Rumble, rumble, rumble...
A terrifying thunderous roar descended from the heavens like the wrath of a god. The three-colored spear erupted with a horrifying aura, carrying supreme might as it stabbed toward Imu.
Seeing Luffy once again use elemental power to attack him, the corners of Imu's demonic mouth suddenly stretched upward in a crazed grin, revealing a row of razor-sharp fangs.
"It's useless!!! You are not truly him! Your attacks cannot harm me in any way!!!"
Imu laughed wildly.
But it had to be said—he did indeed have the right to be this arrogant.
From the generation of his ancestors onward, after hiding in the shadows for countless years and finally coming into contact with the Solar Crystal, he had long since decided what wish and what power he would ask of it.
Haki? Devil Fruit abilities? Natural elements?
All of it fell within his dominion.
One could say that aside from the Nika Fruit, which had been bestowed with immense power of wishes, nothing in this world could harm him.
Originally, he had still feared Luffy's Nika power and had never dared to face Luffy head-on. Only after the World Government had been forced into a desperate situation did he have no choice but to appear.
But what Imu had never expected was...
Luffy's Nika form was completely different from the Joy Boy in his memories!!!
His power had not reached true "freedom." The power he used was still within Imu's range of control!!!
At least...
That was what Imu believed in this moment!
Facing the grand, earthshaking elemental spear, Imu showed not the slightest sign of retreat. Instead, he extended a demonic claw covered in scales and grabbed forward, preparing to let Luffy witness what true despair was!
However, in the very next second...
Pshhht!!!
After the blazing elemental spear touched Imu's palm, it showed no sign of stopping whatsoever. It directly pierced through his hand and drove itself into his shoulder.
Boom!!!!!
At that moment, the elemental spear, which contained terrifying might, suddenly exploded, releasing a heaven-shaking roar. Surging lightning, scorching flames, and bone-chilling frost—the power of the three great elements seemed to divide into three as if by design, spreading outward around Imu's body.
"How is this possible!?"
Imu's Rinnegan-like eyes abruptly contracted. In the next instant, endless agony surged through his entire body.
"Gaaah!!!"
The intense pain made Imu, who had not been injured in more than eight hundred years, let out a miserable scream.
"Lord Imu!!!"
Drawn by Imu's scream, Saint Nusjuro and Saint Warcury abruptly turned their heads.
Don't joke around!
They were still waiting for Lord Imu to dispose of that Straw Hat brat on the other side, then come support them!
How had they waited and waited, only to suddenly hear Lord Imu scream in agony!?
In an instant, both Saint Nusjuro and Saint Warcury felt as though their hearts had turned to ash.
No way. Were they really going to die here today!?
...
...
Something was wrong!
Nine parts out of ten were wrong!!!
Imu had once imagined that Luffy might inherit Joy Boy's power and gain the ability to break through his defenses.
For that, he had already made preparations long ago.
After all, he had not spent eight hundred years merely eating for free.
It was just that no matter how Imu thought about it, he had never expected Luffy to still be able to hurt him even when his Nika power was insufficient.
"Why can your attack harm me?"
His body paralyzed by lightning, Imu stiffly voiced his disbelief.
The unknown was the root of fear.
He could not understand why his already invincible self could still be injured by lightning.
"It's simple~"
And right at that moment, Luffy's voice pierced through the smoke of the explosion and rang beside Imu's ears.
"Because my power doesn't come from this world at all!!!"
Sizzle~!!!
A dazzling bolt of lightning suddenly pierced through the smoke and dust filling the sky. Luffy's heavy fist, wrapped in lightning, shot out of the haze and once again smashed viciously into Imu's body.
Having suffered the paralysis and freezing effects of the triple attack, Imu had no time to dodge. Once again, he took Luffy's Thunder Punch head-on. Even with his hundreds-of-meters-tall demonic body, under Luffy's punch, he could not help but hunch over.
"Is this all you've got!?"
Snap~
Using his fist as an anchor point, Luffy followed up with his rubber ability and chased in close, a puzzled expression appearing on his face.
Because Red had always emphasized how powerful Imu was, Luffy had always treated Imu with boundless caution and vigilance.
And in truth, Imu's abilities were indeed absurdly overpowered.
He nullified Haki, nullified impact, possessed an infinitely regenerating body, and was immune to all elements and the powers of nature!
