In Mary Geoise, within the desolate, silvery Chamber of the Moon, Imu was practicing a dazzling sword routine under the simulated moonlight.
This was a daily task to keep himself familiar with the sensation of combat.
Ten minutes earlier, he had learned about the events in Water 7 from the Den Den Mushi brought by a maid.
Initially, he hadn't wanted to intervene.
Because Imu understood the importance of the 'Sea Train' all too well. It was a piece of technology so advanced it was almost unbelievable—a steam train hundreds of meters long that could travel accurately on floating tracks, and whose noise could even repel sea kings and other fish.
So, sea kings were also fish.
No matter how bizarre they looked, some even with mammalian heads, they were still fish.
And the most astonishing aspect of this technology was that the 'Sea Train' could operate with minimal disruption from extreme maritime weather!
What did that mean? It meant that no matter how strong the wind or how high the waves, as long as the weather wasn't something like a waterspout or an ice storm that could destroy the floating tracks, the train could run normally!
Anyone with a normal level of intelligence could imagine the immense impact such a thing could have on the development of the entire world.
So what if an accident occurred due to his excessive interference? Why was there such a vast disparity in development between islands, with some places resembling the Middle Ages while others were brimming with high technology?
It was because transportation between them was so difficult, making it hard for resources to flow quickly from island to island.
Wasn't Water 7's decline over the next few years due to the obstruction of shipbuilding material imports?
If it hadn't been for Tom's timely completion of the Sea Train, it wouldn't have lasted until the arrival of the Straw Hat Pirates in the future; it would have been abandoned and turned into a desolate island long ago!
Imu, fully aware of all this, did not order anyone to stop the sentencing of Tom by Enies Lobby.
In his view, the ten-year suspended death sentence was a beneficial incentive for Tom and his crew, as it would make them understand that only by completing the Sea Train could they save Tom's life.
Although it took them a total of fourteen years.
But this also proved that the World Government in the original timeline understood the importance of the Sea Train and didn't pursue the issue of exceeding the time limit.
As for whether this would cause Tom any hardship, it wasn't within Imu's consideration. After all, with his protection, Tom certainly wouldn't die.
However, Imu still felt that fourteen years was too long.
So he ordered the Five Elders to have the administrative department provide funding to Tom's workshop, solely to shorten the completion time by a few years.
But at the same time, he strictly forbade any interference with Tom's work.
In short, whatever Tom requested, it should be done!
Amidst the swirling silver sword lights, Imu continued to wield his unremarkable longsword while his mind raced with thoughts.
The matters related to Tom, the fish-man shipwright, weren't limited to just the 'Sea Train development project.'
Take his two apprentices, Iceberg and Franky, for example—they were both exceptionally talented individuals.
The former, Iceberg, in Imu's eyes, possessed outstanding managerial skills. It seemed a waste for him to merely be a shipwright or the mayor of Water 7. This man had the potential to step onto a much larger stage.
However, he was well aware that any talent needed a process of growth.
If Iceberg hadn't apprenticed in shipbuilding under Tom, hadn't founded the Galley-La Company, and hadn't served as the mayor of Water 7, no one could predict what he would have ultimately become.
Rather than forcing the issue, it was better to let nature take its course and wait until Iceberg had fully matured before transferring him to a position within the World Government.
As for the other apprentice, Franky—or rather, Cutty Flam as he was now known—he was an even more exceptional talent, a genius in weapon development! With top-tier skills in shipbuilding and cannon-making, self-taught techniques in human body mechanical modification and the conversion of beverages into special energy, coupled with an extraordinary learning ability, he was truly a treasure of their civilization!
Therefore, Imu had specifically mentioned Cutty Flam, instructing CP2 agents hidden in Water 7 to keep a close eye on him.
Once the Sea Train project was successfully developed, Franky would have learned almost everything he could from Tom.
After that, Imu planned to have him brought to the Science Unit, where he would spend a few years working under Vegapunk. Once he came of age, he would be given his own independent research institute to focus on the development of various weapons, especially warships.
Moreover, let's not forget that Tom still possessed the blueprints for the "Pluton"!
As for the true nature of this so-called "Ancient Weapon," Imu had a clear memory of it. He had personally witnessed Pluton's cannon blast obliterate an entire island, creating a bottomless crater in the sea that, to this day, remained unfilled by the endless waters.
However, despite Pluton's terrifying power, the great kingdom of old still fell to the united forces of the twenty nations he had assembled.
As for where the damaged Pluton ended up after the defeat, the previous Imu had no idea.
But he had some thoughts on the matter.
The appearance of Pluton, in the eyes of the previous Imu, was nothing particularly special. But to him, the transmigrator, it looked somewhat familiar! It bore a striking resemblance to a combination of the future "Ark Maxim" and the "Thousand Sunny," though the battleship was much larger in scale, and the amount of gold used far exceeded that of the Ark Maxim.
This was rather intriguing.
It was understandable that Franky, in the future, had come into contact with the blueprints for Pluton.
But what about Enel?
Clearly, he had either seen the actual Pluton or a similar blueprint somewhere. So where had he seen it? Another point: according to the original story, Enel had completely destroyed his homeland, Birka. But the problem was that he hadn't yet built the Ark Maxim at that time, so he couldn't have used the ultimate technique, Raigo. So how did he destroy Birka? Imu had a bold speculation.
Perhaps, back then, Enel had discovered the wreckage of Pluton in some corner of Birka Island, where he also found the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit, learned related technological skills, and uncovered some ancestral information about the "Endless Vearth" on the moon.
Later, while using his abilities, he accidentally activated it, much like how he would accidentally activate the underground city after reaching the moon in the future.
However, the relentless passage of hundreds of years proved too harsh. The overly dilapidated 'Pluton' triggered the remaining energy from its past upon activation, unleashing a final attack or self-destructing on the spot, leading to the complete destruction and disappearance of Birca Island.
Enel himself, having transformed into his elemental form, remained unharmed. But now aware of his ancestors' origins from the moon and having witnessed the terrifying power of 'Pluton,' he forcefully became the 'New God' upon arriving in the 'Land of Gods.' He gathered gold and manpower in an attempt to recreate 'Pluton,' but due to limitations in resources and technology, he only managed to create the 'Ark Maxim'! "So, the true body of Pluton is most likely now on Birca Sky Island, located ten thousand meters above the ground," Imu stopped his sword dance and murmured to himself.
"Indeed, it can fly. It's quite logical for those people to hide it on some sky island to prevent me from obtaining Pluton!"