"Peri...peri...peri...."
The transponder snail rang for the tenth ti, its call persistent and almost desperate. I leaned back in my chair, a faint smirk playing on my lips as I let it ring a mont longer.
The desperation of the Elders was palpable. They couldn’t afford for the World Governnt to lose face—not at this scale. The fall of a World Governnt-affiliated kingdom like Kano Country was front-page news in the World Tis.
This was no re territorial dispute—it was a direct challenge to their authority, an act of defiance they had never expected. Both Ran and Chinjao were slated for public execution before the citizens of Kano, a show of power orchestrated by that would send ripples across the world.
The facade was over. There was no more pretense, no more playing the ga on their terms. The Elders knew this, and their repeated attempts to contact were proof of it. I toyed with the idea of letting them wait longer but finally reached for the transponder snail.
My fingers lingered on the shell for a mont before I picked it up, amusent in my voice as I answered.
"What do you think you’re doing, Rosinante?" Elder Saturn’s voice growled through the transponder snail, low and seething. The fury behind his words was unmistakable, but so too was the fear lurking beneath it. This was different from anything they had faced before, and I could feel that he knew it.
I chuckled darkly. "What do you think, Elder Saturn? You made your move—what, did you expect to sit back quietly and let it happen without retaliation? You should know better by now."
His growl deepened, and I could almost picture his face twisted in anger, his hand gripping his staff with knuckles white. "We can co to a compromise," he said, but the strain in his voice betrayed his anger. "You do not want to cross a line you cannot return from."
"A compromise, you say?" I let the words roll off my tongue, amusent dripping from each syllable. "Well, I’m reasonable. Let’s say... the head of one of the Elders, and I’ll reluctantly forget this ever happened. How does that sound?"
Silence.
Deadly silence.
It stretched out for what felt like an eternity, the tension so thick it was almost tangible. I could practically feel the fury radiating through the snail. They knew I was mocking them, playing a ga they were not prepared for.
But that was the point, wasn’t it? To make them believe I was reckless and impulsive, that I was naive enough to throw caution to the wind. anwhile, the real blow I had planned was still waiting in the shadows. I was simply biding my ti, waiting for Dragon to make his move so that I could strike in full force.
This wasn’t going to be a re retaliation. I was planning sothing that would shake the very core of the established order, an order that had stood unchallenged for eight centuries.
"You truly have a death wish, don’t you, Rosinante?" Saturn’s voice was grave, his tone colder now, like ice. "Have you forgotten what happened to Sorbet Kingdom? How long do you think it will take for the sa to happen to Dressrosa? We will erase it from the face of the earth and with everyone in it."
I didn’t flinch. Instead, I leaned forward, my voice lowering to a chilling whisper. "I dare you, Saturn. Try it. Perhaps you’ve forgotten my brother’s words, or maybe you’re under the illusion that we don’t have a weapon of our own. Should I remind you of what Doffy said? How many secrets do you think I could spill to the world, Saturn? How long could you safeguard every Celestial Dragon if I started hunting them, one by one?" My laugh echoed through the snail, sinister and dark. "You broke the balance first. Now, you’ll pay the price."
For a mont, the only sound was the howl of the wind outside and the steady rhythm of my own breathing. Then, Saturn’s voice broke through again, a thread of desperation creeping into his tone despite his attempts to sound composed.
"What do you truly want?" he demanded. "We can offer you and your brother everything. Power, wealth, eternal life anything you desire. Why oppose us? You are Celestial Dragons too. The blood of the gods flows through your veins, Rosinante. Why?"
I smiled. I’d been waiting for that question.
"Tell , Elder Saturn..." I began slowly, each word calculated, deliberate. "Does your knee hurt? Kneeling to the one ruling above you, every ti? Your life and death decided by them on a whim. You’re nothing more than a puppet, Saturn. A puppet who has given up everything for glorious servitude. You wouldn’t understand the need to break free."
Then, with a sinister smile, I let my voice drop to a whisper. "Isn’t that right, Imu-sama?"
The transponder snail fell silent. Deafeningly silent.
