Chapter 48: God Chosen by the People
Mary Geoise
Empty Throne Room
Just earlier, Wolf retreated by enlarging himself so much he would survive a fall from the Red Line to escape the 23 lights emerging from Pangaea Castle. He was covered in scars from the closest light attacking him. He then gave an expression as if receiving a message as he warped away from the area.
Within the castle, the remaining Elders gave a stunned look as to what Imu was suggesting. Umi was still asleep.
"Imu...," said Darwin, the World Elder with a very large white mustache as he saw Imu get up, albeit with a limp as he warped out of the Empty Throne Room.
"This disaster is something he's always waited to exploit.," explained Garling.
Levely Room
Imu appeared in the middle of the circle with the W.G. circular raised platform surrounded by an outer circle with chairs of the number of rulers allowed at the Levely- the facade of equality between kings unaware of the dictatorship that they actually support.
He sneered before resuming his usual placid expression as his body glowed.
Across the World
Ryugu Kingdom
Neptune received a message in his skull as Shirahoshi, Fukaboshi, Manboshi, and Ryuboshi went to aid their father clenching his head.
"I am Figarland Imu. I have the same name and spirit as one of the 20 kings who created this government. I have to inform you...Wano was erased. Wiped out by the madness of the Blackbeard Pirates using the ancient weapon Pluton.," Imu announced, his calm tone belying the gravity of his words. The words rang in Neptune's head as if it was a telepathic message.
"Father!," Fukaboshi yelled.
Dressrosa
Riku Doldo III also clenched his head while he helped Kryos attempt to find Rebecca.
"Therefore, we cannot rely on Kings- since they are kind but unable to truly fight for themselves...," said Imu's voice.
Doldo III gritted his teeth, seeing this as a stealth insult to how he was forced by Doflamingo's hand to slaughter his own people while Doflamingo framed him as a tyrant while the true tyrant reigned as a beloved king in his place till Luffy undid his rule with Usopp's help.
"I don't know much of him outside of hearsay beforehand, but...what a wordsmith he is...," Doldo III remarked with coldness in his eyes.
Morgan's Ship
"Or utterly unworthy of their titles with the worse leaving their responsibilities behind...," spoke Imu's voice in Wapol's head.
"Oh fuck! World Government's onto me! I can't hide anywhere! They can read minds!," shouted Wapol as he paced frantically.
"Psychic communication...this puts my work out of business...Should I call them now?," Morgans groaned.
Sakura Kingdom
"With this in mind. I propose an alternative for the foreseeable future.," explained Imu's voice.
Dalton then noticed how fumingly angry Kureha was when hearing his voice in comparison to how she usually was composed.
"He might be a World Noble as he claims, but I'm not sure how to judge him for now...," the new king remarked.
"Because you don't see past the act...behind his mask...It's been years since I've heard that tone...," the hag-faced doctor muttered as she gritted her teeth so much it bled.
Prodence Kingdom
"To deal with these Emperors causing chaos and those deceived by them.," the voice prattled on.
Elizabello II then turned to Dagama as he said-
"If he can speak to our minds...he knows how we aided Straw Hat...which means we're dead men."
Dagama was taken aback as the revelation dawned on him.
Goa Kingdom
"And those who tolerated them enough to allow them to be born in their nations unaware or otherwise.," the voice continued.
"Wait, Garp is from Goa Kingdom...and the new Emperor Luffy is from Goa...then...," said Sterry as his blasé face slowly turned to comedic terror as he realized the implications.
Foosha Village
"Those disloyal will be given bounties in relevance to their importance to the Emperors.," the voice explained.
Woopslap sighed as he looked at Makino and Dadan.
"We're on their bounty list now. Copying Cross Guild.," the man muttered.
Baratie
Zeff gave a serious expression as he muttered-
"You were right, we had a chance 38 years ago and we blundered it. And now the world's paying for it."
Eigis Kingdom
Tea IV sipped tea as he listened to the message.
