The pillar of light was incredibly thick, rising into the sky like a golden dragon. Its radiance was so blinding that no one could keep their eyes open.
The beam did not fly forward in a straight line. Instead, it twisted and spiraled, and wherever it passed, space shattered layer by layer like fragile glass, releasing crisp cracking sounds.
Tiny fragments of broken space flashed with an eerie glow under the light before dissolving into the air.
That terrifying pillar of light chased the fading energy fluctuation with perfect accuracy. Its speed was so absurdly fast that it seemed to surpass every form of speed in the world, making even lightning look dull in comparison.
Wherever the beam passed, the air was violently compressed, forming visible ripples that spread in every direction.
Boom—!
A thunderous explosion shook heaven and earth, as if the entire world trembled in that instant.
Far off in the sky, a mechanical roar suddenly rang out, breaking through the stillness.
The red shadow that had been about to disappear flickered violently several times, looking strange and shocking.
Kaido, one of the giants of the pirate world, dropped his wine gourd again.
His face was filled with disbelief.
"No… no way! He actually hit it?!"
His voice shook. Clearly, even he had been stunned by what had just happened.
Big Mom, the pirate empress known for her overwhelming presence, also showed horror across her scorched-black face.
Her eyes widened as she muttered,
"Mamamama… the power of that strike already surpassed my Hakai!"
Her words were filled with shock and disbelief.
Jozu was now kneeling on one knee, breathing heavily.
Even so, he grinned and laughed, as if he were enjoying this fierce battle from the bottom of his heart.
His laughter carried his love for combat and his hunger for victory.
Everyone present looked silently toward the sky.
They all understood one thing.
After today, the rankings of the world's strongest would probably have to be rewritten.
The result of this battle would affect the entire world's balance of power, and every one of them had just become a witness to history.
...
Deep within Pangaea Castle lay the Room of Flowers, a place so beautiful it seemed almost dreamlike.
Strange light and mist filled the space, as though time itself had frozen there.
At the center of that space stood the majestic Empty Throne.
At that moment, Imu sat upon the throne, and the face that had always been as calm and eternal as an ancient well finally could no longer remain composed.
Not long ago, a shocking battle had unfolded.
Jozu's strike, containing the power of three Devil Fruits, had hit Uranus with perfect precision.
The force of that attack was far too overwhelming, and the shockwave it created spread outward like a raging tsunami.
From the Empty Throne, Imu had clearly felt the impact of that power.
The pain did not come from physical injury. With her strength, ordinary attacks could hardly harm her body.
What truly hurt her was the humiliation of having her supreme authority challenged by an existence as tiny as an ant.
That kind of humiliation had not stirred in her heart for eight hundred long years.
"Ants! You dare damage my Ancient Weapon!"
Imu released a shriek.
The sound was no longer something a human could produce. It was a terrifying wave of sound mixed with the wails of countless vengeful souls.
That sonic wave seemed to turn into solid blades, slicing viciously through the air around her and making the skin crawl.
With that shriek, the exquisite crystal decorations around the throne could no longer withstand the pressure and shattered instantly.
Countless crystal fragments flew through the air before gradually turning into scarlet dust, drifting down like a rain of blood.
Imu's pale fingers, almost transparent in color, began moving wildly.
Her nails grew at a speed visible to the naked eye, reaching claw-like length in the blink of an eye.
Every finger seemed to have gained its own life, each one pulling a thread of dark-red energy.
Those energy threads flickered with an eerie light. They did not drift around randomly, but connected with perfect precision to countless ancient runes in the void.
The runes gave off a mysterious and powerful aura, as though they contained enough strength to destroy the world.
"In the name of this god!"
Imu's voice rang out again.
By now, both of her eyes had turned completely blood-red.
Within those crimson pupils, the image of a burning World Tree was clearly reflected.
The illusion burned fiercely, flames spreading wildly as if they meant to devour the entire world.
"If you want to die so badly, then all of you can be destroyed!"
Her words were filled with endless fury and absolute resolve, as though she intended to pour out all her hatred and make the entire world tremble beneath it.
In that deep, oppressive space, the mysterious runes that had been floating quietly began lighting up one after another, like demonic eyes being awakened.
The glow they released was not gentle light.
It was scorching, thick, and malicious, like magma bursting up from the depths of hell.
Every time a rune lit up, it seemed to carry some ancient, overwhelming power, making the entire Pangaea Castle shake violently.
Each tremor was like the earth groaning in pain. Stones and bricks fell from the walls, stirring up clouds of dust.
The ancient murals on the walls, which had remained motionless for eight hundred years, also began to change in a strange way.
It was as though life had been poured into them.
The scenes of world-ending disasters painted across the murals had originally been still images, but now they began to move slowly, like film reels that had gained a will of their own.
The disasters depicted in them became terrifyingly lifelike.
Burning cities, collapsing mountains, raging tsunamis, and countless struggling, screaming figures appeared within that movement, displaying endless horror and despair.
Uranus, which had been retreating in a hurry and had already begun leaving the dangerous region behind, suddenly released an ear-piercing sound of twisting metal in the sky.
The noise was like ten thousand blades scraping glass at the same time, sharp, miserable, and enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
Along with that chilling sound, Uranus forcibly turned back.
Its enormous body carved an abrupt trail through the sky, as if some invisible force had dragged it back against its will.
The grand floating fortress began to open.
Its outer armor panels unfolded layer by layer like blooming petals.
Every movement of those armor plates came with a heavy mechanical roar, as though announcing the arrival of destruction.
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