Chapter 128: The Paramount War is the Decisive Battle (8) — Imu
After defeating God's Knights, the path to the Room of Flowers was finally clear of obstacles.
Surrounded by legendary powerhouses, Yumesaki pushed open the heavy doors. Under the watchful eyes of millions of viewers, he stepped into a sanctuary that almost no one had ever dared to enter.
As he walked, Yumesaki's voice rang out calmly. "Everyone in this world knows the legend. They say that when the twenty kings founded the World Government, they established a contract of equality. They swore never to harbor dictatorial ambitions."
"To prove it, they created a seat: the Empty Throne."
"They placed their weapons before this throne as a vow to protect its emptiness."
"Worldly power was entrusted to the Five Elders, the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons, to signal to the world that there is no single king who rules us all."
"But unfortunately," Yumesaki's tone shifted, "you've all been misled."
"The Empty Throne has never been empty."
At his signal, the Visual Den Den Mushi in Nico Robin's hand slowly panned away from Yumesaki, focusing its lens directly on the Empty Throne.
The seat that was supposed to be vacant, a symbol of global equality, was occupied. Someone was sitting there, plain as day.
Naturally, this image was broadcasted instantly by the snail in Robin's hands.
The entire world saw it.
There was someone sitting atop the Empty Throne.
The sight left the masses stunned, their voices dying in their throats from sheer shock.
Wasn't it agreed upon? Wasn't it the law of the world that no one should sit there?
Who was it? Who was the person sitting in that forbidden place?
At that moment, ordinary citizens and the various member nations of the World Government alike felt a cold realization wash over them. They had been played for fools.
Then, Yumesaki's voice echoed again, vibrating in the ears of everyone watching the screens.
"Imu."
"The master behind the Five Elders, the commander of the God's Knights, an ancient monster who has lived for eight hundred years. The true sovereign of the World Government—the King of the World who has occupied that seat for eight centuries."
As soon as Yumesaki finished speaking, the figure on the throne slowly opened their eyes.
A pair of cold, indifferent eyes locked onto Yumesaki.
Rumble!
In the next heartbeat, black lightning crackled through the air. An extreme level of Conqueror's Haki exploded from the body of the world's ruler, surging toward Yumesaki like a massive tidal wave crashing against the shore.
Feeling the weight of this immense pressure, Yumesaki's own Conqueror's Haki erupted in response.
His Haki was not inferior in the slightest; if anything, it felt even more potent than Imu's.
The two forces collided violently, sending sparks of black lightning dancing across the empty space again and again. The ground, the walls, and the ceiling groaned and cracked under the strain. Fissures spread in every direction like a giant spiderweb.
The entire Room of Flowers teetered on the brink of collapse in the wake of this clash of kings. Above the room, the very sky began to split apart as the two monstrous wills vied for dominance.
Realizing that Conqueror's Haki alone would not break Yumesaki, Imu decisively withdrew the pressure and asked with a hint of genuine curiosity:
"Who are you? I have never seen you before."
Imu had always believed the Revolutionary Army was the primary threat, and that the D. Clan were the natural enemies of God.
Yet now, the person standing before the throne was neither.
It was someone entirely unknown.
This piqued Imu's curiosity—who was this person, and by what right had he managed to walk all the way here?
Yumesaki looked up at Imu on the throne and offered a faint smile.
"Theoretically, this is the part where we should exchange insults and then dive into a fierce battle. We'd fight until the world turned upside down, leveling all of the Holy Land Mary Geoise to the ground."
"After that, I would suppress you completely, and then you'd make a desperate counterattack by absorbing the power of the God's Knights and the Five Elders to transform into a more powerful form."
"Then I'd defeat that form too, crushing your will and making you question your very existence."
"Finally, I'd look down on you for a moment before swinging my sword to take your head."
"That," Yumesaki sighed, "is what the audience expects. It would showcase your great power while proving my own invincibility."
Imu stared at Yumesaki with a look of utter confusion. "What are you talking about? I don't understand. Is this some kind of prophecy?"
"It's fine if you don't get it. I'm just reading the script," Yumesaki replied nonchalantly. "I'm just telling the viewers watching this live stream how things usually go."
"But unfortunately, I'm not actually that fond of fighting. To be honest, I haven't been in many real battles up until now."
"Asking me to jump straight into a fight with a monster of your level from the get-go... please, have mercy on me."
"Therefore," Yumesaki turned slightly, "Serie, I'm sorry to trouble you, but could you take it from here?"
In the next instant, a magic circle manifested, and Serie appeared out of thin air in front of Yumesaki.
"I'll handle it, then."
