A Strike Before Burning Out

The storm over the far northern ice fields had stopped.

The air high above had solidified into glue.

Chen Ye floated ten thousand meters in the air, his eyes slightly closed.

His Observation Haki became an invisible sea of needles, piercing the battlefield below and locking firmly onto Imu's heart.

He had caught the rhythm of that ancient darkness as it revolved.

That power activated extremely slowly.

It was like a colossal beast turning over in the mud at the bottom of an abyss, every rotation so heavy it suffocated those who witnessed it.

With every revolution of the darkness, the space around Imu grew denser.

Light could not escape.

Sound was completely swallowed.

Imu had no intention of attacking first.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the Sun God's flames within Luffy to burn completely dry.

Waiting for Luffy to fall into the lowest point of his strength.

This was a hunt carried out with absolute confidence.

Below, Luffy's pursuit came to an abrupt halt.

He jerked his sword back, sliding several dozen meters with both feet. His combat boots plowed two charred black cracks into the mirrorlike ice.

Inertia sent ice shards flying through the air.

Luffy stopped.

He gripped the First Generation Divine Weapon with both hands, pressing the greatsword's tip firmly against the ice to support his swaying body.

He panted heavily.

His chest heaved violently, and every breath sprayed white mist and faint golden sparks.

The golden light around him was no longer brilliant.

The radiance flickered violently three times in succession.

It brightened.

It went out.

It brightened again.

It went out again.

Every flicker marked a massive decline in the Life Flame within his body.

Luffy lowered his head.

Sweat dripped from his chin and instantly froze into beads of ice on the surface.