One Piece: I am Imu-Chapter 307: A World War in the Making

"You! You actually want me to annex Henrietta's kingdom?!"

King Wales's heart burned with fury. The respect in his eyes instantly turned to shock and anger. Yet, Biba remained calm, nodding as if this was the most natural thing in the world. "Yes. I've studied the noble traditions of this continent. When a king marries a queen, their kingdoms can be merged into one."

"It doesn't have to be that way!" King Wales roared, his face twisted with rage. "Even without Henrietta, Tristain still has Queen Marianne. She could ascend to the throne—there's no need to merge with Albion!"

"And what if Queen Marianne were to... pass away?"

"W-What?" King Wales froze.

Biba continued, his voice unwavering. "As I understand it, the Tristain royal family has only two remaining members. If one of them were no longer here, Princess Henrietta would have no choice but to become queen."

"Your Majesty, expanding Albion's territory while securing a foothold on the Halkeginia continent—isn't that a great opportunity?"

King Wales fell silent. His deep blue eyes locked onto Biba, scrutinizing him carefully. After a long pause, he spoke in a low voice. "Amatori Biba... who exactly are you? And what is your true objective?"

"Your Majesty, I've already explained. We are refugees and adventurers from the distant land of Hinomoto. Our goal is to aid you and the Albion Kingdom." Biba met his gaze without hesitation, his voice calm and steady.

"So your so-called aid... If I follow your plan and annex Tristain, the next step would naturally be war against the other kingdoms, wouldn't it? And the first target would be Germania, with whom we already have conflicts."

King Wales had pieced together Biba's prior actions.

Mass production of cannons and artillery shells. Expansion of Albion's fleet of magical warships. The refinement and mass production of bolt-action rifles. Training of rifle brigades.

Now, in hindsight, all of this was strengthening Albion's military—not for defense, but for conquest.

"You're mistaken." Biba shook his head, denying the assumption outright.

King Wales frowned, but what Biba said next made his eyes widen in shock.

"Our real target is the Nephthys Elven Kingdom in the Sahara Desert."

"What?!"

"You should be well aware that the Wind Stones of Nephthys are the core energy source for magical airships. My goal is to secure these invaluable resources for Albion."

Hearing this explanation, King Wales's expression softened slightly.

It did sound beneficial to his kingdom. Perhaps he had misunderstood Biba's intentions. Maybe... he wasn't acting out of malice after all?

"Amatori Biba... you may not fully understand. The elves are a terrifying race. Their technology and magic far surpass those of humans."

"If their Wind Stone reserves were so vast and accessible, do you think the other nations would have ignored them for so many years?" King Wales spoke patiently, hoping to make Biba reconsider. But the latter simply chuckled.

"That's precisely why I suggested merging Tristain first. It would strengthen our forces considerably."

"You've seen Louise's Void Magic firsthand, haven't you? We just need her to use it on the elves as well."

"Once the elves are defeated, the Wind Stones, their technology, their very magic—it will all belong to us. We could even take them as captives and use their magic for ourselves. Why hesitate?"

King Wales opened his mouth, but no words came out.

The memory of Louise's blinding spell—an attack that single-handedly annihilated seventy thousand soldiers in an instant—was seared into his mind. He would never forget it for as long as he lived.

Come to think of it, Biba's plan actually seemed feasible.

"But... but this is an invasion! It will start a war between humans and elves!"

"Your Majesty, are you afraid of war?" Biba looked at him, puzzled.

King Wales quickly responded, "This isn't fear—it's respect. We shouldn't start a war so lightly!"

"And if we invade the elves, the Pope of Romalia will definitely intervene!"

Biba simply chuckled. "Then let's bring Romalia in. I refuse to believe they wouldn't be interested in an abundance of Wind Stones and advanced technology."

"Besides, the elves don't believe in Brimir. They even call him a demon. Their relationship with Romalia is already hostile."

