Chapter 401: The Secrets Passed Down Through the Ages

Hearing Imu's words, Claudius couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions. The Imu he had always believed to be the ultimate villain was actually a guardian of the World Government?

It felt like he'd been preparing for a grand battle, gathering an overwhelming force, only to find himself punching thin air. The anticlimactic revelation left him deeply unsettled.

"This bothers you that much?" Imu asked with a hint of amusement.

Claudius shot him a look before replying, "Of course, it does. Do you have any idea how much power I gathered just to take you down? And this is how it all turns out in the end?"

"I wouldn't have been able to withstand the power you assembled," Imu admitted matter-of-factly.

"Are you really that strong?" Claudius asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Perhaps. If strength could be measured numerically, then I might be the strongest in this world. But you should know that power isn't something that can be understood just by looking at the numbers," Imu said with a calm smile.

Claudius nodded. As a powerful fighter himself, he understood this well. Strength couldn't simply be quantified. The World Government had devised measures like "Douriki" to evaluate combat prowess, but at his level, such metrics were meaningless. If anything, he could crush them outright.

"My combat experience, instincts, and natural talent—none of them are particularly outstanding. Maybe even you could defeat me," Imu added with another faint smile.

Claudius frowned. "Why do I feel like you're looking down on me? Just so you know, I'm pretty damn strong, alright? There may be people in this world who can defeat me, but I can count them on one hand. And even then, none of them can be absolutely certain of victory. If I go all out, I—"

Mid-sentence, Claudius suddenly recalled the time he went berserk, pinning Charlotte Linlin to the ground and beating her senseless. In that state, he had felt like he could take on even Kaido at the same time.

Imu simply smiled and didn't bother arguing with him.

In his eyes, Claudius had already reached a level of power beyond question.

The forces Claudius had gathered this time were indeed enough to overwhelm him.

Fortunately, Claudius was at least rational enough to listen to reason rather than immediately turning hostile.

As another thought crossed his mind, Claudius asked, "By the way, are the legendary Ancient Weapons really as powerful as they say?"

Imu nodded without hesitation. "Very powerful."

"How powerful exactly?" Claudius pressed.

Imu seemed to think for a moment, as if considering how best to describe it.

After a brief pause, he said, "For Logia users, the threat isn't particularly significant. But if combined with modern Seastone technology, then… Well, let's just say…"

He trailed off, but Claudius got the idea.

"In the past, for a top-tier fighter like you, as long as you didn't rely on your elemental state or had some kind of unique survival ability, the weakest Ancient Weapon Pluton could kill you in a single shot."

Claudius was slightly taken aback.

Pluton—said to be a battleship capable of sinking an entire island with a single blast—was indeed a devastating weapon of war.

But he had never really taken it seriously. After all, plenty of people in this world had the ability to destroy an island. In fact, Claudius himself could. If he unleashed his full power, he could freeze an entire island in an instant. Back when he was on Skypiea, he had even wiped out Birka in one strike.

Of course, there was a difference between "life force destruction" and "physical destruction."

Logia users like Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino could annihilate an island with a single attack in a tangible, physical sense.

Whitebeard, for example, could shatter an island with a single punch.

But just because they could destroy an island didn't mean they could kill a top-tier fighter. Whitebeard might be able to break an island apart, but that didn't mean he could kill Sakazuki with one punch.

Likewise, Sakazuki couldn't kill Whitebeard with a single attack either.

Yet, according to Imu, if Pluton hit its mark, it could wipe out Whitebeard or Sakazuki in one blast?

"The weakest, huh?" Claudius questioned skeptically.

"Relatively speaking, yes," Imu confirmed. "In theory, Poseidon—Poseidon—might be something you're not entirely familiar with."

However, before Imu could continue, Claudius waved his hand dismissively. "No, I already know. Poseidon is the bloodline of the Ryugu Kingdom's royal family. This generation's Poseidon is Princess Shirahoshi."

Imu raised a slight eyebrow in surprise, though only for a moment.

He didn't seem too concerned about how Claudius had come by this knowledge and continued, "From a 'weapon' perspective, Poseidon has the potential to destroy the entire world in a very short time. Pluton, on the other hand, would take several times longer to achieve the same level of devastation, which makes it weaker by comparison."

"What about Uranus? The legendary Uranus—is it in your hands?" Claudius asked quickly.

Imu, seemingly unconcerned with keeping secrets from Claudius, nodded and admitted it without hesitation.

"The land beneath our feet—Mariejois—is Uranus," Imu stated plainly.

Claudius's eyes gleamed with realization. He had suspected as much for a long time and had even investigated related clues. When he first arrived, he had nearly confirmed it from the words of the Five Elders.

And now, Imu had admitted it outright.

The Holy Land—Mariejois—was Uranus.

"How powerful is Uranus?" Claudius asked.

"If it were fully operational, Uranus could take flight. Even from Mariejois, it could obliterate Wano in a single attack," Imu replied calmly.

Claudius was stunned.

Wano was thousands of miles away from Mariejois. If Uranus could destroy it in one strike, then its power was truly terrifying.

"No wonder the World Government has been able to maintain control for 800 years. With a trump card like that, it makes sense," Claudius remarked seriously.

But then he noticed Imu looking at him with an amused expression.

Something about that gaze made Claudius uneasy. He frowned and asked, "Wait, what do you mean by 'if it were fully operational'? Is it not?"

Imu chuckled.

"Eight hundred years ago, it was because of the Ancient Weapons that the Twenty Kings were able to dominate the world and establish the World Government. Uranus was a crucial part of that," Imu explained.

"But," he continued, "the Twenty Kings also understood that such power, in anyone's hands, could lead to the world's destruction…"

Claudius nodded silently.

"Poseidon is indestructible because it exists within a bloodline. Unless the entire royal family of the Ryugu Kingdom is wiped out, it will continue to exist but whether that would even stop it is uncertain. Pluton, on the other hand, was entrusted to the Nefertari family. But I can tell you with certainty that Pluton can no longer be activated.

As for the rumored blueprints said to have been passed down in Water 7 by the ancient shipwrights… whether they are real or not is unknown. But it remains a dangerous possibility, which is why the World Government has been investigating it.

And Uranus…"

At this point, Imu's tone grew faintly nostalgic.

Claudius watched him intently, listening as he unveiled these ancient secrets.

"Uranus was dismantled and turned into Mariejois itself. The Twenty Kings were determined to destroy all Ancient Weapons capable of ending the world—and they succeeded.

That is why Uranus and Pluton can no longer be used."

Claudius was stunned. But at the same time, he understood.

If he had been in the same position as the Twenty Kings, he might have done the same.

Destroying these weapons ensured that no one not even the World Government itself could be overthrown by them in the future.

And indeed, the World Government had ruled unchallenged for 800 years.

Perhaps, in the end, the decision of those Twenty Kings had been the right one.

(To be continued.)