The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

They waited with the Five Elders for a long time, but Im did not appear.

John couldn't be happier; what he wanted most right now was time.

After waiting for a long time...

Brubru

The Den Den Mushi in Satan's Bridal Chamber rang, sounding unusually jarring in the quiet, empty room.

As the "God of Scientific Defense," the Navy naturally reports to him first whenever something happens.

As Satan pulled out his Den Den Mushi and answered the call impatiently, the voice of Fleet Admiral Sora came through.

"Saint Satan, we have received intelligence that the ancient weapon 'Pluton' has appeared in Wano Country, in the latter half of the Grand Line. Now, the Big Mom Pirates, the Beast Pirates, Roger Pirates, and other pirate crews are all rushing there."

"The Navy... needs support!"

In his report, Kong omitted the information about the "Elbaf Permanent Pointer" because, in his understanding, it was insignificant compared to ancient weapons.

Just like Pell, the user of the Bird-Bird Fruit in Falcon Form from Alabasta, who falsely claimed that his ability was one of the "five world-renowned flight abilities." (1)

Take Kaido for example. He stayed in Wano Country for too long and then realized that "only Haki is above everything else."

Little did they know that they had already been left behind by the times.

Limited cognition often prevents people from grasping the key points.

But for Satan and the other four stars present, the appearance of the word "Pluto" was enough to alarm them and make them nervous.

"Is the news confirmed? No!" Satan Saint's voice was unusually heavy.

The Den Den Mushi nodded solemnly, mimicking Sora: "It's true! Every warship monitoring the major pirate crews has sent this message."

"Then you should personally go to Wano Country, and the World Government will also send support."

After giving the order, Satan hung up the phone and turned his attention to the other four stars.

The four members of Pittor's group all had extremely solemn expressions. They never expected that the "King of the Underworld," who had disappeared hundreds of years ago, was actually buried in Wano Country.

"The Five Elders".

John spoke up at the opportune moment, looking like a curious child.

"What is the ancient weapon 'Pluto'? Is it very powerful?"

"Now is not the time to talk about this."

Saint Pitt shook his head, interrupting John's curiosity, and looked seriously at Saint Satan.

"Satan Saint, you go first. If the situation becomes uncontrollable, we will teleport here."

"Since it's so serious, why don't the five of you set off together? I'll take care of Mary Geoise; I guarantee there won't be any problems!"

John spoke up again at an inopportune moment, but seeing that the other four stars were not very interested, he quickly added fuel to the fire.

"After all, teleportation isn't very reliable. What if that so-called 'Pluto' has some powerful guardians around him who could force you all back?"

"Just to be on the safe side, I think it would be better if you all went in person!"

According to John's observation, the Five Elders and the Knights of God cannot simply teleport to any place they want.

One "Deep Sea Contractor" must arrive at the destination in person first before the other Contractors can be teleported over using themselves as an anchor point.

These teleported contractors will be forcibly returned due to severe damage.

For example, in the future, in Eghardt, the four Five Elders who were teleported there were forcibly sent back to Mary Geoise because they were hit by Joy Boy's excessively strong Conqueror's Haki, leaving only Satan Saint who went by ship.

Therefore, what John wants is for all five elders to leave in their true forms, so that even if they are summoned by Im, he can intervene and interrupt them.

Make sure these five guys are completely unable to participate in the battle!

"John Saint, you're even more enthusiastic than us."

John's unusual attitude made the quick-witted Mazsan feel that something was amiss.

John Saint seemed like a completely different person lately, in his eyes.

So suspicious!

"of course!"

Faced with doubt, John stood tall and spoke with conviction.

“I heard from Saint Somaz that after joining the Knights of God, it is possible to rise to become one of the Five Elders.”

"This is the highest power in the world, so of course I have to make my political achievements look good and demonstrate my value!"

Such a blatant declaration of ambition displeased the five elders, since there were only five positions available and someone had to step down as they rose. However, it also dispelled their doubts.

A soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier.

It is only natural that John covets their position!

Just as the five elders dispelled their doubts and weighed whether they should all be mobilized, a vague, hoarse voice, the gender of which was indiscernible, suddenly rang out in the empty hall.

"Let's do what John says."

