"...Fall!"
As Imu's words rang out, the arms extending from the edge of the giant black sphere suddenly stretched out, sweeping toward Karin in the sky above.
It was different from before.
Under Imu's control, both the Yami Yami no Mi and the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi easily displayed power far exceeding that of their original owners.
Although it was unclear what would happen if those black hands caught her, the power Imu had just demonstrated, effortlessly nullifying her abilities, still gave Karin a strong sense of crisis.
"If you can, then try it!"
Karin let out a thunderous cry. The next moment, dazzling golden light began to spread infinitely outward from the halo behind her head.
She had observed earlier that this golden light she released seemed to have some kind of suppressing effect on Blackbeard's Yami Yami no Mi.
Just as the Yami Yami no Mi also had a suppressing effect on other Devil Fruits.
Those black substances instinctively resisted contact with this light.
But this time, things developed differently from Karin's expectations.
Under Imu's control, the black hands, when struck by the light, merely trembled slightly, then continued their assault upward as if nothing had happened.
Moreover, their speed was now incomparable.
The black hands that Karin had easily outrun before, now enhanced by Imu's power, accelerated dramatically, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
The sense of oppressive pressure was nothing like what Blackbeard had created with his black web earlier.
"What a pity... I can only catch one this time."
Below, Imu kept rambling.
"But it doesn't matter. Next, I will take you to meet that sinner."
"I want to watch you tear that sinner apart piece by piece."
The more he spoke, the more intense the killing intent in his voice became.
Having his millennia-old organization destroyed hadn't angered Imu this much.
What truly enraged him was Kaguya's theft of his spiritual power, and the injury Naruto had inflicted upon him.
To Imu, losing the World Government was nothing.
He had spent hundreds or thousands of years building such a colossal organization from scratch… he could always create another.
Time meant nothing to an immortal existence like him.
Only one thing mattered to him.
Completely destroying anyone who dared to defy divine authority.
Just like now.
The gravity-laden black hands clung to Karin like persistent shadows.
No matter how she dodged and weaved, she could only watch helplessly as those arms drew closer and closer.
Her attacks against them, like feathers, wind blades, chains, sound waves, all proved completely ineffective.
Clearly, these black arms were now the true form of the Yami Yami no Mi.
The darkness that devours everything.
Gravity itself.
The end of everything.
Karin changed direction again, flying higher, but there, several large hands had somehow already positioned themselves, waiting for her to fall right into their trap.
"Damn it!"
This time was different from her previous easygoing situation, and Karin knew it well.
She could now feel the chaotic gravitational field within the space.
So, the next moment, she decided to enlarge her form again, attempting to use the same trick, relying on her increased size to break free from the gravitational restraint.
But this time, Karin wasn't so lucky.
The black arms were now enhanced as well. Just as Karin's form continued to expand, one black hand grasped her wing.
Then a second, a third... those arms surged like a black torrent, climbing up Karin's body.
At that moment, Karin lost control over most of her body. The entire bird truly began to fall as Imu had commanded.
In fact, not just her body, but even her consciousness started rapidly blurring upon contact with the black arms.
She didn't know that Imu's ability could take effect as long as negative emotions existed in the target's heart.
Even someone with a strong will like Rocks couldn't avoid this, let alone her, a minor.
Did Karin have negative emotions in her heart?
Undoubtedly, yes.
Whether it was jealousy toward Hancock and the others, her own sense of inadequacy, or hatred for her past experiences.
These negative emotions had never disappeared… they were merely hidden beneath her seemingly carefree personality.
And now, these negative emotions became the opening for Imu to exploit.
'No... I can't end here...'
Karin felt as if two consciousnesses had appeared in her mind.
One urged her to stay clear-headed, the other told her to obey Imu-sama's commands.
Using her spirit as a battlefield, the two sides began a tug-of-war.
In the real world, Karin's body was being continuously dragged downward by the black hands.
Below her, Imu had already begun transforming the giant sphere formed from Hachinosu.
The black sphere 'bloomed' open like a flower bud, or like some deep-space monster opening its maw, just waiting for the bound bird to fall inside.
"In that case, capture com… hmm?"
Imu's words suddenly paused, his ring-shaped pupils involuntarily contracting.
'This feeling...'
'This feeling was!'
Under Imu's gaze, the originally golden, shining bird's entire body was suddenly tinged white.
The metallic luster of its feathers instantly transformed into a texture similar to clay.
"Lowly creature, what are you doing?!"
This sounded like cursing Imu, but was actually directed at Karin.
He didn't understand.
He had been securely imprisoned, and suddenly countless black tentacles invaded his mental space.
Just like last time when facing that evil god!
'This stupid woman, why did she always provoke enemies she couldn't handle!?'
This time was somewhat different from before. The chains binding Momoshiki's form instantly corroded and snapped upon contact with the black tentacles, allowing him to effortlessly rise from the depths of Karin's consciousness and seize control of the body.
Simultaneously, the giant bird's form outside also began rapidly shrinking, transforming into a half-human, half-bird state.
Yes.
Karin couldn't control this body's transformation into the beast-man form, but Momoshiki could.
He always could.
But perhaps to slightly 'retaliate' against Karin, he had never mentioned it.
'Hmph! Lowly creatures deserve only to live like beasts.'
Thinking this, Momoshiki forgot that he too was trapped within this body.
When Momoshiki successfully 'surfaced' and clearly saw the situation before him, his expression suddenly froze.
'If he remembered correctly, wasn't this guy...'
Upon sensing the familiar spiritual waves emanating from Imu below, Momoshiki's previously irritated mood suddenly calmed.
Then, a bold idea suddenly sprouted in his mind.
He remembered.
This power.
He remembered it very clearly!
It was by combining with this power that Kaguya, that lowly woman, had managed to separate from Naruto's body and gain autonomous movement.
Although she ultimately died at Naruto's hands… at one point, she had almost been resurrected.
Resurrection.
This should have been easy for Momoshiki.
With his [Kama] recording all his information, he only needed some time to take over Karin's body and be reborn.
But later, Naruto did something that prevented him from using the [Kama] to possess her, making the chance of resurrection distant and uncertain.
But today, a new opportunity presented itself before him.
Fuse with that guy named Imu below, then seize his mental power!
Like Kaguya, regain a flesh-and-blood body!
As for whether he could surpass Imu in a contest of will... he wasn't worried at all.
If even Kaguya could do it, there was no reason he couldn't.
As for whether this would be a betrayal of Karin—
Nonsense, he and this stupid woman were enemies! He wished her the worst!
With this thought, the white bird-man Momoshiki first cautiously sensed Karin's consciousness.
Confirming she was completely lost in chaos, unable even to maintain subjective awareness, he then felt relieved.
After all, in this body, Karin's will always held the dominant position, its priority far above his own.
If Karin recovered, he would immediately, like those previous times, be suppressed again without resistance.
Regardless of his spiritual strength.
'Must hurry!'
The white bird-man's yellow Rinnegan locked onto Imu's ringed eyes below. Then, he controlled his form, shooting sharply downward.
The gravity constantly emitted by the surrounding black hands was 'neutralized' by another repulsive force, completely unable to restrict Momoshiki's movement.
Seeing this scene, Imu's pupils below contracted sharply.