"Clang--!"
The surrounding air exploded in all directions, clearing away the black flames and ruins within a radius of 100 meters.
The ground sank, as if it had been pressed down by an invisible hand.
Gaban's twin axes pressed down on the Black Blade, and where the axe blades met the blade, purplish-black Inazuma and black flames tore at each other, emitting a sharp, explosive sound.
"The remnants of Roger Pirates dare to act arrogantly before a god."
Imu flicked his wrist, and the power surging from the Black Blade sent Gaban staggering back several steps.
Gaban steadied himself, shook his numb wrists, and charged forward once more.
This time he was even fiercer.
The two axes spun like two purplish-black storms.
Each axe blow carried a resolute determination to perish together with the opponent, completely abandoning defense and seeking only to injure them.
Imu took a half step back.
Gaban's axe blade grazed the hem of his black robe, making a cut.
Imu's pupils contracted slightly.
Black Blade flashed, and black flames surged forth like a waterfall.
Gaban's axe cleaved through the black flames countless times, but each time it was blocked by the Black Blade, blocked firmly.
The sound of knives clashing with axes echoed through the sky like war drums.
Imu gripped his sword with both hands and slashed down, unleashing a black beam of light that stretched across the heavens and earth.
Where the black light passed, even the air was cut in two, as if a crack had been cleaved open in the world.
Gaban blocked it with his two axes.
The moment the axe blade collided with the Black Blade, both axes shattered simultaneously.
Metal fragments flew in all directions.
Gaban's right arm was cleanly severed from his shoulder, as if it had been cut off from his body by a larger knife.
Fresh blood gushed out like a burst water pipe.
Gaban's body flew backward, tracing an arc in the air before crashing into a pile of rubble.
"Old man--!" Zoro's shout tore through the entire battlefield.
at the same time.
Deep in the Underworld.
Loki opened his eyes at that moment.
Like two suns bursting forth from the darkness.
The aura emanating from above was like a bucket of ice water poured on his nerves, making his blood boil.
"Get out of my way!" Loki shoved the ship's doctor aside and ripped off his bandages and IV lines.
His body began to change.
Black dragon scales emerged from beneath his skin, covering every inch of his muscle.
His bones were cracking, like countless thunderclaps exploding inside him. His body was expanding, expanding, and expanding again.
The Iron Thunder flew automatically into his hand, and the lightning condensed on the hammerhead, like a thunderstorm compressed to its extreme.
" Imu--!"
Loki's voice transformed into a dragon's roar.
The Mythical Zoan Ultimate form of the Nidhogg Fruit, the Dark Dragon, is being displayed in this world for the first time.
The dragon spread its wings, and the walls of the Underworld cave were crushed and collapsed.
The wildness that had been restrained for many years by the Seastone chains erupted at this moment.
·······
The battlefield of the upper realm.
Imu, holding Black Blade, stood before the ruins where Gaban had fallen.
The blade tip dipped to the ground, black flames dripping from its blade like drops of solidified night.
" The Nezumi are all taken care of."
His voice was as cold as wind seeping from an icy shell.
Who's next?
Imu raised his Black Blade, turned his gaze to the ruins, and took a step towards the direction where Gaban had fallen.
The blade left a charred trail on the ground.
"It seems I asked unnecessary questions."
There will always be plenty of fools in this world who overestimate their abilities.
The black flames reignited on the tip of the blade, stronger, denser, and darker than before.
The flames on the blade pulsed as if alive, devouring the surrounding air and emitting hollow whistles.
"Roar--!"
A massive black shadow crashed out from the entrance to the Underworld.
The dragon's massive body blotted out half the sky.
Each of the black dragon scales was the size of a millstone, and when the dragon's wings were spread out, they almost covered the entire ruins of the village.
The dragon held Lightning in its mouth, and with each breath, dark red Inazuma crackled and struck the air.
Loki's Nidhogg Form was revealed to the world in its entirety for the first time.
"What... is that...?" Sanji tilted his head back, his pupils dilating.
Zoro was also stunned. "How could there be such a monster down on the island...?"
Only Gaban, lying amidst the ruins, looked at the overwhelming black shadow overhead, forcing a weak smile, " Loki... that brat."
The dragon circled once in the air, the gale-force winds from its wings dispersing the black flames.
Then he swooped down, and just before he touched the ground, his black dragon body rapidly shrank, transforming back into a giant seventy meters tall.
Loki landed on the ground, the rock beneath his feet cracking from the force of his impact.
He gripped the Iron Thunder, his vertical pupils beneath the bandages sweeping across the battlefield.
The greatsword and Giant Axe were driven into the ground, Dorry and Brogy stood with their backs to him, covered in blood and wounds.
Blood-red eyes, demonic wings, and fangs in its mouth.
Loki's brain felt like it had been struck by Inazuma.
That night from many years ago reappeared in my mind's eye; my father lay in a pool of blood, his body covered with the same demonic markings.
"Yes..."
Loki's voice trembled, but it wasn't from fear; it was from extreme rage.
"It was you... it was you who did it..."
He abruptly turned to Imu, Lightning Lightning in Imu golden vertical pupils.
"You controlled my father! You turned him into that monster!"
"Is that right!?"
Loki's voice boomed like thunder, making the surrounding air tremble.
Imu stood still, not even brushing the dust off his black robe.
He looked up at Loki, his gaze no different from that of someone looking at an angry beast.
"Foolish giant," Imu said.
"Your father wasn't even worth using as a pawn in my game. He was simply too weak."
"Then open your eyes wide and see how I, this pawn, have overturned your chessboard!" Loki roared, Iron Thunder high above his head.
As if receiving a command from its master, the lightning on the hammerhead converged wildly from the sky.
"Boom--!"
The hammer, imbued with boundless force, slammed towards Imu.
Imu raised his Black Blade to parry.
The world seemed to freeze for a moment when the blade collided with the hammer.
The shockwave exploded between the two, blowing everything within a radius of hundreds of meters away.
Scorched earth, rubble, black flames, and ruined buildings were all torn to pieces by this force.
Even the Straw Hat Pirates members, who were thousands of meters away, were pushed backward by the blast wave.
" Imu —I've come to take your life!"
His voice was like two mountains colliding, booming with Lightning and fire.
Iron Thunder raised it high above his head again, Loki's arms, covered in black scales, bulged with muscles, and the giant hammer slammed down.
The entire ground collapsed in all directions from the point of impact of the Iron Thunder, and the shockwave spread like a raging tide.
The trees and ruins within a radius of several miles were uprooted, and even the smoke and dust in the sky were blown away in an instant.
Lightning erupted from the ground, transforming into pillars of lightning that shattered the entire battlefield into countless fragments.
Imu's figure moved through the lightning, like a black fish swimming in a net woven by Inazuma.
But this time he wasn't as composed as before.
Loki's Lightning contains Conqueror's Haki, and it's on a completely different level from Luffy's punch.
The hammer came crashing down from the side, Imu raised his sword to block it.
The clash of the knife and hammer created a deafening roar that sent shockwaves through the surrounding air.
Lightning Inazuma from the Iron Thunder lunged at Imu like thousands of snakes, while black flames surged from the blade to meet them.
The two forces clashed in mid-air, lifting a layer off the ground.