On the other end, I knew Saturn’s heart had skipped a beat. He was no longer alone in the room. The eerie stillness spoke volus—he was standing in the presence of the one who ruled them all, the shadow behind the throne, the true force that controlled the world.
Saturn knelt, his head lowered, his face pale. He was in the Room of Flowers, a sacred place where Imu-sama admired their garden of eternity. The being whose na was known only to a select few who didn’t even dare to say the na in hushed whispers had summoned Saturn to contact directly, likely at the request of Imu-sama themselves.
After all, my recent actions had shaken the very foundation of the World Governnt and with how much attention and trouble the Donquixote family was garnering. It was no surprise that Imu’s attention had turned toward ; I was sure, though Imu seed nonchalant, they were aware of everything that happened in this world.
I could feel it—their presence, their gaze fixed on , even through the transponder snail. And then, for just a mont, the hand tending to the flowers paused. Imu-sama’s lips curved into the faintest of smiles, one that sent chills down Saturn’s spine.
"Interesting..." ca the soft, almost inaudible voice of Imu-sama. It was as if the very air trembled at the sound. "Truly interesting. It seems the last ti wasn’t simply my imagination. He can truly perceive things... even through the connection of a transponder snail. Is this an ability of the lightning fruit...? I wonder."
A clear, crystalline laugh followed, echoing through the room like the chi of a bell—a sound so foreign, so ancient, that it made Saturn’s blood run cold. When had Imu-sama last laughed like this?
I smirked, knowing exactly what I had done. "Ah, Imu-sama," I said with a respectful tone, almost like a junior addressing an ancient ancestor. After all, the sa bloodline coursed through my veins—the Nerona bloodline, from which Imu had descended. In so twisted way, I was family. "It is an honor to be graced by your attention."
Imu-sama didn’t respond, but I could feel their interest deepening. Curiosity flickered behind those ancient eyes. What had once been amusent was now fascination, a dangerous interest in what I might beco.
Saturn, still kneeling, dared not even breathe loudly in the presence of Imu-sama. He couldn’t comprehend how I had the audacity to address them so casually and, more importantly, how I was able to tell the presence of Imu sama. But what unnerved him even more was how Imu-sama was intrigued rather than offended.
As the mont stretched on, the tension thickened, the storm outside mirroring the storm brewing within the World Governnt. I knew I had struck a nerve—a nerve that went far deeper than any Elder, any Marine Admiral, could comprehend. But I wasn’t afraid.
After all, the ga had only just begun.
"You insolent wretch... How dare you...? You don’t understand the depths of the ga you’re playing, Rosinante. There is no winning this." His voice was like a crack of thunder, simring with anger as he finally regained his composure; he couldn’t show weakness , not in front of Imu Sama.
"Do you think you’re untouchable just because you hide in the shadows and manipulate fools like Dragon? Do you think you can actually challenge the world we’ve built? We’ve crushed empires. We’ve erased entire civilizations from history. What makes you think Dressrosa, or you, will be any different?"
I chuckled softly, knowing his anger was laced with fear, a fear he’d never admit aloud. "Ah, Saturn... so typical. Threats, grandiose speeches about the World Governnt’s might. But I wonder, how long will those threats hold power when the world starts realizing you’re not invincible? That you’re vulnerable, just like everyone else?"
"You underestimate us," Saturn hissed, the transponder snail almost shaking from his fury. "We are eternal, Rosinante. You and your brother are nothing but blips on the radar, stains we’ll wipe clean from history. This rebellion of yours will be crushed, and your heads will be put on display for all the world to see."
I grinned, the excitent building within . "Then co for , Saturn. But know this—if you do, I’ll make sure that when your precious world falls, it’ll be you and the Celestial Dragons who crumble first. And I’ll be there, watching with a smile on my face."
The silence on the other end stretched on, thick and heavy. Then, with one final, ominous whisper, Saturn spat, "You will regret this."
I chuckled darkly, leaning back as the tension between us hung in the air like a storm ready to break. "We’ll see, Saturn. We’ll see who regrets this in the end."
