"Hmph, Imu, you are just a mere snake. How could you possibly match me, a dragon?" Ashveil said, his voice dripping with disdain.
At the same time, he could not resist taunting her further.
"I thought you would be more advanced than that fellow Bickley, but you are of the same ilk. You changed your appearance to gain some advantage, but it's truly pathetic," Ashveil added with a slight smile, his tone playful yet scornful.
Below, the Whitebeard Pirates stared in utter shock at the colossal dragon and serpent conjured by the two. Their faces were frozen in awe and disbelief.
"This… this immense Conqueror's Haki… it can't be real…" Urouge muttered, eyes wide.
No matter how he imagined it, he could not fathom how anyone could manifest Conqueror's Haki into such gargantuan forms. Even for someone like him, a Haki user, this was inconceivable.
Doflamingo, standing beside him, swallowed hard, equally dumbfounded.
"This… this is truly a top-tier battle," Whitebeard Edward Newgate said slowly, his gaze fixed on the sky.
Golden Lion Shiki, even as an uncrowned king, looked utterly convinced. The sheer abundance of Haki on display far surpassed anything he could hope to wield in his lifetime.
"Yes, Whitebeard. Compared to our era, this clash is boundless in strength," Shiki said, awe evident in his voice.
Elsewhere, the United Army and the other spectators were also stunned. They were thankful for Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki wall, which shielded them from the catastrophic aftershocks.
"This collision of Conqueror's Haki is a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. A battle of this level cannot simply be witnessed at leisure," Kong muttered, gazing at the sky.
Garp, however, focused on Imu.
"I never expected that Imu… this so-called God, ancestor of the Celestial Dragons, would look so… ugly," Garp muttered, glancing at Sword Saint Bickley, still unconscious from Ashveil's strike.
"Garp, do not speak so carelessly. That is Lord Imu," Buddha Sengoku warned hastily. Any indiscretion could be fatal if Imu overheard.
"Hahaha! Sengoku, you old fool, thinking about hierarchy at a time like this?" Garp laughed loudly.
Observing Sengoku's confusion, Garp grinned. "Do you really think Imu would spare us? The god of this world would never allow anyone to witness her true monstrous appearance. Hahaha!"
Sengoku's mind raced, recalling past events like the Buster Call Ohara incident. The world's darkness, the so-called justice of the Marines—it was all a fabricated lie orchestrated by Imu herself.
"Garp… you're saying that the justice we believed in… is false?" Sengoku asked quietly.
"Justice? I began doubting it from the moment the Marines captured Roger. The so-called justice only serves the victors. Today, I understand the truth," Garp replied with a weary smile.
The Elder of the Five Elders chimed in, voice grave. "The so-called justice of the Marines is merely one of Imu's tools to control the World. I have served Lord Imu for centuries; I know this world far better than you."
On the battlefield, the spectacle intensified.
A nine-headed hydra, its body covered in magma, collided with a colossal Eastern dragon, equally magma-laden. The world shook with their thunderous clash, the ground beneath them obliterated, and everything within a thousand-kilometer radius annihilated.
Clouds were torn from the sky, seas surged into the air, and the space itself descended into chaos. If not for Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki wall, the Whitebeard Pirates would have been obliterated instantly.
The heat rose dramatically, boiling the sea. Admiral Aokiji activated his Ice Age, cooling the area somewhat and stabilizing the Haki wall.
Witnessing this apocalyptic scene, the Whitebeard Pirates and the United Army were left dumbfounded, barely able to comprehend the scale.
"This is a battle of gods!" Golden Lion Shiki exclaimed, awestruck.
A massive mushroom cloud loomed over the Whitebeard Pirates' area, visible for thousands of kilometers. People across the world marveled at the explosion, unsure whether it was divine wrath or the clash of peerless warriors.
Meanwhile, Ashveil and Imu stared at each other, neither breaking composure. Their previous collision had neutralized each other's attacks, proving their fight was evenly matched.
The sea boiled with Ashveil's magma power, the aftershocks rolling over the ocean. Ashveil's expression remained calm, while Imu's composure faltered. This young man had withstood her full-power strike—a first in her centuries of rule.
"What's wrong, Imu? Your expression doesn't seem so confident. Planning to surrender?" Ashveil narrowed his eyes, a subtle smile on his lips.
Imu's breathing became heavy. For the first time in her life, she felt the stirrings of fear. This young man before her was no ordinary fighter—he was a threat she could not ignore.
Below, the Elders of the Five Elders watched in disbelief. The laborer-clad elder's eyes widened, bloodshot with shock.
"You're joking… Imu… is at a disadvantage?!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru observed closely. "Look… her breathing is labored. In a duel between true masters, even subtle differences like this can shift the tide of battle," she explained.
Sengoku, witnessing this, muttered in awe, "I never expected that even the Creator God of this world is no match for Ashveil."
Garp, ever blunt, added, "Creator God? She's just a monster in disguise. Her true form is that of a demon!"
The Whitebeard Pirates exhaled in relief, seeing their champion hold his ground against the world's so-called god.