The Void Century Palace in the Holy Land Mary Geoise.
With the Rocks Pirates expanding wildly, even Imu—the world-king who rarely meddles—had to take notice.
Imu had begun to regard Rocks, the man who had barged into the Room of Flowers and professed admiration for Davy Jones, with real Gravity.
He suspected that Rocks D. Xebec was a member of the D Clan who had inherited Davy D. Jones's will.
He even wondered whether "Rocks" was a false surname; perhaps the man was simply a member of the Davy Clan.
"Still no information on Rocks?"
Imu felt a trace of displeasure at the Gorosei and the Gods Knights for their ineptitude.
More than a year had passed, yet not a scrap of intelligence had surfaced.
"Please, Lord Imu, grant us a little more time."
"We have now planted additional agents on Paradise Island."
—Cold sweat beaded on the Gorosei's foreheads; every attempt to embed spies within Rocks's main force had failed, and no one knew further details about the Rocks Pirates' core crew.
Once the Rocks Pirates left Paradise Island, the government even lost track of their whereabouts.
The Rocks Pirates' flying battleship made World Government intelligence officers feel utterly helpless.
It completely abandoned normal shipping lanes.
They could not even station agents on the next island in advance.
"Trash!"
"Have you at least identified that Kozuki Fang Huo's abilities?"
Imu picked up photos of Fang Huo, eyes narrowing; the man had already displayed more than two Devil Fruit powers.
Based on Fang Huo's moves, Imu and the Gorosei had confirmed he possessed at least the Paramecia Gravity Fruit and the Mythical-Zoan Vampire Fruit.
They never expected Fang Huo to obtain the Vampire Fruit, a Mythical-Zoan that had vanished for over eight hundred years.
In other words, Fang Huo now had eternal youth.
A power even the Gorosei themselves did not possess.
The contract ability Imu bestowed granted only an indestructible body and eternal life—not the restoration of youth.
Imu's contract could grant subordinates three tiers of marks: Shallow Sea, Deep Sea, and Abyssal Sea.
The Divine Blade' "shallow sea mark" provided only a basic contract link, without the boon of an indestructible body.
The "Deep Sea" and "Abyssal Sea" marks together allowed only thirteen recipients.
Among them, the "Deep-Sea Contract Mark" had eight slots, signifying an indestructible body.
The "Abyssal-Sea Contract Mark" had five slots, signifying both an indestructible body and eternal life.
The five Gorosei were the holders of the Abyssal-Sea marks.
The Commander of the Gods Knights, bearing only a Deep-Sea mark, could ascend to the Gorosei only when one of them died.
Because the Abyssal-Sea mark had exactly five slots.
If the Leader could not outlive a Gorosei, he would eventually die of old age.
Thus both the Leader and the members of the Holy Knights changed every era.
Only the Gorosei remained ever at Imu's side.
The current Saint Figarland Garling was still a young Holy Knight; he had yet to become Leader.
Once he did, he would yearn to join the immortal Gorosei.
In a sense, the Leader of the Holy Knights was both candidate and rival to the Gorosei.
Throughout history, Leaders and Gorosei rarely got along; each hoped for a Gorosei to fall.
Unless a Gorosei died, the Leader could never advance and enjoy Imu's gift of eternal life.
The future "Celestial Dragon King" Garling believed himself more powerful than any Gorosei.
He desperately wanted to become a Gorosei and gain eternal life.
Hence his poor relations with them, always hoping one would perish and free a seat.
To watch these incompetent men occupy the slots of immortality while he, more capable, had to age and die—
how could anyone accept that!
—"The first time Kozuki Fang Huo faced the Cang Country army, he displayed a Moonlight Slash."
"When CP Agents escorted him, he still produced moonlight slashes even while shackled with Sea Stone restraints."
"We can now confirm that Fang Huo's first power is the Paramecia Moonlight Ability."
"After Fang Huo stormed Cang Country with Rocks and slew the king and general, he gained the Gravity Ability."
"We still don't know whether he directly stole the general's Gravity power or if the Gravity Fruit simply respawned nearby."
"When the Rocks Pirates entered the New World, Fang Huo had not yet obtained the Mythical-Zoan vampire power during Rocks's recruitment of Whitebeard Newgate."
"Fang Huo first displayed Vampire Bat abilities when he suppressed Silver Axe on Black Hand Pirate Island."
"So far Kozuki Fang Huo has revealed three Devil Fruit abilities!"
"If he acquires yet another ability next time, we can confirm even more about him."
—The Gorosei reported every detail to Imu; all of them were now intrigued—even covetous—over Fang Huo's unique constitution and the way he gained his powers.
If they could unravel the secret of wielding multiple fruits!
These supreme sovereigns could instantly become multi-ability users themselves.
After all, within the World Government were countless powerful and rare Devil Fruits stockpiled.
"Paramecia Moonlight, Gravity, Mythical-Zoan Vampire…"
"This Kozuki Fang Huo is indeed more important than even Rocks…"
"Mu will not care what methods you use; Mu wants to see Kozuki Fang Huo in the Holy Land—soon!"
Imu studied the moon-god-like photos of Fang Huo and spoke coldly.
This world would not allow a man that handsome to exist!
Kozuki Fang Huo looked more like a god than He, the god of the Celestial Dragons!
Why should this ant bask in universal adoration while He, king of the world and god of the Celestial Dragons, had to hide behind the curtain for so many reasons?
"Yes, my lord!"
Imu's chill made the Gorosei shudder; they slowly withdrew from the Void Century Palace and returned to the Room of Authority.
Yet pressure mounted: Golden Lion Shiki's Float-Float Fruit and Fang Huo's Gravity Fruit rendered the World Government helpless against the Rocks Pirates' flying battleship.
"We must keep sending powerful pirates to sea; someone has to infiltrate the Rocks Pirates, or we'll never know their movements or plans."
"CP0 Agents alone aren't enough; have Marineford dispatch some roguish Marines to go undercover as pirates."
"The plan to buy off Great Pirates and underworld emperors must continue as well."
—The Gorosei found the now-fully-fledged Rocks Pirates extremely troublesome.
Originally two Admirals together couldn't bring them down; now it would probably take the entire Marineford.
Yet with the flying battleship, any full-force attempt to wipe out the Rocks Pirates had almost zero chance of success.
They would have only one shot; it had to be a single, lethal strike.
If they failed, the Rocks Pirates would retaliate across the globe.
The whole world would descend into chaos, and neither the World Government nor Marineford could withstand the Rocks Pirates' high-mobility vengeance.
—