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Chapter 376: Everyone is Numb; Imu Wants to Break Her Limiter Too
The atmosphere instantly froze to the freezing point. The dark muzzle of Benn Beckman's flintlock was aimed squarely between Kaido's brows.
There was no smell of gunpowder. Instead, a terrifyingly heavy gravitational pull was already compressing madly within the chamber. Even the surrounding air distorted under this intense gravity, causing the light to warp into bizarre ripples.
The smirk on Kaido's face slowly faded. He narrowed his bell-like eyes, glaring at the seemingly battered short gun in Beckman's hand.
"An Infinite Magazine... and it can switch attributes?" Kaido muttered. "Interesting."
He casually slammed his spiked club, the Hassaikai, into the floor.
Boom!
The tavern's floorboards let out a muffled groan. An unimaginably ferocious, dark purple aura of Haki erupted from his massive frame. Even while wearing that ridiculous "Security Guard No. 007" uniform, he was still the "Strongest Creature" that struck terror into the hearts of men!
"Benn Beckman," Kaido growled, flashing his stark white fangs in a savage grin—the look of an apex predator thoroughly annoyed by its prey's provocation. "Do you really think holding a little squirt gun gives you the right to ride on my head?"
"Gravity Armor-Piercing Bullet?" Kaido sneered, pointing a massive finger at his own broad, dragon-scaled chest. His voice overflowed with extreme arrogance. "Bring it! Shoot me right here!"
"In that damn Pokémon world, this body of mine was rammed by hundreds of giant rock snakes and struck by tens of thousands of volts of lightning! After coming back, I awakened the Demon Dragon Body! Do you really think a single bullet of yours can even scratch my itch?! Huh?!"
His voice boomed like thunder, rattling the glass windows of the tavern. The suffocating pressure rolling off him made some of the weaker pirates in the room struggle to breathe.
This was the true terror of an Emperor! Even if Beckman had acquired a divine artifact from another world, a monster like Kaido, who had carved his path through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, wasn't going to be cowed by mere threats.
Beckman chewed on his cigar, his eyes remaining icy. He didn't retreat a single step under Kaido's oppressive aura. His finger slowly tightened around the trigger.
"Whether it's a scratch or not..." Beckman murmured softly. "Why don't we find out?"
Click. It was the sound of the hammer being pulled back. Though faint, in the dead silence of the tavern, it echoed like the grim reaper's countdown.
Standing nearby, Shanks made no move to stop him. He was busy feeling up his newly regenerated arm, watching Kaido with the eager gaze of a theatergoer. It seemed he was genuinely looking forward to seeing his first mate blow a hole in the stubborn dragon's head.
"Gurararara..." Whitebeard laughed, his magnificent mustache quivering as he held a massive bowl of sake. "A fight is fine by me. It's the perfect chance to see just how destructive this so-called 'High-Dimensional Material: Infinite Magazine' really is. But if you tear the tavern down, that brat Blake is going to throw a fit."
At the mention of Blake's name, the two men preparing to clash stiffened simultaneously. Kaido subconsciously shrank his neck and cast a wary glance toward the counter. Blake was resting his chin on his hand, watching them with an incredibly "friendly" smile. That gaze looked exactly like a butcher admiring two exceptionally fat sheep waiting for slaughter.
"Well..."
Half of Kaido's imposing momentum instantly vanished. He coughed awkwardly and silently lifted his spiked club off the floor.
"I am a security guard," Kaido declared stiffly. "It is my duty to maintain order in this tavern. I won't lower myself to bicker with a brat who only knows how to play with guns."
Beckman was speechless.
The entire crowd was speechless.
Was this really the same Kaido, the absolute madman who actively sought out suicide? Wasn't his survival instinct a little too strong right now?
Beckman silently lowered his gun. He had only wanted to test the deterrent power of his new weapon anyway. If he actually opened fire in the shop, he'd likely be thrown into the sea to feed the fish by that terrifying shop owner in the next second.
The brewing storm had seemingly blown over.
But in the darkest corner of the tavern, several gazes had long since grown anxious and unsettled. It was the Five Elders.
These five old men, who stood at the absolute pinnacle of global power, were currently shifting in their seats as if sitting on pins and needles. As the highest authorities of the World Government, they were accustomed to controlling everything, used to looking down upon the world from far above.
But now, that sense of absolute control was collapsing! And it was an avalanche!
"Damn it..." Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, the blond-haired elder in the dark red suit, squeezed his cane so hard his knuckles turned white. His gaze darted back and forth between Shanks, Beckman, and a yawning Kaido. Deep within his eyes lay unconcealable dread.
"These pirates... they're all monsters!" Ju Peter's voice trembled slightly. "It was bad enough when it was just Whitebeard. Now Kaido has turned into some dragon-man hybrid who can transform and shoot lightning at will. That half-baked Katakuri somehow obtained immortality. And now, even that youngest brat, Red-Haired..."
"Limb regeneration! The Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist! He even possesses a physique capable of withstanding a Dragon-Level disaster! If this continues... is there even a need for the Marines to exist?! Do we... still have the power to rule this world?!"
