Meeting the Sword Head-On

The storm stopped.

Imu hovered above the shattered ice field.

He gripped the pitch-black Codex Sword so tightly his knuckles strained.

The scent of death filled the air.

Its tip pointed straight at Luffy below.

Ancient curse runes lit up along the blade, one by one.

A dark red glow illuminated half of Imu's expressionless face.

The glow carried a deadly pull.

The demonic energy left on the battlefield bent toward the sword.

Black water writhed across the ice.

Energy rose from the monsters' remains.

They awaited the final command.

That sword had become the absolute center of everything.

Luffy looked up.

His feet held firm on the cracked ice.

The turbulent energy whipped his white hair wildly.

He did not retreat a step.

White flames blazed around his fists at their fiercest.

Scorching heat and bitter cold clashed.

He met the darkness above with pure white light.

Imu tightened his grip on the hilt.

The pressure at the sword's tip tore through the air.

A black ripple spread from the blade.

His gaze pierced the snowstorm.

His eyes fixed on the spot between Luffy's brows.

There was no warmth in his voice.

"Someone who could force me to use the Codex Sword."

Imu spoke coldly.

"You are the first since Joy Boy."

The words rang across the battlefield.

It was a judgment from the King of the World.

An acknowledgment as ancient as it was terrifying.

Eight hundred years ago, the Codex Sword had been a nightmare of the great war.

It had cut down the brightest hope of the Old Era.

Imu had placed Luffy on the same level of threat as Joy Boy.

The testing was over.

He would end this battle with the full force of his power.

He would erase this anomaly of the New