One Piece: I am Imu-Chapter 331: Rōran’s Last Quiet Days

Starfish World, Continent of Red Earth.

Sector RL1557 was the location of Dimensional Gate No.0002.

Ever since the World Government designated the Demon Slayer World as a 'Limited Open World', the area had seen a sharp increase in the presence of unofficial vehicles and personnel, alongside military ones.

Every day, various transports carrying people or goods lined up to enter or exit through the 'Miniaturized Tunnel'.

These were mostly royal caravans from various affiliated nations.

Of course—

There were also trading caravans formed by nations within the Demon Slayer World. However, they usually operated under the banner of the 'Demon Slayer International Alliance' and were received by representatives from the Ubuyashiki clan.

Worth mentioning—

Both the current chairman of the 'International Alliance' and the head of the Ubuyashiki family were none other than Muzan Kibutsuji.

He had also partnered with Morgan William's group from the East Blue—mainly composed of former Demon Slayer Corps members—to form a business conglomerate. Now, he was a key figure operating between the Demon Slayer World and Starfish World.

His influence had caught the attention of many affiliated nations.

Especially with his role as chairman of the International Alliance, Muzan was now actively pushing for a seat at the World Summit.

And to him, this goal seemed very much within reach.

After all, both the Breathing Techniques and Nichirin Blades had become essential resources within the World Government—let alone Muzan's own unique value.

Back at the Dimensional Gate—

The entrance to the Miniaturized Tunnel was now heavily guarded by army troops, who ordered everyone to wait patiently by the roadside.

[Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!]

Suddenly, everyone saw a series of black streaks slicing through the air from the distance, each one accompanied by a sharp sound as it tore through the sky. There were far too many to count—certainly more than a hundred.

Above them loomed a dense 'black cloud' that followed closely overhead.

"Are those crows?"

Those with sharp eyes quickly figured out what the 'cloud' really was—a swarm of pitch-black crows flying in formation. The figures below, darting across the land like shadows, were clearly their masters.

The shinobi unit from Umigakure!

Each ninja wore a black combat uniform and a white mask. A few in the front rows also wore black tactical vests over their gear.

They had forehead protectors engraved with a five-ringed cross. Some carried longswords strapped to their backs, others bore longbows, and all had small utility pouches at their legs—filled with pills or kunai.

"So these are ninjas, huh? Gotta admit, they look pretty badass... but why do they run so weird?"

A brawny man, who had ranked 53rd in the last 'Top 100 Combatants Tournament', stood with arms crossed, chuckling as the ninja squad zipped past and vanished into the tunnel.

"Seriously, swinging your arms backward while leaning your upper body forward—does that actually make you run faster?"

A young man who had ranked seventy-third asked the question with a puzzled look, then quickly answered himself, "Well... it is fast."

He paused, deep in thought. Should I try running like that too?

Once all the shinobi had successfully entered the 'Miniaturized Tunnel', the rest of the group waited for another ten minutes or so before watching the army soldiers march away, led by a major.

However, the chatter about the shinobi didn't fade—it only grew louder. Everyone seemed fascinated by them.

And there was something else...

Why did the World Government deploy so many shinobi? Some sharp-eyed observers had counted: nearly two hundred of them!

...

Teigu World

Inside the Ark of Noah, Imu was reviewing the scientific report on Windstones submitted by the research institute. The overly technical data and jargon were skimmed through—what truly mattered was the conclusion.

Would these Windstones be useful to the World Government?

"So that's how it is... Windstones require mental energy to activate."

According to the report, Windstones—a type of mineral infused with wind-attribute magical power—were incredibly valuable.

In the Zero-Magic World, both the Tristanian Academy of Magic and the Elven Kingdom had developed technology that combined Windstones with machinery.

But there was a catch—only mages could operate any of these devices, since they were the only ones capable of channeling their mental energy.

In other words...

In the Zero-Magic World, even something as simple as operating an elevator was impossible for ordinary civilians.

That significantly lowered the practical value of Windstones. After all, even in the Starfish World, not everyone could use Haki.

That's right.

According to tests by the research institute, Windstones could be activated by both Observation Haki and Armament Haki.

"That means Windstones are unlikely to see widespread civilian use..." Imu mused.

From the standpoint of the World Government, this might not be such a bad thing. But from a civilizational perspective, the drawbacks outweighed the benefits.

