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Chapter 391: Eight Hundred Years of Foundation Erupts
The pure white light within the Settlement Space was somewhat blinding.
Imu knelt on the ground, gasping heavily. The phantom pain of her heart being pierced by the Special Beam Cannon still lingered at her nerve endings.
Too strong.
That green-skinned demon youth, that three-eyed bald man, and even that little brat with a tail. Every single one of them was a monster. Each possessed terrifying potential that completely eclipsed the Four Emperors.
"Are those… the martial artists of that world?"
Imu clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging so deeply into her palms that the black blood had already dried. For eight hundred years, she had sat high upon the Empty Throne, believing she controlled everything. Whether it was the Will of D or Joy Boy, they were nothing more than slightly troublesome bugs in her eyes.
But today, her proud "God's Body" had been kicked away like a rubber ball. That profound sense of powerlessness gnawed at her pride like a venomous snake.
Right at that moment, the cold system notification echoed through the space, shattering the dead silence.
[Dungeon "23rd Tenkaichi Budokai" settlement in progress...]
[Overall Evaluation: B (A loser who gained a slight harvest)]
Seeing that bright red "B," the corner of Imu's eye twitched violently. A B-rank. What a disgrace.
"Heh… hehehe…"
Imu suddenly began to laugh in a low, hoarse voice tinged with madness. So what if she was a loser? As long as she could become stronger, as long as she could master that power known as "Ki," this deal wasn't a loss at all!
[Distributing B-Rank clearance rewards...]
[Congratulations on acquiring: Basic Ki Sensing Guiding Technique (Turtle School)]
[Congratulations on acquiring: Bukujutsu (Introductory Experience)]
[Congratulations on acquiring: Afterimage Technique]
[Reward Description: Although you lost miserably, your physical constitution barely passed the mark. This reward cannot directly increase your combat power numerical value, but it is a key—a key to unlock the human body's treasures and guide life energy. Whether you can push open that door depends entirely on your own fortune.]
Three faint orbs of white light slowly drifted into the center of Imu's brow. There was no earth-shattering infusion of energy, nor was there any heaven-defying physical reconstruction. Instead, obscure yet profound memories merged into her mind like a flowing river.
How to sense the flow of life within the body. How to condense scattered stamina into a single point. How to resonate with nature to break free from the shackles of gravity.
Imu closed her eyes, carefully comprehending this new information. A moment later, she snapped her eyes open. A brilliant, unprecedented light erupted from those crimson Rinnegan!
"I see… So this is… Ki!"
The powerhouses of the One Piece world possessed incredibly tough physiques and life force as vigorous as monsters. However, they only knew how to crudely utilize "Haki," which was merely a manifestation of willpower. No one had ever systematically developed their "life force" itself.
This reward seemed like mere fundamentals. In reality, it completely patched the final and largest shortcoming of her "Eternal Body"!
Within the pure white space, three faint lights hovered above Imu's palm: Basic Ki Sensing Guiding Technique, Bukujutsu Introductory Experience, and the Afterimage Technique.
If it were the Imu from a few minutes ago, she might have felt this was an insult to a "God." After all, in that world called Dragon Ball, these things seemed to be nothing more than basic tricks a bald, perverted old man used to teach his disciples.
But now, a heart-palpitating fanaticism flickered within Imu's crimson Rinnegan. Only by standing on that arena and having her chest pierced by that green-skinned freak's finger could she truly understand the terrifying possibilities hidden within these so-called "fundamentals."
The strong of the One Piece world—even Roger, Whitebeard, or Joy Boy—built their strength on two foundations: the rule-bending power of Devil Fruits, and the idealistic willpower of Haki. No one had ever truly and systematically tapped into the latent energy of the physical body itself.
"Ki…"
Imu whispered softly, her finger gently tapping the orb of light. In that instant, an obscure stream of information flooded her brain. It wasn't complicated. In fact, it was outrageously simple. It was merely how to feel one's life force, how to squeeze it out of every single cell, gather it into a stream, and finally detonate it outward.
For ordinary Earthlings in that world, accumulating enough "Ki" for combat might require years or even decades of bitter training. Their life force was like a shallow puddle; a few scoops and it would run dry.
But what about Imu?
She had lived for eight hundred years. She enjoyed the absolute best resources in the world, and every cell in her body brimmed with unimaginable vitality. Coupled with the massive life force boost from her Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, her body wasn't a puddle at all. It was a deep-sea dam that had been storing water for eight full centuries without ever finding a spillway!
"I see…"
A ferocious curve slowly crept up the corner of Imu's mouth. Before, she had been like a beggar sitting on a mountain of gold, only knowing how to throw the gold bricks at people's heads. But now, she had been handed the key to the vault.
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Foosha Village — Makino's Tavern
The pillar of light dissipated. The previously rowdy tavern plunged into an eerie, dead silence the moment Imu's silhouette appeared. Everyone's eyes locked onto the front of the counter.
Imu's black robes were slightly torn, making her look a bit disheveled. However, she bore no visible wounds. That suffocating, sinister aura around her seemed much more restrained than before she entered.
"You're back?"
Whitebeard, holding his massive wine gourd, narrowed his eyes as he sized Imu up. "Looks like you aren't missing any arms or legs. Guess the 'God' of that world is nothing much after all."
Kaido took a huge swig of his booze and curled his lip in disappointment. "Tch, your aura actually got weaker. Looks like you got beaten into submission. Hey, old hag, if that dungeon is too hard, give up your spot to me next time. I'll go win your dignity back for you!"
The Five Elders were so nervous they didn't even dare to breathe loudly. Saint Saturn leaned heavily on his cane, trembling as he tried to step forward. "Lord Imu… you…"
Imu ignored everyone. She didn't even spare a glance at the shop owner, Blake, behind the counter. She simply stood completely still, her eyes shut tight. Her breathing became unusually long and drawn out.
Inhale—
Exhale—
With her breathing, the surrounding air began to visually distort. The sturdy oak floorboards of the tavern started to groan under an immense, invisible weight, despite nothing physically pressing down on them.
Creak… crack…
"Hm?"
Red-Haired Shanks, who had been watching with an amused expression, violently furrowed his brow. His hand subconsciously dropped to the hilt of Gryphon. "This feeling… something's wrong."
It wasn't just Shanks. Katakuri, Rayleigh, and even the usually carefree Garp all changed their expressions.
This wasn't Conqueror's Haki. Haki was the physical impact of willpower, a mental suppression. But what was spilling out of Imu right now was a pure, physical fluctuation of energy! It felt like a volcano that had been suppressed for ten million years, frantically accumulating magma beneath the earth's crust.
Inside Imu's body, that massive life force that had slumbered for eight hundred years finally awakened under the pull of the Guiding Technique. It surged from her internal organs and erupted from the depths of her bone marrow. Her originally scattered stamina transformed into roaring golden torrents, rushing madly through her meridians!
It was too massive! This foundation was simply terrifying!
Even Imu herself was shocked. She felt like an over-inflated balloon, ready to explode at any given second!
Gather… for me! Imu commanded internally.
BOOM—!!!
An invisible shockwave erupted outward with Imu at the epicenter! Without any warning, the tables, chairs, and benches inside the tavern were instantly pulverized into fine dust by the sheer force of the blast!
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