[Clatter, clatter]
A vast amount of gold and multicolored jewels, fashioned into various coins, bars, or embedded in crowns, swords, necklaces, and rings, poured out from overturned wooden crates. Nearby, loaders with large shovels continuously scooped up the overflowing treasures and piled them back inside.
This was a large, deliberately cleared-out open space within the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, with the distant Pangaea Castle visible on the horizon.
At this moment, ten government personnel holding Image Snails were broadcasting the process of stacking up 'ONE PIECE' from various angles to countless people around the world. To ensure the awe-inspiring effect, they even dispatched a Bird-Bird Fruit user to capture aerial footage.
"..."
Silence. Everyone in front of the projection screens fell into a dead silence, each person staring wide-eyed at the unimaginable amount of gold and jewels on the screen.
Nearly two hours had passed, and yet loaders were still tipping more jewels from large wooden crates. By now, a glittering, golden hill of treasures had formed on the screen.
And still, there was no sign of it ending!
However, a small number of people began to sense something was off. They felt the current amount of treasure had already exceeded the carrying capacity of two large cargo ships, though they weren't entirely sure.
In fact, they were right.
The Five Elders had long realized that while the treasure from two ships was substantial, it wasn't enough to impress the entire world.
But they couldn't possibly transport an exaggerated amount of treasure to 'Laugh Tale' in the New World—how many cargo ships would that require? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of secrecy? Moreover, what if something went wrong during the Navy's return trip? For instance, if the Whitebeard Pirates, the BIG MOM Pirates, and Kaido joined forces and attacked—how many cargo ships could they protect? The World Government, though vast in resources, couldn't afford to throw most of its treasure into the sea.
So, they came up with a solution.
They would transport only two ships' worth of treasure, then bring it back. That way, even if something went wrong and the treasure was lost at sea, the loss wouldn't be catastrophic.
Then, during the live broadcast to the world, they would pull out more treasure from the Holy Land Treasury nearby, ensuring it didn't appear on camera.
Wasn't that a foolproof plan? Even if someone later pointed out discrepancies, the impact would be negligible. All they needed was to awe the majority of the populace.
So, how much treasure did the Five Elders plan to display? Imu, who was currently enjoying the live broadcast with the people in the Tree House within the Chamber of the Moon, certainly knew. The exact value wasn't stated, as it was beyond quantification.
In essence, the Five Elders intended to use the gold and treasures to build a golden mountain across the river, as tall as Pangaea Castle. And even that, they claimed, was less than half of the treasury's contents—not including famous swords, Devil Fruits, or cash. The sheer scale of their eight-century-long accumulation was truly terrifying.
"Speaking of treasures, I remember there are still three grand treasures: the treasure of John, a former member of the Rocks Pirates, the Jewel Ice Sheet located on the Polar Ice Continent, and the Golden City of Shandora on the Sky Island of Upper Yard."
Imu stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"John's treasure, I recall some marine scholars speculated that Buggy found it and used it as capital to establish the so-called pirate dispatch company, 'Buggy's Delivery.' But now that everything has changed, finding it again won't be easy."
With that in mind, he shifted his focus to the other two treasures.
"The Polar Ice Continent, that guy Garp punched Garp's pointed head flat six years ago, so the treasures inside should still be intact. Finding them shouldn't be difficult, but the key is how to open it."
Imu first thought of sending Garp over, since Garp's pointed head could crack the ice layer, so Garp's stronger fists should be able to do the same.
But then he reconsidered, feeling it might not be reliable.
First, there was Garp's personality, and second, he felt that cracking the ice layer required some finesse. At the very least, it had to be done just right to open the ice layer above the treasure. If too much force was used and the ice shattered completely, wouldn't the treasures fall through? Wait, he could send Aokiji over. As an Ice-Ice Fruit user, who could be more professional at controlling ice?
Have him go over, quietly extract the treasures, and then restore the ice layer to its original state. Imu was sure Garp's expression would be quite amusing the next time he went to check!
"Coincidentally, the Marine branch base on Fish-Man Island hasn't been completed yet. Once he returns from the Polar Ice Continent, the base should be finished. The timing works out perfectly."
Having made his decision, Imu reached for the Den Den Mushi on the coffee table to call the Five Elders. As for Shandora on the Sky Island, he planned to go there himself.
It would be like a trip to the Sky Island, and he could bring back some local specialties. That wouldn't be too much to ask, right?
Pururu pururu, pururu pururu
But just as he reached out, the Den Den Mushi started ringing on its own. He picked up the receiver and heard, "Lord Imu, Figarland Shanks has been taken to the Figarland estate, and Buggy is still on his way to Punk Hazard."
"Understood. Keep an eye on him. Don't let that kid escape."
"Yes, my lord."
Click The Den Den Mushi closed its eyes and fell back into slumber. Imu set the receiver down and took a sip of red wine from his glass.
Ever since he transmigrated here, perhaps influenced by his predecessor, he had developed a particular fondness for this sweet red wine. Or maybe it was because he was drinking the finest kind, so the taste was exceptionally delightful.
"Shanks..."
To be honest, he wanted to make use of this person. After all, he was a talent, with the potential to become one of the Four Emperors, and he was of Celestial Dragon lineage.
The problem was that this kid had been adopted by the Roger Pirates from a young age, and his mind and body had been thoroughly 'corrupted.' Now that he was fifteen, his values were already set, making it difficult to re-educate him.
But Roger was dead, and the Roger Pirates had disbanded, which was a good thing.
"Never mind, let's keep him around for now. Thinking carefully, his usefulness lies mainly in his combat strength. In the future, the World Government won't be short of that. From this perspective, he's not as useful as Buggy."
Imu coldly decided to temporarily ignore Shanks. As for whether he would later completely forget about him, leading to Shanks becoming utterly useless, he didn't dwell on it.
Honestly, if Shanks became useless, so be it. Could he not afford to support one person?
Unless one day, this Shanks could truly reform, fully accept his identity as a Celestial Dragon, and be willing to contribute to the eternal power of the Celestial Dragons, then perhaps he could consider nurturing him.
"Maybe I could have Mihawk meet him as an elite Celestial Dragon. If they could become good friends like in the original story, that wouldn't be bad."
Hehehe, indeed, as a transmigrator, he still had a soft spot for the incredibly handsome red-haired uncle. If he could lend a hand, he would do so slightly.
If even Mihawk couldn't make Shanks turn over a new leaf, then forget it! Meanwhile, in the exclusive Celestial Dragon neighborhood of the Land of Gods, within the luxurious villa of the Figarland family estate, Shanks sat on the sofa with a dark expression, staring blankly at the neatly arranged clothes on the table.
Celestial Dragon attire!