Chapter 189

"I already stated, and will do so again."

Though Mariejois was filled with many noteworthy individuals, a silence enveloped the whole area.

In the middle, Imu stood without an intact attire; no one, for the past hours, was able to touch him even once.

"All that you're doing is futile. No matter how solid your plan may be, how strong you may be... all is naught but a baseless complacency before me."

Dragon turned to Garp and grimaced. It was a miracle that the latter was still alive, but he knew; there wasn't much time left.

Then Luffy. He was cuffed by the seastone cuff, created by Imu himself. No one among them had a way to free Luffy from it.

Marco, who died, was lying on the ground with pale face. The Phoenix pirates retaliated against Imu with fury and sorrow, but it was to no avail.

From the bottom of the Red Line, on the sea of Paradise, Law bickered, "...What did you expect, you morons?"

Interestingly, on the spot where Law's eyes were supposed to be at, there only existed empty holes. Law, using his own ability, separated his eyes from his body, and floated up high in the air using 'takt,' one of the abilities granted to him within his 'room'—this allowed him to spectate the war at the Mariejois.

"Did you really believe that you'll be able to defeat that man by yourselves?"

It was still vivid. The day where Kaidou and Big Mom has fallen... by one young man.

"There is only one man who stands a chance against that abomination."

That's why Law remained down. Garp? That man has already proven his superiority over Garp during the Marineford War. Dragon? Dragon was wary of the two Emperors, not having the power to end their tyranny—unlike that man.

'Therefore, I will wait.' Law was a pirate. He and his crew's lives were more important than anything else.

*SPLASH*

Then, a huge ship, greater than any other that Law saw before, revealed itself all of a sudden.

"W-wow! So this is the above, where the humans live... it's pretty dark though." A huge mermaid princess, Shirahoshi, said jovially, before grabbing her neck.

"B-but father, I can't breathe!"

*Splash* *Splash*

One by one, the fish-men dived into the water, unable to breathe on the air outside.

Law's eyes narrowed, 'They are...'

_________

From the New World, Nojiko stared up high to the foggy Red Line, intrigued by what was going on.

"That freaking Trafalgar, how dare he leave us here like this?!" Bonney shouted in annoyance.

The Heart pirates' high-tech submarine was superior in terms of speed, and the Twin Cats pirates and Bonney pirates arrived just now—only to see that Law was gone from the site.

"Question is..." Nami placed her hand on her chin, "Did he go up or down?"

Due to the Red Line, they were unaware that Law bypassed the Red Line and arrived on the Paradise—in order to send Sengoku and Tsuru into the Pangaea Castle way above.

"No point thinking about it." Nojiko stated seriously, before pointing at the huge hole in the Red Line, "Someone already paved the path in front of us. Let's climb up."

"What?!!" One of the Twin Cats pirates whined, "But we're the pirates! Climb up?! We aren't the mountain bandits!"

"Shut up!" Nojiko barked back comically, causing that member to freeze and force a smile,

"Yes, captain!"

___________

Unknown to those below the Red Line, they were already within Imu's sight.

"How ignorant."

Imu, in the past, defeated Binks by the extraordinary control over his fruit ability. Now, around 800 years passed by. His Haki—especially the Observation Haki—has now reached a level where no one was able to compete against.

He could see it all. The Heart pirates and the fish-man race at the Paradise. The Twin Cats pirates and Bonney pirates at the New World, about to enter the hole that Morley previously drilled.

"But... watching the bugs struggle for their lives... surely provide some entertainment." Imu decided to leave them at it is for now. He had all time in the world, or so he believed.

Pluton and Uranus. Though they momentarily stopped their operation upon Imu's silent order, both of them were still intact and ready to wipe out the enemies.

Additionally, the Pacifistas. Though many of them were impaired by the enemies, quite a few of them remained still. This war, without a doubt, was tilting in favour of the World Government.

<Dr. Vegapunk... so that's your name.>

Imu remembered his conversation with the genius scientist before the war.

