Imu? Don't Know, Ron, Go Up and Fight Him

"Boom...!"

Right at that moment, a massive five-pointed star magic circle suddenly rose into the air from the stone temple atop the mountain, black-and-red arcs of electricity crackling across its patterns.

Following closely, a thick dark-red arc of electricity tore across the vault of heaven like a rift in the firmament, striking precisely into the stone temple.

"Bang...!"

The stone temple shattered instantly, rubble and a plume of dust soaring into the sky.

A figure slowly materialized in the center of the five-pointed star magic circle on the ground.

The person bore black curved horns pointing upward, resembling the symbol of some ancient demon.

His features were lean and pale, with two faint tear stains on his cheeks, and his long, silver-white, curly hair fluffed and fluttered about.

He wore black-and-gold retro-patterned robes, the hems embroidered with intricate symbols that looked like long-lost writing.

A ring of black mist floated behind him, its surface dense with countless dark-red eyes that slowly rotated, their gazes seemingly able to pierce through all disguises.

Skull decorations hung beneath him, his overall aura eerie, alluring, and cold, like a deity stepped out of an ancient scroll.

Perhaps because the teleportation had suffered a backlash, the moment he descended, his chest heaved violently, and a trickle of fresh blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He slowly raised a hand to wipe away the blood, an evil yet alluring smile appearing on his face.

Imu slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the chaotic battlefield before him, and spoke in a voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation: "New Davy... Is this the graveyard you chose for yourself?"

As his words fell, a pair of massive black wings suddenly sprouted from his back. With a single spread of his wings, his form shot toward a certain direction like a black flash of lightning.

Meanwhile, over on Ron's side.

Seeing the battle draw to a close, Kaido hurried over to Ron's side, and the two walked together toward the spot where Sengoku had fallen, intending to check if Sengoku was dead and, if not, deliver a coup de grâce.

Yet they had not even taken a few steps.

Across the horizon, a black shadow swept past at blinding speed. Following immediately after with a "boom," that shadow landed right in the spot where Ron had blown up the blonde woman just moments ago.

Ron and Kaido spun around simultaneously, their gazes locking onto the figure ahead.

Imu merely glanced over the traces on the ground, his expression entirely devoid of change, and then he slowly turned to face Ron and Kaido.

"Ron..." Kaido lowered his voice. "Another one's here."

Ron did not reply. His gaze remained locked tightly on that figure, his expression turning grave.

This devil-like creature before him was someone he had never seen anywhere; neither in the original story nor within his memories did this face exist.

Strong.

Ron made the most concise judgment in his mind.

"Imu!" Ron tentatively spoke up. His voice was not loud, yet it fell clearly into Imu's ears.

"Imu? Who?" Kaido tilted his head in curiosity. "A friend of yours?"

Imu's gaze had originally been as calm as stagnant water, but when he heard those two words—"Imu"—slip from Ron's lips, that stagnant water was struck by a stone, and his eyes shifted for the very first time.

"Who are you?" Imu's voice remained flat. "How do you know?"

Shit!!!

Half of Ron's heart turned cold.

He had originally just wanted to test the waters... to see the opponent's reaction. Now, seeing this reaction, he didn't even need to think to know that this devil-looking guy actually really was Imu himself.

And... this Imu looked completely different from the image he had previously seen on screen.

What the hell, Weitian, just what kind of things are you hiding?!

"Are we going up, Ron?" Kaido asked in a low voice from the side. "Should we use the Eight Gates this time, or that big guy?"

Ron did not answer immediately.

"Kaido." He spoke softly.

"What is it? Don't tell me the plan changed again?" Kaido pressed.

Before Ron could reply, Imu had already begun slowly walking toward them, the dark-red eyes on the ring of black mist behind his back spinning gently with every step he took.

"Answer me." Imu's voice was colder than before.

Ron's gaze darted around rapidly, and then he suddenly jerked his chin up toward the direction behind Imu and shouted, "Davy... Have you finally arrived?!"

Imu's gaze instantly froze, instinctively looking back behind himself.

It was this very instant.

"Boom...!"

Ron's body suddenly erupted with golden light, transforming directly into a Golden Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, and without a moment's hesitation, he spun around and bolted.

Imu quickly snapped his head back, the expression on his face shifting once again.

"You know Davy? You know me?" Imu murmured in a low voice.

Then he spread his wings and gave furious chase in Ron's direction.

Inside the Golden Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, Kaido looked at Ron in utter incomprehension, his voice laced with thick confusion: "What's the situation? Weren't we going up to fight him?"

"Idiot!" Ron cursed. "Can you fight just anyone?! That guy is the mastermind behind the World Government... You brat have really screwed me over!"

"The mastermind behind the World Government? Him?" Kaido's face was plastered with shock. "Why not exchange a few blows first? What if you can beat him?"

"Go to hell..." Ron couldn't help unleashing a stream of profanity. "That guy has lived for eight hundred years! You don't even have to think to know that anyone who lives this long is a scheming old bastard! We don't know a single thing about him... Fight my ass!"

Kaido fell silent for two seconds, then obediently let out an "Oh": "That's true."

As the Golden Nine-Tailed Fox Demon ran, Ron suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure suspended mid-air: Golden Lion Shiki!!

That fellow was floating lazily in mid-air. Upon hearing the commotion, he turned around, his expression freezing at first, but once the Golden Nine-Tailed Fox Demon drew closer, he quickly made out Ron and Kaido inside its form.

Following that, the Golden Lion's mouth split into a grin as he laughed, "Ron? Kaido? Gyahahaha..."

After letting out a hearty laugh, the Golden Lion quickly added, "Hey, Kaido, did you guys find that God-Tier Devil Fruit?"

The moment those words fell, the Golden Nine-Tailed Fox Demon flashed right past him.

The Golden Lion's gaze tracked the receding Golden Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, and he said with dissatisfaction, "Bastard, completely ignoring me."

However, Ron's voice drifted back shortly after.

"I got it, brother, I got it... The God-Tier Fruit is on the guy right behind us!"

The Golden Lion was slightly stunned, instinctively turning his head, and indeed saw some ghost-like monster flying over.

"Gyahahaha..." The Golden Lion abruptly adjusted his posture, blocking Imu's path. "Ron... I, Shiki, will remember this favor of yours!"

Imu didn't even slow down. He roared furiously, "Get lost!"

Then he grabbed at the empty air... A spear of black mist materialized out of thin air in his hand, arcs of dark-red electricity crackling along its shaft.

The Golden Lion suddenly stopped smiling. His Observation Haki had foreseen an extremely intense danger.

Without almost any hesitation, he spun around and rapidly gave chase in Ron's direction.

"Hey, Ron!" The Golden Lion shouted with a hint of annoyance. "What the hell is the thing behind us?!"

"Swoosh!"

Right as the Golden Lion finished speaking, a spear of black mist shot out from Imu's hand, instantly unleashing a sonic boom that tore through the air as it chased straight toward the Golden Lion's back.

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