Chapter 14: The Price of the Dawn
Imu, wounded and bleeding the black, conceptual energy of the Void Fruit, was momentarily paralyzed. No physical force in eight centuries had touched their eternal form. But the paralyzing shock quickly turned into a cold, terrifying resolve.
"The concept of 'Life' cannot defeat the concept of 'Nothingness,' Kelean," Imu hissed, raising their hands toward the massive crystal array on the spire. "You have resisted my will. Now, the True Weapon will consume yours entirely."
The Ultimate Nullification
The spire pulsed, drawing on the immense, unseen power source that had sustained the World Government for so long. The crystal array focused, and instead of a wave, it began to generate a perfect sphere of absolute Void directly around Imu—a region where existence itself was rejected.
This was the end of all things. If Kelean's power were to touch this sphere, he wouldn't just be injured; his very memory, his concept, would be erased from the world.
Kelean knew this was the enemy's true core. The Blood-Blood Fruit could command life's matter, but the Void Fruit commanded conceptual non-existence. He could not win this by punching. He had to sacrifice his power to destroy the tool, not the master.
Kelean raised his hands toward the sky. He began to draw in every bit of residual crimson energy he had commanded over the last few days—the molten Red Line, the shattered remains of his Monolith, and the life-force he had condensed. He was creating a single, gargantuan, blood-red sun of condensed power, miles above Mariejois.
Imu saw the scale of the creation and launched their attack. The perfect sphere of Void shot forward, expanding rapidly, intent on consuming Kelean entirely.
"You are defeated! Be erased, Ancestor!"
"I am the Dawn's Limit!" Kelean roared, his voice cracking with the strain. "I cannot defeat your lie, Imu, but I can shatter your tools!"
The Final Sacrifice
Kelean allowed the Void sphere to consume his left arm instantly. There was no pain, just the sudden, chilling non-existence of his limb, severed cleanly by a law of physics more severe than any sword.
The immediate agony of loss, however, fueled his final act. He channeled the entire, colossal crimson sun he had gathered—the Cosmic Blood Tide—and slammed it down in one terrifying vertical motion.
This was not an attack on Imu; it was an attack on the crystal array and the foundation of the castle. The molten sun of blood and iron slammed into the Pangea Castle spire.
The material of the castle—impregnated with eight centuries of protective Haki and ancient defense—instantly liquified under the sheer power of the Founder's ultimate attack. The spire and the Ancient Weapon crystal array dissolved into a massive, screaming column of pressurized steam and molten metal.
Imu's connection to the power source was severed. Their Void sphere, now cut off from the spire's endless energy, flickered, contracted violently, and dissolved.
Imu fell to the stone, their power drastically weakened and their ancient composure shattered. They looked up at Kelean, who was bleeding freely from the raw stump of his shoulder, his eyes dimming.
"You sacrificed yourself… for a simple machine?" Imu whispered in disbelief.
Kelean, suspended in the air, his body failing, managed a final, profound declaration.
"The lie of your power rested on two pillars: the Wall of Geography and the Weapon of Erasure. I have shattered both." Kelean's eyes, the final bastion of his power, locked onto the retreating figure of Imu. "You are still alive, Imu. But you are now merely a ruler, not a god. You are damaged, and your weapon is dust."
Kelean's immense Haki, which had held the world in check, suddenly collapsed. His body began to fall toward the Red Line.
The Passing of the Torch
As he plummeted, Kelean used the last flicker of his power, a whisper of his Haki, to send a final message across the world—a pulse of Conqueror's Will aimed directly at the newly crowned King of Wano.
Luffy. The path is clear. The lie can be broken with a single, true punch now. I have paid the price for the Dawn. Go.
Kelean crashed into the ocean at the base of the massive hole he had created in the Red Line. The sea immediately calmed, the water flowing gently through the canyon of exposed earth. The Founder of the D. family, having fulfilled his immediate purpose, sank back into the depths, his physical body exhausted, but his will permanently impressed upon the world.
Imu watched the spot where Kelean vanished. Their chest heaved with raw hatred. The centuries of peace, the unshakeable foundation of their reign, was destroyed in a day by one man.
"The Founder… is gone," Imu muttered, staggering back toward the ruins of the Pangea Castle. "But the child remains. The one called Luffy. We must not repeat the mistake of the past. The Dawn must be crushed immediately."
The final war was not over; it had merely shifted theaters. The ultimate power of the previous age had broken the cage. Now, the ridiculous freedom of the new generation had to face the wounded but desperate ruler of the world.
With Kelean dormant (or dead, for now), the final stage is set! Luffy now has a shattered Red Line and a wounded, panicked Imu to face.