A Losing Battle, the Rescue Fighter Arrives

"Bang!"

The Azure Dragon Kaido had transformed into was sent flying by a suddenly lashing tentacle, his massive body carving a deep trench through the ground.

"Worororo...!"

He had barely struggled to his feet when more Haki-coated tentacles came after him like shadows.

At the critical moment, a brilliant blade flash swept past.

"Slash!"

Several tentacles were severed at once. Whitebeard's towering figure stood before Kaido, the vibrating sphere around Murakumogiri humming without end.

"Thanks, Newgate!"

Kaido spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, reverted to human form, and gripped his spiked club tightly.

"Don't get too reckless, Kaido."

Rocks' voice came from the other side.

He swung his blade and cut apart a spider limb trying to ambush him, his eyes sharp.

"This monster isn't like your previous opponents!"

At that moment, a delicate balance had formed at the center of the battlefield.

Rocks and Whitebeard stood side by side, while Charlotte Linlin rode thunder and flame as she circled one flank.

On the other side of the battlefield, Roger and Garp—those mortal enemies—were standing not far apart, facing that indescribable giant demon together.

"Sudden Assault!"

"Thunder Bagua!"

"Divine Departure!"

"Fist Bone Meteor!"

Powerful attacks continuously slammed into Imu's body, erupting with Haki lightning in every direction.

Yet no matter how gruesome the wounds they inflicted, that pillar-like creature always regenerated as good as new.

Every attack was futile.

Among them, only Rocks did not rush to attack. Instead, he carefully observed from the side.

"Rocks, what's gotten into you today?" Linlin complained as she controlled Zeus to evade another sweeping strike.

"You were never this hesitant in a fight before."

Rocks knocked aside a stabbing tentacle and said in a low voice,

"Can't be helped. I promised that kid."

"I never thought you'd listen to an apprentice sailor," Whitebeard said, swinging his blade in a wide arc and unleashing a shockwave. He laughed heartily.

"Gurararara! I'm getting more and more interested in that little fellow!"

The group drew close again, their breathing noticeably ragged.

The prolonged, high-intensity battle against an almost immortal monster was rapidly draining their stamina.

"This won't work!" Linlin shouted irritably.

"This damn thing can't be killed! Its strength is absurd too! If this drags on, we'll be the first to collapse!"

"I know!" Rocks frowned deeply, his mind racing. "I'm thinking of a way too!"

Elsewhere, Garp roared and charged forward again, both fists covered in Armament Haki.

"You little pest! I won't let you do whatever you want anymore!!"

"Fist Bone Impact!"

At almost the same time, Roger's gaze sharpened nearby. His famed sword Ace crackled with Conqueror's Haki lightning as he unleashed a heaven-cleaving strike!

"Divine Departure!"

The two attacks, powerful enough to easily destroy mountains, struck Imu's body head-on.

Yet black light surged, and the wounds regenerated again at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Roger! I never asked for your help!" Garp shouted unhappily after landing.

"This isn't the time to fight over prey, Garp!" Roger's expression was grave.

"You should have noticed by now. Fighting like this is completely pointless!"

Just then, Imu seemed to have been enraged. A Conqueror's Haki even more terrifying and oppressive than before swept across the entire island.

Even the clouds in the sky were blown away.

Its cold gaze pierced through the barriers of space and locked onto Rocks.

"Those... women... and children of the Davy Family... and you..."

A fragmented yet infinitely malicious thought entered Rocks' mind.

"I will not... spare... a single one..."

"Stop!!! What are you trying to do?!!" Hearing Imu's voice echo in the depths of his mind,

the fury Rocks had been suppressing instantly overwhelmed his reason.

His eyes turned bloodshot, and his Conqueror's Haki erupted out of control. Without regard for anything else, he rushed forward!

"Don't be impulsive, Rocks!" Whitebeard shouted urgently.

But Rocks had already turned into a bolt of black lightning, his curved blade carrying hatred that could tear apart everything as it slashed viciously toward Imu!

"Clang—!!"

A thicker spider leg blocked his slash.

At the same time, several tentacles silently circled behind him and stabbed toward Rocks' defenseless back.

At that perilous moment—

"Rocks—! Duck!!"

A familiar shout came from the horizon, drawing closer.

Rocks' pupils contracted. He exerted force and knocked away Imu's block, then lowered himself and swung his curved blade backward repeatedly, temporarily forcing back the incoming tentacles.

Then he looked up.

In the sky, a magnificent Phoenix spread its burning wings and swooped down at astonishing speed.

It was Lin Nuo, in his complete form!

"!..."

Imu also noticed this sudden development.

The pillar-like creature slowly turned and looked toward Lin Nuo in the air.

When it sensed the aura of the Lunarians, the "natural enemies of the gods," even more violent fury spread outward.

A tentacle instantly shot toward Lin Nuo in midair.

"Watch out!!"

Facing an attack capable of instantly killing most powerful fighters, Lin Nuo showed no fear.

"I knew this would happen!"

"Gaban! Rayleigh! Cut her down for me!!" Lin Nuo roared!

"Ohhh!!"

"Kid! Don't order me around!!"

The two men hanging from his left and right hands erupted with powerful auras at the same time!

"Eighty Owl Commanders!"

"Sky-Splitting Fall!"

Brilliant slashing light flared. Rayleigh and Gaban, the two pillars of the Roger Pirates, swung their blades at the same time.

Their strikes precisely and violently cut apart and shattered every tentacle closing in around them.

Thus, Lin Nuo moved like a nimble heavy fighter jet, with Rayleigh hanging from his left hand and Gaban from his right.

He used superb flying techniques to dodge attacks while relying on the two top-tier fighters to cut through encirclements he could not evade.

They successfully crossed the zone of death, made a graceful turn, and landed steadily beside Rocks!

"Roger! Are you okay?" The moment they landed, Rayleigh and Gaban released Lin Nuo and hurried over to Roger.

Rocks, meanwhile, simply raised his hand and gave Lin Nuo a neither-light-nor-heavy knock on the head.

"Did you complete the mission?" he asked, his tone giving nothing away.

"Of course I completed it!" Lin Nuo said as he dispelled his Phoenix Model and rubbed his head.

"Then why did you come back?" Rocks stared at him. "This still isn't a battle you can interfere in!"

"I already ate the Phoenix Fruit. If I still act all timid when it's time to do something, wouldn't I have eaten it for nothing?"

Lin Nuo raised his chin, a confident, even somewhat arrogant smile on his face as he met Rocks' eyes without backing down.

Whitebeard, Linlin, and Kaido also gathered around, their varied gazes assessing this audacious "apprentice sailor."

"Gurararara! Kid, you've got guts!" Whitebeard was the first to let out a hearty laugh.

Curiosity flashed in Linlin's eyes, while Kaido merely snorted, seemingly still doubtful of Lin Nuo's strength.

"Don't worry," Lin Nuo said with certainty as he looked around at these future emperors of the sea. "I have a way to get all of you out safely!"

He turned back toward Kuma, who had been tightly clutching his shoulder. "Kuma, how is it? Can you still use your ability?"

Kuma's little face had gone somewhat pale from strain. He tried with all his might, but ultimately shook his head.

"No... It's too heavy. I can't use it."

Imu's terrifying Haki, which blanketed the entire battlefield like shackles, severely suppressed the use of Devil Fruit abilities.

While they exchanged information, Imu had already completely recovered from its injuries.

Several spider legs came crashing down toward where they stood once more!

Boom—

Rocks, Whitebeard, Linlin, Kaido, Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban struck at the same time.

Haki of every color erupted as they forcibly withstood the blow! The ground cracked inch by inch!