The Conqueror's Bomb, which was like a ball of destruction, exploded in silence, and it was as if all sound had been erased from existence.
Warcury could only watch helplessly as the black sphere rapidly expanded.
If it hit him, not only would he fail to protect the Holy Land below, but even his own life might be in danger.
Fortunately, as a certain magic circle hidden behind his massive body activated, Warcury, who had been teleported here, was swiftly sent back to Pangaea Castle.
As for the inner ring of Mary Geoise, which was about to be obliterated… they could only leave it to fate.
At that moment, the God's Knights and the remaining Naruto clones on the outskirts suddenly felt an intense tremor.
Soon, even with the naked eye, they could clearly see a massive black sphere rapidly expanding in the distance.
This black sphere was like the maw of an abyss, devouring everything in its path.
Everyone on the battlefield understood the fate of anything caught within that sphere's range.
"Damn it!"
Shamrock, witnessing the Holy Land being ravaged once more, felt deeply responsible for his failure. At the same time, a sliver of unease crept into his heart, 'How disappointed would Imu-sama be?'
The biggest difference between him and his brother, Shanks, was that Shanks had dared to reject Imu's power. He'd rather let a sea beast bite off his arm, engraved with the mark, than submit to the 'God'.
Shamrock, however, was the complete opposite. He saw this power as a blessing, even an honor.
After exchanging blows with a Naruto clone and creating distance, Shamrock swung his sword once more, sending three flying slashes hurtling forward.
The clone merely dodged left and right and then, to Shamrock's shock, he formed an identical black sphere in its hand.
"Don't even think about it!"
Shamrock roared, charging forward.
The three-headed Cerberus, having 'rested' for a while, regained its transformation ability.
This time, the Cerberus unleashed its full power in Shamrock's hands.
Unfortunately, they were still a step too slow.
The moment Shamrock closed in, the clone had already launched the Conqueror's Bomb.
The massive dog head only managed to bite the clone's arm before it dissolved into smoke.
Meanwhile, the two remaining clones, who are fighting against the old man Sommers and the bandaged girl Gunko, exchanged a glance.
Acting in perfect sync, they struck together.
[Hakoku Sovereignty]
The shockwave pinned Sommers and Gunko to the ground, buying the two clones time.
So, the clones joined forces to form another black sphere.
This thing was just too effective for large-scale destruction.
Like the Rasengan, Conqueror's Bomb, which is a variant of the Tailed Beast Bomb, was one of those techniques that scaled with the user's energy reserves.
Sommers and Gunko could only watch as the black spheres in the clones' hands grew larger and larger, the suffocating pressure becoming unbearable.
"You have disappointed Imu."
Suddenly, the voices of the three remaining God's Knights echoed in their minds… the voice of the supreme ruler seated upon the Empty Throne.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Gunko, who had just been pinned down alongside Sommers, broke free, floating mid-air as she looked down at Naruto below.
Bat-like demonic wings and a sharp, elongated tail sprouted from her back, while dark energy coalesced into a trident in her hands.
Concentric rings appeared in Gunko's pupils.
"Uzumaki Naruto… Imu remembers you."
As if the rapidly expanding Conqueror's Bomb meant nothing, the voice overlapping with Gunko's, now possessed by Imu, spoke.
Though the assault on Mary Geoise over a decade ago had been relatively minor, Naruto and Fisher Tiger had still managed to tear away a layer of the World Government's facade.
Naturally, Imu had retained some impression of them.
'But… Uzumaki Naruto?'
'As long as he wasn't a [D], no matter how much he struggled, he would forever remain nothing more than a third-rate criminal.'
The arrowhead-like tail suddenly extended, piercing toward the two clones below.
One of the clones immediately stopped forming the Conqueror's Bomb and lunged forward to intercept the attack.
Boom!
The air distorted where the tail's tip clashed with the clone's fist.
However, the stalemate lasted only seconds before Imu's tail pierced straight through, destroying the clone.
As the smoke dissipated, only one clone remained.
"Arrogant fool. Did you think you could do as you pleased just because your real body isn't here?"
