One piece: Imu sits on the throne.

[Scene: Pangaea Castle – The Room of Authority]

The chamber is dim, lit only by golden chandeliers casting long shadows across the floor. Marble pillars loom in silence. At the center sits a massive round table — the Five Elders seated in a crescent formation. Their expressions are cold and unreadable.

King Cobra Nefertari (stepping forward calmly, though his voice bears the weight of his kingdom): "I thank you for granting this audience. I come not only as a representative of Alabasta... but as a descendant of Queen Lily. I have only one question: why did she never return from the Reverie centuries ago?"

The Elders exchange glances, their aged faces betraying only the faintest flicker of tension.

Saint Shepherd Ju Peter (with an impassive tone): "Queen Lily was among the twenty founders who created the World Government. After that, her whereabouts became unknown. Her actions were... her own."

King Cobra (narrowing his eyes): "And yet her name was never engraved among the twenty. Alabasta chose not to become a Celestial Dragon. Why? What happened to her? What is the meaning of the name she left behind... the name of 'D'?"

Silence falls. The air seems to thicken. The Five Elders’ eyes sharpen — and then, all five rise in unison.

A low rumble echoes from the grand staircase behind them. A presence descends — slow, deliberate footsteps. A shadowy figure emerges, their form obscured by a flowing dark robe. The temperature drops.

Saint Marcus Mars (quietly, almost reverently): "You dare utter that name here… in her presence?"

From the upper level of the chamber, Imu steps into view. The hooded figure walks down the staircase without a word. With each step, the golden floor seems to ripple, as though reacting to a power beyond comprehension.

King Cobra (visibly shaken, staring at the figure): "...Who is this?"

Imu reaches the base of the staircase, their face still shrouded in shadow. The Five Elders step aside, reverent and silent, as if making way for something greater.

Then, with slow, steady steps, Imu crosses the chamber—approaching the Empty Throne. Around it stand the legendary swords of the Twenty Founders, embedded into the stone in a symbol of shared rule and the vow that no one shall ever sit upon it.

Imu does not stop.

She walks between the blades without hesitation, their tips nearly brushing her cloak, undisturbed by the symbolism meant to deny any single ruler. Without even acknowledging the swords, Imu ascends the short flight of steps… and sits.

Upon the Empty Throne.

The very air seems to recoil. A silence deeper than any before fills the room.

Imu (voice soft, androgynous, and chilling): "Nefertari Cobra… descendant of the one who defied us."

King Cobra takes a half step back, the weight of generations pressing on his shoulders. Sweat beads at his brow.

Imu: "I have waited centuries to meet the blood of Lily.”