Joyboy's thousand rubber fists, each one glowing like a tiny sun had smashed Imu's spears of shadow into nothing.
For a single, beautiful moment the darkness was pushed back and Joyboy was winning.
He did not waste his chance.
With another joyful laugh that echoed across the island, Joyboy took a giant leap.
He flew through the air, he pulled his rubbery arm far, until it was like a giant fist.
Then he let it fly forward, aiming an attack so powerful it could shatter a mountain.
But Imu was not a mountain.
As the glowing white fist flew towards him, Imu's glowing red eyes did not see the punch. They saw a future.
It was a future that had not happened yet.
In his mind, he saw the fist smashing into his giant shadowy body. He saw himself being sent flying backward, crashing into the sky.
This future played out in his mind in less than a blink of an eye.
And Imu decided he did not like that future.
So, in the real world just before the punch that would have hit him was even close, Imu's giant body seemed to melt.
He became a puddle of pure dark water on the ground.
Joyboy's mighty fist flew right through the empty space where Imu was, hitting nothing but air.
"Whoa!" Joyboy said, surprised, as he landed on the other side.
The dark puddle quickly rose up again, forming back into the giant terrifying shape of Imu.
But Joyboy was already moving again. He had seen that future too. In his own mind, he had seen Imu dodge. And he had already planned his next move.
The moment Imu became solid again, Joyboy's leg stretched and growing bigger and bigger until it was the size of an elephant.
"Rubber Rubber Giant Axe" he roared.
But again, Imu saw it coming. He saw the future of the giant foot crashing into his side.
So, before the kick could land, he raised his giant sword 'Reidai Kitetsu' and blocked it.
CLANG!
The rubbery foot bounced harmlessly off the giant black blade.
This was the secret of their battle. It was not just a fight of fists and swords. It was a fight happening a many seconds in the future.
Both Imu and Joyboy had a very special power. They both have advanced Observation Haki that can see many seconds into the future.
They could see what was going to happen a little bit before it happened.
It was like they were both watching the movie, and they were always on the same scenes.
Joyboy would see a future where he punched Imu. But Imu would see that future too, so he would move to block it.
But then Joyboy would see Imu's block, so he would change his punch into a kick. But then Imu would see the kick…
It was a battle of thoughts, happening faster than lightning.
Their minds were like two master chess players, thinking many moves ahead, while their bodies played out the final perfect move in the real world.
It was an intense fight, where every step was known to the other before it was even taken.
For a long time, neither could land a single hit.
Joyboy would throw a punch and Imu would create a shield of shadow.
Imu would swing his sword, and Joyboy would turn his body into impossible curves, letting the blade pass right through it.
Every attack was seen and every defense predicted.
It was a perfect stalemate, a clash between two unstoppable forces who could see each other's every move.
Joyboy took a deep breath and the joyful sun like energy of his Nika power flared to life, brighter than ever before.
"Here it comes, Imu" Joyboy yelled, his grin wide and confident. "Let's see if you can predict this"
"DAWN GATLING!"
His arms became a complete blur. It was not just a hundred or a thousand fists this time. It was an impossible endless barrage. Each fist glowed with the an Conquer Haki's red lighting color, a meteor shower of pure joyful energy aimed directly at Imu.
Imu's red eyes widened.
He saw the future. He saw himself trying to block, trying to dodge, but the attack was too wide and too fast. He saw a future where hundreds of those glowing fists slammed into him, a future of getting pain from this attack.
He did not like that future at all.
So, he did something Joyboy did not expect. He did not try to block or dodge. He simply… left.
Just as the first wave of glowing fists was about to hit him, Imu's giant body was suddenly surrounded by a strange purple light. Lines of energy drew a complex, glowing pentagram on the ground at his feet.
With a sound like tearing fabric, the world seemed to fold in on itself.
Imu vanished from the spot, disappearing into the purple portal just a fraction of a second before the Dawn Gatling could hit.
The storm of punches flew through empty air hitting nothing but the broken ground and carving a massive trench in the island where Imu had just been standing.
"Huh?" Joyboy said, stopping his attack. He looked around and confused. "Where did he go?"
He did not have to wait long for an answer.
Behind him.
The same purple glowing pentagram appeared in the air right behind Joyboy's back.
Imu stepped out of it, his giant sword 'Reidai Kitetsu' was already swinging a silent black arc of death aimed to cut Joyboy in half from behind.
But Joyboy's future sight was still working.
He saw the story. He saw the portal opening. He saw the sword swinging.
He did not have time to turn around. He did not have time to punch.
So he kicked.
Without looking, he swung one of his rubbery leg backward in a powerful curved arc. The kick was perfectly aimed to smash into Imu's face.
But Imu saw that future too.
He stopped his sword swing just enough to bring the flat of the giant blade up and blocking the kick.
CLANG!
Joyboy's foot hit the black metal of the sword with a sound like a giant bell.
The force of the kick stopped the sword, but Joyboy was now in a very bad position.
His leg was still pressed against the blade.
And Imu was faster.
Before Joyboy could pull his leg back, Imu's other hand shot out and grabbed it.
The grip was like a cage of iron.
"Got you," Imu whispered in his voice full of cold triumph.
Joyboy's eyes widened. He was trapped.
What happened next was a blur of brutal, shocking force. Imu holding Joyboy by one leg, lifted his entire body off the ground.
SLAM!
He smashed Joyboy's body into the rocky ground like he was cracking a whip. The impact shattered the rock, sending dust and debris flying.
SLAM! SLAM!
Again and again, he lifted Joyboy and slammed him down, turning the very earth into his weapon.
Joyboy felt his rubber bone rattle, his head spinning. It was hard to think and hard to fight back when he was being tossed around like a rag doll.
SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!
After a final bone-shaking blow that left a deep hole in the island, Imu tossed Joyboy's limp body into the air.
As Joyboy tumbled helplessly through the sky, Imu prepared his attack. He did not use his sword. He did not use his devil fruit power this time.
He used his fist.
His giant dark hand began to glow, but not with the warm light of the sun.
It was a cold, hard, purple light. This was the color of pure condensed Armament Haki, the invisible armor of willpower.
But then something else happened. black and red lightning, the sign of the most powerful Haki of all, began to crackle and wrap around this purple glow.
He was coating his fist in both Armament and Conqueror's Haki, a technique only the strongest person in the world could master. It was a punch meant not just to break the body, but to shatter the very organs of the body.
Imu said, "SOLAR PUNCH"
The name was a cruel joke, a mockery of Joyboy's own Sun God powers.
The giant glowing purple-black fist flew upwards and met Joyboy's body in mid-air. It didn't just hit his stomach. it felt like a star had exploded inside him.
The punch was silent, but its power was absolute.
All the air was knocked out of Joyboy's lungs. He felt a sharp burning pain spread through his entire body.
The combined force of the two most powerful types of Haki bypassed his rubbery defenses and striking him to his very core.
He coughed and a spray of blood flew from his mouth.
After a split second, He was sent flying by this punch.