On the Ark Maxim, everyone stood on the deck, looking up at the huge pentagram magic circle above Elbaf.
Tesoro's cigar had long since gone out. He opened his mouth, his voice dry:
"Hey, hey, hey... you're kidding, right... this kind of power..."
Bullet stared at the sky, his fists clenching unconsciously.
Ace stood at the bow of the Whitebeard Pirates ' ship, flames dancing uncontrollably around him.
His lips were pressed tightly together, his eyes fixed on the direction of Elbaf, as if trying to pierce through the entire sea and see Luffy's current predicament.
Kaido's grip on the Hassaikai suddenly tightened, his knuckles turning white.
His face bore an expression no one had ever seen before—his brows were furrowed, and a barely perceptible hint of fear flashed in his eyes.
That moment of hesitation was fleeting, but Roy saw it clearly.
"Thinking of God Valley?" Roy's voice was indifferent, as if he were asking casually.
Kaido did not answer.
For the first time, that frenzied fighting spirit calmed down, like a flame being suppressed by ice.
Roy looked up at the sky again and sighed inwardly.
" Imu. After eight hundred years, he has finally stepped out from among the Flower Room."
Above Elbaf, bolts of black lightning from the center of the magic circle crashed down one after another.
The final, thickest bolt of black lightning struck Aurous Castle.
The stone walls shattered like paper, and the entire castle was reduced to dust in the lightning, leaving not a single intact brick behind.
A figure slowly descended from the center of the magic circle.
The black robe was as dark as night, and the figure was indistinct.
The only thing that was clear was those eyes.
Those eyes pierced through everything—black flames, lightning, smoke, distance, physical bodies—seeing directly into the depths of everyone's soul.
The Conqueror's Haki erupted in full force.
That's something that can't be described by the word " Haki ".
It's like an inverted ocean, pouring down from the sky and crushing over everyone's soul.
The weaker giant warriors fell to their knees, their knees shattering the stone slabs.
The children had all collapsed, their breathing becoming intermittent.
Gaban narrowed his eyes slightly and lowered his body by half an inch.
This was the first time he had shown such a serious expression today.
Both Zoro and Sanji felt the oppressive aura.
It felt as if all the gravity in the world had been concentrated on this one island, and every inch of air had turned to lead.
Luffy looked up at Imu.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, Gear Fifth his white hair danced wildly in the storm, but the flames in his eyes burned even brighter than before.
"Who are you?" Luffy asked.
His voice wasn't loud, but on this earth-shattering battlefield, every word was crystal clear.
Imu did not answer.
He raised his hand, palm down, and pressed down gently.
The ground beneath Luffy's feet suddenly collapsed.
In that instant, his body was pressed into the ground by an irresistible force, and a crack hundreds of meters deep appeared in the ground. Luffy's white figure grew smaller and smaller in the crack until it was swallowed by the darkness.
" Luffy--!"
Zoro and Sanji charged forward at the same time, but Imu only glanced at them before they were struck by some force and sent flying backward, crashing into several houses.
The ground closed up again.
Luffy was buried alive underground.
Meanwhile, deep within the Underworld, Loki's eyelids twitched suddenly.
The oppressive feeling coming from above made his blood boil.
His pupils suddenly dilated, the golden vertical pupils shining frighteningly in the darkness.
His body was still recovering, and his wounds were still hurting, but he could feel something happening above him.
"This aura..." Loki gasped, his fingers digging into the ground.
On the other side of the island, in an open area isolated by black flames.
Two Red Hair men are facing off.
Shanks's longsword was already drawn.
Black and red Inazuma crackled on Gryphon's blade, illuminating half of his face.
Opposite him, Shamrock gripped the demonically aura-filled blade, a sickly smile on his face.
"See? I told you, this world ultimately belongs to Lord Imu."
Shanks ignored him. He simply held his sword horizontally in front of him and said in a deep voice:
You won't get past me today.
Shamrock burst into laughter.
Their blades clashed again, and black and red Inazuma and cyan demonic energy erupted simultaneously, tearing a gash in the surrounding black flames.
"Boom!"
The closed ground shattered with a deafening roar.
Luffy crawled out from underground.
His Gear Fifth hasn't dissipated yet.
A white figure burst through the scorched earth and emerged from the crack, its body covered in wounds, but its laughter was louder than before.
"Hehehe--Ouch! It really hurts!"
He stood on the scorched earth, looking up at Imu, his smile exactly the same as that of Joy Boy from eight hundred years ago.
"But I haven't lost yet!"
Imu landed slowly.
The hem of his black robe swept across the scorched earth, and the black flames receded automatically at his feet, like a pack of wild dogs being driven away by their master.
He finally spoke.
The sound was like an echo from an abyss, surging in from all directions, each word like a boulder crashing into everyone's heart.
" Joy Boy, I've been waiting for you for so long."
Luffy straightened up and walked towards Imu.
Each step shattered the scorched earth beneath their feet, each step carried an undeniable determination.
I don't care who you are.
"I am Luffy, the man destined to become the Pirate King!"
On the Ark Maxim, Roy slowly stood up.
His Telekinesis lifted his body into the air, his black trench coat fluttering in the storm.
The cadres behind him rose into the sky like stars, following him as he flew towards Elbaf.
Roy's voice traveled through the sea breeze and reached everyone's ears.
"Let's go and meet the master of this world."
Kaido gripped the Hassaikai and lashed his dragon tail across the deck.
He raised his head and let out a deafening dragon roar, soaring into the air, his azure dragon body gleaming eerily in the moonlight.
" Imu--! I'm here to kill you--!"
Bullet, Hawk Eyes, Crocodile, Tesoro, Red Count, Kuma, Moria, Yamato, Savi, Kuina, Rebecca, Bonney, Enel, Charon, Pea, Jesus Burgess, Van Augur, Lafitte, Lucci, Kazami, Bar...
The entire high-end combat force of the coalition was mobilized at this moment.
On the sea, the fleets of the Beasts Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates were like two sharp blades, flanking from both sides.
The black hulls of the three Pluton Battleship sliced through the sea, their Seastone cannons all aimed at the CP forces on the Elbaf coastline.
Kyros's voice came through the communicator. " Roy, the CP fleet in the southwest has been cleared. Requesting permission to join the main battlefield."
"Keep up," Roy said.
He took one last look at the black-robed figure beneath the pentagram array, and a very slight smile appeared on his lips.
"Eight hundred years."
It's time to put an end to this.
The night sky was completely torn apart by black lightning and fire.
Above Elbaf, the pentagram magic circle continued to rotate slowly, like an open entrance to an abyss, swallowing all the light.
Directly below the magic circle, Imu slowly raised his head and looked towards the sea.