It could be said that aside from the same Nika power Joy Boy possessed, which could liberate the powers under his dominion, no one in the entire pirate world had the ability to face him head-on.
That was why, in the original timeline, only Luffy could have been Imu's opponent.
However, now, Pokémon energy from another space-time had completely broken free from the scope of Imu's dominion.
Before Luffy—or rather, before the Straw Hat Pirates—Imu's power of dominion no longer had any room to function.
"Damn insect!!!"
After receiving another heavy blow, Imu's face twisted savagely. The demonic wings behind him suddenly spread wide. Pitch-black lightning abruptly flashed, tearing through the void.
"Do not think that just because you can hurt me, you are free to get carried away!!!"
Boom!!!
The injured Imu suddenly released a furious roar.
In any case, he had once been a leading figure among the Twenty Royal Families. Although his combat strength was not on the level of that monster Joy Boy, he was definitely no weakling!!!
For a moment, blazing flames, roaring lightning, and freezing ice suddenly bloomed across the joints of his demonic wings.
Since Imu could control nature, he could naturally also use the power of nature in battle.
And this strike was Imu's counterattack to Luffy's elemental spear.
Whoosh!!!
Three beams of energy suddenly fired, pouring endless power onto Luffy's massive body.
In the blink of an eye, Luffy's enormous form was swallowed by a storm of multicolored energy.
Seeing this, a cold sneer suddenly appeared at the corner of Imu's mouth.
The power of elements was not Luffy's home field!
He, who could control nature, was the true master of this world!
But just as Imu was feeling smug over his attack, Luffy's completely unpanicked voice suddenly rang out from the center of the elemental storm.
"Gum-Gum... Light Screen Barrier!!!"
Swish!
A semi-transparent energy wall like a mirror suddenly appeared in the center of the storm. As the storm rotated, it gained a miraculous elasticity, and in the blink of an eye, it built a towering wall within the energy storm.
From behind the Light Screen, a figure suddenly flashed.
A burst of fire abruptly shot upward, soaring straight into the clouds.
The Light Screen dispersed with a sound, and the surging flames followed the momentum, roaring in every direction and canceling out all of Imu's elemental attacks.
And at the location of the starship torn apart by the elemental storm, Luffy's figure was already nowhere to be seen.
Imu's pupils shrank, and he abruptly raised his head to look high into the sky.
He saw that Luffy's body had, at some unknown point, transformed into a massive rocket, charging into the atmosphere and looking down at Imu from above.
With Imu's extraordinary eyesight, he could even see the brilliant smile at the corner of Luffy's mouth.
For some reason, a bad premonition suddenly rose in Imu's heart.
Just as he was warily wondering what powerful move Luffy would use next, he saw the rocket formed from Luffy's lower body once again spurt out a brilliant blaze, as if setting the sky itself aflame, dyeing the entire world a vivid red.
Under Imu's astonished gaze, Luffy spread both arms, and they suddenly transformed into two airplane wings.
Like a child playing with a glider, he laughed loudly as he enjoyed the thrill of high speed and high altitude, all while aiming himself at Imu's body.
Boom!!!
Propelled by the blazing flames, Luffy soon arrived directly above Imu.
Imu forcefully raised his head. Just as he was wondering what Luffy was doing, he saw Luffy's wings transform back into arms. They then suddenly stretched out and grabbed fiercely at his demonic wings.
"Damn insect, what are you trying to do!!!"
Imu roared in fury.
But Luffy, who was already having the time of his life, had no intention of caring about this or that. With strength surging through both hands, he directly lifted Imu's enormous body into the air.
Boom!!!
The rocket tail fins fired again, propelling Luffy's body rapidly upward.
"Bastard!!!"
Imu was furious. Vast lightning power gathered around him once again and continuously bombarded Luffy.
Unfortunately, perhaps because he was too angry, or perhaps because eight hundred years had dulled his brain, he seemed to have forgotten...
The user of the Nika Fruit feared lightning attacks the least!!!
Accompanied by a piercing sound of breaking air and an arc of red light streaking across the horizon, Luffy carried Imu and directly broke through the atmosphere, flying toward outer space.
"Lord Imu!!!"
Watching Imu vanish directly into the sky, Saint Nusjuro and Saint Warcury, who were being pressured step by step by Zoro, saw the light in their eyes vanish completely.
"This is bad! Saint Nusjuro! Contact Aokiji quickly and ask why they still haven't arrived!?"
