Roger's Will, Lin Yuan's Sword
When Roger's sword was in Lin Yuan's hand, the hilt was still warm.
It wasn't body heat, but the lingering warmth left by the dissipation of Conqueror's Haki on the blade, flowing from the hilt to the palm, spreading along the fingertips to the wrist, like the last trace left by someone who had just left. Imu's wound had stopped bleeding, but the skin around the wound still retained a deep red hue, transitioning from red to light pink, which stood out clearly against the white robe.
Lin Yuan stood where Roger had vanished, the tip of his sword pointing downwards at the ground.
"Roger's journey is over. Now it's my turn."
Imu stood in the center of the room. The wound on his body had neither healed nor worsened, but the color of the surrounding skin was slowly changing, from dark red to deep brown, like a mark left by some force. Lin Yuan's Spatial Perception confirmed the location of the mark—it had not continued to spread, but it had not faded either.
"You think you can strike a second time just because you took his sword?" Imu's voice came from the shadows. "His sword was able to penetrate because he risked all the rest of his life. How much do you have left?"
"One sword strike is enough for me."
Rocks remained silent, but his right fist was now covered in Armament Haki, thicker than ever before. The hardened layer covered his entire right arm, from shoulder to knuckles, forming a smooth, seamless layer on his skin. Whitebeard held his Naginata horizontally in front of him, the white light of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit coalescing on the blade. Kaido's dragon wings unfurled again, the cracks at the edges of his scales healing as they contracted, his claws now extended. Golden Lion hovered behind Rocks, his Gravity Field expanding outwards, covering the ground and extending towards the ceiling. The field returned to its original size after the spatial contraction dissipated, the floor tiles at the edges cracking continuously. Big Mom stood to Rocks' right, the remaining dozen or so fragments of the Homies Army lined up behind her.
Lin Yuan took a step forward. Roger's sword was thrust forward in his hand—no Conqueror's Haki Coating, no Armament Haki, only the blade itself. The tip of the sword pierced through the gap in Imu's defense and struck Imu's right shoulder.
Imu took a half step back. He looked down at the wound on his right shoulder. The wound was very shallow, only breaking the skin, but blood seeped out—its color was slightly darker than normal blood. It dripped onto the ground, forming a small dark red spot on the paving stones. The edge of the spot slowly spread about a centimeter within a few breaths, seeping into the texture of the stone, and then stopped.
"You didn't just stab him—" Rocks looked at the bloodstain, "You slowed down his recovery."
Roger's Counter-Curse has shattered his immortality. He is now a man who can be killed.
Imu didn't answer. He raised his hands, and the space in the room began to shrink again, but this time the shrinkage was no longer a uniform pressure from the perimeter towards the center—it was from bottom to top. The floor was moving towards the ceiling, and the ground beneath everyone's feet was rising in sync, at a uniform speed, without any tilting, as if the entire room was being turned upside down. The edges of the walls and the floor were constantly cracking, and rubble rose up along the walls, piling up at the angle between the ceiling and the walls, the path back to the ground becoming shorter and shorter, eventually suspending above the ground as a layer of rubble.
Rocks adjusted his center of gravity in mid-air after his feet left the ground, regaining his footing—there was no ground beneath his feet, but he felt grounded in the air, as if there was an invisible, smooth surface supporting him. After Whitebeard's feet left the ground, a small patch of vibrating white light appeared beneath them, forming a thin layer between the floor and the soles of his shoes, lifting him into the air. Kaido's dragon wings unfolded after he left the ground, the wingtips stirring the air in the room as they glided, propelling his body slightly to the side while still airborne. The ground beneath Golden Lion's feet remained stable throughout the ascent, as if Gravity Field had fixed it in place, preventing it from rising with the rest of the body.
After Lin Yuan's feet left the ground, he didn't look for a foothold. He created a doorway beneath his feet, behind which was the area near the ceiling on the other side of the room. He stepped onto the door frame, his body not leaning, his other foot hovering above the ground. Imu's attention shifted to the doorway at the same instant—his right hand paused in mid-air, fingertips pointing towards the door, but he hadn't yet made any move.
Whitebeard's Naginata fell, slamming into the ground beside Imu. The white light of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit exploded at the point of contact, and the shockwave spread outwards from the point of contact, covering the entire floor of the room. Imu's attention turned back to Whitebeard before the shockwave arrived.
Rocks took a step forward—in mid-air, his foot landed on an invisible support surface, and without hesitation, he leaped across the distance, throwing a punch at Imu's face. Imu raised his right hand, the air freezing before his palm, blocking the punch in mid-air, unable to advance or retract. But Rocks' other hand had already slashed in from below—a punch landing on Imu's side, striking the space between his abdomen and ribs. A crease appeared in his clothing at the point of contact, Imu's body tilted about ten degrees to the left. His right hand didn't retract from the defensive stance, but the angle of his ankle's support had changed after the shift in his center of gravity.
Kaido's Dragon Breath erupted from behind him. The intense heat of the flames engulfed both sides of the area where Imu, and the fire trail burned for about four breaths, leaving a charred arc on the ground. Imu did not move—he stood still, the flames swirling around him without directly touching him. But he took about half a breath more to adjust his posture in the direction of the flames.
The Big Mom raised her left hand, and the energy emanating from the Soul-Soul Fruit enveloped the space around Imu. Imu's body paused slightly as the energy swept over him—his right hand hesitated for about a breath before gathering the next defensive barrier, then resumed its movement. At the same moment, the Golden Lion's Gravity Field covered the area above Imu — Imu's shoulders were pressed down about an inch after the Gravity Field covered him, his body slumped slightly under the pressure, his knees bent slightly, and then he returned to an upright posture.
Lin Yuan emerged from the side door. He landed about five steps to Imu's left and slightly in front, closer than before. Roger's sword twirled half a circle in his hand, the blade pointing towards Imu. He did not attack immediately.
"Your attention is wandering. Just now, in that instant, you were facing five directions simultaneously— Rocks's frontal punch, Whitebeard's side attack, Kaido's flames, Big Mom and my soul fluctuations, and Golden Lion's Gravity. Your body can no longer handle all of them at once."
Imu didn't speak. But his body was no longer able to simultaneously defend against attacks from all directions. A brief void appeared on his right side—no defense, no movement, no anticipation of the attack's source.
Lin Yuan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.
"This sword belongs to Roger." Roger's sword twirled half a circle in his hand, blade facing forward. Instead of using Space Folding to shorten the distance, he took a step forward—from five steps to two—and the blade pierced Imu's left rib below, penetrating a finger's depth. The blade made a slight friction sound as it pierced, as if passing through a barrier that was losing its resistance.
Imu's body tilted about ten degrees to the right. Lin Yuan did not draw his sword, but instead loosened his grip on the hilt and took a step back.
Two swords were embedded in Imu's body. One belonged to Roger and was stuck in his left chest and abdomen; the other belonged to Lin Yuan and was stuck below his left rib.
Imu glanced down at them, then looked up. "... How many swords do you have left?"
"Six more people," Lin Yuan said. "That's enough."
(End of Chapter 118)