Chapter 493: Wind
The firmament churned, thunderclouds rumbled low, and the storm and flames intertwined like a harbinger of the apocalypse.
Garp hovered in mid-air, his fist not yet fully retracted, the Haki around him still boiling.
And in that instant—
SWOOSH—!!!
A streak of pitch-black light abruptly slashed out from deep underground. Its speed was so fast that the air didn't even have time to scream, forcefully tearing through space along its path and leaving behind a pitch-black scar.
That was the "Arrow of Shadows," condensed from the dark will of Imu's true body.
It carried no sound, no breath, yet it could pierce the soul.
The trail of the black shadow dragged out warped afterglows in the air, locking straight onto the center of Garp's back!
Imu's figure, hidden in the shadows, leaned forward slightly, a cold, sinister curve at the corner of her mouth.
"Got him."
In that moment, she could almost already see the scene of the Marine Hero falling.
On the front lines, the members of the God's Knights, who were being firmly pinned down by Sakazuki and Sabo, also simultaneously noticed that streak of black light.
They exchanged glances, hidden ecstasy flashing in their eyes.
"Haha—as long as Lord Imu subdues Garp..."
"Just hit them directly with 'that kind of power', and it will all be over!!!"
The illusion of victory spread in their eyes.
However—
Garp and Roy remained unmoving.
The former's expression was as steady as a mountain, while the latter's lips curled up slightly, as if he had seen through everything long ago.
The shadow arrowhead tore through the smoke and dust, the air compressed into transparent arcs, mere feet away from Garp's back!
"Go to hell—old thing."
Imu's voice was cold and cruel. The sharp edge of that arrow was almost invisible in the light, yet it could make the soul tremble.
Just in the split second the arrowhead was about to touch Garp's back—
WOO—!!!
The wind moved.
It was a gust of wind that could not be captured by the naked eye.
It had no physical form, yet it tore through space.
It had no sound, yet it shattered the air.
CRACK—!!!
Countless fine, fracturing sounds echoed in a chain reaction in the air. That shadow arrowhead trembled in mid-air—
And in the next second, it was sliced cleanly in half by an invisible force!
BOOM—!
The black shadow shattered, the dark energy collapsed, and the pitch-black power dissipated into the void like smoke.
"Wh—what?!!"
Imu's Rinnegan widened fiercely, her expression shifting from indifference to shock for the very first time!
The wind continued to howl.
That invisible force condensed and swirled in mid-air, sweeping up the sky-filling sand, dust, and flames of war.
"Who?!"
In her pupils, the wind began to gather and spin, a human figure slowly taking shape.
A dark green cloak snapped fiercely in the wind;
Black hair fell loosely over his shoulders, the tattoo on the left side of his face faintly visible;
The collar of an orange shirt was lifted by the wind, revealing a sharp, cold jawline;
Those eyes were like the eye of a storm in the center of a thunderstorm, freezing and piercing.
He had no eyebrows, yet he carried an unquestionable, oppressive majesty.
It was none other than Garp's own son, Luffy's own father—
Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon.
Imu's pupils dilated abruptly, her tone carrying a rare trace of fury.
"...You are—?!!"
Even Saint Nusjuro, opposite Roy, couldn't help but roar in a low voice, his tone laced with shock and unease:
"Monkey D. Dragon of the Revolutionary Army?!!"
"Impossible... How could you all appear here at the same time?!!"
The storm swept up, and heaven and earth fell quiet.
Garp's body was steadily supported in mid-air by the wind. Breathing heavily, his arm still maintained the punching posture, his Haki undiminished.
Woo—
The familiar sound of the wind gently brushed past him from behind.
That gentle aura made the corners of his mouth curl up slightly.
"You bastard brat... you came too."
He chuckled softly, his tone a mix of pride and a trace of warmth.
The figure in the wind stood upon the void, his dark green cloak flapping wildly.
Dragon didn't say much; he merely lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling upon the battlefield below where raging fire and storm intertwined.
Down there, a massive pink-gold dragon roared, shaking the heavens. Dragon breath and the colossal sandworm's beam of light crossed paths, erupting into blinding flares.
That was his son—Monkey D. Luffy.
Dragon stared intently at the silhouette of the giant dragon. Feeling that vigorous, scorching aura of life, the hard, cold glint in his eyes finally softened for a brief moment.
"Father, I am here," he said calmly.
Garp's mouth twitched slightly before he burst into a hearty, roaring laugh.
"Bwahahahaha—!!!"
The laughter echoed across the entire battlefield; it was a wild laugh brimming with vitality that only the monsters of the old generation possessed.
"My son, my grandsons, my disciple... they are all here fighting alongside me!!!"
He clenched his fist fiercely. His Conqueror's Haki erupted like crimson lightning, his aura abruptly skyrocketing. Even the firmament was forcibly pushed away by his pressure!
"Fighting this battle to this point, this old man has absolutely no regrets in this life—!!!"
"Bwahahahaha—!!!"
Hearing this, Roy's lips curled up as he shook his head and chuckled: "Old man, you're still going strong in your old age~"
Subsequently, he looked up at the firmament, his eyes profound, his voice as low as a whisper in the wind: "Just about everyone... has arrived."
That sentence was like some sort of signal.
"What?!!"
As the words fell, Saint Nusjuro's expression drastically changed opposite him. He looked up vigilantly, the chilling aura around his body subconsciously condensing into a defensive stance.
There are still more top-tiers?!!
SWOOSH—! SWOOSH—! SWOOSH—!!!
Behind Dragon, space suddenly violently trembled!
The air looked as if it had been struck by a ten-thousand-ton hammer. Layers of sonic booms exploded, and sharp, deafening blasts rang out between heaven and earth.
Several figures with overwhelmingly tyrannical auras, as if they had been "swatted" over from ten thousand miles away, crashed down onto the battlefield carrying world-destroying impact force!
"RUMBLE—!!!!"
The earth roared!
Dust rolled and surged, sweeping in all directions like a tsunami kicked up by a giant dragon!
Even Saint Nusjuro had to raise his arms to shield himself, forcibly resisting the howling gale sweeping over them.
"They're all here..."
Amidst the smoke and dust, thunder rolled and the storm roared.
A tall figure was the first to step out. The golden light was as blinding as the blazing sun, illuminating the entire ruin.
With every step he took, the earth emitted low, trembling sounds.
"Roy—!!!"
His voice was hoarse and impassioned, harboring churning, fanatical emotions.
"You actually... did it!!!"
In that moment, even the thunder was drowned out by this furious roar.
The Golden Emperor, Gild Tesoro.
His eyes were bloodshot as he looked at the "Holy Land of Mary Geoise" beneath his feet, which had already been reduced to ruins.
That "Dwelling of Gods" that had once forced countless people to their knees, was now turning to ashes amidst the flames.
"Hahahaha... Roy, you absolute madman—"
Tesoro muttered to himself, his tone holding both shock and a smile bordering on liberation.
He closed his eyes, and the promise Roy made before leaving all those years ago surfaced in his mind:
"On the day the nightmare is shattered, I will let you be the one to personally hand over the first spark."
—And now, the nightmare had begun to collapse.