Finally, Evil Shirogai broke his silence.
Slowly raising the long black sword in his hand, he flicked the blade lightly. The motion was casual, yet precise, cleanly severing the messy strands of hair that hung across his forehead.
"I am one of Shirogai's incarnations, Evil Shirogai."
A face of unparalleled beauty was revealed before Imu. Yet despite its perfection, it carried neither warmth nor emotion. It was cold, distant, and utterly devoid of humanity.
"What He gave me was absolute swordsmanship."
Evil Shirogai stared at Imu with an indifferent gaze.
"You possess the power of Devil Fruits. After wielding them for so many years, you should understand exactly what kind of enemy stands before you."
Imu looked at him with contempt.
"You think a mere imitation of Devil Fruit abilities is enough to challenge me?"
"Oh."
Evil Shirogai nodded.
The black blade in his hand trembled slightly.
"Then there's no need to say more."
His voice remained emotionless.
"Annihilation."
Whoosh!!!
An invisible slash beyond sight erupted instantly, crushing everything in its path as it descended upon Imu.
Clang!!!
Imu swung his demonic blade forward to intercept it.
The collision exploded with overwhelming force.
Advanced Conqueror's Haki and sinister demonic energy collided violently in midair, generating a devastating shockwave that shook the heavens.
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
Suddenly, a dark spatial crack appeared.
A narrow rift tore open between the two figures, frantically devouring everything around it.
"..."
A glimmer appeared in Imu's eyes.
"That attack shattered space itself...?"
The void rift slowly closed as the demonic flames faded into nothingness.
"You blocked it?"
Evil Shirogai's expression remained unchanged.
"Then let's add another sword."
He slowly raised the white longsword in his other hand.
"Dual Sword Style."
"Shattered Netherworld."
Click.
The black blade and white blade crossed before him.
...
"Imu."
Evil Shirogai calmly looked at him through the crossed swords.
"Didn't you notice?"
"What?"
Imu frowned.
The next second.
Puff!
His pupils contracted violently.
The black demonic blade in his hand snapped in half.
The shattered flames dispersed into demonic energy before gathering once again around the broken weapon.
"So fast..."
Imu stared blankly.
His lower body had vanished.
A black spatial rift had silently swallowed it whole.
"When..."
Evil Shirogai slowly stepped forward.
The black and white swords pointed directly at Imu.
"My way of thinking differs from His."
His voice was cold and absolute.
"I don't care if the world descends into chaos after ending slaughter with more slaughter."
"Because I believe only killing can save this world."
The black and white blades released overwhelming Conqueror's Haki.
At the same time, black flames resembling Imu's demonic energy erupted around Evil Shirogai.
It was as though a true Demon King had descended upon the world.
"Imu."
His gaze remained indifferent.
"You may die here in peace."
"You bastard!"
Imu's blood-red turbine eyes widened with fury.
Monstrous demonic energy erupted from his body.
The surrounding sky twisted violently.
His aura surged upward like a tidal wave, causing the heavens and earth to tremble beneath its pressure.
At the same time, under the influence of the dense demonic energy flooding his body, his destroyed lower half rapidly regenerated.
"Farewell, Imu."
Evil Shirogai crossed his arms.
The black and white swords bloomed with dazzling brilliance.
The entire Red Line trembled violently.
The heavens shook.
The earth cracked.
Mountains and seas churned endlessly.
Click!
A terrifying wave of Haki burst outward.
Boom!!!!!
Pangea Castle was annihilated instantly.
The sacred palace vanished beneath the overwhelming force.
Yet the Haki did not stop.
It continued spreading in every direction.
The entire Red Line trembled.
All of Mary Geoise shook violently.
Countless people were frozen in horror.
Unable to withstand the pressure, vast numbers collapsed unconscious where they stood.
...
Above Mary Geoise.
The sky resembled the end of the world.
Dark clouds churned violently while the entire sea of clouds shook.
"What exactly happened...?"
Kid struggled to remain standing.
Supporting himself with one hand against the ground, his face had become deathly pale.
Turning back, he saw every member of his crew sprawled unconscious across the deck.
...
Capone Bege's legs transformed into tank treads as he stared blankly toward the sky.
Foam dripped from the corner of his mouth.
Boom!
His body smashed straight through the magnificent walls of a Celestial Dragon estate before crashing into the depths of an extravagant palace.
He hit the ground heavily.
By then, he had already lost consciousness under the crushing Haki.
Fortunately, the members of the Fire Tank Pirates hidden inside Bege's Castle-Castle Fruit fortress avoided direct exposure.
Though affected, they suffered only dizziness and weakness rather than complete unconsciousness.
"Godfather! Wake up! Wake up!"
Vito grabbed the miniature castle version of Bege and shook him frantically.
"Stop shaking..."
After a long while, Bege finally opened his eyes.
Rubbing his aching head, he looked around groggily.
"What happened..."
Then the memory struck him like lightning.
"Haki is terrifying..."
Bege slowly looked around.
Servants.
Attendants.
Celestial Dragons.
Everyone inside the luxurious palace lay unconscious on the floor.
His expression darkened.
"I've never experienced pressure like this in my entire life."
"What kind of monster could possess power on this level?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Could this be..."
"The ultimate trump card of the Celestial Dragons?"
Muttering to himself, Bege's face grew increasingly grim.
"Your Majesty, if that's the kind of enemy waiting ahead...."
He swallowed hard.
"That's not a monster anyone can fight."
...
Thump!
Thump!
Caught completely off guard, the three people remaining aboard the Thousand Sunny collapsed instantly beneath the overwhelming Conqueror's Haki.
The pressure descended too suddenly and too violently.
No one had time to react.
In an instant, the entire Red Line and all of Mary Geoise were engulfed by the destructive wave.
Meanwhile, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Loki had already landed and were battling the defensive forces of the Celestial Dragons.
Even warriors of their caliber felt a brief wave of dizziness and discomfort.
After enduring the initial shock, they barely regained control of their bodies.
"Hey! Nami! Robin! Chopper!"
Luffy stretched his arm toward the Thousand Sunny and launched himself back aboard.
Sweat poured from his forehead as he grabbed the three unconscious crewmates.
"Wake up! Are you okay?! Wake up!"
"Luffy, don't panic."
Whoosh!
Zoro instantly appeared beside him.
After examining the three, he relaxed slightly.
"They were only knocked unconscious by the Haki."
"We can use Haki to remove the lingering effects."
"Don't you think..."
After confirming their companions were unharmed, Sanji frowned and looked toward the center of the disturbance.
The magnificent palace that once stood there had completely disappeared.
"...This Haki feels familiar."
"Shirogai."
"It's Shirogai's Haki."
Zoro and Sanji exchanged glances.
Both saw the same seriousness reflected in each other's eyes.
"That's right."
A cigarette hung from Sanji's lips as he looked at the slowly awakening Nami, Robin, and Chopper.
"But if it were really Shirogai..."
His voice lowered.
"He would never release Haki on this scale without restraint and knock out his own companions."
That was not Shirogai's style.
No matter how destructive his abilities became, he always ensured his allies remained unharmed.
He was meticulous about controlling collateral damage.
...
Zoro inhaled deeply.
His gaze remained fixed on the distant ruins.
"So what happened..."
Someone had forced Shirogai to unleash power on this level.
What kind of enemy could push him that far?
...
...
Amid the ruins.
Evil Shirogai stood with twin blades in hand.
His overwhelming Haki merged with demonic energy, completely engulfing Imu's figure.
"The Sword of Termination..."
His black and white blades descended.
"Godfall and Demon Annihilation."