King Wales was stunned.

Because Biba was right. The elves worshipped their Ancestors and referred to humans as barbarians. The two sides had always been at odds.

"But the elves are powerful. If war breaks out, countless lives will be lost!"

King Wales argued desperately, but Biba only laughed.

"Your Majesty, great rewards come with great risks. Surely you understand that?"

"And eliminating heretics and non-human races in a single war—doesn't that sound worthwhile?"

King Wales was speechless. He fell into deep thought, while Biba waited patiently.

A long silence followed.

"Apologies. I refuse to invade another kingdom, nor will I annex Henrietta's kingdom. Our royal families are both direct descendants of Brimir—we should be protecting each other, not conquering one another!"

Now it was Biba's turn to fall silent. Finally, he let out a long sigh. "Ah... what a shame."

"Hm?" King Wales let out a confused grunt.

Biba smiled faintly. "I had hoped to maintain a good relationship with you until the very end... but it seems that won't be possible. Why must you be so stubborn?"

"What are you planning?!" King Wales tensed, his right hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword. But then—he noticed something was wrong. "The guards?"

By now, the royal guards should have drawn their magic swords and surrounded Biba. But instead, they stood motionless.

Suddenly—

The sound of footsteps echoed through the hall.

A tall, handsome man with long gray hair entered. He walked to Biba's side, then knelt before him with unwavering loyalty. "Biba-sama."

King Wales's eyes widened in shock. "Wardes?!"

"You needn't worry, Your Majesty. I won't harm you or your kingdom. In fact, I'm offering you a great opportunity. But first, I need your cooperation." Biba didn't explain Wardes's circumstances. Instead, he spoke in a soothing tone, as if comforting a child. Then, turning to Wardes, he gave a simple command: "Begin."

"Yes, sir." Wardes rose to his feet. He lifted his right hand, revealing a silver ring with a square-cut amethyst on his index finger.

"Ring of Andvari!"

A flash of violet light.

King Wales's instincts screamed at him to dodge. He moved—

Too late.

The light struck him instantly. His body froze. He could no longer move.

"Ah... now you should be more obedient." Biba stepped closer, completely unaffected by the purple glow. He gazed down at Wales, his refined smile brimming with elegance. "When this is over, you'll thank me, Your Majesty. Though, it seems I'll have to make a few adjustments to my plan."

...

"So that's how it is... The fifth Dimensional Gate leads to the world of Zero no Tsukaima?" Imu murmured as he reviewed the intelligence report displayed on the holographic screen.

At the same time, memories of this world surfaced in his mind. Coupled with the intelligence gathered by Biba and Tengen, he quickly developed a deeper understanding of the situation.

At this point, he probably understood this world better than its own inhabitants.

"But if I remember correctly, this world holds quite a few valuable assets."

Absently, Imu began taking notes on the holographic screen as she recalled key details.

First was the laptop owned by Hiraga Saito. As long as it could be recharged, it could access and browse information from another technologically advanced world.

There were theories that magic and technological worlds existed as mirrored parallel universes, but regardless of the reasoning, the fact that the laptop could still connect to the internet was utterly bizarre.

Then there was the Russian nuclear submarine hidden in the Sacred Lake.

Regardless of its overall value, one thing was certain: according to Hiraga Saito, who had confirmed it using his ability as Gandalfr, the submarine contained a completely intact and functional nuclear warhead.

As for the other remnants of technology—things like the Zero fighter aircraft, Tiger tanks, and Colt revolvers—they were useless to the current World Government.

And those were just the technological assets. The magical artifacts of this world were just as remarkable.

"It seems necessary to retrieve these two items."

Finishing his notes, Imu glanced at an intelligence report detailing Biba's strategic plan.

Biba intended to instigate an all-out world war, allowing the Kingdom of Albion to unify the entire world, including the Sahara Desert.

This would make it far easier for the World Government to establish control and maintain order.

