Quite a few people in the world actually know about Imu's existence; those who participated in the God Valley incident back then mostly know.
However, they have all become leaders of various forces and seem to have tacitly not informed their subordinates of this news.
When Roger was executed, Shanks was still young, so he naturally wouldn't have been told about it.
Therefore, this was the first time Shanks learned that the Empty Throne, symbolizing equality, had a true master.
But he wasn't too surprised.
After all, given the World Government's way of doing things, this kind of thing was too normal.
Garling led Shanks into the hall, came before the Empty Throne, and knelt on one knee:
"Lord Imu, this is Shanks, my bloodline."
Imu's gaze passed over Garling and landed on Shanks.
Boom!
An irresistible Conqueror's Haki precisely locked onto Shanks. Shanks instinctively wanted to release his own Haoshoku to resist, but he discovered with horror that in front of Imu's Haki, he didn't even have the qualification to unleash Conqueror's Haki.
His spine slightly bent, his menisci crackled, his originally tall figure began to hunch, and he ultimately knelt on the ground.
The moment his knees touched the ground, that catastrophic Conqueror's Haki vanished as if it had only been an illusion.
Seeing Shanks kneeling, Garling continued:
"This child inherited the Figarland family's bloodline, and without the aid of a Devil Fruit, relying solely on his own training and spirit, he has honed his Haki and swordsmanship to an exceptional degree."
"In his hands, the griffin also displays the power it should possess from the griffin fruit, and his strength is no weaker than my other child, Shamrock."
"Lord Imu, I implore you to bestow upon him the identity of a God's Knights."
Imu on the throne did not speak, merely observing Shanks silently.
His gaze seemed to pierce through time, scrutinizing all possibilities of his past and future.
After a long while, he slowly uttered a single word:
"Granted!"
With this sound, the space in front of Imu slightly distorted, revealing a crystal-clear orb.
The interior of the crystal orb was not empty; instead, it seemed to contain a miniature, slowly rotating starry sky, deep and enchanting, emitting a light not of this world.
At the same time, wisps of thick black smoke began to emanate from Imu's body.
The black smoke did not dissipate; instead, as if alive, it coiled around the crystal orb, causing it to emit a dim glow.
Then, without a moment's pause, the black smoke, like tentacles searching for a host, spread towards Shanks, finally gently enveloping him.
Shanks' pupils contracted, wanting to dodge, but Garling reached out and held him:
"Do not refuse Lord Imu's grace."
Shanks hesitated for a moment, ultimately not resisting.
From the previous situation, the strength of the two sides was not on the same dimension, so resistance would be useless.
Moreover, since it was called a grace, even if the Celestial Dragons' thought processes were a bit abnormal, there shouldn't be any danger, right?
Just then, a cold sensation, directly affecting the soul, came.
When the black smoke dissipated, Shanks' left arm already bore an indelible, unique mark.
Imu's voice directly resonated in Shanks' mind:
"From now on..."
"You are my Knight!"
Shanks was greatly alarmed, quickly reining in his mind and emptying his thoughts.
This direct communication with the soul terrified him.
This was normal.
Since they could communicate through the soul, who knew if they could do something else to his soul?
Shanks felt that Garling had really tricked him.
But before he could think too much, Garling pulled him to bow to Imu again, then backed out of the hall.
As soon as they exited the heavy stone door and re-entered the relatively brighter corridor, Shanks immediately turned to Garling, a string of questions tumbling out:
"Who was that person?"
"What was that crystal orb?"
"What did he do to me?"
He raised his left arm, exposing the clear mark on it to Garling:
"And this, what does this mean?"
After leaving the hall, the respectful expression on Garling's face disappeared, replaced by his usual dignified look.
He glanced at the mark on Shanks' left arm and said indifferently:
"Lord Imu is the only true god in this world; you don't need to know too much."
"As for the crystal orb..."
He paused, giving an answer so simple it was almost perfunctory:
"That is our national treasure. These are not things you need to know now."
However, he explained Shanks' other two questions in detail.
He first introduced basic abilities like remote teleportation and soul communication, then said in a serious tone:
"Lord Imu has stripped the concept of 'death' from your mortal body, anchoring your soul in eternity."
"That mark is proof of your identity as a God's Knight, and it will grant you privileges far beyond imagination."
"Its most core ability..."
Garling's gaze met Shanks' eyes, his tone intensifying:
"Is immortality!"
"No matter what kind of destructive attack you suffer, even if you are burned to ashes, you cannot truly be killed."
"With the power originating from Lord Imu within the mark, no matter how severe the injury, you will be able to reconstruct and return from it."
Shanks' pupils suddenly contracted, his face filled with disbelief.
Eternal life and an immortal body, this had a huge impact on his worldview of over twenty years.
Who am I? Where am I? Is this still the world of pirates?
Garling was quite satisfied with Shanks' expression.
In his opinion, no one could resist eternal life and supreme power.
As mentioned earlier, Imu's control over the Celestial Dragons was a carrot and stick approach.
While controlling you, he gives you the highest level of enjoyment.
Want to keep enjoying it?
Then be obedient!
Otherwise, not only will the enjoyment be gone, but your life will also be taken away!
In reality, Shanks was not excited by this; he was only afraid.
That kind of direct communication with the soul might have additional effects on him.
This feeling of being controlled made him, who grew up on the sea and longed for freedom, feel a great sense of aversion.
For a pirate deeply influenced by Roger, the concept of "freedom" was greater than everything else in their perception.
However, not knowing whether the brand could monitor thoughts, Shanks dared not continue to ponder.
He took a deep breath:
"Can I leave here now?"
Garling showed a rare smile:
"Of course, my child. You can marry Naru now if you wish."
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