As he spoke, Ash's eyes sharpened with realization as he stared at the colossal figure before him, a monstrous entity nearly as massive as Zunesha itself.
A faint chuckle escaped his lips.
"So that's it…"
"The mother of Nika, the Goddess of Victory from Greek mythology, Styx, Goddess of the River Styx, right?"
"Or rather, one of the Devil Fruits you possess is the Zoan Type, Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Styx."
"The Goddess of the River Styx in the Underworld of ancient Greek mythology. The goddess who governs oaths and hatred. Every soul entering the underworld must cross the River Styx, and anyone submerged within its waters becomes bound by contract, placing their life and death entirely in your hands at the cost of their lifespan."
"Still, that weakness was never truly a problem for you."
Ash's smile widened slightly.
"After mastering the Moon People's technology, you obtained cloning technology eight hundred years ago. Your powers ensure contracted souls never truly perish, while cloning provides an endless supply of replacement bodies."
"A perfect system."
"Even if those souls eventually become damaged or completely destroyed after repeated use, it means nothing to you. At worst, you lose a disposable pawn and simply bind another soul in its place."
"And that is why the descendants of the Twenty Kings worship you as their creator."
"Because you granted them an 'immortal' and 'indestructible' existence."
"It also explains why both the Gorosei and the God's Knights appear impossible to kill. They were all immersed in the waters of the River Styx and bound by contract. Their souls belong to you."
"Unless an attack can directly affect the soul, such as Conqueror's Haki, destroying their bodies is meaningless. Physical damage only destroys the shell, not the soul itself."
"And the soul is their true foundation."
"A foundation completely controlled by you."
Ash's gaze grew colder.
"This also perfectly explains why the Ancient Weapons are named after figures from Greek and Roman mythology. Uranus, the God of the Sky. Poseidon, the God of the Sea. And Pluton from Roman mythology."
"I used to wonder why Uranus and Poseidon came from Greek mythology, while Pluton alone was borrowed from Roman mythology."
"But now it makes sense."
"Because you, the final ruler of this world, wield a Devil Fruit connected to Styx herself."
"How could that old thief Oda ever allow Hades, King of the Underworld in Greek mythology, whose authority surpasses Styx, to become the name of an Ancient Weapon?"
"Wouldn't that imply some warship stood above the King of the World?"
"The old thief loves symmetry too much to allow that."
Ash laughed softly before continuing.
"And he even played a clever trick with the naming."
"He deliberately chose Uranus, the primordial sky god and grandfather of Zeus, instead of using Zeus directly."
"Because the moment people saw Uranus and Poseidon together, they would immediately think of their brother, Hades."
The more Ash spoke, the more convinced he became that his theory was correct.
Unfortunately, the Imu standing before him no longer seemed capable of responding rationally.
It only continued to roar endlessly.
No attacks.
No escape.
Only rage.
Ash frowned slightly.
After carefully sensing the aura emanating from Imu, he detected something unexpected.
A trace of the True Fire of the Sun.
His eyes narrowed.
Could it be…?
That lingering flame came from the miniature sun he created while destroying the Holy Land earlier.
And aside from Imu itself, Ash could no longer sense the presence of the Gorosei or the God's Knights.
Which meant…
Those souls controlled by Imu had likely been completely purified by the True Fire of the Sun.
Thinking back on it, this was not without precedent.
Years ago, when Ash encountered Moria and seized control of Thriller Bark, he had once used a trace of the True Fire of the Sun to purify the ghosts controlled by Perona, indirectly damaging Perona herself through the connection.
Since then, Ash's strength had increased more than a hundredfold.
So it was entirely reasonable that the core flames of his Artificial Sun could severely wound Imu while simultaneously purifying every soul under its control.
Ash finally understood Imu's current state.
Its mind had been burned away, reduced to its most primitive instincts.
That was why it roared endlessly in hatred, yet neither attacked nor fled.
It hated him.
But it feared him even more.
Pathetic.
Still, it deserved no sympathy.
Imu's fate had already been decided.
Whether sane or insane changed nothing.
At this point, Ash was no longer concerned with victory itself. What truly interested him was uncovering the complete truth behind Imu's powers.
Originally, Ash had suspected that Imu's second Devil Fruit might be the Zoan Type, Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Sphinx.
After all, in Greek mythology, the Sphinx represented divine punishment and calamity.
But after witnessing Imu's true form, he abandoned that theory entirely.
Those massive demonic wings looked nothing like the wings of a sphinx.
If one followed Oda's obsession with symmetry, then among Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Norse mythology, which figure possessed dual horns, bat-like wings, four-fingered hands, and abilities matching everything Imu had displayed?
As Ash mentally listed every clue, inspiration suddenly struck him.
At first, he had considered whether Imu possessed a mythical creature associated with opposing the sun, something like the Snake-Snake Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Apophis.
But now, he had thought of something far more fitting.
Hecate.
The Goddess of the Night from Greek mythology.
Or more accurately…
The Zoan Type, Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Hecate.
"Hecate…"
Ash muttered softly.
"In ancient Greek mythology, Hecate is often depicted with three faces or three eyes, bat wings, and a cloak woven from darkness itself. She carries a burning torch and a serpent staff, symbols of night, witchcraft, and crossroads. Her eyes can even see into the underworld."
"The three faces perfectly align with Blackbeard Teach's pirate flag, foreshadowing your mutated body capable of wielding multiple Devil Fruits."
"And the three eyes…"
Ash stared directly at Imu's pupils.
"Those concentric-ring pupils match perfectly."
"The bat wings and cloak of darkness correspond to both your transformed state and your usual appearance hidden beneath black robes."
"The burning torch represents your obsession with flame, the Nika Fruit and the Mother Flame."
"And the serpent staff…"
A faint smile appeared on Ash's face.
"That symbolizes your control over the Serpent of Karma Fire, the Red Line itself."
"The authority of night opposes the white radiance of Sun God Nika."
"Witchcraft perfectly matches the pentagram magic circles you casually used after the Divine Descent on Junko."
"And crossroads…"
"That explains your control over boundaries, portals, and the Ghost Gate. It also explains your ability to corrupt souls into monstrous forms and establish magic circles anywhere."
"The powers of the Styx Fruit combined with the Hecate Fruit…"
Ash nodded in satisfaction.
"They explain every single one of your abilities."
A pleased smile spread across his face as he rubbed the stubble on his chin.
Who cared how Oda might eventually explain everything in the original story?
In this world, Ash decided what the truth would be.
And besides…
Surely the old thief would not ruin all this mystery by simply giving Imu something absurd like a Satan Devil Fruit.
That would be far too crude.
And honestly?
It would make Ash's own theory sound far more interesting by comparison.