Furthermore, Biba aimed to gather the legendary "Four of the Four" from Brimir's prophecy, hoping to uncover even more hidden value from this world.

Lastly, he proposed that Cipher Pol dispatch additional personnel to investigate and infiltrate Hiraga Saito's home world.

Imu had to admit—Amatori Biba was indeed a remarkable individual. He possessed both ambition and capability, and he made no effort to hide his aspirations from the World Government.

Rather than playing political games, he was upfront about his desire to climb the ranks.

And for that, both Imu and the Five Elders appreciated him. In fact, they welcomed his growth.

He could serve as an excellent example for other outsiders joining the World Government in the future.

However, once the Four of Four reunited, Imu remembered that Louise unleashed the true potential of her magic, making her one of the most powerful Void Mages.

With this, Louise's worth would skyrocket.

Despite there being four Void users, she was the one who had inherited Brimir's true teachings.

That said, Imu remained cautious regarding both Brimir and the god who had granted him Void magic.

However, with 'Truth' as an ally on his side, he could afford to be slightly more at ease.

[Knock! Knock! Knock!]

A soft knock came from the study door, followed by Stussy's gentle voice: "Lord Imu, Queen Esdeath and Queen Historia's duel is about to begin." frёewebηovel.cѳm

"Understood." Imu stood up casually and gave a simple command: "Star Spirit, shut down the system."

"As you wish, Lord Imu." A massive Den-Den Mushi, standing over a meter tall, responded in a deep voice. The next moment, the holographic screen suspended in midair vanished instantly.

Currently, almost every central department of the World Government had several Star Den-Den Mushi, allowing them to manage political affairs efficiently through the Star Ocean Communication Network.

The highly intelligent consciousness of the Star Spirit, which functioned similarly to an advanced AI, had also begun taking over massive amounts of tedious administrative tasks.

As a result, the World Government was able to free up a significant portion of its personnel, allowing them to focus on more critical matters.

However, in just two short months, the number of these Star Den-Den Mushi, which functioned much like computer servers, was still far from sufficient for full-scale implementation across all departments and officials.

It would likely take until next year before the World Government could fully complete its digital administrative system.

...

"Has it started already~?"

Imu, accompanied by Stussy, arrived at an open courtyard within the training area. The area, as vast as a football field, had been transformed into a frozen battlefield covered in snow and ice.

Two women were engaged in an intense duel.

One wielded an Ice Sword, while the other wielded a Crystal Spear.

At that moment, Esdeath had transformed into the hybrid Qilin form, while Historia had taken the form of a crystalline Titan. Both used Busoshoku Haki and Kenbunshoku Haki.

The sheer intensity of their fight, along with the battle spirit radiating from their fierce cries, made it clear—this was far from the friendly sparring match Stussy had described.

Watching the battle was also a surprisingly tall woman, almost three meters tall. She had a lithe yet curvaceous figure, with flowing white hair and piercing red eyes. Dressed in a pristine white robe, she exuded an overwhelming presence.

She was Guren, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox.

After consuming the Human-Human Fruit, Guren had taken on a human form. She had since become Esdeath's trusted companion.

However, Imu, possessing the ability to perceive others' inner thoughts, knew that Guren saw Esdeath as both her disciple and daughter.

Thinking about it carefully, it wasn't entirely unreasonable.

After all, Esdeath had gained her extraordinary powers by drinking an entire flask of Guren's blood. If anything, there was now a literal blood connection between them.

Yet, despite this bond, Esdeath's goal remained unchanged—she was determined to defeat Guren in combat.

Not only would this prove that she had reached General-level strength, but it would also allow her to subdue Guren and make her personal mount.

Turning his gaze away from the fierce battle, Imu turned his gaze to the sky.

"I've been in this Titan World for over two years now... In just a few more months, it'll be three years."

"It's time I started considering the next world I'll be spending the next three years in..."

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