The moment Serie appeared, a Conqueror's Haki that surpassed Yumesaki's, surpassed Imu's, and arguably even surpassed Joy Boy's, exploded with terrifying force.
This power truly shook the heavens and the earth.
Outside the room, the Five Elders, who were locked in a desperate struggle with their enemies, were instantly knocked out of their Awakened states by the sheer pressure of this Haki.
Even Saint Garling and Saint Shamrock were hit by the shockwaves, their minds turning completely blank.
And that was just the residual aura Serie was letting off.
The one who felt the true horror of this Haki was Imu.
Being at the very front of the blast, Imu felt as if their brain had been struck by a physical blow. The world spun, and for a moment, the King of the World lost all sense of direction.
By the time Imu's vision cleared, Serie was already standing right there.
"I..."
Just as Imu tried to speak, Serie raised a hand in a simple gripping motion.
Then, Imu's soul was yanked clean out of their body.
Much like the Five Elders and the God's Knights, Imu possessed an immortal body. Because of this, Serie didn't bother targeting the physical shell; she went straight for the soul.
For someone like Serie, who had consumed the Soul-Soul Fruit, this was trivial.
After eating the fruit, she had researched its power and gradually mastered its essence. She had even developed specific types of magic tailored for souls based on the fruit's abilities.
What she had just used was a newly developed spell.
Soul Extraction.
This was why Imu's soul could be pulled out so effortlessly.
It came back to a fundamental principle: Haki can bypass Devil Fruit defenses, but it cannot stop magic.
"Let's see... what exactly is hidden inside your soul?"
Driven by curiosity, Serie activated another spell: Soul Reading.
Imu's centuries of experience, their deepest thoughts, and the secrets of the fruits—all of it laid bare before Serie's eyes.
"I see. You ate one of the original Devil Fruits of this world. The Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Model Demon."
"No wonder you look so much like a devil."
"And no wonder you were so afraid of the Nika Fruit. God and Devil... they really are natural enemies from birth, aren't they?"
Imu's soul stared at Serie in disbelief. Who was this person? How could they rip a soul from a body like this?
"Hmm... you didn't even dare to face the first generation Nika. You just hid in the dark corners, plotting against him? You truly live up to the nature of a demon that loves playing tricks."
"No wonder the Demon Model chose you as its host."
Having understood Imu's personality and history, Serie immediately lost all interest in them.
She turned back to Yumesaki. "How do you plan to handle this one?"
"Just kill them," Yumesaki said without a hint of emotion. "This world is about to welcome an entirely new era. There's no room for an antique like this in it."
Serie gave a small nod of agreement and froze Imu's soul solid.
Then, she dropped it to the ground.
A sharp, crystalline shatter echoed through the room. Imu's soul broke into countless pieces, scattering across the floor. Finally, as the sunlight hit the fragments, they turned into ash and drifted away.
With Imu's death, the Five Elders outside—who had been fighting Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and the others—all screamed in unison.
"No! How can this be?!"
"Lord Imu! Lord Imu...!"
"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!!!"
Gouts of pitch-black flames erupted from within their bodies. Before the terrified eyes of the onlookers, the Five Elders, who once stood at the pinnacle of the world, were incinerated into piles of white bone from the inside out.
At the same time, members of the God's Knights like Saint Garling and Saint Shamrock met the same fate.
Their immortality had been a gift from Imu; their lives and deaths had been tied to Imu's hands for a very long time.
When Imu died, not a single person who had signed a contract with them was spared.
They were all wiped out.
In that moment, the entire world went silent.
Everyone watching the screens was in a state of total shock.
Garp, Whitebeard, and the other veterans widened their eyes, staring at the scene in disbelief.
More than thirty years ago, six of them had worked together and still couldn't do a thing against this mysterious Imu. Yet today, after all that time, this person was ended by someone who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
From beginning to end, the King of the World hadn't even been able to put up a fight.
It was terrifying. Truly terrifying.
They couldn't understand where such powerful people had come from. They had never even heard a whisper of them.
Meanwhile, back in the Room of Flowers at Pangea Castle...
"Boss."
Nico Robin turned the Visual Den Den Mushi back toward Yumesaki, bringing his face back onto the screens of countless viewers.
"They're dead. Why are you still recording me? It's time to turn that thing off." Yumesaki reached out to take the snail.
Robin took a quick step back, dodging his hand with a smile. "No, I still have a few questions for you."
"Questions for me?"
"That's right." Robin looked at him, her eyes twinkling.
"Fine, ask then. Let's see what kind of plan you've cooked up now." Yumesaki gave her a look of mock annoyance.
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