After barely dodging one of Zoro's slashes, having already experienced the power of God-Slaying swordsmanship, Saint Warcury hurriedly shouted at the bald man beside him.
"I know!!!"
Taking advantage of the brief moment while Zoro and Saint Warcury were locked in combat, Saint Nusjuro quickly took out a special Den Den Mushi from his robes and pressed the call button.
The Den Den Mushi rang twice. Immediately afterward, a lazy voice came through.
"Hello? What's the matter, Five Elders?"
"Hm!?" Saint Nusjuro frowned. For some reason, he felt that Aokiji's tone at this moment seemed slightly different from usual.
But very quickly, seeing Zoro's attack forcibly blocked by Saint Warcury at the cost of injury, he could not care about that anymore and directly asked,
"Where are you now!?"
"Have you still not entered the Pokémon Sea!?"
Because the starry warship controlled by Imu had been far too fast, the Five Elders had not traveled together with the World Government fleet.
But according to the original plan, the fleet should have already arrived here by now.
Boom!!!
Just then, a clear sound of cannon fire came from the other side of the Den Den Mushi, forcing back the words Saint Nusjuro had originally wanted to say.
His brows furrowed tightly. "Did you encounter the Straw Hat Pirates?"
"..."
Aokiji was silent at first. Only after a moment did he respond faintly,
"Yeah."
"But don't worry. It's not the main force of the Straw Hat Pirates. We'll be able to reach the front battlefield very soon!"
Hearing this, Saint Nusjuro's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had seen hope once again.
"Good!"
"Deal with the enemy as quickly as possible. We need support here!"
The ever-arrogant Celestial Dragons—the Five Elders—when facing a threat to their lives, had no choice but to set aside all airs and seek help from the lower mortals they had once looked down upon.
Over the past year or so, the Marines' middle- and high-level combat strength had increased explosively.
If they had their support, at the very least, the Five Elders would suffer a few fewer slashes.
They simply refused to believe it...
Facing the Marines' vast army and two Admiral-level fighters, could Zoro really keep fighting forever?!
Moreover, when the time came, as long as Aokiji and the others could hold back that fellow called Sanji and release Saint Mars and Saint Peter, their following battle would become much easier.
Unfortunately...
The anxious Saint Nusjuro did not notice that in the final instant before the Den Den Mushi call ended, the face of the Den Den Mushi raised a meaningful smile.
...
...
At the same time.
On a stretch of sea still some distance away from the front battlefield.
Aokiji, standing atop the head of a frost giant, put down the Den Den Mushi. Then he abruptly turned his head and smiled amusingly at Fujitora, who was hovering in midair.
"Did you hear that?"
"The Five Elders want us to reach the battlefield as quickly as possible!?"
"We can't drag out the battle here any longer!"
"That is true~" Issho said expressionlessly, merely nodding calmly.
In the next moment, however, he abruptly drew his sword and released a strange gravitational fluctuation toward the sky.
Half a minute later, a massive fireball suddenly appeared in the distant sky and rapidly charged down toward the sea below.
The heavens were abruptly torn apart. A meteorite hundreds of meters in diameter, wrapped in roaring flames, split through the clouds and crashed thunderously into the ocean.
The sea surface was suddenly pressed into a giant depression by the meteorite. Within that depression, countless warships were directly swallowed by the surging waves.
On the warships, one N-CP agent after another, all dressed in suits and leather shoes, had faces filled with confusion.
They did not understand why the Marines, who had clearly held command over this fleet, would suddenly attack them.
Unfortunately, these were things they could only go and understand in their next lives.
Issho slowly turned his head away. Even though doing so still could not stop him from sensing lives constantly disappearing, it seemed that at least this made his heart feel a little better.
"Don't think too much, Issho!"
At this moment, Aokiji beside him suddenly spoke.
"They have already been deeply poisoned by the World Government. Whether in body, mind, or will, they are beyond saving."
"The new world no longer has any room for them to survive."
"Perhaps for them, this is also a form of release."
"...Mm." Issho responded softly, seeming to accept Aokiji's comfort.
As the supreme commander of the entire army, Aokiji was quite decisive. He directly dispersed the frost giant beneath his feet, then looked toward the distant battlefield and smiled faintly.
"Then... next, we advance at full speed and hurry to the front battlefield!!!"
"We can't let the honorable Five Elders... wait too long, now~"
"They'll start getting anxious, you know~"
(End of Chapter)