Hearing Orion order Zunesha to attack pirate ships, Gion, standing beside him, finally understood why their Fleet Admiral had come here personally.
She had been puzzled earlier—with Mihawk leading the team, boarding Zou shouldn't have been difficult.
Even if there were obstacles, it hardly seemed necessary for Orion to intervene personally.
Only now did she realize that Orion had come here for one purpose—to subdue the Zunesha and turn it into a sharp blade piercing through the seas of the New World, a nightmare for any pirate crew that dared enter its range of attack.
Not just pirate ships—even Marine warships couldn't withstand a single strike from the Zunesha.
And whether it was the cannons on pirate ships or Marine vessels, none posed any threat to the colossal beast.
Most importantly, Orion had first restored the Zunesha's freedom, allowing it to roam freely across any waters of the New World.
This meant the Zunesha was essentially a walking war machine.
As for why Orion needed to subdue the Zunesha and make it serve this purpose, the reason was simple—the New World was too vast.
Even if the Marines deployed all their warships for patrol, they couldn't possibly sweep every pirate from the endless seas.
Any additional aid was a boon to the Marines in their fight against piracy, let alone a thousand-year-old behemoth like Zunesha.
Unlike Gion's curiosity, Gunko, who had been standing quietly behind Orion, was still reeling from the shock of witnessing him subdue the Zunesha—especially the overwhelming Conqueror's Haki he had unleashed in the process.
It was far more domineering than any she had ever seen before, practically unprecedented in history.
Most astonishingly, Orion hadn't even needed to strike with his blade.
He had subdued the Zunesha with sheer Conqueror's Haki alone.
One must remember—Zunesha was a thousand-year-old giant-elephant and until now, no one had ever managed to tame it.
Even Joy Boy from eight hundred years ago had merely treated it as a companion.
At that moment, Orion wasted no more time.
He turned to Morgans and said, "Leave that warship behind. We're leaving!"
Holy Land, Chamber of Flowers.
The instant Orion unleashed his supreme Conqueror's Haki to subdue the Zunesha, Saturn, Topman, and Ethanbaron—all within the Holy Land—immediately left their respective residences and converged in the garden of the Chamber of Flowers.
Similarly, Imu had also flashed out of the room the moment Orion's overwhelming Haki surged into the world.
Despite the distance, the moment Imu stepped into the garden, the terrifying aura looming from afar nearly suffocated them.
As the suffocating sensation intensified, Imu could no longer hold back.
Facing the direction of Zou, she let out an uncontrollable, piercing shriek.
The next second, the already crimson sky was abruptly dyed blood-red, while the robed figure beneath it began emanating thick, rolling black mist.
As the black mist rose, it materialized into a demonic silhouette behind Imu—a terrifying figure with glowing red eyes, wielding a trident and sporting a pair of demonic wings that struck fear into all who beheld it.
Behind this demonic form, an arrow-like tail silently extended, carrying an aura of death so chilling it pointed directly at Saturn and the other two, who had arrived first.
The moment the three stepped into the garden and saw the demonic figure behind Imu, they didn't dare raise their heads any further.
Falling to their knees, they prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
"What in the world is happening?" Imu did not look at the three, maintaining her gaze towards Zou.
Her voice carried a trace of fear toward an unknown power.
"He clearly isn't that person, yet every time he releases Conqueror's Haki, it forces me to uncontrollably unleash the demon!"
"Because you left Gunko by his side!"
Topman cautiously spoke up, "Gunko has a contract with you. When she senses the fear brought by Conqueror's Haki, you are also affected!"
Imu suddenly turned her head and the demonic figure hovering behind her—with wings, wielding a trident, its tail coiled high above the three—also turned its head in unison.
A soul-shaking aura of death enveloped them.
"Of course I know that's the reason!"
"Unless I permit you to speak, keep your mouths shut!"
Just those two simple sentences made Topman and the other two feel as if they had been sentenced to death, prostrating on the ground, not daring to make another sound.
Suddenly, Imu's pupils contracted slightly, as if sensing something again.
She looked towards Zou, disbelief flashing in her eyes.
"He actually subdued Zunesha!"
Before the words had fully left her mouth, Imu couldn't help but want to possess Gunko to see for herself what had happened.
But recalling how overwhelmingly oppressive Orion's Conqueror's Haki had been just moments ago, she suppressed the impulse and said to Topman.
Topman didn't dare delay, quickly retrieving the Den Den Mushi from his robes and presenting it with both hands.
"Never mind. They should be returning to the Holy Land soon."
Imu raised her right hand, which held a book, and gave a light wave.
The demonic figure behind her vanished eerily into thin air.
Then, as if nothing had happened, Imu spoke again, her tone calm.
"Though Orion holds equal status to you, he lacks the identity of a Celestial Dragon. This is unacceptable."
"The Shepherd and Marcus families have been stripped of their titles, leaving two vacancies among the Celestial Dragons."
"One of these vacancies shall be filled by Saint Orion. The other will be left for him to decide."
Here, Imu did something unprecedented—she sought their opinions.
Saturn, Topman, and Ethanbaron wouldn't dare object.
In unison, they replied, "Your wisdom is unparalleled, Imu-sama!"
Observing their reactions, Imu lightly flicked her sleeve, then turned and walked into the pavilion, sitting down gracefully.
Once the three stood outside the pavilion, Imu abruptly shifted the topic.
"Do you think I trust Orion too much? That I'm practically handing the Holy Land over to him?"
At this, Saturn, Topman, and Ethanbaron couldn't help but twitch at the corners of their mouths.
Was that even a question?
Letting Orion eliminate Marcus and Shepherd was one thing, but even Doflamingo—Orion's subordinate—received special treatment.
Had they not realized the danger in time, Orion wouldn't have just taken out Marcus and Shepherd—they would have been next.
How was this any different from gifting him the Holy Land?
Seeing their silence and bowed heads, Imu narrowed her eyes.
"All of this is merely an illusion. What I truly desire isn't to maintain an alliance with Orion—but—"
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