white uniforms soon rushed over.
"Where are the medics? Medics, hurry! Begin emergency treatment for Sengoku-san!"
"Time is short. The seawater is about to swallow this area!"
"Coming, coming! The medics are here!"
Buru buru.
Buru buru.
Marine Headquarters, in Steel Bone Kong's office, the urgent ringing of a Den Den Mushi broke the room's long silence.
Steel Bone Kong was dozing at his desk, forehead resting against his crossed arms, brows slightly furrowed as if trapped in an uneasy dream.
The sudden ringing startled him awake. His body leaned forward slightly, and his palm instinctively pressed against the edge of the desk.
"Haa." Steel Bone Kong slowly exhaled, calming his breathing before unhurriedly picking up the Den Den Mushi and answering.
"This is Steel Bone Kong. Speak."
"This is Saint Garling. I need the Marines to immediately organize all information regarding 'Ron' and send it to the Holy Land Mary Geoise at once. In addition, include someone called Monkey D. Garp."
The hand holding the Den Den Mushi paused slightly. Kong's brows slowly tightened. His mouth moved, but he ultimately suppressed the urge to ask questions.
"Garp? Are you certain there has been no mistake?"
"Steel Bone Kong, do not question the World Government's decision. You only need to carry it out. Understood?" Saint Garling said irritably. After being beaten so badly, his temper was terrible. Everyone looked unpleasant to him, and he could not tolerate anyone contradicting him.
Kong's eyelid twitched. He opened his mouth, but out of consideration for the World Government, he finally only gave a quiet "Mm."
"Did the operation... go smoothly?" Kong asked.
Toot, toot, toot.
Saint Garling did not answer and directly hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Kong silently held the receiver, his gaze falling outside the window.
After a long time, he murmured in a low voice, "Sengoku... you had better be all right."
In a certain sea of the New World, the setting sun dyed the ocean in flowing gold and red, as if someone had spread a giant silk cloth across the water.
The waves glittered. Seabirds flew low. The sea breeze carried a damp salty scent from afar, gentle and unhurried.
The golden nine-tailed fox demon's steps gradually slowed, its four giant claws treading across the rippling surface of the sea.
Ron sat cross-legged, one hand supporting his chin as he looked at the warm-colored sky in the distance.
He hummed a little tune, his voice not loud.
"Kings rise and fall on a single thought..."
"Life and death in one breath, yet courage shines forever..."
"The world is vast, but where is home?"
"Past countless trials, watching fireworks in a prosperous age..."
"He won the world, yet lost her..."
Ron's voice was like a thin wisp of smoke, broken by the wind into a melody too faint to hear clearly.
Behind him, Rocks also sat down cross-legged beside Ron, his palm resting on his knee. He turned his head and glanced at Ron with a faint smile. "You just came back from death's gate, yet you're in a pretty good mood, Ron."
Whitebeard also sat on Ron's other side. He crossed his legs, pulled a gourd-shaped wine flask from his chest, unscrewed the lid, took a drink first, then spoke slowly. "The process was twisted... but the result is good in the end."
Then he passed the wine flask to Ron. "Want some, Ron?"
Before Ron could reach out, Rocks could not sit still. He leaned over, glanced at the flask, and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Hey, Newgate, isn't that my wine flask? How did it get into your hands again?"
While the two spoke, Ron had already taken the flask and drunk from it. Warm wine slid down his throat, bringing a rush of heat.
Whitebeard then leisurely added, "I picked it up."
"Wahahahaha!" Rocks burst into laughter, then snatched the flask from Ron and gulped down several mouthfuls. "You really are a sly man!"
Kaido arrived late. He dropped down beside Rocks and leaned toward the flask, shouting, "Leave me some, Rocks! If I don't drink, it'll make me look out of place!"
"Get lost," Rocks snapped, turning to glare at him. "Because of you, we were nearly ambushed by that thing!"
Kaido did not listen at all. He stretched out his hand, snatched the flask, and drained it in one go. Wine slid down the corner of his mouth, but he paid it no mind.
Then he stood up, came before the three of them, and pointed at the long bloody wound on his back that ran from his shoulder almost to his butt. Righteously, he said, "I contributed too! See that? This is the best proof!"
"Tch." Whitebeard lifted his eyes and looked at the wound. "Scars on the back are a disgrace. It means you ran too slowly and got cut."
"Newgate, screw you!"
Kaido's voice exploded, carrying some frustration, though he was not truly angry.
"Hahaha!"
The four of them laughed at the same time.