Marco felt rage at himself for being careless and getting trapped so easily, even his legendary observation haki did not help him, seems Imu used observation kill on him at that moment.
Then he felt the ambition of becoming the king of the world churn in his heart. It felt like someone was squeezing his heart to push him past his own limits, and an invisible barrier was broken free forcibly.
At that moment, Marco glanced down and jolted in shock. The magic circle had already climbed to his knees.
Boom, boom, boom—his Conqueror's Haki erupted, surging outward in a violent wave. He didn't know what this magic circle was, but if the enemy was a Devil Fruit user, then Haki would definitely work.
Sure enough, as his Conqueror's Haki exploded, the circle beneath his feet began to sizzle. Then, with a sharp crack, the entire formation shattered like glass.
As it broke apart, the oppressive aura wrapped around Marco completely dissipated. Catching his breath, he muttered with lingering fear, "What kind of move was that?!"
He could clearly feel it—if he hadn't unleashed his Haki in time to destroy that formation, and had instead been fully swallowed by it, his fate would have been miserable beyond doubt.
Thinking back on what had just happened, the moment he stepped into the formation, all his anger and hatred had been drawn out and set ablaze. That had to be the influence of the magic circle.
"It seems you're not just some ordinary ant…" Imu's ringed pupils narrowed slightly. For the first time in hundreds of years, someone had broken her Domi Reversi—a technique that awakened the deepest darkness in a person's heart.
As long as someone was human, they carried a shadow within. Once he awakened that darkness, he could call forth their hidden dark personality and turn them into his contracted slave.
Yet even so, Imu had underestimated Marco's strength.
'Such powerful Haki… With just this body's strength, it'll be very difficult to defeat him.' In the next instant, Imu understood that the vessel he currently inhabited couldn't withstand his full power, nor could it forge a direct Devil contract with Marco.
Imu studied Marco across from his, his expression grave. "For a human, your strength has already surpassed human limits. Even those servants who have received my power can't compare to you. But you are not Joy Boy. Just who are you?"
Marco's lips curled into a sneer. "You don't know?"
He let out a mocking chuckle. "Of course you don't. You're the king of the world—why would you bother remembering a small fry like me? Since you're asking, I'll answer. My name is Marco, Captain of the Phoenix Pirates."
"Marco…" Imu repeated the name silently and engraved it in his mind. In eight hundred years, there were very few names worthy of being remembered. His gaze sharpened as he continued solemnly, "Are you the destined child of this era? Like Joy Boy once was."
"But you haven't eaten that Devil Fruit. Or is it that, in this era, fate chose the Phoenix Fruit instead?"
Marco froze at his words. "Oh? So even the king of the world believes in the so‑called 'destined child'? Or, as the final villain BOSS, are you scared of being defeated by one?"
"You also know about the destined child?" Imu's pupils shrank violently, genuine shock flashing in her eyes. "Could it be that you are also…"
Seeing his reaction, Marco frowned slightly. "You're also… what?"
Marco's pupils tightened in an instant. "You are also…" What was she going to say? "You are also a transmigrator"?
The thought made his gaze toward Imu change. Maybe this wasn't impossible at all. If he could be a transmigrator, why couldn't Imu be one too?
All of a sudden, Marco looked at her with a hint of unease and blurted, "Hey, what's the next line after 'You Know Nothing…'?"
A flicker of confusion passed through Imu's eyes. She had no idea what Marco was talking about, so she said nothing.
Because she truly didn't understand those words.
But in that moment, Imu became certain of one thing: Marco was extremely dangerous. Perhaps, besides Joy Boy, there really were other "destined children" in this era.
With that thought, Imu spoke through telepathy to Saint Peter: "Peter, summon the God's Knights."
Locked in battle with Big Mom, Saint Peter heard the order and replied without hesitation, "Yes, Imu‑sama."
He immediately abandoned his pursuit of the battered Big Mom and instead began gathering his power, preparing to construct a magic circle to call the rest of the God's Knights.
When Imu still didn't answer, Marco tossed out another famous meme from his previous life. "Hey, say something! Omaiva Mo Shindeiru, what do you think about this?"
Imu's gaze stayed cold and distant, completely disregarding Marco's question—or rather, acting as if he hadn't heard him at all. Aside from that brief flicker of emotion at the start, his expression did not change again.
Seeing Imu remain completely unmoved, Marco clicked his tongue in irritation. "Damn it, this guy's really lived for hundreds of years… it's like he doesn't have any emotions left."
Hundreds of years… Even if Imu were a transmigrator, he would've forgotten all the memes from his past life long ago. Trying to use that kind of trick to test if he was a transmigrator was downright stupid.
