In the dead of night, the moon hung high, and the stars filled the sky.
The Holy Land Mary Geoise, the city perched atop the Red Line Continent, remained as brightly lit and resplendent as ever, exuding the dignity of the highest seat of power.
Inside Pangaea Castle, Lord Imu once again sat upon the Empty Throne, gazing down at the five figures kneeling on the red carpet below.
To be honest, it had been quite some time since they had gathered here.
After all, everyone was busy.
And matters that weren't particularly important naturally didn't require a meeting in this place. But today was different. The Five Elders had come to seek guidance on a matter concerning the Navy.
"Lord Imu, Dr. Fritz, the director of the Biochemical Research Institute, has requested technical support to address the negative emotions such as fear, bloodlust, and brutality contained within the Kabane Virus."
"After deliberation, we believe that Tsuru, the Chief of Staff of Marine Headquarters, can provide assistance. Specifically, by using the abilities of the Paramecia-type Wash-Wash Fruit to cleanse the extreme negative emotions of the infected who have lost their self-awareness."
"However, doing so would inevitably require revealing the matter of the Stargate to Marine Headquarters. Given the gravity of the situation, we had no choice but to seek your personal guidance!"
Topman Warcury Saint, kneeling in the center, spoke respectfully in a deep, resonant voice that echoed through the cold, dimly lit hall.
Imu listened and began to ponder.
He understood their point. The matter of the Stargate would inevitably have to be disclosed to the Navy. Many high-ranking officials within the World Government already knew about it.
However, since the Five Elders had not yet issued an internal disclosure order to the Grand Council, the senior officials had tacitly maintained an attitude of "you know, I know, but we don't speak of it."
In matters like this, no one dared to speak out of turn. Otherwise, if something went wrong, their tongues might remain intact, but their lives would likely be forfeit.
The key issue was determining the appropriate time to inform Marine Headquarters. From there, the question extended to when to disclose it internally and when to make it fully public.
These were all considerations that needed to be taken into account.
The reason they hadn't informed Marine Headquarters yet was, first, because the small Stargate was indeed too small—not even vehicles could pass through, let alone warships. So, what use would it be to tell the Navy?
Second, the Navy had been extremely busy with other matters recently, so there was no need to inform them. But now, the Biochemical Research Institute had a pressing need.
Finally, Imu issued his supreme command.
"Tomorrow, the Supreme Command Council will convene the high-ranking officers of the three branches of the military and inform them of the Stargate matter. At the same time, proceed with the planned reforms step by step!"
Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro immediately replied in a respectful tone, "As you command!"
The Five Elders also understood Imu's intention. It seemed he had agreed to allow Tsuru to enter the Stargate World. By the way, for convenience, it now had a codename.
Namely, No. 0001 Kabane World!
"Lord Imu, your idea to release the citizens of the Nation of Disobedience from Tequila Wolf and use prisoners from the first four underground levels of Impel Down and other prisons as labor for bridge construction is truly a stroke of genius."
"The scale of manpower, military forces, and ships required for this plan is simply too vast. It would be difficult to complete in a short time. Preliminary estimates suggest it would take at least one to two years to minimize the negative impact on the bridge construction project."
Seated on the Empty Throne, Lord Imu nodded subtly in agreement.
Indeed.
Returning nearly a million citizens of the Nation of Disobedience to their homelands and then sending hundreds of thousands of prisoners to the Nation of Bridges to replace them in the bridge construction would undoubtedly be a long and intricate process.
Not to mention, the Navy would undoubtedly be busy again, as their battleships would be needed for escort duties in every aspect of this operation.
This was just as well.
The current Stargate was too small to require the Navy's involvement, so it was better to have them contribute to the development of the local world.
However, perhaps a basic shipyard could be established in the Kabane world, and a battleship could be built using local materials to test the feasibility?
Immediately, he issued a direct command to explore this idea.
"My lord, should we summon shipwrights from Water 7?"
Topman Warcury Saint's inquiry was met with a cold rejection from Imu. He had no intention of letting anyone outside the World Government know about the Stargate World yet.
Although Water 7 had been contracted to build a batch of Navy battleships and even exclusively produced the 'War Beast'-class battleships used for the Buster Call, this did not mean they were the only ones capable of building battleships. There were several other islands with shipbuilding capabilities, though Water 7 was the most renowned. Moreover, the World Government itself had its own shipyards.
As for shipwrights, there was no shortage of them.
At most, their efficiency might not match that of the master craftsmen from Water 7, but this was entirely acceptable.
"Accelerate the establishment of the Police Affairs Department under the Court of Justice, and expedite the relocation of the Bounty Research Office at Marine Headquarters!"
Imu's cold directive carried a clear tone of displeasure. He was deeply dissatisfied with the progress of the Court of Justice.
This caused Jaygarcia Saturn Saint to panic, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"Lord Imu, the Court of Justice has already initiated the plan for the Police Affairs Department. One hundred selected Navy branches across the four seas are being repurposed into Police Stations. However, the Construction Division has delayed this project, citing a lack of manpower."
"Additionally, the proposal to transfer Navy soldiers to the police force has been temporarily rejected by the Navy, as they claim they need a significant number of troops to fully implement this year's agenda."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, representing the military, and Topman Warcury Saint, representing the Government Affairs Office, twitched their lips and lowered their heads, their expressions turning sour.
This was essentially tattling on them in front of Lord Imu!
But the reasons given by the Construction Division and the Navy were valid. These two departments had been the busiest lately, and it seemed they would only get busier in the future.
So, what could be done about the manpower shortage?
Were they supposed to halt their major projects and operations just to accommodate the Court of Justice's desire to establish its own police force?
Wishful thinking!
Meanwhile, Shepherd Ju Peter Saint, who appeared uninvolved on the surface, secretly harbored reservations about the rapid establishment of the Police Affairs Department.
The reason was simple.
According to the division of authority outlined in the plan, all criminal and civil cases occurring on land will now fall under the jurisdiction of the police department within the Police Affairs Department.
Even CIPHER POL, with the exception of the highest-level classified missions, must obtain prior approval from the Police Affairs Department for most of their operations.
In other words, in the future, even if CP9 wants to carry out an assassination, they will have to notify the Police Affairs Department first before they can proceed with the killing!
So, what constitutes a highest-level classified mission?
Simply put, these are missions executed by CP0, which do not require prior notification to the Police Affairs Department. However, after the mission, CIPHER POL headquarters must provide a general overview of the situation to the Police Affairs Department to avoid the police investigating for a long time only to find out they were targeting their own people.
This is quite frustrating!
For centuries, CIPHER POL has operated without such constraints and humiliation. Where have they ever faced such restrictions and indignities?