Uchiha Puppet Master, Starting from One Piece

Chapter 230 Im

Pangu City.

Among the flowers.

Im stood before the enormous wall that was painted with a world map.

His shadow stretched long in the candlelight, from his feet all the way to the ceiling, like some shapeless shadow growing from the depths of the earth. The candlelight flickered around him, blurring his outline into an amorphous edge of darkness, with only the crown with its four towering spikes occasionally flashing a cold metallic gleam in the light.

Butterflies hovered around him.

The wings of those butterflies displayed a color that did not belong to nature; it was neither blue nor purple, but a color that was closer to "non-existence."

One glance and you think it's indigo; another glance and you think it's deep blue. But when you try to confirm what color it really is, the color has already slipped away from the edge of your vision, like a fish that you can't catch.

One of them landed on his fingertips.

He didn't go to see it.

He looked at the map on the wall.

Specifically, he was looking at a point on the map.

That point was so small that it would be completely unnoticeable if it weren't marked on a map.

But if you look around from that point, you'll see a large blank area marked as unexplored, and at the very edge of that blank area, there is a name marked in an ancient, almost lost script.

Elbaf.

A land that the world government's intelligence agencies have never truly penetrated in the past eight hundred years.

The land of giants.

That independent kingdom that refused the World Government's invitation to join, refused the Navy's entry, and refused all external interference, even the limited cooperation at the time failed to give him a glimpse into the true situation of Elbaf.

"Lord Im."

A voice came from the entrance among the flowers.

Im did not turn around.

"Has everyone arrived?"

Im, still looking down at the map, didn't turn around: "Then come over here, all of you."

The candlelight illuminated five figures filing in from the entrance.

The Five Elders.

Nassou Sei.

He was wearing a dark suit and carrying a cloth-wrapped object in his hand, walking slowly at the front.

His bald head gleamed with a dull luster in the candlelight, and the bandaged sword "First Generation Kitetsu" emitted an extremely faint, deep hum with each step he took.

To his left is Saint Piet.

His short, golden hair took on a near-platinum hue in the candlelight, and his deep-set features appeared exceptionally distinct under the interplay of light and shadow. He wore a well-tailored light-colored coat, his hands clasped behind his back, his fingers long and slender, his nails neatly manicured, each finger quietly in its proper place, without the slightest tremor or agitation.

Sacred Vochuli followed on the far right of the group.

His broad body almost filled the width of the aisle, and the buttons of his dark coat were fastened tightly, each one seemingly bearing immense pressure. It wasn't because the clothes didn't fit, but because the buttons themselves couldn't understand why they were fighting against such a body.

His thick beard covered most of his face, revealing only a pair of calm eyes devoid of any extra emotion.

There was nothing in those eyes, but anyone who stared into them for more than three seconds would feel a slow chill creep up their spine.

Satan walked last.

The five men stopped at the same time about ten paces behind Im.

When they stopped, no one took an extra step or a short step.

It's a tacit understanding that can only be formed through hundreds of years of working together, etched into the very bones.

"Loki, the giant prince of Elbaf, has set sail. This is the first time this mysterious fellow has appeared in the mouths of members of the Knights of God."

Im spoke, his voice not loud, but it sounded particularly clear in the quiet among the flowers.

"You've all probably noticed the recent actions of the people below."

The Five Elders did not answer.

They don't need to answer.

Im wasn't asking a question, but rather the prelude to a statement.

"Shanks appeared near the Elbaf Sea. His father said that Shanks would defeat the giant prince and also wanted to use this event to make Figarand Shanks the emperor of the sea and thus maintain the balance of the sea."

Im said that with a slight movement of his fingertip, the butterfly gently flew off his finger, making an extremely subtle sound as its wings fluttered.

"An interesting idea."

Nassuro Sei's voice was deep: "Information from the Knights of God indicates that Shanks arrived on the outskirts of Elbaf three days ago. Accompanying him was Hawkeye Mihawk."

Im remained silent for a moment.

"It seems the Giant Prince's strength isn't much less than Harald's. Anything else?"

Sacred Vochuli took half a step forward.

"There is an even more important piece of information."

He said, "Sir, you need to see this."

He pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from the inside pocket of his suit, held it with both hands, took a few steps forward, stopped about three steps away from Im, then knelt down on one knee and held the paper high above his head.

Im did not reach out to take it.

He just stared at the paper.

Then the paper floated up.

It wasn't blown up by the wind, because there was no wind among the flowers, the butterfly's wings were still fluttering quietly, and the candlelight was still burning quietly; there wasn't a single gust of air moving in the space.

The paper seemed to float by itself, as if an invisible hand reached out from inside the paper, lifted it into the air, and then slowly, slowly unfolded it, revealing its contents to the candlelight.

That was a bounty poster.

But it's not an ordinary bounty.

Ordinary bounty posters bear the seal of the World Government, the words "life or death at stake," the amount of money, and the name.

The photo shows a young man.

Black hair.

Black eyes.

The expression on his face was somewhere between calm and indifferent, it was hard to say which one it was, but upon closer inspection it seemed to be neither.

Below the photo, a few words:

Uchiha Hakuha.

"A guy who was completely unexpected."

Im said, his tone still that of a flat, emotionless statement.

"Leading a small pirate crew with a total bounty of over several billion, they appeared near Elbaf and made contact with Shanks and the world's greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk."

The wanted poster jolted violently in the candlelight.

It felt like I'd been hit by something.

Butterflies flew up from every corner of the flowers and gathered around Im.

They flew faster and faster, swirling into a dark, dazzling white blur.

Im's cloak billowed in the still air, making a rustling sound.

