Roy didn't reveal the secret he had discovered, but sweat beaded on Imu's brow; clearly, she had thought of something terrifying.
Roy glanced at Luffy, who was lying on the ground looking like an old man. He always ended up like this after using Gear Fifth.
Simply put, the energy in his body was insufficient to sustain the power and will within.
It might seem like Devil Fruit users can use their abilities freely, but using fruit abilities actually consumes stamina.
That stamina comes from rest and food, something Garp understood best. From childhood, he taught Luffy and Ace to eat well and sleep whenever possible.
Because if you could eat, it meant you were safe. That was the time to take a nap, since danger could strike at any other moment.
Luffy's current condition was due to expending too much energy. He had just fought a round with Shanks, then exchanged several blows with Imu.
Now he was in this old man state, needing a massive supply of food.
This scene was very similar to certain transforming characters in Roy's memories: first getting beaten by the monster, then an alarm sounding, finally transforming, and firing a laser to defeat the monster.
Luffy's fights almost always followed this pattern: first getting beaten, then erupting, and finally defeating the enemy.
Last time at Egghead, Kizaru brought him food. This time, the Straw Hat crew members were also preparing to do the same.
However, the guards were blocking them, making it difficult to get food to him.
What surprised them most was Roy's sudden appearance. How did he come through the teleportation circle? Wasn't Imu's mark required?
"How exactly did you teleport here?" the Figarland guard captain asked.
"Surprised? I think your master already knows the answer. Isn't that right? We are the same kind," Roy said to Imu with a laugh.
"Mu wants to know, who exactly are you?" Imu asked.
"My name is Roy. Like you, I come from another world. But unlike you, the world I came from is a lower one. However, I obtained the power of your world. As for the so-called teleportation circle, clearly, besides you, I have now mastered it too. For that, I should thank the Five Elders."
"Of course, to thank them, I've already killed them all. Many of the God's Knights also died by my hand. I had planned to head for Mary Geoise, but found it deserted. Turns out everyone was here. So I guessed right."
"The Five Elders... dead..."
The guards gasped. The Five Elders were incredibly powerful, and the members of the God's Knights each had unique abilities.
Mary Geoise was never short of Devil Fruits. Only the inferior fruits were allowed to circulate outside; the truly powerful fruits were always controlled by the Celestial Dragons.
Every three years, they held death matches, where the victor received a fruit.
The Paw-Paw Fruit, Bird Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix, Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, these were all fruits that once appeared as rewards for the Celestial Dragons. They were all top-tier Paramecia or Mythical Zoan types.
Even the Love-Love Fruit, given to slaves for the Celestial Dragons' amusement, was a rare Paramecia.
The limitation of the Mero Mero no Mi was that it had to be eaten by a beautiful woman. When Boa Hancock ate it, its power was devastating.
Certain specific fruits require specific people to eat them. For example, Sugar's Hobby-Hobby Fruit needed to be eaten by a child, and after eating it, they would remain that way forever.
Devil Fruits came with certain side effects. Fruits, like people, had high and low grades.
Demons had ranks, too. For instance, the Imu before them was a high-level demon, and the demon within Roy was also high-level.
In the entire world, the only fruit that could compare to Imu's Satan Fruit was the Sun God Fruit.
Therefore, it was Imu's greatest enemy, the only one capable of harming her.
Haki was absolute, yes, but fruits carried their own overwhelming strength. Against an opponent of equal haki, a fruit's ability could become the final straw that tipped the balance.
"From here on, I'll be your opponent."
Roy's body ignited in black flames. His frame expanded, armor of dark fire forming around him. He became a towering demon with three crimson oni faces and a blade at his waist.
Everyone was stunned. Roy now stood eye to eye with Imu. The sight was overwhelming, like two ancient giants clashing while everyone else seemed like ants beneath them.
"What kind of monsters are these?" The timid Nami, seeing this, was on the verge of fainting.
Were these still the same people they knew? Could this really be Roy?
They had always known he was strong, but this? A demon radiating such evil that it was almost unbearable.
Never before had they seen such an aura.
Even Luffy, lying flat on the ground, aged and tongue lolling out, opened his eyes to look at Roy above him.
"Is that Roy? Why do I feel like I really dislike him? What's going on? Both familiar and dislikeable," Luffy thought to himself.
He didn't know this was a fruit cloned from his blood, a fruit that had gone out of control.
In essence, Roy had wanted to clone the Sun God Fruit to gain the ability to kill Imu.
But he never expected to clone a monster instead. The good news was that this monster's ability could counter Imu.
The two monsters faced each other, like colossal pillars, pressing down on everyone present, making it hard to breathe.
If the Emperors were the pinnacle of the world, then those who existed above the Emperor were these two.
"Even in that world, I have never seen you," Imu said.
"I'd like to see yours," Roy replied with a grin.
"The spiritual world…" Imu muttered.
"Yes. The world you once lived in, the world of demons," Roy confirmed.
"So you wish to use me as a bridge to return there?!" Imu hissed.
"Exactly. You must have a way back. You remained here because you could control this world and summon other demons to serve you. Me? I'm just curious to see another dimension," Roy said.
"Then you are a fool. That world is hell, lightless, cruel beyond imagination. A thousand times harsher than this one. If you insist, I will gladly send you there." Imu raised her hand, a black sphere condensing in her palm.
"Dark matter, huh? I can do that too." Black smoke emerged from Roy's hand, identical to Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit.
...
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