As the dark shadow sank into him, the wrinkles on Imu's face vanished. His skin regained its luster, and if his white beard and hair had not remained in place, he would have looked like an ordinary middle-aged man.
White hair, youthful face.
That was the impression Imu gave now.
"I underestimated that brat. He's got more nerve than most..."
Imu gazed out the window, stars seeming to gather in his eyes as he murmured softly.
"But it doesn't matter. This is nothing... Now that my power has returned, everything else is meaningless."
With that, he glanced back at the unconscious Oric.
"What a shame... I'll have to find another batch of fools. What should I call them this time?"
"The... Chosen?"
Rumble!!!
The Red Line trembled. The Lightning Spear was tiny beside it, but destructive power could not be measured by size. The shockwave tore through everything in its path, ripping apart solid rock.
Only after a long while did it gradually fade.
Kong stood and looked into the distance. His face stiffened, and he held his breath.
"This is...!!"
Ahead of him, where Ron had hurled the Lightning Spear, a crater had appeared in the Red Line. The terrifying blast had ground even the hard red stone to dust. A desert-like wasteland stretched into the distance, crisscrossed by ravines, while the lingering currents swept up clouds of debris.
How big was the crater?
About a third of the Red Line's depth. Its area was impossible to calculate, but Marineford would have fit inside it with room to spare.
Was this a natural disaster?
No. It was man-made!
As the dust slowly cleared, Kaido stood with his feet planted wide near the crater's center. Shock filled his eyes, and a chilling gash ran from his shoulder to his lower