The transponder snail remained silent for a mont, as if even the air had gone still. The weight of Saturn’s fury was palpable, but I wasn’t done yet. I wanted to twist the knife just a little deeper.
"Oh, and one more thing," I continued, my tone casual, almost bored. "As for whatever grand sche you had planned for Kano Country? You can forget about it. I’ve just received a very handso offer for the nation... seems there’s another interested party with far more lucrative terms than anything you could offer."
A deep, seething growl ca through the snail, a sound so guttural it almost made laugh out loud. I could picture Saturn, his face twisted in rage, veins bulging at the temples as his control slipped through his fingers. He had planned sothing for Kano Country—so retaliatory show of strength, no doubt, to remind who held the real power. But now? Now that power was slipping away, and he knew it.
"Sell the country?" Saturn hissed, his voice barely contained. "You dare sell one of our territories? You’ve crossed every line, Rosinante. Do you truly believe you can survive this? Do you understand what you’ve unleashed upon yourself?"
I smiled, knowing every word I spoke was feeding his fury. "Oh, I understand perfectly. In fact, I’d say it’s you who doesn’t quite grasp the situation. Kano Country is no longer yours to toy with. It’s out of your hands now, Saturn. Whoever holds its future... well, let’s just say, they’ve got their own plans. Far from the reach of your precious World Governnt."
The silence that followed was deafening, the kind that makes even the boldest n second-guess their confidence. I could imagine Saturn pacing, fuming, trying to calculate his next move, but knowing deep down that the more he pushed, the more ground he’d lose.
"Who bought it?" he finally growled, voice barely above a whisper. The demand in his question was thinly veiled by a layer of desperation he couldn’t quite mask.
"Who did you sell it to?"
I let the question hang for a beat, savoring the mont. "Now, Saturn, what fun would it be if I just told you? Consider it a surprise. You’re good at dealing with surprises, aren’t you?"
"You... bastard!" Saturn spat through clenched teeth. "You’ve signed your own death warrant. There will be no escape from this. You and that treacherous brother of yours will fall, just like all who stand against us. Dressrosa will be reduced to ashes before your very eyes."
I leaned closer to the transponder snail, my voice calm, almost amused. "Ashes? You’re welco to try. But if you think Dressrosa’s destruction will break , you’re mistaken. My family is stronger than you give them credit for. And as for the head you so desperately want on a pike... well, let’s just say I don’t go down that easily. Not like those before ."
The snail crackled with tension as Saturn’s fury reached its peak. "You will regret this, Rosinante. We will hunt you down, drag you before the world, and make you suffer for every affront you’ve dared commit."
I smirked, unfazed. "Perhaps. But until then, Saturn... I think you’d best get used to the idea of watching your carefully constructed world crumble. Bit by bit."
With one final chuckle, I leaned back in my chair and whispered into the transponder snail, my voice low and dripping with mockery.
"Until next ti... Imu-sama."
The line went dead.
And so did the facade. The world would soon know the truth, and the storm I had set in motion would tear the very foundation of the World Governnt apart.
In the serene yet haunting garden within Pangaea Castle, Elder Saturn remained kneeling, his body pinned to the ground by an oppressive force he couldn’t resist. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to rise—it was that he simply couldn’t.
His trembling hands dug into the earth beneath him as sweat poured down his face. The weight of Imu-sama’s presence was unbearable, an invisible pressure that made the air itself feel suffocating.
Imu-sama stood in the midst of a sea of delicate, blooming flowers. The contrast between their peaceful surroundings and the dark, all-consuming power they wielded made the scene even more unsettling.
The atmosphere was heavy with a malevolence that seed to seep into every leaf and petal, tainting the air with a quiet, unspoken terror. Imu-sama finally broke the silence, their voice as soft as it was chilling.
"The blood of Nerona runs strongly in this one..." Imu-sama’s chuckle echoed through the garden, a sound as soft as a lover’s whisper yet laced with cruel amusent. They twirled a freshly blood flower between their fingers, as though the fate of kingdoms, and the suffering of n, was no more significant than this fragile bloom.
