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“We represent the World Government. If we are to eliminate Zhou Ze, we must give the world a plausible reason, and that reason will not be easy to find…”

"First of all, explaining that Zhou Ze is a huge threat to world security is a troublesome matter. Secondly, even if this point can be explained clearly, without the use of the navy's power, it will completely alienate the navy from the world government."

"Without a navy openly deterring the world, those member states of the World Government would probably all feel insecure!"

"Such a situation would surely make those scum at sea and those rats in the revolutionary army who are hiding everywhere laugh with glee!"

The old man with the cane's words temporarily calmed the bald man down, but the latter's eyes showed that he was still unwilling to give up.

The old man with the cane pondered for a moment before speaking again, his tone relaxed.

"As for eliminating the forces that Zhou Ze can use... there are actually many more."

Chapter 430 Lord Im and that 'it'

The Holy Land, Mary Geoise.

Panlongcheng, amidst the flowers.

This secret garden, which Im-sama loved most, has undergone a dramatic change in style. What was once a beautiful and peaceful scene has now become somewhat terrifying and eerie.

The once neatly trimmed flowers and plants now looked as if they had been battered by a tornado, leaving behind a mess.

In the center of the courtyard, on the huge tree canopy, the dark clouds surged like living things, expanding and contracting from time to time.

Lord Im sat unceremoniously under the tree canopy, his slender fingers brushing against the fallen, withered flowers and willows beneath the shade.

The king of the world showed no emotion on his face, and seemed unconcerned about the churning clouds overhead.

After a while, the structure of the thick clouds on the treetops seemed to stabilize, no longer spreading and contracting erratically.

"Is that all? What a waste!"

Lord Im parted his lips slightly, his voice ethereal, yet his words were chilling.

After speaking, there was no response for a long time, to the point that it was uncertain whether what had just been said was actually Lord Im talking to himself.

If not, then where is Lord Im conversing in the deserted secret garden?

The thick clouds above the treetops shrank smaller and smaller, eventually stabilizing at about half the size of the treetops. The color of the clouds also gradually thinned, eventually settling on gray.

Suddenly, an extremely strong stench of blood surged out, accompanied by an oppressive force. A sudden gust of wind rose up, further ravaging the already devastated Secret Garden.

Lord Im's flowers and plants, which he tended day and night, were once again harmed. His expression remained as calm as ever, but his unforgettable pupils... seemed to contract violently for a moment.

"waste!"

An even colder curse escaped his lips, "Even now, you still can't control your power!"

As he spoke, Lord Im flicked his fingers a few times, and his wide sleeves instantly bulged out.

Like a boundless black hole, it drew all the violent power raging among the flowers into its sleeve. Then, with a sudden jolt, a powerful force instantly detonated the power it had just absorbed.

"Bang bang bang!"

From within the cuff, a muffled explosion of energy rang out. However, whether it was Lord Im's masterful control over his power, or the exceptionally durable material of the sleeve, remained unclear.

At least, from the outside, Lord Im appeared to be completely unaffected.

After the energy of the Secret Garden subsided, the shape of a creature could be vaguely discerned within the now gray clouds.

It seemed to be struggling to get closer to the edge of the cloud, because... its shape was becoming clearer and clearer.

That's an eye!

Yes, an eye, or more accurately, the eye of a reptile.

It has a nictitating membrane structure that surrounds the eyeball, a feature unique to reptiles like lizards and crocodiles.

Beneath that nictitating membrane lies the vertical pupil typical of reptiles!

Its scarlet eyes and eerie black vertical pupils exuded a chilling aura and murderous intent as it stared at Lord Im!

Lord Im paid no attention to the rather 'friendly' eye, and even after confirming that 'it' was awake, he had no interest in scolding it again.

After staring at Lord Im for a long while, a voice filled with resentment and hatred finally came from within the cloud.

"I'm a piece of trash? I've become like this because of you... no, because of all of you!"

"Ah!"

Lord Im let out a soft chuckle, a single word that should have been a cold laugh, but instead contained only coldness, not laughter.

"You were once a piece of trash too!"

“You…!” That ‘it’ was clearly enraged by Lord Im, its nictitating membrane blinked several times, and its cloud-like structure churned slightly.

Lord Im tried to straighten a broken flower with his fingers.

"If you weren't a good-for-nothing, how could you have become like this?"

After several unsuccessful attempts to straighten the broken flower, Lord Im lightly crushed it with his fingers, and the flower instantly turned into dust and scattered.