Frauce Kingdom
Ban Dedessinée sighed as she muttered-
"Get to the point."
Kano Country
Ramen looked at an ancient picture of a king as he said,
"Guess the time is at hand."
Tajine Kingdom
Mororon was sailing away from the rebelling country as her King left her to die, being the one who truly brought down the stability of the citizens.
"My. My. Looks like trouble is ahead."
Shishano Kingdom
Tacos began to chant ancient words as hands emerged from the graves.
"Parece que estamos jodidos.," he muttered.
Deul Kingdom
"As long as we're on top, it doesn't matter if it leads to other countries being at each other's thro-," he said before noticing his throat was "zipped" open allowing blood to gush out as he fell dead as his obscured killer proceeded to unzip the cages to liberate the citizens.
Whiteland Kingdom
Iwatobi was being escorted away from his intended assailants of the Samba Kingdom with the royal family all gunned down. He bowed to the hidden blue-haired woman leading them.
Ilisia Kingdom
Cezar was cut down by a multiple-armed humanoid as the citizens cheered as his burlap-sack like humanoid partner kneelt before the grave of the late Thalassa Lucas, a truly wise and kind king before leaving.
Beef Kingdom
Stroganoff looked in fear as Vice Admiral, Pomsky was killed by a blond bearded man who turned into a fly humanoid as the otter rotted away as did the king as soon the fly flew to him.
A civilian looking at the sight then begged-
"Who will save us from this madness?!"
Czacho Kingdom
"Indeed...I'm getting to there...the Marines not only have their hands full dealing with the chaos..."
Mari's previous dazed face that exposed his truly sinister nature panicked as he was kicked to death by a dark-haired beauty with round golden bells in her hair, paying for his secret manipulation of the people via his Stamp-Stamp Fruit to control the masses.
His body along with the deceased Guillotine's were taken onto the ship of her crew.
New World
"As Kings are now being treated like criminals."
Cavendish cut down the king Furrari and Tritobu, managing to expose their crimes of buying enslaved women to allow others to arrest them...merely because he wanted them to fangirl over him instead but also to free them in accordance with Luffy's will.
"Good job. We don't need rulers! The Flame Emperor says so!" said a local as he killed the kings.
Cavendish looked in confusion.
Roshwan Kingdom
Beer IV put his daughters on a boat as his kingdom darkened and his people began to turn into eldritch monsters of pure black Haki due to the Epimetheus wood still affecting them- the transformed Adam tree of Elbaf not being able to convert Adam Trees used for the bark- with the spores causing this transformation...
"Find someone to protect you-," he said before he violently mutated into a monster, but in his last action before completely turning, he dosed himself in beer and lit himself, causing an explosion to destroy the kingdom.
The Matryo Princesses proceeded to cry as they sailed away from the home they knew.
Evil Black Drum Kingdom
Kinderella was approached by a massive and morbidly obese man easily towering over regular people, having an exaggeratedly large head proportional to the rest of his body.
"Here's what's going to happen. Your hubbie's not into young jailbait yet. But, we're gonna need him and you as leverage...understand?," the black sclera-eyed man said as Kinderella cried in terror as she nodded.
Marine HQ
"And they're reduced to being mere prey for the people to hunt."
Sakazuki had to muster all of his strength to not angrily lash out at this message.
The Oracion Seis had long since left back to Mary Geoise.
Tsuru and Sengoku discussed this message outside.
"If it's going where I think's going.," Sengoku noted, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "This could be really troublesome to deal with."
"Placing that power in desperate people.," Tsuru remarked. "How cunning. He knows what makes people tick when either too stressed to think rationally or lull them into doing what he wants by playing to what they'd want to do."
"But for the sake of the continuation of the Marines as a unit, you'll turn a blind eye.," said a familiar voice as the duo turned around.
An extremely muscular, broad-chested, tan-skinned, strong-shouldered elderly man who has his whitened hair and beard arranged in an array of spikes, and some fuzz on both sides of his face, similar to a lizard's spine. He also has a stitched scar under his left eye.
