"Gyehahahahaha..."
"You so-called noble Celestial Dragons?"
"You're nothing but a bunch of bloated parasites!"
"Let's see how you like the taste of being trampled underfoot!"
A wide, arrogant grin split Rocks's face as he watched the Celestial Dragons scatter in a mad panic across the Pangu Castle plaza, his laughter booming over their screams.
Behind them, writhing dragons of black water surged and snapped, chasing them down and forcing the self-proclaimed gods to flee for their lives.
"No... Don't kill me!"
"I'm a noble Celestial Dragon!"
"You bastard, the Marines won't let you get away with this!"
The cries of the Celestial Dragons were music to Rocks's ears, and the smile on his face grew ever wider. Beneath his boot lay one of their own, his face bruised and swollen, his blood pooling on the pristine stones of the plaza.
Deciding he had played with them long enough, Rocks's expression hardened. A powerful surge of Haki erupted from his body, and countless streaks of black and red lightning flashed across the square, slamming directly into the minds of the fleeing nobles.
Boom!
The force struck them like a physical blow. Their bodies froze for an instant before they collapsed to the ground. These pampered, useless Celestial Dragons stood no chance against Rocks's Conqueror's Haki. A single burst was enough to render them all unconscious.
"About time to go!"
Rocks glanced up at the sky. He could sense that Imu would soon be free to deal with him, and he knew it was time to retreat.
The black water dragons coiled around the unconscious Celestial Dragons, sweeping them up before surging towards the open sea. With a powerful leap, Rocks followed close behind.
"Imu, trust me, I'll be back for you soon!" Rocks declared, his voice filled with unshakable resolve.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
With a final spray of water, Rocks and his captives vanished from sight. Two seconds later, Imu's figure materialized in the center of the devastated plaza. Their face, hidden within the shadows of a cloak, betrayed no emotion.
After a moment of stillness, Imu's form disappeared as well.
They had a premonition that Rocks's purpose here was not so simple. He would not have taken such a great risk merely to kidnap a few Celestial Dragons.
"What could it be?"
"The legend of the Davy Clan?"
"Or something left behind by the Ancient Kingdom?"
Seated upon the throne of swords, Imu's mind raced, but the answer eluded them. They were certain the Ancient Kingdom had left nothing of significance behind. In that case, it had to be the legend of the Davy Clan.
"When the Black Moon rises, the curse shall fall, and all who are cursed will turn to skeletons beneath the moonlight."
Imu repeated the ancient prophecy under their breath.
"Lord Imu! You summoned us?"
Just then, Chox and several other members of the God's Knights appeared below the throne, bowing respectfully. They had been summoned by Imu's command.
"Find Ryuuto's body. I need confirmation that he is truly dead!" Imu's voice echoed through the hall, laced with a chilling肅殺.
"Yes, My Lord!"
Chox and the others trembled before immediately prostrating themselves. A profound fear filled their hearts. Lord Imu was truly omnipotent, to have slain even someone as powerful as Ryuuto. Chox himself had once tested Ryuuto's strength and knew how formidable he was.
The knights departed from the chamber in solemn silence, the coordinates of Ryuuto's last known location already being transmitted to their minds.
"When the Black Moon rises? A curse?"
In the quiet hall, Imu repeated the words. Even after living for eight hundred years, the legend of the Davy Clan remained a complete mystery to them.
The reason was simple—it was a prophecy spread by Davy Jones himself, a glimpse of the future he had seen after seizing the power of the "God of the Sea." Not even Davy Jones, were he resurrected, could guarantee it would come to pass.
As the former King of the World, before the "God of the Forest" had yet descended, Davy Jones held dominion over all the seas. He was the undisputed ruler of the world. Then, the Lunarians arrived, bringing technology far beyond that of the era. They established the Ancient Kingdom and unified the continent. For a time, all races lived in harmony under their rule.
But this peace was not to last. Davy Jones soon set his sights on them, and a great war erupted between the Ancient Kingdom and the master of the seas. The conflict raged for a long time, its violence so great that it shattered the world's single landmass into countless islands.
Ultimately, the Ancient Kingdom triumphed over Davy Jones, the man who wielded the power of the "God of the Sea." But their victory came at a terrible price. They sacrificed all their infinite energy to create the "God of Hellfire"—the Red Line—to seal away the Sea God and Davy Jones along with him.
The war twisted the Ancient Kingdom, making them cruel and tyrannical. They began a campaign of slaughter against humanity, and an age of oppression dawned upon the world. After all, the Ancient Kingdom was primarily composed of Lunarians. To them, those not of their kind could not be trusted.
In response to the Ancient Kingdom's madness, and seeing their weakened state, a coalition of twenty kings rose up with the ambition to replace them. Initially, they fought for the noble ideal of liberating all of humanity, with Joy Boy as their leader. His great love for all people united the various races under his banner. But soon, ambition and greed began to fester among the twenty kings.
Imu was one of them.
And so, another war began, this one between the Twenty Kingdoms and the Ancient Kingdom. The fighting was long and brutal, driving many species to extinction. But in the end, under Joy Boy's leadership, the coalition was victorious.
Then came the story of Imu's theft of the "God of the Forest's" power.
In an effort to restore the ravaged world and help it flourish once more, Joy Boy and his allies expended a vast amount of their remaining energy to awaken the God of the Forest. But Imu, hiding in the shadows, seized the opportunity to assassinate Joy Boy.
