In the dimly palace inside pangaea castle of Mary Geoise
Imu, seated on the Empty Throne coldly gazed at the Five Elders, Figarland Garling, and the somewhat disheveled Gunko standing side by side in the hall. Hidden beneath their cloak, their hands tightly gripped the armrests of the throne, exuding an overwhelming pressure that suffocated the room.
After recounting everything that had happened at Marine Headquarters to Imu, Gunko bowed deeply, not daring to stand straight.
This time, leading five other members of the God Knights to Marine Headquarters, she had not only failed to negotiate with Orion but had also been sent flying back by his overwhelming power. If not for Figarland Garling accompanying her, she wouldn't have dared to stand in this hall, let alone enter this palace.
After a brief silence, Imu suddenly stood up, their piercing gaze fixed on those present.
"He knows of my existence? Just who is this Orion?"
"Lord Imu, this man must not be allowed to live!" The Warrior God of Finance, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, cautiously raised his head, his voice filled with killing intent.
"He staged a coup and seized control of the Marines. We can compromise on many things, but this—this we cannot tolerate! Knowing of your existence, Orion must die!"
Hearing this, Figarland Garling standing nearby slightly furrowed his brows.
As the leader of the God Knights, he not only commanded the powerful members of the order but also possessed strength no less than that of the Five Elders present.
However, he did not agree with Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro suggestion.
The fact that Orion dared to stage a coup and take control of Marine Headquarters with minimal losses meant that he undoubtedly had a trump card to challenge the World Government—a fact that had already been partially proven.
Using only Conqueror's Haki, Orion had sent Gunko and the other five God Knights flying back from Marine Headquarters to Mary Geoise. His strength could no longer be judged by the standards of Marine Admirals, Vice Admirals, or even the so-called Emperors of the Sea.
After all, even the likes of Rocks, who once raided God Valley, or Roger, who later rose to become the new Pirate King, despite their unparalleled Conqueror's Haki could not wield it to such an extent.
If the World Government rashly went to war with Orion, who possesses such terrifying strength and monopolizes the authority of the Navy, even if the World Government ultimately emerged victorious, it would be severely weakened.
This would allow the Revolutionary Army and the lawless pirates of the Grand Line to take advantage of the situation, making matters even worse.
Thinking this, Garling looked up at the figure standing before the Empty Throne and then slightly bowed, saying.
"Im-sama, Orion directly mentioned your name in front of the three Admirals and one Admiral candidate. This indicates that more than just those four individuals are now aware of your existence. It's likely that Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr also know."
"To continue keeping this secret, we would have to go to war with Orion and the Navy he controls, ensuring that we annihilate them in one fell swoop. However, the current situation clearly does not allow us to do so. According to the latest information I have, Orion coup to take control of Navy Headquarters has already been printed and distributed by major news outlets across the Grand Line."
"Before these news outlets even knew about it, I believe the Revolutionary Army or other ill-intentioned forces had already obtained this intelligence…"
Before Garling could finish speaking, the Den Den Mushi in his pocket suddenly rang.
As soon as the Den Den Mushi rang, Garling expression changed and he hurriedly tried to cut off the call. However, he was a step too late.
After two "Buru Buru" rings, a deep voice immediately came through the Den Den Mushi.
"Father, it's Shamrock. I've just received the latest intelligence. The Revolutionary Army East, West, South, and North Armies, as well as the Grand Line Army, have almost simultaneously begun mobilizing. Additionally, our undercover agent in Wano Country has reported that Kaido of the Beasts, having learned about Orion coup at Navy Headquarters through Doflamingo, is preparing to launch an all out war."
"Understood."
With Im present, Garling dared not say more. After uttering these words, he decisively ended the call and then looked up at the figure before the throne.
As the Den Den Mushi fell silent, the great hall also became eerily quiet.
Although the faces of the Five Elders remained unchanged, their hearts were in turmoil. Especially Nusjuro, as the situation had escalated to this point partly because he had followed Spandine advice to investigate Orion.
Initially, he had thought to eliminate Orion before he could fully grow his wings, considering only that he couldn't afford to cause internal turmoil within the Navy by investigating Orion.
That's why he had ordered Enies Lobby to intervene, intending for them to bear the brunt of the Navy Headquarters officers' anger. Beyond that, he hadn't been overly concerned, as in his view, Orion, who was still unseasoned might pose a threat in the future but was currently insignificant.
However, the reality was that this seemingly unseasoned Vice Admiral of Headquarters had not only boldly launched a coup but had also used it to draw in various forces to stir the pot.
While everything appeared to unfold naturally, it was all within Orion calculations. He was certain that the Revolutionary Army and Kaido of the Beasts, who controlled Wano Country, had learned about the Navy Headquarters coup through Doflamingo not because their intelligence networks were particularly strong, but because Orion had deliberately leaked the information.
His goal was to muddy the waters and create a situation of mutual restraint among multiple parties.
Of course, none of this mattered now.
What's important is that he never expected Orion to know about the existence of Im-sama.
After all, Im-sama identity has always been the highest-level secret. Apart from the five of them, only Figarland Garling and a select few original members of the God Knights were aware of it.
As Nusjuro was secretly calculating how to deal with the current situation, Im, standing before the throne, slowly turned their back to the crowd. A bone-chilling coldness flashed in their crimson-rippled eyes as they spoke in a deep voice.
"Tell Orion that I wish to speak with him."
...
Meanwhile.
At the Marine Headquarters building, in the strategy meeting room.
Due to the sudden appearance of the God Knights, the three veterans—Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr—had also arrived in the meeting room.
Apart from a few vice admirals who were away on missions, all the vice admirals stationed at the headquarters, as well as the three admirals were present.
"Lord Orion, there's something I don't quite understand." Before the meeting began, Gion, who was seated beside Orion took the opportunity to ask with some confusion.
"Why did you tell those members of the God Knights that what they should fear isn't just Nika? Were you deliberately provoking them, or was there another purpose?"
"It wasn't provocation, nor was there any particular purpose."
Orion chuckled and then added.
"I just felt that saying nothing would make me seem less domineering."
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