He wears a sleeveless dark shirt adorned with medals, revealing his muscular arms, dark green armbands, a light yellow scarf around his neck, and a white and dark grey Marine coat draped over his shoulders. The epaulets are similar to those worn by an Admiral and Fleet Admiral, fully covered in yellow as a standard color.
"King of Apes"- Monkey D. Kong- Commander-in-Chief of the World Government.
Tsuru had mixed feelings towards him due to him becoming closer to the World Nobles while previously doing an alright job in maintaining order for the Marines after his predecessor died. Sengoku was more cordial with him, but was alarmed by his statement.
"You don't mean...," explained the former Fleet Admiral.
Levely
"With no other options, I with the greatest capacity to lead in this dark era...will not become the King because it violates our creed...but I will become your God instead.," Imu said aloud.
Across the World
Water 7
"Where does he get the nerve to say crap like that?! I don't know 'im!," Paulie shouted.
"Pluton...so it's been released..., but it also gives them a scapegoat to throw off the scent of what erased Lulusia Kingdom by pinning on them.," Iceberg noted.
Levely
"The genocide...the coverups...the corruption...has all been for the sake of the stability of this government...and it was due to a territory that forced us to close off from the rest of the planet...we live in essentially a small puddle called the Red Line which is dwarf by the OLD WORLD.," Imu explained.
The crowd of royals and leaders was silent, contemplating his words. The revelation of the Old World was something none of them had anticipated, and the gravity of their ignorance weighed heavily in the air. The implications of what he was saying were vast, hinting at a much larger, much older world beyond their current understanding.
"I would not involve myself if I didn't have a choice.," Imu said- notably his nose extended as he said this, "We have no choice- it is filled with dangerous waters that negatively affect the body, beasts beyond the classification of what we know, phenomena too alien to describe, and powerful warriors who don't agree with us."
As he mentioned the statements in the second half, his nose shrank back to normal.
In the vast expanse of the sea, the news of the Old World's existence and the new order spread like wildfire. The rulers of various nations, now aware of the true scale of the world they had been shielded from, were torn between fear and fascination. The implications of such knowledge were staggering, and the thought of a world beyond the Red Line filled them with a mix of excitement and dread.
"I'll be the God to make sure you're not corrupted by their ideology and continue to live in the comfort of this system. Even if there is now a supervisor. Believe me, this God knows what is good better than you, so just depend on me.," Imu concluded.
The people in the government-affiliated nations that didn't know better, all cheered joyfully, thinking that this God-like being had come to save them from their troubles. However, in the quieter corners of the world, whispers of doubt and dissent began to stir.
Revolutionary Army
Kamabakka Kingdom
"This is worse than the weapon capable of destroying islands possibly owned by them. A leader with that much charisma is going is undo everything we've built up to this point. Ye-ha!," Ivankov the large-headed Okama Queen mentioned to her peers.
"Yeah, on top of this, Blackbeard has a weapon that can warp anywhere to kill any island of his choosing.," Betty observed. "We're stuck between a chaotic lunatic and controlling tyrant of order."
"Which should we go after? A goose chase with a madman? Or go to the lion's den and leave it up to the next generation?," asked Morely.
Koala cried at this mention.
"Wait, don't say stuff like that.," explained the blonde.
"Ginny and Kuma have already gone ahead. It'd be a damn shame if we didn't pay for not doing more for them. What the W.G. did to them their entire lives.," explained Lindbergh.
"Don't worry, you've been trained to deal with this situation.," said Karasu.
Sabo then looked at Dragon was not convinced.
"What's wrong?," asked Sabo.
Dragon took a deep breath.
"I believe this situation is going to escalate in a matter of moments. And it won't be due to us.," he explained as Sabo looked confused.
Levely
Imu then took a breath of relief as he stepped off of the podium as he looked around.
"First thing, I'm doing is eliminating both that ridiculous paradox of a chair...and this table of hypocrisy.," he said.