Imu had originally envisioned equipping the cities of Starfish World with Windstone technology: sleek sci-fi metropolises with flying cars, floating buildings, and glowing green lights everywhere.

But before any of that, the priority would be to retrofit all airships with Windstones, allowing the air force to finally free itself from reliance on the Float-Float Fruit's power.

With that thought, Imu pushed the report to the corner of the desk.

There were still many things in the Zero-Magic World worth investigating. But he had already decided to open the sixth Dimensional Gate the day after tomorrow—so those would have to wait.

Besides, Borsalino was stationed there. Whether it was the 'Founder of Magic' Brimir resurrecting or another realm invading through the world gate, he was confident Borsalino could handle it.

The only real concern was that so-called Void God.

Brimir had already demonstrated the ability to annihilate an entire mountain range in an instant using Void Magic. Just imagining the power of the one who granted him such abilities—the Void God—was enough to send a chill down one's spine.

Only someone like Kizaru, with his blinding speed, might stand a chance of surviving an encounter and escaping alive.

"Tch, better to focus on the Shinobi World for now. That mysterious Void God may be terrifying, but the Ōtsutsuki clan isn't exactly a pushover either."

Leaning back into the wide chair, Imu gazed up at the ceiling of his study, a shadowy gleam in his eyes.

"Pirates and ninjas... are they finally about to clash?"

In his past life, this was the kind of debate that would ignite endless flame wars online. But now, it was playing out before his very eyes—and he might even have to join in himself.

"So then... who will my opponent be?"

...

The wind howled like a grieving spirit.

It slipped through the windows, echoing through the vast stone hall.

A beautiful woman with long, deep crimson hair stood by the window, her clear reddish-brown eyes gazing into the distance—only to be met by an endless, yellow-hued world.

A sandstorm raged outside.

Not an uncommon sight, given that this city stood in the heart of the desert.

But this storm... it was unusually intense.

Perhaps that was why the gentle woman, dressed in a flowing, classical purple gown, wore a deeply worried expression—or maybe, her unease stemmed from something else entirely.

As her fingers gently traced the ruby at her throat, lost in thought and memory, the large doors behind her suddenly swung open.

A short, stout man with a flustered expression hurried into the room.

"Your Majesty, the scouts have returned—but only two made it back."

He dropped to one knee, his voice sorrowful as he addressed the queen's back.

"What...?"

Queen Sara spun around, her voice tight with urgency. "Who returned?"

"Boone and Tashi."

"What?! Then... Lord Hara, is he—? Has Lady Shinko been told?"

Sara's face was flooded with worry and regret. Lord Hara was Lady Shinko's husband.

"She probably knows by now," the man sighed. Then added, "But, Your Majesty, I believe there's something more urgent you need to focus on—the situation outside."

"Rise, Sarai."

Queen Sara's expression sharpened as she asked, "What's happening in Sunagakure? Have they managed to repel the invasion from Kumogakure?"

"You guessed it!"

At that, the stout Sarai straightened up, grinning with excitement, revealing his trademark single upper tooth.

"According to the intel Boone and Tashi gathered, Sunagakure was indeed struggling at first. With the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, the forces led by the Third Raikage had them on the back foot."

"But once the enemy ventured deeper into the desert, they were ambushed by traps, assassinations, and poison gas. In the end, a Sunagakure elite named Rasa drove them back with an overwhelming wave of gold sand, using his powerful Magnet Release!"

"That's wonderful news!"

Relieved, Queen Sara let out a long breath and slumped back into her throne, her fingers gently massaging her temples.

"If Sunagakure has held off Kumogakure, then the Land of Wind is safe—and so is Rōran. We can finally live in peace again."

"Um... Your Majesty, if things ever turn dire, couldn't we ask Konohagakure in the Land of Fire for help?"

Sarai held out his arms as he spoke, adding, "Wasn't it just two years ago that Konoha's ninja helped us defeat that vile Minister Anrokuzan?"

"I... I'm sorry. I can't seem to remember."

Sara stopped massaging her temples, shaking her head with discomfort.

She could recall fragments of Minister Anrokuzan—he had served since her mother's time—but the stories people often told, of him imprisoning the citizens and forcing them to build weapons of war, and of Konoha's ninja coming to defeat him... she just couldn't remember.

Yet the collapsed towers outside, the broken roads, and that short blade engraved with Konoha's symbol—they were all real.

