"Lord Imu!"
Saturn gasped in shock.
A direct clash, and Lord Imu was pushed back? He must be dreaming—how could such a thing even be possible?
That was Lord Imu!
"How was that?"
Ian flicked the sword lightly, smiling as he spoke.
Imu said nothing. He simply raised his right hand in silence.
His sleeve had been torn open, revealing his arm beneath.
Pale to an unnatural degree, stitched in multiple places, eerie to behold.
Hmph.
Ian let out a short breath through his nose.
In terms of Haki, Imu was undeniably a step above him.
However, when it came to sheer physical strength—he held overwhelming dominance.
"You… deserve death."
When Imu lifted his head, his voice turned razor-cold.
"Oh? Seems you really don't want people seeing what's beneath that façade."
Ian chuckled.
In the next instant, Imu's body swelled—expanding into a towering giant of jet-black darkness, dozens of meters tall.
And yet…
"Seriously? How does that even make sense?"
Ian's lips twitched.
Even after transforming to such a size, the long robe still clung perfectly to him, hiding his true form without the slightest tear.
What kind of high-tech battle suit was this?
Was it made of the same material as the Hulk's pants?
Reasonable or not, that massive fist was already swinging down toward Ian.
Even with its enormous size, the speed was shockingly fast, and worse—his Observation Haki couldn't read it at all.
Ian raised his blade to meet the strike.
This time, even in raw strength, he held no real advantage.
The blow sent him staggering backward, forced to retreat again and again, while the crimson sword failed to even scratch his opponent.
He was nearly knocked flying.
In the end, the gap in Haki was simply too great.
Ian grit his teeth at the thought.
He couldn't catch up in Haki strength within a short time, but if he could make up for it with refined technique, then the difference might not be as vast as it seemed.
Then for now, he would observe carefully—every move, every opening.
His wings fluttered, a golden flash cutting through the battlefield as he lunged forward once more.
"Heaven and Earth—Ashes!"
Steel clashed, and their battle resumed with the same unrestrained ferocity as before.
Imu continuously forced Ian back, strike after strike, but still failed to crush him with absolute dominance.
There was a difference in power, yes—but nowhere near insurmountable.
Saturn watched with growing anxiety.
If even Lord Imu couldn't take Ian down… then what were they supposed to do?
No—no, he suddenly remembered.
Hadn't it always been the case that Imu couldn't completely eliminate Ian?
Even if Imu reclaimed all of his power, Ian still had that untouchable flame form.
It wouldn't work like this. They needed an Ancient Weapon—something with overwhelming firepower, capable of wiping Ian out from afar before he even had the chance to react.
And to activate an Ancient Weapon…
Saturn lifted his gaze sharply to the distant stone colossus towering overhead.
"It's time."
Bullet stood atop the giant stone titan, overlooking the battlefield below where Ian and Imu clashed violently.
Behind him sat the enormous furnace, along with a pile of luggage that Vegapunk had packed.
"Are you sure about this?"
Vegapunk glanced nervously at the battlefield below, unable to hide his unease. "That guy looks incredibly strong…"
Ian was clearly being suppressed.
But Bullet only remained calm, voice steady and sure. "So what? If that guy decides to leave, not a single soul in this world can stop him."
That guy was strong, no doubt, but even in his fight with Ian, he hadn't shown absolute dominance. So what was there to be afraid of?
"Then let's go."
Kuma wasn't worried at all. Those who hadn't truly witnessed Ian's power would never understand.
Who in the world could really do anything to him?
They were about to leave when Saturn's gaze fell upon them.
"Borsalino!"
Saturn's eyes locked onto them as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "What are you standing there for?! Go take out Vegapunk and bring back the Holy Flame for me!"
Not far behind, Sentomaru stared at Kizaru in shock.
Would he do it?
Would Uncle Kizaru actually go kill the doctor?
Kizaru's lips twitched slightly.
"Oh? Is that alright?"
At that moment, Ian, who had just been punched away by Im, smiled and spoke, "Lord Im hates it when anyone spies on his secrets."
Saturn's face stiffened.
But Kizaru's expression didn't change. It was clear he had already realized this. What he was struggling with wasn't just his friendship with Vegapunk, but also the fate that awaited him.
"Don't listen to Ian spouting nonsense. Lord Im never wrongs those who have earned his favor!"
Saturn hurriedly spoke. "Stopping Vegapunk now would be your greatest contribution to the World Government!"
"This is really…"
Kizaru scratched his head.
Meanwhile, Ian was already being pushed back by Im.
Despite his massive size, Im's attacks came like a storm. His ferocious haki left Ian with no chance to match him blow for blow.
So strong!
This guy was insanely powerful!
Ian felt his blood boiling. It had been a long time since a battle had made him feel this alive.
Something else inside him began to stir as well.
"Let's keep going!"
Ian laughed loudly.
He wasn't worried about what Kizaru might do.
Bullet was there.
Bullet, who also wielded Observation Haki to foresee the future, would never give Kizaru any opening.
Now, all that was left was to enjoy the fight.
Years of training had led to this very moment!
It was coming!
In fact, Bullet had already begun to move.
Activating his ability, he fused countless metal rocks, the Holy Flame furnace, and even Vegapunk's belongings into himself.
Vegapunk himself was hidden inside the new giant's body.
Then, Kuma walked behind him and struck with all his strength. The massive giant shot straight into the sky.
Immediately after, Kuma followed closely, flying up into the sky as well.
"Oh…"
Kizaru raised his head and silently gazed upward.
Still, he obediently fired beam after beam of light, aiming directly at the giant Bullet had created.
But these attacks were completely ineffective. Bullet casually smashed all the lasers with a single punch.
"There's really nothing I can do."
Kizaru sighed. "How could I possibly defeat that Douglas Bullet?"
"Borsalino!!"
Saturn roared in anger, his voice trembling.
That bastard!!
"Your Excellency, the Five Elders… so, for the past eight hundred years, it's been Imu-sama ruling this world?"
Kizaru spoke quietly.
"What are you trying to say?"
Saturn's expression had darkened considerably.
What do I want to say?
Someone who has tried to erase their existence completely from history, someone who hasn't shown themselves in eight hundred years—would they really allow anyone who knows of them to survive?
"Let's go, Sentomaru."
Kizaru turned around and spoke to Sentomaru.
"Go? Uncle Kizaru?"
Sentomaru looked a bit puzzled but stumbled after him. "Hey! Uncle Kizaru, what's really going on here?"
"Borsalino! What are you trying to do?"
Saturn suddenly felt a surge of horror.
"Well, some things…"
Kizaru said, "I think it's best if we just talk with everyone about them."
I don't know what to do myself, so I might as well leave it up to everyone to decide.
**********
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