"Sorry, but that announcement is the first and last thing you're gonna do.," retorted a voice as Imu noticed a figure sitting on the window behind him.
It was Dark King Silver Rayleigh of the Roger Pirates, the legendary first mate who had once shaken the foundations of the world alongside the Pirate King himself. His presence in the Levely Hall was a stark reminder of the era that had long since passed, yet the air of power and authority he carried was undeniable. He looked at Imu with a mix of amusement and contempt, his glass-wearing eyes gleaming with a sharp intellect that had seen the rise and fall of powerful figures.
"We choose to ignore you and you repay us by raising a radical that is tearing down our society. Is this spite for executing your captain?," asked Imu, his calm tone unwavering despite the tension in the room.
"You can drop the act. We've seen what you're really like there that time," Rayleigh snapped casually.
"Please reconsider doing this. You have a lovely common housewife...and of a certain culture most valued by my unsavory peers-," Imu spoke.
"Threaten me and I don't mind, but don't start bringing in Shakky into this conversation. She's got nothing to do with this thing," said the first mate with a darkened expression.
Imu's expression then turned dark as abruptly, his closed eyes went inhumanely wide to reveal his rippled red irises, his placid mouth went into a colossal grin, and his nondescript facial features distorted into a deranged visage.
"As far I am concerned...you're both subhuman pirate filth we tolerate to do the dirty work for us...especially the Kuja cunts that exist only for our kinks.," Imu said in a much more raspier, and viler tone.
Rayleigh's expression truly darkened at Imu's words, his eyes narrowing to slits. He stepped down from the window, the fabric of his dark cloak fluttering in the wind as he landed gracefully on the floor.
He then sliced off Imu's head with his sword, the blade cutting through the air with a silent elegance that belied the sheer power behind the strike. The head fell to the ground, rolling to a stop at the feet of the 1st mate.
Suddenly, Imu's rolled-back eyes snapped back as he said-
"That was a free pass. You're not getting away with your hissy-fit of losing your pirate scum parasites that cling to you to make up for their inadequate abilities."
The blood stain all reversed as Imu's head went back to its body as if nothing happened at all.
"I obtained it as well, but my surgeon was spiteful...I age with youth. So in a couple of centuries. I'll be a skeleton...how disturbing...," Imu complained.
"Brook doesn't mind.," Rayleigh half-joked.
Imu scowled as he said-
"After you, I'll go after that whale and send a brush to him- saying "welcome back friend"...then I wonder how he'll try and kill himself again. And that means another of your friends die...wait, I promised him not to have the W.G kill them...Cross Guild might be interested in Crocus as a former Roger Pirate who's with that whale."
Rayleigh's amusement vanished, his gaze turning icy cold.
Imu then generated a familiar sword-
A normal-sized cutlass with a slightly curved blade, with a saw hamon pattern adorned on the sides of the blade. It possesses a yellow hilt with a diamond-shaped pattern, a golden and dome-shaped guard, as well as a thinner handguard running atop the hilt, and a black sheath. One of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades, Ace.
This was the sword of his captain and best friend, Gol D. Roger, one left at "Laugh Tale". Rayleigh's coldness gave into a mix of sadness and building fury.
"W-Where'd you get that?!," Rayleigh struggled to say, his voice filled with a mix of shock and rage as he recognized the legendary weapon in Imu's hand.
"Finders keepers. Now you get to be close to your captain again as it carves you up.," Imu said as his ripple eyes became interchanging, expanding circles of red and white to elaborate his insanity.
Any chance of this being a casual, serious fight went out the window as it became much more ominous and disturbing as Imu licked the blade.
Rayleigh and Imu then clashed with the blades they began to shake the entirety of the Red Line with their clash.
Next Chapter: Dark King
Author Notes: While this chapter takes the action away from the Straw Hats, it is filled with importance as Imu takes advantage of the chaos to declare himself God while setting up a very important fight that will reshape the conflict of this fanfic going forward. In the midst of this, factions manage to widdle down on the old monarchies and people react to the changing world.