In that moment of betrayal, Imu stole the authority of the "God of the Forest."
However, the God of the Forest, a being of kindness and life, seemed to reject Imu's nature. To thwart Imu's ambition, it scattered its power across the world. This gave rise to the fruits that would later be known as "Devil Fruits." As long as they carried the dreams of the people, Devil Fruits would continue to appear, born from the will of the people.
This was all due to the power of the God of the Forest, the guardian of the land itself.
But Joy Boy, as a leader, had his own countermeasures. Even as he died, he enacted his revenge upon Imu. He weakened the man-made "God of Hellfire," lessening its suppressive power over the "God of the Sea."
As a result, Imu faced the full backlash of the Sea God.
This is why Imu could never leave Mary Geoise. They had to constantly use their own power to suppress the God of the Sea, sitting atop the "God of Hellfire" to reinforce the seal with their combined strength. This is also why Devil Fruit users are weak to seawater—it is the authority of the God of the Sea clashing with the authority of the God of the Forest. The ocean is the Sea God's domain, and no other gods are welcome there.
Everything had a reason.
As for the demonic powers Imu wielded, the explanation was simple. Since Imu had stolen the power of the God of the Forest, they possessed a portion of its abilities. The "God of the Forest's" power manifested in many forms, which were divided into three main categories: Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia. These were the three types of Devil Fruits.
They were meant to be blessings for the people of the world. But Imu, for their own selfish desires, hoarded these blessings. The Zoan abilities suffered the most, as their power was corrupted and blackened into demonic forms. Had they not been hoarded, they would have been divine beasts—Azure Dragons, Qilins, and Phoenixes. Instead, they became monstrous spiders and demonic bulls.
This is why Imu could command so many demons. And it is why "Devil Fruits" are called what they are. Perhaps they were originally meant to be called "Forest Fruits," but because of Imu, they became forever associated with devils.
It all made sense now.
This was also why Imu was so terrified of the name "Davy Jones." They had witnessed his power firsthand. It took the combined strength of the entire world to defeat him. He was the impossibly powerful agent of the "God of the Sea."
"This world is becoming more and more chaotic..."
"The inertia of time is relentless."
"No matter how hard I try, 'Gods' continue to appear. Perhaps Joy Boy was right. This world belongs to us, to mortals, not to gods. Humanity should never have sought the power of gods."
"Gods should be worshipped from a distance!"
"Or they should be slain!"
"There is no good end for those who become 'Gods'."
"Not for Davy Jones, and not for me."
"Perhaps... we chose the wrong path from the very beginning!"
Imu's thoughts drifted. They had a premonition that the battle between themself and Davy Jones was about to begin. The war between gods was fast approaching, and a sense of urgency gripped them.
That was why they had immediately dispatched the God's Knights to confirm Ryuuto's death. They could not afford to have Ryuuto suddenly appear and disrupt things while they were fighting "Davy Jones." To Imu, Ryuuto was an unpredictable variable that had to be eliminated. They had to deal with him before the final battle, for they could already sense the immense danger he posed.
The "Davy Jones" mentioned here referred to the "God of the Sea," not the current Rocks. He had yet to master the god's power. He was still green.
But Rocks undoubtedly possessed the talent of the Davy Clan. Imu was certain that the next time they met, he would be much stronger.
Then, the candles in the chamber extinguished, plunging the room into darkness.
Imu's figure vanished.
They desperately needed the "Mother Flame." When Imu reappeared, they were in a laboratory where Vegapunk was running a series of tests. A gigantic machine, connected to a web of pipes, hummed with power. In front of it lay massive piles of gold—the Heavenly Tribute Imu had been collecting. This, too, was for the creation of the Mother Flame.
As for why Vegapunk was here, it was due to York's betrayal. She was currently processing data for him.
"Vegapunk, what is your status?" Imu's voice descended upon the scientist, carrying an immense pressure.
On a nearby chair, Kizaru's body went rigid. His hand, holding a cup of hot tea, froze in mid-air. He was here ostensibly to work for Vegapunk, but in reality, he was here to protect him. This was the resolve of a veteran spy—no matter how dangerous the situation, he had to use his position to protect his comrades.
But clearly, Imu was outside that scope of protection. He was certain Imu could kill him in an instant. That being was not something a human could ever hope to defeat. Kizaru abandoned all thought of resistance, pretending not to see Imu at all.
"Almost there. One more round of tests, and it should be stable," Vegapunk said, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. The pressure from Imu was immense, making him incredibly tense.
"I need it as soon as possible. The sooner, the better."
"Do you understand?" Imu's hoarse voice seemed to echo directly inside Vegapunk's mind.
"Understood!"
"I will complete it in the shortest time possible!" Vegapunk replied immediately.
Imu's red eyes glinted. Without another word, they disappeared, leaving only a faint afterimage.
"Haaa..."
"That was terrifying!"
Once Imu was gone, Vegapunk, having weathered the storm, collapsed onto the floor, covered in sweat and gasping for breath.
"The world is changing too fast," Kizaru sighed heavily.
...
At a port on an island in the New World, a figure washed ashore. After drifting for hours, he had finally surfaced.
"Quick, come over here! I found someone!" a teenage girl with pigtails and freckles shouted towards a large ship docked in the harbor.
"Who is that?"
"He looks badly injured."
"Alan, let's bring him into the ship's cabin," a man with a thick beard said as the crew gathered around. He appeared to be their leader.
...