In Imu's opinion, with the abilities Rain had just displayed, there was only one explanation that made sense:
it had to be the Paramecia fruit known as the Size-Size Fruit.
At first glance, the fruit only allowed the user to alter their own body's proportions—shrinking or enlarging at will.
But… what if the ability was pushed to its very limits?
Could that explain Rain's overwhelming power?
The possibility was real.
Many Paramecia abilities that looked unimpressive in their base state could, after creative development, reveal world-shaking potential.
And now, a fruit Imu once considered trivial had blossomed into something terrifying in Rain's hands.
"Super Evasion!"
The next instant, Rain blurred into motion, dodging even faster than divine judgment itself. His body expanded mid-move, powered by his form magic layered over the fruit's ability.
Imu's gaze sharpened. A faint light flickered in those ancient eyes. His right hand curled into a fist.
"Boom!"
His punch struck out with divine weight.
Rain met it head-on, his enlarged form intercepting the blow. The ground beneath them cracked like glass, shockwaves rattling the Holy Land.
Rain's body trembled, his arm screaming under the strain—but he had blocked it.
Blocked Imu's punch.
Yet even then, Imu's face remained calm, as if he had only used a fraction of his true strength. The gap between them was still vast.
Without hesitation, Imu stretched out both hands, claws reaching to seize Rain.
"Boom!"
But space itself seemed to stretch—the distance between them warped. Imu's grasp closed on air.
"!"
Imu's pupils narrowed. His body blurred, rushing forward once more.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Fists and blades collided, shockwaves rippling outward in waves.
The battlefield could no longer endure it. The walls, the ground, even the sacred halls of Pangaea Castle—everything cracked, shattered, and collapsed.
The figures of Rain and Imu burst into view for all onlookers to see.
"Shrink!"
Rain's form tightened instantly. The grievous wounds he had sustained compressed down to pinpricks, vanishing almost entirely.
It cost him a chunk of magic power, but to him it felt like nothing—barely a scratch.
Imu's lips curved into the faintest sneer.
"I want to see the limits of your power. When I sever your neck… will you still be able to regenerate?"
Rain bared his teeth in a grin.
"Try me!"
As long as his arms and legs remained intact, he couldn't care less about surface wounds. Pain was meaningless...he had already transcended it.
"Who the hell is that?!"
Dragon's voice shook as he stared from afar. None of the revolutionaries had ever seen Imu before, and now they were watching someone who looked like the very foundation of the World Government itself.
Rain had already proven he could fight the Admirals. His strength was undeniable.
But here? Against this being called Imu? Rain was being pressed down.
"Sure enough…"
The Five Elders finally allowed themselves to breathe.
"As expected of Lord Imu. No matter the threat, with him here, the balance will not break."
Still, their gazes darkened with greed.
"Such an ability cannot be allowed to wander freely. Once Lord Imu has finished, we must recover that Devil Fruit."
"Yes. Abilities like this… must belong to the World Government."
"Boom!"
The Red Line itself groaned under the strain of the battle.
A section of the Holy Land tore upward, twisting unnaturally.
"Ground Roll!"
The Red Line's crust rose like a dragon, spiraling into a colossal tornado of stone and earth that slammed toward Imu.
"???"
The Five Elders were dumbfounded.
"Wait… the Size-Size Fruit can do this?!"
The scene looked far too familiar.
"Isn't this… the Golden Lion's ability?"
But no—this was different. Rain had fused the fruit's powers with form magic, creating something utterly unprecedented.
"Begone."
A single pulse of energy erupted from Imu's body, violent and absolute.
"Boom!!!"
The tornado shattered into a rain of rubble, thousands of stone fragments flying in every direction like artillery shells.
Rain's eyes lit up.
"Perfect."
He pierced through the storm of debris, blade in hand, driving straight toward Imu.
The weapon—his "Ace"—glimmered with killing intent.
"Kamusari!"
Imu's right hand morphed into a palm-blade, descending toward Rain's neck.
"Die!"
"Bring it on!"
Rain's roar shook the air as he thrust Ace forward.
Neither dodged. Neither yielded.
One sought to sever a head.
The other to pierce a heart.
Steel met flesh.
Rain struck first. The blade bit into Imu's flesh, carving a shallow wound...barely a centimeter deep. Yet it was a miracle to wound Imu at all.
And Rain knew it.
"Enlarge!!!"
He poured every drop of magic power into the wound.
"Boom!"
Imu's pupils widened.
His body ballooned grotesquely, swelling like an overinflated sphere—then exploded in a thunderous detonation.
Rain staggered back, chest heaving. A grin spread across his face.
"It worked."
No matter how divine the enemy, could they really remain untouched by this?
Smoke cleared.
A voice rose from the ruin, trembling yet ecstatic.
"It really… hurts…"
Imu's lips curled into a blissful smile. His expression was intoxicated, as though savoring a long-lost delicacy.
"Pain… I haven't felt it in centuries. Truly… I am alive."
The Five Elders' eyes widened in disbelief.
And Rain's blood ran cold.
"It's a pity," Imu murmured, his tone almost gentle.
"For I have long since transcended mortality. Eternal life is mine. And so… your attack still falls short."
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