This was the core issue shattering their composure. In the past, no matter how strong pirates became, there was a limit. Everyone was playing in the same mud puddle. Sure, some threw mud further, and some threw it more accurately, but it was all still within the bounds of the established rules.
But now? These people went into that damn dungeon once and came back completely rewritten! One could create black holes, one could freely transform, and another had infinite regeneration. How the hell were they supposed to fight that?!
"Especially that Benn Beckman..." Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, the bald elder, muttered as he methodically polished his Shodai Kitetsu. Yet, this Supreme Grade sword offered him no sense of security right now.
"That Infinite Magazine... if it's real, it means the Marines' human wave tactics have completely lost their effectiveness. Given enough time, he alone could slaughter the entire Marine Headquarters!"
This wasn't fearmongering. A weapon that never needed reloading and could seamlessly switch between gravity, armor-piercing, and incendiary rounds—he was a walking natural disaster!
"The balance... is completely shattered," Saint Jaygarcia Saturn said, his face dark, his horns practically oozing a black aura. "Although Sengoku also sent his people in, looking at it now, they can't even keep up with the pirates' evolution speed! That useless Akainu only knows how to shout about Absolute Justice; he couldn't even scrape together enough money for an entry ticket! And Kizaru, that slacker, is even more unreliable!"
The Five Elders exchanged glances, seeing a profound sense of powerlessness in each other's eyes. The "God's Knights" they were so proud of? The Ancient Weapons they controlled?
In the face of that bald man on the screen who shattered a mountain range with a single punch... in front of this shop owner who casually bestowed the ability to regrow severed limbs... their trump cards looked as laughable as children's toys!
"We cannot wait any longer," Saint Topman Warcury, wearing a black suit, suddenly lifted his head. His gaze shot toward the solitary figure sitting in the deepest recesses of the shadows. "If we don't take action now, this world will soon change its surname to 'Blake'!"
Everyone's eyes subconsciously drifted to that corner. To the figure in the black robe who hadn't spoken a single word, yet whose presence overshadowed everyone else in the room.
The master of the Empty Throne.
Imu.
At this moment, Imu sat quietly in the shadows, her hood obscuring most of her face. Only that terrifying pair of Rinnegan glowed with an eerie red light in the darkness. Her gaze wasn't on Kaido, nor was it on Red-Haired Shanks.
It was locked dead onto the now-darkened projection screen.
The retreating back of that bald man. That simple, unadorned strike that had pulverized the very concept of gods—the "Killer Move: Serious Punch."
It replayed in her mind endlessly. Over and over.
That power. That ultimate, pure strength that required no flashy techniques and no Devil Fruit abilities. A power that relied solely on the flesh to completely override all rules!
Wasn't this the exact ultimate peak she had been pursuing for eight hundred years?!
Ruling the world? Maintaining balance? Eradicating the Will of D?
In the face of that absolute strength, all of it seemed so pale, so utterly boring! If one possessed that kind of power, what need was there for Ancient Weapons? What need was there for Celestial Dragon privileges?
I am the heavens! I am the law!
"Hoo..." Imu let out a soft breath. It was a release of a longing suppressed for eight centuries, finally finding its outlet.
She slowly stood up. Her black robe flowed like liquid silver. With her movement, the air in the tavern's corner seemed to instantly vanish, replaced by an indescribable, suffocating pressure that spread silently across the room.
The Five Elders, who had just been complaining about the Marines' lack of funding, snapped their mouths shut. Like ducks grabbed by the throat, they bowed their heads in absolute terror and reverence.
Even the most arrogant and lawless pirates in the room—Whitebeard, Kaido, Shanks—keenly sensed the shift. They all turned their heads, their gazes filled with shock and uncertainty.
"Finally... couldn't hold back anymore, huh?" Blake sat behind the counter, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
From the second Imu stepped into this tavern, he knew. This so-called "King of the World" would absolutely never be able to resist the temptation of the dungeons. Especially after witnessing Saitama's "limiter-breaking" strength firsthand.
For a creature who had stood completely alone at the absolute pinnacle for eight hundred years... that temptation was fatal!
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Imu stepped out from the shadows. Her pace wasn't fast, nor were her footsteps loud. But every step she took felt as if it were stomping directly on the hearts of everyone present.
The originally raucous tavern went dead silent in an instant. Even the usually fearless Luffy was so terrified by the bizarre atmosphere that he shrank behind Garp's back. Doflamingo's sunglasses slid halfway down his nose, revealing wide, trembling eyes.
He had been a Celestial Dragon in Mary Geoise. He knew exactly what that black robe represented.
It was a taboo! A god that could not be looked upon!
And now, this god was walking toward the young shop owner with a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve.
The Five Elders trailed behind Imu, not even daring to breathe too loudly. They knew that the upcoming conversation—this impending transaction—would very likely rewrite the fate of the seas, and perhaps the entire world!
Imu stopped before the counter, pausing less than a meter away from Blake. She slowly raised her head. The hood slipped back, revealing a flawlessly beautiful yet unimaginably cold face.
Within those Rinnegan like eyes, a raging inferno named "ambition" was burning brightly.
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