Before Rocks and the others could even rejoice.
The next second.
A Haoshoku far above everyone present erupted like a volcano.
It felt as if the sky itself collapsed, crushing down upon the five of them.
That heaven-shaking aura burst forth and, in an instant, shattered the five strands of Haoshoku they had wrapped around Imu.
The moment those Haoshoku were scattered.
Imu's split body fused and re-formed once more.
The sight nearly broke the composure of even the steel-willed fighters present.
"Damn it! It failed again! Rocks, does your trick even work?" Roger yelled in frustration.
Rocks ground his teeth. "My method is flawless! That moon-head stayed in pieces when I did it to him—why isn't it working now?"
Carlo's golden figure dropped from the sky, landing beside Whitebeard, and shook his head.
"It's no use. His Haoshoku is stronger than ours.
Your method should be correct, but if his Haoshoku far surpasses yours, he can break your seal and restore his immortal body.
Haven't you noticed? Our Future Sight is gone; his Observation Killing crushes us.
Meanwhile he can see every move we make—because our Haki is leagues below his."
"Then what? We can't kill him—how do we fight?" Whitebeard leaned on Murakumogiri, brows knitted.
Linlin suddenly pointed at the black shadow above Saturn's head.
"The problem is him. The real Gorosei shouldn't be this strong.
It's his… parasitism? that's ballooned their power beyond us.
If we can cut him off, even for a moment, we can end this fight.
We might not destroy the freak, but we can drive him out of the Gorosei's body for a while."
Though Linlin couldn't match Rocks or Roger in raw might.
She wielded the Soul-Soul Fruit.
Her sensitivity to souls far exceeded anyone present.
During the clash with Imu.
She'd felt something familiar.
Imu's current state resembled the soul-Homies she created.
Both were forms of mental, physical, and spiritual control over others.
The difference was.
Her power used fragments of souls to give lifeless objects awareness.
Imu simply seized bodies that already had souls.
In a way, wasn't that a higher application of her own fruit?
Direct soul manipulation?
Of course, she didn't know Imu's true ability.
These were only guesses based on her Soul-Soul Fruit.
To her, breaking such control.
Meant removing the root.
Like Prometheus and Zeus on her own shoulders.
If she withdrew the soul shards she'd given them.
The two elemental creations would die, reverting to ordinary fire and cloud.
Convinced by her reasoning, the group exchanged glances.
So… Rocks drew his blade and roared.
"Newgate, Carlo, and I will seal his head with Haki. Roger! Garp! You seal his body.
Once the first stage is done, pull back fast! We'll chuck them into separate seas—if this is a Devil Fruit, salt water will weaken it!"
"Move!"
The instant the plan was set.
All five exploded forward, striking Imu together!
"Abyssal Roar!!"
"Shatter-Sky Blow!!"
"Billion-Volt Conquerors Coating – Dragon-Slaying Slash!!"
"Aramitama!!"
"Fist Bone!! Sea-Bottom Drop!!"
Five world-ending blows erupted, rushing Imu as one.
Yet Imu neither used Saturn's body nor stayed to receive the onslaught.
Instead, from his titanic frame gushed endless black vapor.
Like a dark tsunami it swept for thousands of meters.
Wherever the black mist passed.
A colossal five-pointed star array surfaced on the broken ground.
At its center a huge grimoire rose from the abyss, pages of ancient script fluttering.
From those pages appeared swords, spears, axes, shields—each wreathed in black-red lightning—howling to meet the five attackers!
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
Cataclysmic blasts erupted in front of them.
The shockwave hurled all five away.
Black tendrils snaked out, seized them, and dragged each toward a star point.
Rocks, at the forefront, faced Imu directly.
Imu's shadow stretched skyward like smoke.
The whirlpool eyes at its peak opened, gazing down.
He spoke, looking at Rocks below.
"Mu… sees…"
"Running in the distant forest…"
Rocks' face twisted; he realized something and paled.
"Hey—don't tell me you—"
Imu's cold stare seemed to bore straight into his heart.
A frigid voice echoed in his ears.
In his mind!
"The new Davy… women and children…"
"Struggling… struggling to live…"
"Harmful lives… Mu will not spare them…"
Rocks' expression turned savage.
He exploded forward, slashing.
The dark phantom of Imu was cut into three, then four pieces!
Imu remained unbothered.
Even as Rocks' blade passed.
Two jet-black tendrils shot from Imu's shadow.
Like arms.
With a pair of wet thuds they punched straight through Rocks' body.
Rocks grunted, sneering. "Hah! That all? Doesn't even sting."
Imu's pitiless whirlpool eyes fixed on him.
Though no smile showed.
Rocks felt him grinning.
A cold, indifferent, skin-deep smile.
Like a monarch, a god upon his throne, gazing down at mortal ants.
"Mu will do nothing…"
"You yourself will wipe out your own bloodline…"
Rocks sneered back. "Huh? You rambling? That'll never happen!"
He raised his blade to sever the tendrils, to slice Imu apart again!
But at that instant a torrent of malice surged through the black arms impaling his chest, flooding him like a tsunami!
"Corruption—Domination!"