At this moment, there was no way to retreat. It was clear that Imu had never truly intended for him to succeed; he had only been grooming Claudius to take his place. Though Claudius hadn't known about Imu's plan before, he had been working toward this goal all along.
Outside the door, countless comrades had staked everything—their wealth, their lives—on him, Claudius.
Even if he felt aggrieved now, could he back down? How could he? Say he quit? Resign as the King of the World?
That would be an even bigger joke.
By all rights, the result should have been the same, Claudius sitting on this throne. But now, after hearing Imu's words, he felt as if he had been a fool all along, like everything had slipped right through his fingers in the face of this ancient monster.
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
"No, you're lying!" Claudius said.
"Why would I lie?" Imu asked calmly, unfazed.
The tone alone carried an air of absolute arrogance. And given Imu's status, there truly was no need for deception.
"As far as I know, before me, others have tried to overthrow you—but they all failed. Yet here you are, still sitting on the throne. Why?" Claudius asked in a deep voice.
Imu sneered. "Do you think they were worthy?"
It was an extremely arrogant statement, yet somehow, it felt entirely justified.
Before Claudius could respond, Imu continued, "In the past eight hundred years, three people have tried to do what you're attempting—to overthrow me and take the Empty Throne. You are the fourth. But before you, they were unworthy. They were nothing more than fleeting entertainment for me."
"Then why am I any different?" Claudius frowned.
"I already told you the answer, didn't I?" Imu responded with a slight smile.
Claudius was momentarily stunned. He touched his face and muttered, "Because I'm handsome?"
For the first time, Imu's ever-calm expression stiffened. After eight hundred years of existence, this was perhaps the most shameless thing he had ever encountered.
Seeing Imu's reaction, Claudius finally felt some relief. Hah! Got you there, old man.
Ignoring Claudius' nonsense, Imu continued, "Because you are very much like me. That is the first reason."
Imu saw a reflection of his former self in Claudius and had also discovered that Claudius was from the Donquixote family. These two factors played a crucial role.
Claudius' brows furrowed slightly, then he asked, "And the second reason? Is it because, as you said, times have changed?"
This reasoning felt grand enough, and it suited Imu's style. Indeed, times were changing. Even the Five Elders could see that the ship of the World Government was in trouble, yet all they could do was attempt to patch it up.
As much as he hated Imu, who always made him feel powerless, he couldn't deny that this man had ruled the world for eight hundred years. Compared to someone like Imu, Claudius knew he wasn't foolish enough to miss the bigger picture.
So, was it really just a matter of the changing times? Was Imu simply looking for someone to fix the ship and lighten the load?
Just as Claudius thought he had figured it out, Imu shook his head.
"Somewhat, but that's not the real reason," Imu said plainly. "Tell me, if I truly wished to lead the World Government through this storm, do you think I couldn't?"
The question was posed so casually, yet Claudius found himself unable to answer immediately.
After a long silence, he finally said, "Before I met you, I thought you were just an old man desperately clinging to power—stubborn, arrogant, and ignorant. But now…"
Now, he wasn't so sure.
Claudius had once believed that if Imu had the ability, he would have already purged the corrupt Celestial Dragons. If Imu wanted to repair the sinking ship of the World Government, he could have done it.
He had no concrete proof of this—just a gut feeling.
An instinct, much like Imu's own instincts.
And that instinct told him that Imu could do it.
For the first time, Claudius found himself feeling something unexpected—respect, even a hint of awe.
He quickly shook off the feeling. This old bastard has lived for eight centuries. It's only natural that he sees things differently.
Imu chuckled. "You are correct."
"The weaknesses of the World Government lie in three areas. One: the Celestial Dragons. Two: their reliance on military force to suppress and exploit nations. Three: corruption."
"If these three issues are resolved, the world will change—but the World Government will remain."
Claudius couldn't deny it. The old man had a terrifyingly clear understanding of the situation, unlike the Five Elders, who were capable of solving these problems but simply didn't care.
And yet…
"If you already understand all of this, and if you have the means to fix it, then why haven't you?" Claudius asked. "Why go through all this trouble and let me do it instead?"
In his mind, there had to be some deeper strategy, some grander vision behind this decision. Even Claudius had to admit that, compared to this ancient being, he was still lacking in experience and insight.
There was no shame in that.
Imu had lived for centuries longer than him, had seen more, and understood more.
Setting aside his earlier frustration, Claudius began to wonder—could it be that the so-called tyrannical dictator, Imu, was actually… a wise ruler?
But just as he expected a profound answer, Imu merely smiled.
"Because I'm tired."
Claudius was taken aback. "That's it?"
"That's it." Imu nodded with a smile.
"That's way too casual!" Claudius exclaimed.
"You might see it as casual, but in my view, I've dedicated eight hundred years to maintaining the rule of the World Government," Imu said. "During that time, I've extinguished countless lights—silencing voices that could threaten order. If you hadn't appeared, perhaps I would have continued. But seeing you… I feel satisfied. I see the future I sought. And so, I'm tired. Is that not natural?"
As he spoke, Imu added, "There are many heroes in this world, not just you. One of them intrigued me—I had wanted to see how far he could go. But then I realized… this might have been your arrangement all along. And that, Claudius, made me appreciate you even more."
"Dragon?" Claudius narrowed his eyes.
Imu nodded.
Claudius couldn't help but feel a bit of schadenfreude. So I wasn't the only one being played like a fool. Dragon got caught up in this too? That made things feel a bit more fair.
"What about the pirates?" Claudius asked. "Was there never a hero among them? What about Gol D. Roger?"
Imu shook his head. "Perhaps he had his role to play, but in the end, he was still a pirate. Over eight centuries, there have been many like him. And what I've come to understand is this—no matter how dark an existing order may be, it is still preferable to chaos."
"Even a flawed World Government is better than a world ruled by pirates. The very nature of pirates means they will never be worthy of inheriting the world."
Claudius fell into deep thought.
As a pirate himself, he knew firsthand that when push came to shove, pirates would do anything to achieve their goals. They would rather throw the world into turmoil for decades if it meant they could succeed.
In that sense, the World Government, despite its corruption at least upheld some semblance of order.
And suddenly, Claudius understood.
He understood why Imu had once sought to erase Luffy, Shirahoshi, and the Nefertari family.
Because Imu had never trusted a pirate like Luffy.
Because the power Shirahoshi held, Poseidon was too dangerous in the hands of a pirate.
Because the Nefertari family, with their ties to the Straw Hats and the Ancient Weapons, could not be allowed to remain.
In contrast, Dragon had been left alone.
Perhaps, just as Imu said—he was letting it happen.
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 30+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.