"Those who can't be helped don't deserve to live in this world; those who are still alive should know how to be grateful!"

Lord Im's words seemed to be referring to that flower, or perhaps to 'it' in the cloud, or maybe to everything in this world!

It seems that it is fully aware of Lord Im's strength, and those words just now were just empty words to save face.

After another moment of silence, it spoke again.

"You should know very well that this thing is an alien creation, something that originates from me and from the native inhabitants of this world, like Yangshu Eve..."

"Ok?"

Lord Im let out a soft nasal sound, instantly silencing 'it'.

It understood Lord Im's logic and reorganized its explanation.

"In scientific terms, there's a severe rejection reaction between us. Even with the help of the Yang Tree Eve, completely controlling that thing in the short term is impossible. Unless you can provide some more pure beings..."

"There is no unless!" Lord Im interrupted 'it' without any politeness. "Besides, someone as useless as you is not worthy!"

It seemed to hesitate for a moment,

"The price you paid to awaken me wasn't entirely without reward. At least, I can now give you the answer to the ability you inquired about!"

"That ability has indeed returned to the 'implantation' sequence of that thing, which means that its previous user was indeed dead!"

Upon hearing these words, Lord Im's eyes instantly sharpened, and this time the effect lasted for a noticeably long time, so much so that 'it' noticed it as well.

"The other ability that was implanted at the same time as that ability is the one called the 'power to destroy the world,' right? Why don't you care about that power, but instead care about...?"

Just then, Lord Im straightened up and stood up from the ground.

Only then could one see that beneath that wide robe with its long sash, Lord Im was actually kneeling on the ground in a specific posture!

"Excessive curiosity will make you lose your chance of survival much faster!"

Lord Im didn't even glance at 'it', and after issuing a cold 'warning', walked out of the flower room.

Only after Im left the secret garden did the eyes of 'it' unleash an even more intense killing intent.

After a long while, it stared again at the spot where Lord Im had been kneeling, a hint of doubt in its eyes.

"That posture and clothing... seem somewhat familiar?"

"By the way, are you concerned about the ability itself, or the person who possesses it?"

However, its thinking ability seems to be very limited, and its thinking ultimately yields no results.

Then it fell asleep again.

Outside the secret garden, a maid knelt respectfully on the ground, waiting. Upon hearing Lord Im's footsteps, she immediately pressed her head deeply to the ground.

"Lord Im, the Five Elders request an audience!"

Chapter 431 Casting the Right Bait

"Da da da!"

The crisp, drum-like footsteps made the Five Elders lower their gazes even further, until Lord Im sat down on the Void Throne, at which point the Five Elders straightened their spines slightly.

However, Lord Im remained silent for a long time afterward, which made the Five Elders even more uneasy.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down the old man's forehead. In the past few months, the world situation had been in turmoil, and he was unsure to what extent Lord Im was dissatisfied with the current situation.

From the Marineford War to the Sicilius Incident, many of their plans deviated from their intended course to varying degrees. These less-than-perfect outcomes, to some extent, prompted Lord Im to make certain arrangements in advance...

For example... it was woken up prematurely!

Although the Five Elders did not know what 'it' was, the disappearance of the Celestial Dragons was enough to illustrate the seriousness of the situation.

Lord Im is very angry, and the consequences will be severe!

Thinking of this, the old man with the cane sweated even more on his forehead.

His straightened back hunched slightly as he spoke, trying to be calm and respectful, without a trace of flattery.

"Reports have come back from Fishman Island confirming that 'that person' is none other than the Navy's Chief of Staff, Zhou Ze!"

After saying Zhou Ze's name, the old man with the cane paused for a moment, then his voice lowered, as if trying to convey that his next words were well thought out.

"After our discussion, we've devised a plan to eliminate Zhou Ze. Now, we need your guidance..."

"Our King!"

As he spoke, he knelt on one knee and lowered his head as far as possible, and the four people beside him also lowered their heads at the same time.

Lord Im, seated on the Void Throne, remained unresponsive, seemingly not having heard a word. The old man with the cane, knowing that Im's silence meant he could continue, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Given the current situation, we believe the navy is no longer trustworthy..."

"Therefore, we've decided to bring 'Kaido of the Beasts' and Big Mom into the game. The specific plan is..."

"Of course, in order to entice them to participate, we need to offer them some sufficiently enticing bait..."

"This bait is the merman from Fishman Island..."

The old man with the cane had barely finished speaking when a sharp aura instantly locked onto him, the chilling coldness accompanied by immense power.

"thump!"

"Crack!"