Saturn, still on his knees, was drenched in cold sweat, every instinct screaming at him to run, to escape this unimaginable force pressing down on him. But he couldn’t move. Not while Imu-sama’s Haki suffocated him, pinning his very soul to the ground. Every breath he took was a battle. His bones felt as though they would shatter under the crushing weight.
"I trusted you to handle this, Saturn," Imu-sama said, their voice calm, yet each word carried a force that made Saturn’s skin crawl.
"And yet here we are... a boy in his twenties, playing with secrets older than kingdoms, mocking our existence." Imu-sama’s gaze flickered, as though rembering sothing from long ago, a mory stirred by the boy’s defiance. "He reminds of soone... soone whose arrogance cost them everything."
Imu-sama turned their gaze toward Saturn, and the elder’s body trembled uncontrollably. The flowers around them seed to wither as a wave of pure, oppressive malice rolled off Imu-sama. Saturn could feel it in his bones—death was near. He clawed at his throat, his voice failing him as his body seed to give way under the pressure.
"You have failed , Saturn," Imu-sama continued, as though they were discussing the weather, their tone devoid of warmth. "Your arrogance, your excessive caution, all of it has led to this. Do you not understand the consequences when the world begins to realize that our authority... is not as absolute as they believe?"
Suddenly, Saturn’s body convulsed violently as an unbearable pain shot through him. He let out a blood-curdling scream, his nails clawing at his face as though sothing was burning him from within.
"Imu-sama! Please, forgive !" Saturn pleaded, but the words were garbled, as though his throat was closing, choking on invisible flas that ate away at his flesh. His voice ca out in hoarse, guttural gasps as his skin began to bubble and lt.
Imu-sama watched with mild curiosity, their expression betraying nothing but an air of detached amusent. Saturn’s left side started to twist and deform grotesquely, his arm warping and shriveling like paper set alight.
The skin on the left side of his face peeled back, exposing raw muscle and bone, while his arm and chest seed to turn to ash, disintegrating as if consud by a silent, invisible fire.
"Aaaaargh!" Saturn scread again, his voice cracking under the agony as he desperately clawed at his own flesh, but there was nothing he could do to stop the decay. His once proud form—one of the most feared Elders of the World Governnt—was being reduced to a deford husk, a living nightmare of pain and suffering.
Imu-sama’s eyes never wavered. They didn’t even flinch at the horrific sight before them. Instead, they rely twirled another flower between their fingers, their attention split between Saturn’s pitiful cries and the vibrant blooms around them.
"Imu-sama... please... have rcy..." Saturn begged, his voice barely more than a whisper now, choking on blood and his own fear.
Imu-sama’s cold, emotionless gaze flicked over to Saturn’s disfigured form. "rcy?" they mused softly. "Do you think rcy was shown to those who dared to stand against us? No, Saturn, you will suffer until you understand the price of failure."
As Saturn’s mutilated body collapsed, half his form barely recognizable, Imu-sama turned away, as if they had grown bored of the spectacle. Saturn’s breathing was labored, his body spasming as he struggled to stay conscious, but the worst had passed—Imu-sama had chosen to let him live, for now. A rcy more cruel than death.
"I do not tolerate failure," Imu-sama declared as they stepped over Saturn’s crumpled form. "Fix the ss you’ve created. Or I will finish what I started... and you will cease to exist entirely."
The sheer finality of Imu-sama’s voice left no room for argunt. They turned back to their flowers, their voice calm but filled with dark promise. "And whoever is behind Kano Country’s upheaval... erase them all. Along with the country itself."
Saturn, barely clinging to life, dared not move, dared not even breathe too loudly as Imu-sama’s ultimatum hung in the air like a death sentence. He had failed. And now, the world would pay the price.
As Imu-sama admired the flowers once more, a ghost of a smile crossed their lips, their mind wandering back to Rosinante.
"Such potential..." Imu-sama whispered to themselves. "Perhaps I shall wait and see. After all, the boy reminds so much of myself when I was young. It would be a sha to destroy him too soon."
The top, after all, was always so lonely.
*****
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