Chapter 340: Beating Up Imu!
"Izo!"
"Marco!"
On the shore, Izo, the Sixteenth Division Commander who had stayed behind to guard their territory, arrived with a fleet and met Marco, who was busy coordinating the rescue.
"Glad we made it in time! We were keeping watch in the nearby waters, and Pops told us to bring the fleet here to help you rescue people!"
"Yeah, let's save the talk for later. Let's get moving and get everyone out of here!"
Izo nodded and quickly directed the fleet to dock, leading the rescue team to evacuate the injured villagers onto the ships.
"Is Lord Shane still on the island?" Izo asked in a low voice as he helped an old man onto the ship.
"Yes," Marco wiped the sweat from his forehead, his gaze fixed on the southern tip of the island. "Lord Shane stopped Kizaru and put out the fire for us… Now, he's probably facing off against a dangerous enemy."
"Dangerous enemy?" Izo was stunned. For a man who might be even stronger than Pops, was there anyone who could make him feel threatened?
"Yeah," Marco said gravely. "It seems to be the true ruler of the World Government. I don't know who it is exactly, but that aura… it's like a monster crawled out of hell. Absolutely terrifying."
The true ruler of the World Government? Izo's heart tightened. He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "No matter what, we have to ensure the safety of Pops's fellow villagers first. As for the fight… we'll leave it to that man!"
Marco took a deep breath. "You're right. In a battle of that level, we'd only be in the way. Let's do our job!"
Neither spoke again. They led the rescue team to speed up, getting the last batch of villagers onto the ships.
"Quick! Set sail!" Izo shouted. "Get out of these waters!"
The fleet quickly left the port, heading for the open sea. Izo and Marco stood side by side at the stern, looking back with worry. The sky above Sphinx Island, once covered in dark rain clouds, was now dyed a sinister purple-black. The thick clouds swirled like a vortex, blood-red lightning flashing within them, illuminating the sea like the apocalypse.
Regardless of the outcome of this battle, Sphinx Island would likely be no more. Pops would no longer have a home. And Lord Shane was fighting here for Pops, to save the people of this land! The Whitebeard Pirates would never forget this debt!
But… could he really survive against such a monster? Hang in there, Lord Shane!
In the distance, the black mist in the center of the island grew thicker, and a deafening roar could be heard faintly—the entire island was trembling in fear!
RUMBLE!
Imu received the same treatment as Kizaru, crashing through several mountains before finally embedding herself deep in a cliff face, kicking up clouds of dust and debris.
But Shane had no intention of stopping. His figure flashed, and he was after her again!
"Just because you've lived a few hundred years longer, you think you're a god?!" he grinned savagely, black-and-red lightning coiling around his fist again. "Let's see how many punches a so-called god like you can take!"
BOOM!
Another punch, slammed home with full force!
However… THUD!
A pitch-black demonic claw suddenly shot out of the dust and clamped onto Shane's fist! The black mist swirled, and Imu slowly stood up. Her previously caved-in, exquisite face had completely healed in an instant. Only her spiraling crimson pupils remained, staring coldly at Shane.
"My lord…" Kizaru's tentative voice came from outside the cave. "It might not be appropriate, but as your subordinate, I have to ask… do you need my help with this fight?"
"Withdraw, Borsalino," Imu's voice remained devoid of emotion. "Go to the main battlefield. That might be where you belong. There should be no outsiders here."
"Yes, my lord." Kizaru seemed to breathe a huge sigh of relief. His voice faded, and his presence quickly vanished—he had transformed into light and fled.
Only then did Imu turn back to Shane and speak calmly. "Mortal, you are indeed more interesting than I thought. It seems my descent to the lower world will not be boring."
In the next moment—BOOM!
Terrifying black-purple energy erupted from Imu's body! Shane felt a massive force slam into him. He instinctively crossed his arms to block, but he was still knocked back hundreds of meters, carving two deep trenches in the ground.
"Oh? Recovered pretty fast. Even an overwhelming amount of Conqueror's Haki is having trouble suppressing it?" Shane was not alarmed but delighted. He shook his numb arms and laughed heartily. "But this is interesting, Little Sister Imu! If this vessel of yours was just a punching bag like those old geezers, it would be too boring!"
Little Sister Imu? What kind of address was that?
"Vulgar creature," Imu shook her head. She raised the trident in her right hand, black-purple energy gathering on it, dyeing the entire sky dark. "Die."
With a simple word, the trident thrust forward!
VWOOM!
A black-purple beam of light, over a hundred meters in diameter, tore through the earth, rushing towards Shane with the power to destroy everything!
"Bring it on!" Shane laughed wildly. He didn't dodge. His right fist clenched again, Conqueror's Haki gathering and coiling around it, and then he punched!
"Galaxy… Stardust Breaker!!!"
The enemy before him was an immortal who had ruled the world for 800 years! She was on a completely different level from any opponent he had faced before. But that was exactly why he was finally feeling excited again after so long! The last time he had been in this state was during his great battle with Kaido!
THUD!
Black-red and black-purple energies collided in mid-air. A terrifying shockwave instantly swept across the entire island, the sea, and the sky. Mountains collapsed, the sea rolled back, and giant waves rose to the heavens.
The sky itself was split open!
Izo and Marco's rescue fleet had already retreated over ten kilometers away, but they were still rocked violently by the waves, nearly capsizing. Everyone on deck had to hold onto the railings to stay upright.
"Th-this level of battle…" Izo broke out in a cold sweat, staring at the island under the split sky, its outline almost indistinguishable under the energy storm. His voice trembled. It's too exaggerated! He had never imagined that a battle between humans could cause such terrifying celestial phenomena. Even Pops's battle with Roger back in the day hadn't reached this level!
"Let's move further back," Marco said gravely as he bandaged a villager's wound. "This distance still isn't enough."