Her gaze drifted instinctively toward the chakra blade hanging on the wall.

What exactly happened back then?

Why did her heart ache every time she looked at it?

It was Namikaze Minato's fault, really—he'd only sealed the memories of a handful of them, forgetting the rest of Rōran's people.

There were times Sara even considered going to Konohagakure herself, to seek answers.

But Rōran had been so badly damaged... For nearly two years, she and her people had poured their hearts into rebuilding the city.

And even now, they'd only managed to restore part of it.

Yes—only a part.

There were still many collapsed spires scattered throughout the city.

Rōran still bore the wounds of war.

Most of those towering spires had been built back when Minister Anrokuzan was still alive, using the power of the Dragon Veins and a massive number of puppets.

But now, with the Dragon Veins sealed once again and Anrokuzan dead, all of those puppets—rendered inert and unmanned—had been tossed into storage. The materials were too valuable to simply discard, yet no one knew how to use them anymore.

With only human labor and some basic equipment to rely on, there was no way to clear all the construction debris.

That's when Sara came up with an idea.

She decided to hire shinobi from Sunagakure to help.

As for payment, although Roran wasn't exactly rich, the stockpiled puppets in their warehouses could likely be used to offset the costs.

After all, Sunagakure had the highest demand for puppets among the Five Great Nations.

But no one could have predicted what happened next.

The Third Kazekage of Sunagakure vanished without a trace.

And alongside him, Chiyo's grandson disappeared as well.

The incident sent shockwaves through the entire village—Sunagakure erupted into chaos, dispatching squads of shinobi to search every corner.

Even Roran saw several waves of Suna ninja sweeping through.

Sara hadn't dared stop them. She could only cooperate fully, allowing them to inspect everything—even her own bedroom was searched.

Under such circumstances, how could Sunagakure possibly spare the manpower to help Roran clear away rubble?

Technically, the tragedy that had befallen Roran—the rogue ninja who caused all this, including the death of her mother, the previous queen—was the responsibility of Sunagakure.

But as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Sunagakure didn't even acknowledge it.

And Sara didn't dare offend them.

Geographically, Roran was practically a vassal of the Land of Wind, and they had little strength of their own to speak of. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

In that sense, things had actually been better back when Anrokuzan was still around.

Back then, the Dragon Veins powered the city, and the streets were patrolled day and night by combat puppets.

Even Suna shinobi had to behave themselves when passing through.

Sometimes, military strength and national well-being just don't go hand in hand.

A country that manages both—now that's truly extraordinary.

Sara could only hope that once the current crisis passed, she could post another job request to Sunagakure.

Surely they wouldn't keep devoting the majority of their forces to searching for the missing Kazekage and Chiyo's grandson forever, right?

And besides, if they didn't take missions, how would they earn money?

Everyone knew the Land of Wind was the poorest of the Five Great Nations.

But even in her wildest dreams, Sara hadn't expected what would happen next.

Just as Sunagakure began calling its shinobi back...

The Third Raikage of Kumogakure led a massive force around the coastline, breaching the Land of Wind through the Tea Country in the southeast—like a spearpoint slicing straight toward Sunagakure.

And just like that, a war between two of the Great Nations had erupted.

The Kingdom of Roran could only cower from afar.

Sara could already imagine the worst—if Sunagakure fell because it lacked a Kazekage, then Roran's fate would be no better.

Everyone knew the Raikage of the Land of Lightning was the most hot-tempered of all.

Now, things had taken a dramatic turn.

Though outside, the sandstorm still howled and blotted out the sun...

Sara felt as if the 'dark clouds' looming over Roran were finally starting to lift.

Give it some time—once Sunagakure appointed a new Kazekage, things would surely stabilize.

Then she could finally send someone to hire Suna ninja to help clear the collapsed buildings.

But Sara couldn't have possibly known...

About fifty kilometers south of Roran, a force of three to four thousand shinobi was slowly advancing through the storm.

"That should be the small country of Roran up ahead. Perfect place to resupply with water and food."

At the head of the formation stood a tall, powerfully built old man with dark skin, long blond hair, and a flowing beard. His gaze pierced through the swirling sands, utterly unfazed by the raging storm around him.

Etched into his bare right shoulder was a massive kanji—雷—'Lightning'.

There was no mistaking who he was.

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