<I refuse the access over the Pacifistas! Before, I created them to be used as the ones who will protect the innocent civilians from the evil pirates, but... the World Government is clearly in the wrong here! I promised to Kuma that I won't...>

A death. Dr. Vegapunk was long since gone. After the modification of Kuma into a full-blown cyborg, Dr. Vegapunk lost his ability to speak.

'A pointless thought.' Imu discarded the memory without any care, for the dead man no longer had any significance on him.

*BOOOOOOM*

Just then, a burly man with afro-hair, Sengoku, was seen high above at the sky, with a deep cut on his abdomen. With the blood soaking his ripped top, Sengoku crashed onto the ground, unconscious.

"Sengoku..." Tsuru whispered with a cold sweat.

"You've grown old, Sengoku." Mihawk stated coldly, with his sword, Yoru, still clenched tight in his right hand, "This is all that a former Fleet Admiral amounts to?"

"...What now?"

Sanji, who was lying on the ground, said in a weak voice,

"Oi, marimo, say something."

"Beat the hell out of that water guy." Zoro replied immediately, though his whole body was under an extreme stress, "And kill him. When he dies, the seastone cuff on Luffy will disappear, right?"

Imu heard Zoro. Though his facial expression remained the same, the corner of his right eye twitched slightly—implying his annoyance.

"How persistent."

The water has burst into the existence around Imu. They swirled up to one sharp spike, before its tip turned into a dark purple in colour, due to Imu's use of Armament Haki: Emission.

"...You can do that?" It was the incredible sight. The shapeless water, being mixed with the perfect control of Armament Haki. Sabo couldn't help but chuckle hollowly, "Just what kind of monster are we against?"

"A disgusting filth. That's what it is." Ace growled as he stood up once again. His whole body was full of wounds, and the blood was dripping out of them without a stop. If he were not to get a medical attention soon, he will die without a doubt. Yet, he didn't stop. With the intense Conqueror's Haki crackling around him, Ace began to approach Imu.

"Imu... the one with the power of water. But in essence..." At the same time, Dragon too stood up. His left arm was missing, and his left eye was closed—permanently blinded. However, his will didn't cease to burn, "...you are the embodiment of the moon. The moon gives a rise to the tidal waves. You came to this world to take over the world governed by the sun."

Imu's spike of water, which was slowly approaching to Zoro, stopped upon hearing Dragon's words.

"Do you wish to become the sun yourself, fake king?"

Dragon's words seemed to have affected Imu to some extent.

"It's been... 800 years since I heard that statement. How nostagic."

One spike of water than branched into two. One continued to head for Zoro, and the other was soaring to Dragon rapidly.

The water then plummeted down to the ground. It was due to Issho, who operated his ability even though he was extremely tired.

"Does it change anything?"

However, the water didn't stop. Even though it was crushed on the ground, it continued to flow slowly to its preys.

"Meteor—"

At the same time, Sakazuki, who was standing at some distance away, shot the multiple clusters of magma to the immobilized Revolutionary Army,

"—Volcano!!"

"...Inazuma." Dragon, upon facing the detrimental situation, said to one executive of the Revolutionary Army, Inazuma, in a low tone, "Get others ready to brace for the impact."

"Roger that."

An intense storm, more intense than it has ever been, came into life. Engulfing Dragon within seconds, the storm began to grow more and more.

As the shrewd stream of water and clusters of magma reached Dragon, the storm expanded all of a sudden. Without harming anyone at the back, the storm shredded the water and magma instantly. Mixing the two together, and along with the cold gust of air, the water froze into ice, and the magma rapidly cooled down to solid rocks.

Yet, Imu didn't exhibit any surprise.

"The awakened ability of Logia... allows one to morph the climate itself."

The cloud rapidly gathered at the sky above the Mariejois. It swirled and swirled, and thickened—until nothing but the darkness existed.

*Swooooo*

The cold and ferocious wind invaded the Mariejois. Many shivered, nervous of what was about to come at any second.

