"Aaaaaah--!"
Imu roared.
The black flames around him surged, making him resemble a black sun, dyeing the sky within a radius of ten thousand meters black.
Eighteen abilities were operating wildly within him, and he even began to burn his own life force.
He could feel his power draining away—the consciousnesses of the eighteen kings were tearing at each other within his body, each power vying for dominance. But he didn't care anymore; he wanted to win, he wanted to crush those two insects into dust.
That's a suicidal fighting style.
"I'm going to burn you all... and this whole world down!"
He threw a punch.
This punch contained the full power of eighteen different abilities: black flames, Lightning, space, gravity, and mental energy... All these powers were twisted together, like a black meteor, hurtling straight towards Roy and Luffy.
Roy and Luffy exchanged a glance.
Neither of them spoke.
But they both saw the same thing in each other's eyes—
"They've arrived."
Roy's Darkness Domain contracted completely at that moment, condensing into a small but incredibly dense black shield, blocking the two of them.
Luffy's white giant fists were simultaneously enveloped in Conqueror's Haki, and white Flame Clouds surged around his fists to their fullest extent.
"Let's go together!" Roy shouted.
"Okay!" Luffy responded.
The two rushed out at the same time.
Roy's Darkness Domain unfolded completely at that moment, like a giant black wing spreading out behind him.
Those wings blotted out the sky, swallowing up all the surrounding light.
The Telekinesis beneath his feet created sonic booms in the air, and he shot straight toward Imu like a black meteor.
Luffy transformed into whirlwinds in the air, his feet seemingly stepping on nothingness.
In his Gear Fifth state, his body transformed into a white Inazuma, flanking Roy on the left and right to attack the thousand-meter-tall demon god.
The black King of Darkness and the white Sun God, like two arrows released from a bow, headed straight for the black meteor.
The three forces collided at an altitude of 10,000 meters.
"Boom--!!!!"
In that instant, the entire Red Line was enveloped by a beam of light that stretched across the heavens and the earth.
People on the ground had to close their eyes and shield their eyes from the blinding light with their arms.
Nami pulled Chopper into her arms, Robin used her Devil Hand to create a barrier above everyone's heads.
Usopp collapsed to the ground, not even noticing the binoculars fall from his hands.
Kaido looked up, not even noticing the Hassaikai slip from his grasp and fall to the ground. His mouth hung open, unable to close for a long time.
Shanks ' flask was long empty, and he stood there, unable to utter a single word.
Beckman was right next to him, and he didn't even react when a cigarette burned his fingers.
Hawk Eyes's hand, gripping the Black Blade Yoru, trembled slightly.
He had seen countless powerful figures, witnessed Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit, and Kaido's dragon breath, but the scale of this battle before him...
This completely exceeded his understanding of the word "strong".
The light lasted for a full three minutes before slowly fading away.
After the light faded, at an altitude of ten thousand meters --
Imu knelt on one knee in mid-air.
His once-thousand-meter-tall body shrank to a few dozen meters.
Most of the black scales on its body were shattered, revealing unnaturally pale skin underneath.
Of the eighteen pairs of eyes, half had already dimmed, and in the remaining pairs, the pupils were trembling irregularly.
Roy stood opposite him.
His black divine armor was shattered beyond recognition, and black mist was still seeping from the wound on his left shoulder. Blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth, but there was no sign of retreat in his indigo eyes.
Shusui's blade had several nicks, but his hand holding the knife remained as steady as a rock.
Luffy stood next to Roy.
The white giant had shrunk back to its normal size. He was covered in wounds and blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth, but he was smiling more happily than anyone else.
"How did it go?" Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs, "Did you beat him?"
Imu looked at the two wounded boys standing before him, and a feeling he hadn't experienced in eight hundred years surged in his eyes.
fear.
He hasn't experienced this thing since the night he betrayed Davy Jones eight hundred years ago.
He is the King of the World, he is a god, he is the closest being to a god on this planet.
But now, he's afraid.
"No... it's impossible..."
His voice was trembling.
"I have merged the power of eighteen kings... I am immortal... I am a god..."
"God?"
Roy took a step forward.
The black mist surrounding him churned even thicker, and the Darkness Domain condensed into a gigantic black hand beside him.
The palm slowly opened, enveloping Imu entirely.
"The power you stole is not enough to live up to this title."
"Eight hundred years ago, you stole Davy Jones's essence. Eight hundred years later, you returned his essence to me."
"You've lived your whole life like a thief."
Imu let out a furious roar.
He knew he couldn't wait any longer.
If he waits any longer, he'll really be worn down to death by these two kids.
He raised his head and looked down at the Red Line below.
There were tens of thousands of Allied soldiers there, and tens of millions of civilians living around the Red Line.
"Since that's the case--"
His voice suddenly turned frantic.
"Then let all living beings on the Red Line be buried with me!"
He placed his hands on the center of his chest.
Black flames surged wildly from his body, not attacking Roy and Luffy, but spreading across the entire Red Line.
He intends to sacrifice the lives of all living beings on the Red Line to restart the Black Turn Grand Array that he failed to complete eight hundred years ago.
Once this ritual is completed, the entire Red Line will turn into scorched earth, and he will absorb the life of all living beings, restoring himself to his peak state.
"You dare!" Luffy roared.
Roy's pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints.
He couldn't let Imu complete the ceremony.
" Luffy!" Roy shouted.
"Um!"
The two people moved at the same time.
At that moment, all the black mist surrounding Roy was drawn out, condensing into a huge black cage.
The cage closed in from all sides, completely enveloping Imu.
" The Black Cage!"
Chains formed from black mist extended from all sides of the cage, wrapping around Imu's limbs, torso, and neck.
Imu's black flames struggled, burned, and frantically tried to tear open the chains.
Roy's Darkness Domain is like an impenetrable net, locking away all of Imu's power.
Imu is unable to move.
He wanted to initiate the sacrificial ritual, but his power was being gradually drained away by the Black Cage.
The black flames dissipated, and the remaining light from the eyes on his body gradually dimmed.
"No--!!!"
He roared.
"I am God! I am the King of this world! You mortals—!"
Stop nagging.
Roy's voice came from outside the cage.
He turned to look at Luffy.
Luffy has gathered all of his Conqueror's Haki.
The white Flame Clouds surged to their maximum around his fist.
That was no longer ordinary steam at Gear Fifth; it was the full power of Nika Origin, the complete embodiment of freedom and hope.
His fist swelled to an unprecedented size at that moment.
" Gum-Gum-- "
Luffy's voice came from behind his fist, like a muffled thunder rolling in from a great distance.
" The Sun God Fist!"