"Yeah," Izo nodded instinctively. Ten kilometers was definitely not enough!
The commotion caused by the clash of energy waves finally began to subside.
"Hmph," Imu grunted, a trickle of black blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. She clearly hadn't expected the power of Shane's punch to be so terrifying. Not only had it blocked her attack, but it had even shaken her defenses.
"So gods bleed too?" Shane wiped the blood from his own mouth and sneered. "Then it seems you're not that much stronger than me. About the same, really."
Imu's eyes remained calm as a still lake. "You are too arrogant," she said coldly. "I admit, you are indeed more interesting than Rocks, but… a mortal is just a mortal."
Before she finished speaking, the pitch-black wings on her back spread to their limit, and countless black feathers shot out like arrows! A red glint flashed in Shane's eyes. He sensed it immediately and dodged rapidly, but the black feathers curved in mid-air to track him, forcing him to block with a flurry of punches.
"Is that it?" Shane grinned savagely. He suddenly accelerated, breaking through the blockade of black feathers. His right leg swung like a battle-axe, aiming for Imu's neck!
"Is that it?" Imu seemed to have anticipated this. While blocking with her trident in her right hand, her left hand suddenly shot out, her five fingers transforming into sharp black bone spikes, aiming straight for Shane's heart!
So fast! Shane's pupils shrank. Unlike before, his Observation Haki had completely failed to predict this strike! Was it that? "Observation Killing"? Using Conqueror's Haki to control one's own presence, rendering the opponent's Observation Haki useless. Since Red-Hair could do it, of course Imu could too!
In the nick of time, he twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow, but five bloody scratches were left on his chest.
HISS!
Purple-black flames instantly ignited on the wounds, sizzling.
That fucking hurts! Shane looked down, a nameless anger rising in his heart. He ripped off his tattered shirt, revealing his muscular torso. At the same time, he channeled a massive amount of Conqueror's Haki, thick black-and-red lightning coursing over his body, finally driving away the strange purple-black flames. Only then did the five wounds begin to heal at a visible rate.
Hmm? Imu frowned slightly. It was the first time she had seen this. Without any external interference, this mortal's recovery ability seemed even more amazing than the Holy Knights she had granted immortality to. How does he do it?
"Warm-up over!" Shane cracked his neck, the bones popping like firecrackers. He grinned at Imu. "Hey, it's about time you got serious. You won't take me down with just that!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he slammed his palms together. The Conqueror's Haki accumulated in his body erupted like a volcano, the black-and-red lightning around him swelling several times over, forming a violent energy storm around him. Shane's expression grew even more excited, his features almost twisted.
Imu's expression finally changed. She could feel this man's aura climbing at an alarming rate!
"Just now, I could barely keep up with you, but now it's different. Since I've chosen to burn my Haki and overdraw my stamina, I'm aiming to take you down quickly!"
"Catch this, Imu!"
With a roar, Shane's figure vanished.
In the next instant! He appeared directly above Imu, grinning from ear to ear, his face as savage as a demon. His fists, wreathed in unprecedented terrifying energy, smashed down like meteors!
"Cross Fang… Dragon Slayer Fist!!!!"
The world changed color! Two dragon-shaped shockwaves, one black and one white, roared as they tore through everything in their path. Imu's raised trident… SNAP! …snapped in two under the blow! Her entire body was smashed into the ground like a cannonball. Sphinx Island could no longer hold on, and under this impact, it began to break apart!
"Not done yet, Imu!" Shane laughed wildly, pressing his advantage. He clapped his hands together, then spread them apart. All the Conqueror's Haki lightning around him gathered in his palm, condensing into a massive black-and-red energy ball.
He hadn't mastered the Observation Killing technique yet. After all, he was used to straightforward, physical combat. He couldn't be bothered with techniques that restricted the opponent's abilities. In fact, he wished his opponents would unleash their full potential and show him their most terrifying forms. But that didn't mean his development and control of Conqueror's Haki were weaker than anyone else's! besides turning his Conqueror's Haki into a barrier, he could also compress it! Compress it! And compress it again!!! Turning it into something even more terrifying, releasing it all at once!
This was the first time he had actually used this move in combat. But he had already come up with a name for it! Based on its shape, he could call it…
Shane slammed his palms down, and the black-and-red energy ball suddenly expanded, transforming into a pillar of destructive light that pierced the heavens and the earth, blasting straight towards Imu deep underground!
"Spirit… Bomb!!!"
The terrifying explosion flipped over half the island's ground! Smoke and dust shot into the sky, forming a giant mushroom cloud over the sea!
Hoo, hoo, hoo… Shane gasped for breath, his eyes fixed on the massive crater below. The smoke slowly cleared, revealing a terrifying hole over a kilometer in diameter, seawater rushing in from all sides.
"Hey, not dead yet, right?" Shane grinned savagely. "Your aura seems a lot weaker. If it ends like this, it would be such a letdown!"
In the next moment, a blinding purple-black light erupted from the bottom of the crater. A figure slowly rose. It was Imu. Her clothes were in tatters, revealing her beautiful, white body, which was covered in wounds. One of the demonic wings on her back was broken. Only her spiraling pupils were even more crimson and terrifying than before.
"Mortal…" For the first time, Imu's tone wavered, filled with unbearable rage. "You have successfully made me… angry."
As if that wasn't enough, she repeated, emphasize each word, "I am very angry. Truly… very angry."
BOOM!
Imu suddenly spread her arms, hovering in the air. Countless black-purple energies erupted from her body, condensing in the air into tens of thousands of black arrows. Each arrow tip burned with a bizarre purple flame, covering the sky as far as the eye could see. Looking up, the scene evoked a sense of despair and inevitable doom, sending chills down one's spine.