"...All evil kneels, and countless souls are buried beneath Him..."
The grotesque demonic shadows chanted in unison, their voices causing space itself to tremble violently.
The black and white mist filling the hall spiraled wildly before compressing into a massive pitch black hurricane that swept across the chamber with deafening force.
"...The void is His throne, darkness His eternal robe..."
Wooooo~
The shrill cries of the wind echoed endlessly.
The raging black hurricane swallowed every demonic phantom within it, merging them into one terrifying existence.
Boom!!!
A monstrous demonic aura erupted into the heavens.
Thunder roared across Mary Geoise as a gigantic demonic phantom appeared above the skies before descending toward Pangea Castle with cold, overwhelming pressure.
The next moment, a completely pitch black figure slowly materialized before Imu and the Gorosei.
He sat leisurely upon an enormous black throne.
His appearance resembled Shirogai exactly, except for the pair of sharp black demonic horns protruding from his head.
His features carried an eerie contradiction.
At one glance, he appeared enchanting and beautiful enough to blur the line between male and female.
At another, he radiated savage arrogance and chilling malice like a ruler from the underworld itself.
"Imu."
He looked down at Imu with pure disdain, completely ignoring the Gorosei standing nearby.
Then he spoke lazily.
His voice echoed through their hearts like the rawest desires hidden deep within humanity.
"Since you stand before this venerable one, why aren't you kneeling?"
The Gorosei instantly erupted with hostility and stood protectively before Imu.
"Shirogai, how dare you speak to Lord Imu like that!"
Before they could continue speaking...
"Hm?"
The demonic Shirogai merely tilted his head slightly.
His crimson eyes swept over them for a brief moment.
That single glance silenced them completely.
Saint Nusjuro gripped the Shodai Kitetsu tightly with both hands.
Yet under those cold crimson eyes, sweat poured from his body uncontrollably.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not unsheathe the blade even an inch.
His body refused to move.
Saint Peter dropped to one knee unconsciously.
Fear and worship intertwined within his eyes as every instinct screamed at him to submit.
Resistance no longer existed in his mind.
Saint Saturn leaned heavily on his cane, his body trembling violently.
He tried to turn around and look toward Imu behind him, but his body would not obey.
It was as though an invisible force controlled every movement he made.
Without permission, he could not even twitch a finger.
Saint Warcury clenched his fists tightly.
The anger in his eyes had vanished completely, replaced by terror, confusion, and disbelief.
Even breathing became difficult.
Saint Marcus Mars lowered his head stiffly while his body trembled uncontrollably.
The moment he met those crimson eyes, he instinctively looked away.
But the next second, overwhelming terror consumed him.
The sensation of death wrapped around his entire body once more.
It felt as if his life could end at any moment.
From a single glance alone, the Gorosei experienced the same fear of death that only Imu had ever made them feel before.
It was the gaze of an absolute ruler looking down upon insignificant insects.
As though with a single thought...
Their existence could vanish without a trace.
In front of this monster, resistance was meaningless.
Only submission remained.
"Shirogai."
Imu calmly looked at the wicked figure seated upon the dark throne.
The overflowing malice and corruption surrounding him were obvious.
Yet unlike the Gorosei, Imu showed no panic.
The authority of Devil Fruits held dominion over humanity's darkest emotions, greed, malice, fear, and desire.
After mastering Devil Fruit abilities for centuries, Imu understood such powers better than anyone alive.
This level of evil intent could not shake him.
Instead, an odd feeling surfaced deep within Imu's heart.
Like finally encountering another existence walking the same lonely path.
"As expected... even my Devil Fruit power was copied by you."
"Copied?"
The demonic Shirogai looked down at Imu mockingly.
His crimson pupils carried open contempt.
"Imu, if this venerable one desires an ability, I only need a single glance to master it completely."
"A single glance?"
Imu repeated the words softly.
Then a strange smile slowly spread across his face.
"So that is how you obtained every Devil Fruit ability in this world? I don't believe it."
Disdain flashed through Shirogai's crimson eyes.
"With your level of understanding, you could never comprehend it."
He rested one hand against the arm of his throne while speaking lazily.
"Imu, you see mortals as insects."
"But to me, you are no different."
"You think yourself superior, yet you are nothing more than a fool amusing himself with borrowed authority."
"I am a fool?"
Even after being mocked directly, Imu showed no anger.
Instead, his interest deepened.
"Oh? Then tell me, where exactly does my foolishness lie?"
Imu's arrogance had always been reserved for the weak.
But against monsters capable of threatening him, beings like Joy Boy or Davy Jones, he never allowed himself to become careless.
And the Shirogai before him...
Was the most dangerous existence Imu had encountered in centuries.
A true monster among monsters.
An existence untouched by the world's ultimate curse.
Imu suppressed the greed rising within his heart and stared at him coldly.
"Shirogai, explain it to me."
"Your foolishness lies here."
Shirogai slowly rose from the throne.
A black cloak resembling endless night draped itself over his shoulders.
"Your evil isn't worthy of being called evil."
"Your ambition isn't worthy of being called ambition."
Step by step, he descended from the throne while speaking casually.
"Imu, you call yourself the ruler of this world."
"But in the end, you merely hide inside Mary Geoise while playing games with weaklings."
"The World Government, the Marines, the Void Century, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, all of it is nothing more than a child's game you convinced yourself was greatness."
"You possess overwhelming power through Devil Fruits, yet instead of transcending this world, you trapped yourself inside it."
"You spend eternity maintaining rotten rules while pretending to stand above humanity."
"You claim to despise humans, yet your existence depends entirely on their worship and tribute."
Shirogai looked down at Imu mockingly.
A lazy sneer spread across his face.
"You want humans to fear and worship you."
"And when they finally do, you crush them just to reassure yourself of your own superiority."
"That isn't strength."
"That is weakness."
"True strength is when someone isn't even worth acknowledging."
"When their existence is so insignificant that even looking at them feels unnecessary."
"In the end, despite all your arrogance, you still cling to these pathetic scraps of authority like a starving dog protecting leftovers."
"How laughable."