Darkness spread from beneath his cloak, creeping across the ground and outwards. He slowly turned around, the candlelight illuminating his face for a brief moment as he turned.

It lasted only a moment, but those unfathomable pupils and the gaze of the long night were enough to make all things kneel in submission.

Ten butterflies immediately flew out of the whirlwind and landed on the outstretched fingers of each of the five elders, including Nassulang.

Im turned back to the world map, his voice slowly drifting over: "And that woman."

Nicole Robin.

Pittor Saint said, the butterfly wing on his finger trembling slightly: "The remnants of Ohara have been confirmed to be working in this pirate crew, handling intelligence and historical interpretation."

"Ohara".

Im repeated the name.

The name lingered for a moment in the air among the flowers, then sank like a stone into deep water, without causing any ripples, silently and irreversibly sinking into the deepest depths.

"A name the World Government has spent years trying to erase, but always manages to disappear by accident."

Im said, "You're still alive? And you even joined such a dangerous pirate crew."

"Still alive."

Pittor Saint repeated, "She is not only alive, but she is also constantly searching for the Poneglyphs. This has proven that the knowledge accumulated by the scholars of Ohara over the past eight hundred years has not been completely lost. She has been on the road to finding the Poneglyphs for a long time, so long that we thought she would never go that far."

Im remained silent for a long time.

The air between the flowers grew heavier and heavier in the silence.

"It's because she met someone who had the ability to let her trace history."

"What about those guys' strength?"

Shepard Scott took half a step forward.

His eyes remained closed, but when he spoke, everyone fell silent.

"Not weak."

"What did you see?"

"We saw their ship."

Shepard X. Pitt said, "Their ship isn't very big, but the life force on board is extremely strong. Our people can't determine the exact number of people, but we're certain that there are at least six extremely powerful individuals on board. Moreover, we always feel that one of their auras comes from a black-haired woman, and her aura is so dangerous that it sends chills down our spines. She may have killed more people than any of us combined."

At that moment, the air between the flowers underwent a very subtle fluctuation.

It's not a change in temperature or air pressure, but rather that the air itself has become richer than before at this moment, filled with some new element.

"A woman with black hair?"

The voice of Saint Vocuri carried a barely perceptible hint of interest.

"It should be Unohana Yachiru. I got the information from that news king. She's at least a great swordsman with excellent skills."

.

Shepard X. Pitt uttered a name.

sword.

As the word passed through the air between the flowers, everyone felt a subtle sting.

The first generation Kitetsu in Nasujuro's hand was trembling.

"A swordsman," said Nasujiro Sei.

"more than."

Shepard X. Pitt said, "There is at least another excellent female swordsman."

"Artoria".

Nasujiro looked down at the first generation Kitetsu beside him.

The humming frequency of the famous sword in its sheath changed, from a deep, continuous hum to an intermittent one.

It beats rhythmically, like a heartbeat.

"The first generation of Kitetsu is very interested in swordsmen with outstanding skills."

Nassuro said.

All eyes were on the knife wrapped in cloth.

"What kind of sword did you use?"

"Im asked."

"have no idea."

Nassuro said.

"But I have a prediction, at least one of the few powerful ones."

Only a handful.

When those four words came out of Nasujuro Sei's mouth, the atmosphere in the flower room became heavy again.

It's not because Nasujiro Sei's words carry any weight, but because they are so few that the very fact that this word is being spoken again eight hundred years later gives one a sense of temporal displacement.

"There's one more person."

Pittor Saint said, pulling a small piece of paper from his pocket: "Our people caught an extremely faint aura at the last moment. That aura was hidden in a place that no one had noticed, and had never been sensed before. It was as if it appeared suddenly."

"Who is that?"

"Insufficient information to confirm identity."

Pittor Saint said, "But one thing is certain: the way that aura exists is completely different from ours. It is not hidden, not disguised, but perhaps—the way she exists itself makes everyone who tries to sense her feel that there is no one there."

Silence fell once again among the flowers.

Im turned around again, facing the map.

His gaze returned to the area of ​​Elbaf.

Elbaf, and the unnamed islands and atolls surrounding it.

"Shanks, Mihawk."

Im recited the names one by one, his voice as calm as if he were reading a list.

"Plus Uchiha Hakuha and his pirate crew."

He paused.

"With this lineup appearing on the outskirts of Elbaf, it seems Shanks has his own plans."

"Capture Loki, the Giant Prince."

"According to our intelligence," said Vocuri, "Shanks requested that the Giant Prince not be killed in the end."

"Get under control."

Im repeated those three words.

"Not killing?"

"They actually let him live?"

Im tapped the location of Elbaf on the map with his finger.

The tap was very soft, but in the silence among the flowers, the sound was amplified countless times, like a boulder crashing into a room covered with mirrors.

The sound reflects, overlaps, and amplifies between each mirror, eventually becoming a wall made of sound waves that presses in from all directions simultaneously.

"Who from the Knights of God is over there?"

"Shamks".

Pittor said, "Junzi is with him. They have arrived on the outskirts of Elbaf and are secretly observing Loki's movements."

"Is that enough?"

"uncertain."

"There's one more thing."

Nassuro Sei said, taking a step forward.

The first generation Kitetsu beside him emitted a short, crisp sound as he took a step: "My lord, are you still interested in Harald's death?"

Im did not answer.

But at that moment, the candlelight among the flowers suddenly tilted in the same direction, as if an invisible, enormous hand had pressed down from above, bending all the flames.

"explain."

"Loki was accused of patricide and sentenced to a hundred years in prison."

Nassuro said, "But Loki is obviously so young, he shouldn't have that kind of strength."