When Sengoku and Garp led the Marine reinforcements to Impel Down, the sight before them made their hearts lurch.
This so-called 'impregnable' deep-sea prison now looked like a toy torn apart by a giant.
The thick walls were shattered and fragmented. The once-towering watchtowers were snapped in half. Burning wreckage floated on the sea surface, dyeing the surrounding water a murky gray-black.
Most shocking of all was the top of the prison. It had been neatly sheared off by some terrifying force, like a skull sliced open to expose the brain.
Magellan's battleship slowly approached. The Warden reported, his face pale. "Not long ago... a massive airship suddenly appeared above Impel Down. It released a pillar of light that pierced the sky and sea, cleanly slicing off the entire top of the prison."
"And the mutated prisoners?" Sengoku asked urgently.
"All taken away," Magellan said gravely. "That airship sucked in all the mutated demons."
"That airship must be Uranus. Imu likely took those prisoners," Garp said somberly.
Just as the Marines were preparing to withdraw, cries for help suddenly came from the ruined entrance of Impel Down.
Emporio Ivankov, leading a group of followers, burst out from the rubble, frantically waving. "Don't go! Take us with you!"
Sengoku recognized him instantly. Though their stances differed, in the current fight against the World Government, they were allies.
After Sengoku's men rescued them, Magellan asked curiously, "Weren't you missing? And how did you not turn into demons?"
"Of course, because we were hiding in the Newkama Land on Level 5.5!" The Queen of the Okama Kingdom struck an exaggerated pose. "That's a secret base even you guards didn't know about~ Those glowing pentagrams couldn't reach it either~"
Upon learning the Revolutionary Army had allied with the Marines, Ivankov relaxed even more, leaning against the ship's railing. "So that means~ we're all close comrades now~ How about an Okama dance to celebrate?"
…
When the news from Impel Down reached Setsuna, he suddenly understood. "No wonder the World Government imprisoned those powerful pirates in Impel Down, neither executing nor recruiting them. They were raising them as reserve demons!"
"We can't wait any longer. If Uranus finishes charging, we might be picked off one by one." Setsuna sent messages to the others, launching an assault on Mary Geoise simultaneously.
When the Allied Forces breached the Red Line's defenses and set foot on Mary Geoise, everyone was stunned by the sight before them.
This holy land had been reduced to a living hell.
The once resplendent architectural complex lay in ruins. Thick smoke coiled around the broken walls like monstrous serpents.
Roaring flames dyed the night sky crimson. Scorching heat waves distorted the air.
Incomplete corpses littered the streets… both Celestial Dragons in opulent attire and their slaves.
Blood stained the once-pristine stone paths. The air was thick with a nauseating metallic stench.
Not all Celestial Dragons had gone to the Sorbet Kingdom for the 'hunting game'.
Many had remained in Mary Geoise. After Imu brought the prisoners mutated into demons from Impel Down to Mary Geoise, these insane demons began indiscriminately destroying and killing everything.
Adding to the irony, Imu clearly couldn't be bothered with the fate of these Celestial Dragons.
Before these demons, these self-proclaimed 'descendants of the creators' were nothing but lambs to the slaughter.
Their fates were horrific… some torn to shreds, some burned alive, some nailed to their own doorframes as gruesome displays.
"Split up," Setsuna ordered calmly, surveying the bloody hellscape. "Mid-tier officers from each faction are responsible for clearing these demons. All top-tier combatants, come with me to the Empty Throne."
Setsuna paused briefly, adding, "If you encounter any surviving Celestial Dragons... handle it as you see fit."
He remembered there was at least one Celestial Dragon who had been swayed by Otohime. He hoped that one hadn't died.
The groups quickly dispersed.
Ace, Sabo, and others led Revolutionary Army's soldiers to search for and rescue slaves. Momousagi and Chaton led Marine elites to clear out demons. Setsuna led all the top-tier fighters straight towards the location of the Empty Throne.
Passing through broken palace walls, stepping over rubble and bloodstains, they finally arrived before the legendary throne.
The Empty Throne still stood high, but now a figure sat upon it.
Imu was shrouded in shadow, only a pair of eyes as cold and deep as an abyss visible.
"Imu has been waiting," Imu's voice echoed through the hall, ethereal and icy.
Setsuna chuckled lightly. "Waiting to die, you mean?"
Imu leaned forward slightly, the shadows flowing with the movement. "Chiaki Setsuna, you are indeed a surprise. If you are willing to cooperate, Imu can share this world with you."
The suggestion made everyone present hold their breath.
Splitting the world with its ruler? What an immense temptation.
Yet, Setsuna just smiled. "Honestly, I don't care much about justice."
He waved his hand dismissively. "You want to be a dictator? I don't see a problem with that either."
The answer took everyone by surprise. Even Imu seemed slightly taken aback.
"But the Celestial Dragons disgust me," Setsuna's smile turned cold. "And by extension, you, who created these freakish beings, also disgust me."
The temperature in the great hall seemed to plummet to freezing.
For the first time, Imu showed disbelief. "You... gathered this much power and stormed Mary Geoise... just because you dislike Celestial Dragons?"
"Of course," Setsuna's smile returned. "I've always hated aristocrats, let alone Celestial Dragons… the aristocrats among aristocrats."
Just as he had done in the Naruto World, it was never about justice. It was simply a visceral disgust for the aristocracy.
Setsuna counted off on his fingers. "Arrogant, stupid, cruel, incompetent... they embody every bad trait of humanity. Just seeing them makes it impossible for me to hold any hope for the nobility."
In that moment, even Imu, who had lived for eight hundred years, felt a rare flicker of regret.
"If only Imu hadn't indulged the Celestial Dragons so much..." But quickly, Imu's eyes turned icy again. "In that case, let Imu see if your strength matches your arrogance."
As the words fell, the entire great hall suddenly shook violently.
The surrounding space distorted. An enormous chessboard appeared beneath everyone's feet.
Imu looked down upon them from above. "Imu is the user of the Chesu Chesu no Mi. Only by entering the game can you truly challenge Imu." (T/N: Chess-Chess Fruit.)
Setsuna looked around. The walls, the dome… the entire hall had become part of the chessboard. Even the light took on distinct black and white hues like chess pieces.
Setsuna frowned. "A Chesu Chesu no Mi user... can transform demons?"
Imu replied indifferently. "Imu did not say Imu possesses only this one ability."
Setsuna nodded slightly, 'Right. If Teach could do it, there was no reason Imu couldn't.'