Upon hearing this, the five elders all looked up at the high platform and saw a figure appear on the empty throne.

The five men immediately knelt on one knee and bowed their heads in submission.

"Lord Im."

"Lord Im?!"

John exclaimed in exaggerated surprise, then knelt down on one knee and placed one hand on the laces of his boot.

He wasn't kneeling; he was just tying his shoelaces.

The figure on the Void Throne looked down at John, nodded slightly, and the hoarse, indistinct voice sounded again:

"Five Elders, you should go there yourself. We absolutely cannot let 'Pluto' fall into the hands of pirates."

"If forced to do so, we would even destroy 'Pluto'!"

"Yes, sir Im!"

The five elders rose together, their black cloaks billowing, and like generals going into battle, they passed John and strode out of the hall.

As the door slammed shut, the space suddenly became even colder and more desolate.

John remained kneeling on one knee, tying his shoelaces, silently waiting for Im to break the silence.

The Five Elders have just left; it's far too early to make a move.

On the Void Throne, the crowned figure, backlit, revealed only a pair of red and black double-rimmed pupils, silently gazing at John, who was kneeling below.

Silence spread, and an invisible pressure transformed into a gaping maw of an abyss, swallowing John whole.

John secretly controlled the electric current to stimulate his body, causing pain to make a drop of cold sweat run down his forehead, to show his helplessness and fear at this moment.

No one in a position of power dislikes seeing others in a state of embarrassment.

As expected, the figure on the throne nodded slightly, and a hoarse voice, as if generated by resonance within the skull, slowly resounded:

“John, your appearance surprised me. The light in your eyes reminds me of my past self.”

"I wouldn't dare, how could I possibly resemble Lord Im?"

John lowered his head even further.

Affirmation of similarity from those in positions of power is not a good thing; these particularly self-centered individuals hate it when others resemble them.

If John hadn't already planned to rebel, he would probably have been completely suppressed by Im after this incident and would never have been able to turn the tables!

(1) Some time ago, Oda explained that it was because Bell's understanding was limited that he said such arrogant things.

Chapter 167 John VS Im (Part 2)

"Don't underestimate yourself."

The crowned figure slightly raised his head, his black and red eyes gazing at the dome with a look of reminiscence.

His story begins with a wrong number call.

Because of a wrong phone call, he came into contact with Joy Boy, the man whose fate became intertwined with his own.

The two initially shared the same goals and admired each other, but then their relationship soured and they went their separate ways, until one of them was killed by the other.

Below the platform, John looked up at the figure on the throne, who was facing the dome. The twilight light finally unveiled the mystery surrounding the figure.

Well, Im is... average-looking.

His face is somewhat androgynous, and at first glance it is impossible to tell whether he is male or female. However, you can clearly tell that he is a man by looking at his Adam's apple when he raises his chin.

His long, light blonde hair clung to his scalp, a style typical of early Western aristocracy, which might make one think he was somewhat gay.

'Fah! This guy definitely doesn't look like that Im who appeared in Elbaf!'

John's heart sank, confirming that Im was indeed like him, possessing the ability to constantly change bodies.

Time passed quietly. Im, sitting on the throne, stared blankly at the dome for a long time. After John saw his face clearly, he looked away, lowered his head, and continued to wait with him.

The former has lived for too long and has lost all sense of time; a moment of absentmindedness can easily take up most of the day.

Although the latter was anxious, in order to give the Five Elders more time to go further, they could not quickly send reinforcements back, so they could only patiently stay with them and wait it out.

As the sun completely disappeared into the sky and the moon and stars rose into the night, Im on the throne finally came to his senses.

Im stood up, descended the steps from the platform, and slowly walked to stand in front of John.

"John, would you be willing to become M's knight of God?"

"willing!"

John kept his head down and gave a firm answer without hesitation, while his right hand silently bent into a grasping motion, as if he were holding an invisible sword hilt.

咕噜 咕噜

The moment John answered, a grotesque, unsettling throbbing sound came from Im's body.

Immediately afterwards, a tentacle emerged from Im's wide sleeves and drooped down in front of John.

The tentacles were not flesh and blood, but pure black energy, exactly the same as the ones that "Dark Domination" had on Lox.