Besides, even if Imu really did come from another world, who knew how long he'd been in this one? His mind, body, and soul had long since merged with this reality.
He was the king of the One Piece world. Even if they were from the same homeland, so what?
That whole "fellow countrymen meeting and bursting into tears" thing only existed in jokes.
What was common was fellow countrymen scamming each other.
And this was the One Piece world. If Imu really were a fellow countryman, Marco should be even more on guard.
Imu stared at Marco with cold, detached eyes and spoke again. "Logically, at your age, you shouldn't possess such power… unless you were blessed by destiny. But clearly, you are not."
"If you were truly blessed by destiny, you would have shown overwhelming talent in your youth."
"Yet a year ago, you couldn't even defeat an Admiral. In less than a year, you were able to kill Saint Mars. That kind of growth is far too rapid—too abnormal."
"It's as if you suddenly obtained some sort of power that does not belong to this world."
The moment Imu said that, Big Mom, Kaido, and all the Marines and pirates turned their gaze to Marco. They had all felt it: ever since the Marineford War, Marco's strength had shot up like a rocket. The speed of his improvement was unnatural. He barely seemed to train at all, yet his power kept rising at a terrifying pace.
Marco's brows knit together. He hadn't expected Imu to see through him so easily.
He did, in fact, possess power that didn't belong to this world—the System, his cheat. With the system, his growth was only natural… but he hadn't thought Imu would notice.
'Is he really a transmigrator… or is this just the intuition of the king of the world?'
Regardless, Marco had no intention of explaining. He had already reached the Strong King level—power that was almost invincible.
In the entire One Piece world, the only person who might surpass him was the Imu before his eyes. But this Imu was at best a clone. Unless Imu's true body appeared, Marco had nothing to fear.
Marco was curious too. He had a feeling this Imu—the so‑called king of the world—knew far more than he let on, maybe even about worlds beyond the One Piece world itself.
"Oh?" Marco asked, narrowing his eyes. "From your tone, it sounds like you know about other worlds besides this one?"
Imu's face smoothed back into its usual calm, and he clearly had no intention of answering.
Seeing that cold attitude again, Marco clicked his tongue, unable to hold back. "You really are cold."
But Big Mom couldn't stay quiet any longer. She stomped forward and shouted, "Hey, Marco, is what she said true? Did you really gain some special power to become this strong?"
The moment she spoke, everyone around them pricked up their ears.
If what Imu said was true, then things finally made sense. Marco's strength had once been roughly on par with Katakuri's—but now it had reached something downright abnormal.
Just half a year ago, Big Mom's own strength had been comparable to his. In that short time, the gap had become insurmountable. She hadn't crossed fists with him, but after watching Marco and Katakuri clash with the Gorosei, she could tell clearly: Marco's power far exceeded her own.
Marco glanced at Big Mom without answering, then turned his gaze back to Imu. "You really are an eight‑hundred‑year‑old monster. Just a few words from you were enough to mess with my head."
He shifted his stance, ready to move, when Imu suddenly spoke again.
"Marco," Imu said, "do you possess power that does not belong to this world?"
The tone grated on him. There was no way he was going to mention the System. In truth, it didn't matter much whether they knew about it or not. Even if they learned he had the system, so what? It wouldn't change the final outcome.
All he needed was to avoid clashing head-on with Imu for now, complete the system's assigned tasks, earn attribute points, and keep raising his strength.
Still, Marco was cautious by nature. Without a compelling reason, he wouldn't tell anyone about the system.
But Imu's words—"power that doesn't belong to this world"—hooked his curiosity.
"So," Marco asked, eyes sharpening, "do you really know about power from other worlds besides this one? Or do you yourself possess power from another world?"
Imu didn't respond to the question. Instead, in that same lofty, commanding tone, he declared, "If you truly possess power that does not belong to this world, then Imu can give you an opportunity. As long as you are willing to submit to Imu, you will gain supreme power—even surpassing the Gorosei."
That only made Marco more certain. Either Imu could communicate with other worlds, or he had already obtained some kind of power from beyond this one. Marco's curiosity burned hotter.
"Hey," he pressed, "what exactly is this 'power that doesn't belong to this World' you're talking about?"
Imu's expression didn't waver. "You have not answered mu's question yet."
Hearing Imu repeat those words, Marco's expression darkened with clear displeasure. Now more than ever, he wanted to confirm whether Imu was a transmigrator or not. He spoke in a cold voice, "Then answer my question first. After you answer, I'll give you mine."
Imu's face twisted at his response, as if he'd just been insulted. He felt he was toying with him. In an icy tone, he said, "No one has ever dared to bargain with mu. You are the first ant that dares to bargain with mu."
"That condescending tone is really pissing me off," Marco snapped, fury flaring in his eyes.
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