Yemu wasn't joking.
He really had no interest in ruling over anything, much less becoming some emperor or king.
Of course, that wasn't absolute. If all he had to do was be an incompetent ruler with no risk of losing the country, he certainly wouldn't turn it down. But if being a real emperor or king meant getting up earlier than a rooster, going to bed later than one, and spending all day buried in state affairs, then there was no way he would agree to it.
One Piece had already proven that well enough.
During the Summit War of Marineford, Akainu, a formidable Admiral who hated evil with a passion, ended up disgracing himself in front of the Five Elders after becoming Fleet Admiral. Worse, he even got humiliated by a mere Lucci. It was downright embarrassing. And on top of that, he had to sit in an office all day, with none of the freedom he had back when he was an Admiral.
Besides, in the world of One Piece, strength mattered far more than authority.
Just look at all those kings. Even rulers of World Government member nations were invaded one after another by the Shichibukai. If Luffy hadn't shown up, their endings would have been miserable beyond words.
That was exactly why Yemu had no interest in ruling anything.
Compared to all that, wasn't it far more appealing to live shamelessly with beautiful women by his side...
To be honest, back when he was exhausted from training on Skypiea, he had thought about it more than once.
Since he had already transmigrated, why couldn't he have ended up in some romance novel world instead? Wouldn't it have been nice to just take it easy, fall in love, and build a harem?
Rather than constantly fighting pirates, Marines, and the World Government, he would much rather fight cute girls until both sides were left breathless.
Of course, Ayala had no way of hearing what Yemu was thinking.
At that moment, she felt a tremendous weight of responsibility settle onto her shoulders, but she did not shrink back.
The illness she had suffered as a child, and the experience of nearly dying, had made her incredibly strong and mature.
So, trusting Yemu completely, Ayala clenched her tiny fists to encourage herself. Looking at him with determined eyes, she said, "Yemu-nii-san, don't worry. I won't let you down!"
"Mm."
Yemu patted her little head affectionately and said in a reassuring voice, "I believe in you. Of course, you don't need to put too much pressure on yourself. Me, your brother, Enel, Tiger, everyone will help you. We'll also pave the road ahead for you now. But as for your question, whether the order we build will really be better than the old one, that answer is something you'll have to seek out, put into practice, and verify for yourself after you grow up..."
"I'll definitely find the answer to that question!"
At that moment, Ayala was deeply encouraged by how much Yemu trusted her. The shyness she had shown before gradually gave way to confidence. Then, as if she had just thought of something, she took the initiative instead and said with a sly little grin, "Yemu-nii-san, you really are such a flirt. You actually want to marry both Sister Flare and Sister Anne..."
"..."
"Hehe, but don't worry, Yemu-nii-san. I'll secretly help create chances for you to be with Sister Flare and Sister Anne..."
"...."
In response, she got a light rap on the head.
"At your age, where are all these weird ideas coming from? All right, let's get moving. I'm not expecting much from these prisoners, but it would be nice if we found a pleasant surprise..."
Just then, an air door appeared on the ground.
Kuromu jumped out of it, looking nervous and frightened.
"Boss, I found the place you mentioned, but... there's something else inside..."
...
Deep underground, inside the Door-Door Space, the world beyond was pitch-black.
"You're sure there's something else in there?"
"Yeah!"
Kuromu nodded nervously. Fear, as obvious as a child's, was written across his dinosaur face.
"I saw them... zombies... lots and lots of zombies... really scary... right up ahead..."
As soon as Kuromu finished speaking, everyone exchanged strange looks.
Kuromu obviously would not lie, so Lillilu could only turn to Yemu and ask, "You don't know what's in there?"
Of course Yemu knew something, but what he knew was what this place looked like twenty years later in the story, when it was full of okama. As for zombies, he truly had no idea.
When it came to zombies in the world of One Piece, the only ones Yemu could think of were the kind Moria made with the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, but there was no way Moria could be here.
After thinking for a moment, he said to the others, "Lillilu, stay here and protect them. Kuromu, open a door. I'm going out to take a look."
"O-okay..."
As the air door opened, a cold wind blew in from the distance and brushed against Yemu's cheek, but there was no strange smell mixed in with it.
"Close the door first. Stay where you are. Once I confirm it's safe, I'll come back for you."
"Got it, Boss!"
As the air door closed, the world before him sank back into darkness.
Yemu flicked his finger, and a small flame climbed onto his shoulder, lighting up the blackness around him.
What appeared before him was a huge tunnel, eight or nine meters high and four or five meters wide. The walls around it were made of dry earth, and at the far end of the tunnel lay a world as dark as an abyss.
Yemu frowned slightly, kept his Observation Haki on alert, and slowly walked forward.
Everything around him was deathly silent, and his Observation Haki picked up no signs of any living thing moving nearby.
After about ten minutes of walking, he finally seemed to reach the end. An opening appeared in the distance, and when he stepped closer and lit up the world inside with his flame,
even Yemu, who considered himself pretty brave, felt his heart turn cold at the sight before him.
...
Inside the Door-Door Space, Ayala asked Lillilu nervously, "Sister Lillilu, are there really zombies in this world?"
Before Lillilu could answer, Kuromu spoke up anxiously, sounding almost ready to cry.
"Third Sister, I'm not lying, I really saw them... I followed Boss's orders and kept drilling around underground, looking for the place he mentioned. It didn't take long before I found this place. Then I kept moving forward and entered a huge pit. Because it was so dark, I opened a door and went out, then shined my Lamp Dial around, and the whole place was full of terrifying zombies..."
Lillilu thought for a moment, then asked to confirm, "Are you sure they were zombies, not just corpses or something..."
"I'm sure. I saw their eyes moving. I got scared, so I hurried back up... to tell everyone..."
Now even Lillilu was no longer certain. All she could say was, "We'll know once Yemu gets back."
"Mm."
They did not have to wait long. In the pitch-black world outside, lines of light suddenly appeared.
They were tiny fireballs flying out from within, hanging from hollows in the surrounding tunnel like oil lamps and lighting up the entire path.
Then they saw Yemu walking over.
Kuromu hurriedly opened the air door and asked, "Boss, are they really zombies in there?"
"How should I put it... you can call them zombies, I guess."
It was obvious to all of them that Yemu's expression did not look good. Fortunately, he quickly spoke up to reassure them.
"There's no need to be afraid. Rather than zombies, it would be more accurate to call them test subjects from human experimentation..."
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