Imu gripped the hilt of the blade and gave it a casual flick. The scabbard was sent flying, clattering against the floor and rolling twice before falling still. One could tell from this single motion that she was no lover of swords; to her, a blade was merely a tool.
The blade itself was long and slender, barely two fingers wide, with a surface so smooth it lacked any tempering pattern, as if it were forged from a single, seamless piece of metal. The edge gleamed with a terrifying sharpness; even from a distance, one could feel its chilling, piercing aura.
"The legendary Abyssal Devourer... the blade that kills anyone who stands in its way, leaving nothing uncut. This is the first time I've seen it in person," Imu said, looking at Diarmuid with a smile. "To make me instinctively sense a threat… it is truly as formidable as the rumors suggest."
Diarmuid remained silent for a moment before replying, "I've suspected this for a while now... you know a great deal about me, don't you?"
"To be precise, I know a great deal about all the 'Children of Destiny' of this era, not just those in the Navy," Imu replied playfully, her tone almost mischievous.
It seemed that, just as she said, only Diarmuid was truly "unique" in her eyes.
"Is that so? You have a deep understanding of all the masters and heroes of this age?" Diarmuid murmured softly.
"Sigh, looking back, I should have come to see you all in person sooner. Perhaps if I had, things wouldn't have escalated to this point. I would have sensed that 'space-time aura' on you much earlier..." Imu said with a hint of genuine regret.
Indeed, she understood Diarmuid and the others far better than the Gorosei did. She had personally pored over their detailed files. As she noted, it wasn't just the Navy; she had studied many heroes, including Dragon. In fact, over the last few centuries, she had made it a point to understand the champions of every generation.
"So, what exactly is this 'space-time aura' for? Surely you aren't planning to travel back eight hundred years?" Diarmuid asked, frowning.
Seeing the two of them engaging in dialogue, the others refrained from attacking, though they remained hyper-vigilant given Imu's display of overwhelming power.
Imu idly toyed with her blade, seemingly organizing her thoughts. Then, she looked at Diarmuid and asked, "Uranus... did you know it isn't a product of this world?"
"I've heard rumors. That it came from the moon... that it's a spaceship," Diarmuid nodded. This was vital intel he had received from Doflamingo, and it seemed accurate.
Imu took a few steps and sat down casually on her throne. She rested her katana horizontally across the armrests and leaned forward, propping her chin in her palms. Her pale hands pressed into her cheeks, slightly distorting her face, yet she remained breathtakingly beautiful, almost cute.
Diarmuid immediately shook the thought from his head. What are you thinking, Diarmuid? That woman is an eight-hundred-year-old hag!
...But she really is gorgeous.
Diarmuid wasn't one to be easily swayed by beauty; if he were, he would have dealt with Hancock long ago. To him, beauty alone was useless. While Hancock was strong, Diarmuid didn't need a partner's strength, he was strong enough on his own. Stussy offered power and intelligence; Gion offered a pure, long-standing emotional bond; Hina was the one he couldn't live without, the one who managed the tedious affairs of an Admiral for him.
He wasn't a man who valued "trophies." Yet, despite having barely interacted with Imu, her charisma was undeniable. She was peerless. Even knowing they were on opposite sides, he couldn't help but admire her. Even knowing she was old enough to be his great-great-grandmother, his heart skipped a beat.
It felt inexplicable, yet inevitable. Beauty, power, brilliance, and a magnitude of spirit rarely seen in mortals. Centuries of refined talent and quality had fused into her unique, magnetic charm.
Seeing that Imu intended to explain rather than fight, Diarmuid allowed the power of the Abyssal Devourer to dissipate from his blade. He wanted to hear the truth. What was her goal?
Seeing the lethal aura vanish, the smile in Imu's eyes deepened. She nodded in satisfaction. "I truly do admire you, Diarmuid."
She didn't wait for a response. "As you said, Uranus is from outside this world. Once, I thought it was lunar technology, and yes, there is indeed a civilization on the moon."
Diarmuid nodded, remaining silent.
"Eight hundred years ago, we obtained Uranus. It wasn't called that then; we gave it that name, after the 'God of the Heavens.' Over time, it became known as an 'Ancient Weapon,'" Imu continued.
Well, yes, Diarmuid thought. Eight hundred years ago it wouldn't have been "ancient"; it was just current technology.
"But later, I discovered a secret," Imu said. "Uranus wasn't a creation of the Moon People either. They merely stumbled upon it by chance. It was lost in our world and fell into our hands. I've been fascinated by its origins since I discovered this... about four hundred years ago."
Four hundred years ago? Then how did she know about Amatsuki Toki? Diarmuid wondered. Toki would have vanished from Imu's timeline four hundred years before that point. But he didn't interrupt with such minor details.
"Since then, I have studied Uranus incessantly," Imu said, her eyes alight with excitement. "I discovered many secrets. Uranus possesses the power to traverse space-time. Do you understand what that implies?"
Diarmuid hesitated, then shook his head. "Not entirely."
"Uranus does not belong to this world, nor the moon. It comes from a more mysterious world, a distant space-time... Honestly, I want to see it. I want to see the world capable of creating such a vessel," Imu said with a look of profound longing.
Diarmuid frowned. Should I have expected anything less from her?
"But I couldn't go back," Imu added, her voice tinged with regret. "I don't know where it came from, only that it arrived here by accident. I investigated its database and even taught myself its strange script, but there were no coordinates pointing back to its home. However, I learned two new concepts: 'Space-Time Aura' and 'World Coordinates.' With both, and enough energy, Uranus can jump between worlds. Do you realize? It means a journey to a brand-new, boundless new world!"
Diarmuid: "???"
So your ultimate goal is... interdimensional travel? Damn, that is one high-level life goal. Compared to you, I feel like a slacker!
While others were content to live and die, and he himself had only transmigrated by some astronomical fluke, Imu was trying to build her own way out. She wasn't waiting for a random transmigration; she was mastering the technology to do it herself.
"I am bored with this world. There is nothing left for me here. Truly, if I hadn't discovered these secrets, I might have committed suicide long ago out of sheer apathy. But a new world... an unknown world... do you know what kind of lure that is for me? For that, I would give up everything, even this immortality!" she said with a hint of fanaticism.
Diarmuid understood. She had lived too long at the very top. To her, the world was a toy she had grown tired of. Now, she had found a future unlike anything she knew.
"But I couldn't test it," she sighed. "Uranus is fragile; it only has enough power for one last jump. I tried to repair or replicate it, but it requires materials this world simply lacks. So I collected 'space-time auras,' but I never had enough certainty. I didn't want my impulsiveness to destroy my only hope. I searched for people or objects with the scent, but none of them possessed 'World Coordinates.' Such things are too rare; they might not even exist in this world naturally. Finding Uranus was a miracle in itself."
She looked at Diarmuid with burning intensity. "I thought I might have to wait another four hundred, or even a thousand years for a new object from another world to drift into ours... until I saw you in the Empty Throne hall. Rodriguez Diarmuid, you carry the space-time aura, and deep within your soul, you possess the coordinates to that new world! I don't know how you got them, perhaps you were born with them, but because of that, you are the only person in this world who matters to me! So, cooperate with me, Diarmuid! Stop wasting your time in this boring world and come with me to the new world!"
Diarmuid: "???"
What does she mean? World coordinates? In me? Based on what she's saying, those coordinates are likely for Earth. She wants to pilot Uranus and take me back to my previous life?
This is insane! I don't even want to go back!