"If that's all, then killing me will be impossible."
Ian flicked his left hand casually.
"Ian! Mind your manners!!"
Before Imu could speak, Saturn was already shouting in outrage.
How could he allow this bastard Ian to act so arrogantly before his lord?
Ian didn't even bother to glance at him. Without turning his head, he spoke lazily, "Kuma, go find Bullet and the Doctor. Once you're done, leave immediately."
"Understood."
Kuma showed no hesitation.
Without question, Imu was their final and strongest enemy.
And now that this being stood before them, Kuma knew he could never match such an opponent. Ian-sama would handle it. Staying here would only drag him down.
Without wasting a second, Kuma headed in the direction Dr. Vegapunk had gone.
"Buccaneers, is it?"
Imu's voice echoed, cold and distant. "That repulsive bloodline still exists?"
Saturn trembled at once. "Forgive me, Lord Imu! That man is the last descendant of the Buccaneers. We had captured him once, but somehow… he escaped."
Imu did not respond further. His gaze remained fixed on Ian.
Compared to the man before him, the Buccaneers were hardly worth mentioning.
"Come then, Pirate Emperor." His tone was calm to the point of condescension, as if Ian was no more than an ant. "Show me your strength."
Such arrogance. It was clear he did not put Ian in his eyes.
Ian let out a small laugh.
He stepped forward. His right foot struck the ground and the floor shattered beneath him.
In the next instant, like teleportation, Ian appeared directly before Im, his right fist wrapped in Armament and Conqueror's Haki, tearing through the air as if to pierce Im entirely.
"Interesting."
A murmur came from beneath Im's cloak. The robe swayed, his right arm pulling back, body twisting like a drawn bowstring.
In the very next moment, the arrow was released.
Their fists collided without touching flesh, haki clashing midair and forming a swirling black sphere between them.
Lightning-like shockwaves erupted from the impact, blasting through the ceiling above with unstoppable force.
Crackling lines of haki spread like laser beams, carving through the surrounding walls and ceiling with clean slicing marks.
"Waaah!!"
Sentomaru was blasted away instantly as the lightning-like aura struck across the battlefield.
Even Kizaru and the Gorosei instinctively used Armament Haki for defense.
Far beyond the island—out of everyone's sight—the entire surrounding sea began to boil. Waves surged violently one after another, despite this being the calm and windless belt.
"No way…??"
Even after learning so many terrifying secrets just moments ago, Kizaru was still shaken by the spectacle unfolding before his eyes.
What is this?
Could a clash of Haki really reach such an overwhelming scale?
The exploding Conqueror's Haki made his body tremble uncontrollably. Earlier, Ian's Haki had already been frightening enough when it forced him out of his elemental form. But now, the fierce collision between two overwhelming wills was a terror beyond anything he had imagined.
Amid that violent clash, both figures were forced backward.
The difference was clear—Imu only slid back two steps, while Ian was sent flying like a cannonball, his feet carving two deep tracks into the ground.
"Hah—"
Ian exhaled slowly, raising his head to meet Imu, who had already steadied himself. He couldn't hold back a sincere compliment.
"Remarkable Haki."
This person's power was monstrous.
Their Conqueror's Haki wasn't necessarily stronger than his, but their Armament Haki had reached a level beyond comprehension.
Makes sense—eight hundred years of accumulation wasn't something to scoff at.
"This is Lord Imu's true power!"
The foe who had troubled them for so many years, the man they once believed unbeatable—forced back before his lord. Saturn felt a surge of exhilaration and spoke without thinking.
"Ian! Aren't you going to surrender already?"
"So you're called Imu, huh?"
Ian shook his right hand loose, smiling faintly.
"Now that I think about it, the name does ring a bell."
"One of the twenty founders of the World Government eight hundred years ago—there was someone named Nerona Imu among them. That would be you, right?"
Imu gave no reply. He merely turned his head toward Saturn.
That single glance was enough to make Saturn tremble violently. He dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead heavily against the ground.
"M-My apologies, Lord Imu!"
Fortunately, Imu looked away just as quickly, refocusing on Ian. Otherwise, Saturn might have died of sheer fright.
Ian chuckled softly.
Unsurprisingly, Saturn's immortality must have come from Imu's power. If Imu so wished, Saturn could be reduced to dust in an instant.
So of course, he had to fear Imu.
To not fear him meant only a dead end.
"You truly are strong, Ian," Imu said. "Even Joy Boy from eight hundred years ago might not have been as strong as you are now."
"So, this world doesn't need your existence."
"I understand that perfectly."
A smile curled at the corner of Ian's mouth.
Such a powerful being… one like him was already enough.
That's probably what Imu thought as well.
After all, if there were still someone in this world capable of threatening him, how could he enjoy his days in peace?
"Very well."
For the first time, there was a slight tremor in Imu's tone, and Ian detected a trace of a smile within it.
"Then, show yourself to the fullest."
Ian's eyes widened slightly.
Imu had somehow appeared directly in front of him.
Of course, he couldn't foresee the future, only barely tracing Imu's movements using Observation Haki.
Imu threw a punch, plain and unassuming.
Ian smiled and returned a punch of his own.
Boom!
A terrifying explosion erupted once more, as if a block of dynamite had detonated here. The upper part of the island was blown into a massive crater, and a violent gust shot skyward like volcanic ash, intertwined with streaks of pitch-black lightning.
Ian's body was pushed back again, and Imu pressed forward relentlessly.
His right fist, wrapped in Haki, crashed toward Ian once more. "Still not using your ability?"
Even Imu knew just how troublesome this guy's powers were.
"You haven't used yours either, haven't you?"
Ian laughed lightly as he met the attack.
There was no better moment than now. The long-awaited moment was finally here.
Was there another being in this world as strong as Imu? Come, King of the World! Show your full strength and force me to grow even stronger!
The bloom, the fruition—it is now!
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