Imu's voice resonated from Gunko's mouth.
"Your sins… shall be judged by Imu."
"What the hell are you mumbling about?"
The last Naruto's clone, who held up the Conqueror's Bomb with one hand, had a mocking expression on his face.
"You sly fellow who only dare to hide in the shadows, I'll be waiting for you to come find me!"
With that, the massive Conqueror's Bomb was launched with world-shattering force.
Watching the attack approach, Gunko's body was quickly enveloped in shadows, soon transforming into a towering black silhouette the size of a mountain.
The shadow opened its maw, meeting the black-and-red Conqueror's Haki-infused Tailed Beast Bomb head-on.
Unfortunately, Naruto's clone didn't get to see the outcome of their clash.
After firing the Conqueror's Bomb, the clone, which is already drained of Chakra and Haki, was pierced through by another sneak-attacking tail from an unseen source, dissolving into smoke.
Above Mary Geoise, there was no spectacular mushroom cloud as Naruto had hoped.
…
Meanwhile, on Sabaody Archipelago.
Grove 1 had already been reduced to ruins by the battle between Naruto and Akainu.
The ground was pockmarked with craters, and most of the buildings had been obliterated.
The luckier slave traders and buyers had barely escaped with their lives, while the unlucky ones had been wiped out by stray attacks.
Those who had fled to other islands watched in horror as dozens of magma fists rained from the sky.
Then came hurricanes and tidal waves.
In short, every natural disaster they could imagine seemed to converge on that single island.
A few more knowledgeable individuals whispered fearfully to those around them about the identities of the two combatants.
One was the Marine Admiral, Akainu, and the other was the infamous [Great Hero] of the New World.
However, those pirates who had never witnessed the power of the New World reacted in different ways.
Some were filled with awe and ambition, their faces alight with battle lust.
Others lost their nerve, realizing their own weakness.
And a few, driven by greed, wondered if they could exploit the chaos for their own gain.
Grove 1 was now in tatters.
Sabaody Archipelago was built atop the roots of the world's largest mangrove, the Yarukiman Mangrove, and wasn't connected to any continental shelf.
As a result, Grove 1 had already begun sinking into the sea.
Bang!
Naruto smashed Akainu into the ground again, then dodged a sneak attack from the Admiral as he lay prone.
Looking at his opponent, Naruto couldn't help but sigh in exasperation.
Honestly, he had only intended to use Akainu as a diversion to draw the Marines' attention, so he hadn't gone all out.
He hadn't even maintained his Nine-Tails' Chakra Cloak for long.
But to his surprise, while Akainu's offensive power wasn't overwhelming, his endurance and vitality were absurd.
Attacks that could wipe out entire pirate crews barely fazed him, and within seconds, he'd be back on his feet, ready to fight.
It wasn't just his Logia intangibility, as Akainu's physical resilience was monstrous in its own right.
Suddenly, Naruto, who had just looked helpless, seemed to have received some kind of signal. He first frowned and then smiled in surprise.
He looked up at Akainu, who was momentarily taken aback by his opponent's erratic expressions, wondering if he'd lost his mind.
"Thanks to you, Akainu."
After this cryptic remark, Naruto instantly formed a Rasengan in his palm.
Now, Akainu has the dubious honor of witnessing the same Conqueror's Bomb that the Celestial Dragons had just faced.
His Observation Haki screamed danger.
But Akainu had no intention of backing down.
Perhaps in his view, this is what [Absolute Justice] means.
His expression hardened as the temperature around him skyrocketed, molten rock surging from his body and gathering in his right arm.
"Fun times never last. Guess we'll call it here."
"Consider this a parting gift."
Perhaps out of gratitude for the Admiral's unwitting cooperation, Naruto held back.
This Conqueror's Bomb was much smaller… only about half a person's height.
Of course, its power was still nothing to scoff at.
The next moment, the Conqueror's Bomb collided with Akainu's magma fist in an earth-shaking explosion.
The entire Grove 1 island, unable to withstand the force of their clash, sank beneath the waves.