At the same time, the storm enlarged even further. Its border was now right in front of Imu, and if Imu wasn't to move, he would soon be engulfed by the storm as well.

"I have been waiting for this day. The day where the 'Dawn' will rise again. The day where everyone will see the bright light waking up the world from its slumber. The end is near."

"Yes, the end is near." Imu replied impassively, "But whose end is it?"

"Yours!"

With Dragon's growl,

*PAZZZZZZZ*

the lightning broke out from the terrifying cloud above. It struck onto Imu, though he stood on his spot and endured without any problem.

*PAZZZZZZZ*

It struck once again, but yielded the same result.

"Ugh..." Sakazuki had to shield his face. Covering his entire body with Armanent Haki, and supporting his body with the dense mass of magma, Sakazuki wasn't in a condition to think about launching a counterattack.

Kong grimaced and slammed his legs onto the ground. He too had no choice but to endure; Dragon's strength was evidently above his own.

"Hm..." Mihawk, on the other hand, embedded his sword onto the ground. Unlike the previous two, Mihawk was handling Dragon's attack quite well.

"The end of the endless,"

In this state, Dragon slowly placed his right hand out and got into a particular stance.

"the return of the king,"

Imu watched Dragon on the ground with his hands at his back.

"and the will of the 'Dawn.'

The wind cries in sorrow. The wind screeched in pain. However, the torture is now over, for there only remains the light."

Dragon then pushed his hand forth,

"Ryusoken: Dragon's Ascend."

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The incredible storm blasted the whole Mariejois in one go. It was so ferocious that some World Government agents flew up to the sky powerlessly, where the streams of lightning struck down and ended their lives.

Dragon's technique was powerful—powerful enough for even Mihawk to skid back.

Sakazuki instantly created a huge wall of magma in an attempt to block off the attack, but it was instantly grinded into the fine dusts.

"...I acknowledge you, Monkey D. Dragon." Then, Imu spoke up within the storm, in a calm voice, "Perhaps I've slightly underestimated. You've given me more entertainment than I initially expected."

*Tap*

One step. Imu took one step forward within the mighty storm. Normally, the sound should've been muffled out by the noises generated by the storm, however, everyone, for some reason, heard Imu's step loud and clear.

*Swoooo*

Mihawk, upon hearing another noise up in the sky, beyond the thick layer of cloud, looked up.

Sob, who was staying back with injured Job and Mob, widened her eyes as she too heard it. It was unclear as to what the source of this sound may be, but it was coming from right above them: the rebellion from the Cocoyashi.

"It..." Sob stated in a shaky tone, "...isn't just one?"

Just when she said so, two gigantic poles of seastones poked through the cloud, dispelling it in one go. The whole Revolutionary Army saw this unbelievable sight with widened eyes; they felt their strengths leaving their bodies in despair.

Dragon gritted his teeth. He had no choices—the storm that engulfed the enemies soared upward and crashed against the descending poles.

Issho, with darkened expression, raised his hand up, trying to control the gravity to slow down the seastone poles.

"...Let me help you as well." Mob, who was in a monotone, stepped up. He raised his hands up in a similar fashion to Issho.

*VROOOOOOOM*

The chunks of earth began to levitate from the ground that they belonged to, before slamming onto the descending seastone poles.

"Did we make it in time?"

Just then, Nojiko, who managed to make her way up fast along with her crew and the Bonney pirates, stated with her eyes locked up high to the seastone poles.

"Nojiko! Nami!" Dr. Nako, who was treating injured Job, exclaimed in surprise, "How did you get here?"

"Let's save the talk for now, Dr. Nako!" Nojiko stated as her arms glowed in a mystical green. One by one, the dead corpses began to stand back up with the greenish hues on their hollow eyes, before walking to where the poles were falling.

"W-what kind of ability is this?!" Ivankov, who was still struggling against the senseless Kuma, shouted in a cold sweat.

"Let me help as well!" Bartolomeo, whose eyes were half-lidded from exhaustion, said firmly as he manipulated the rectangular barrier to support the Mob's chunks of earth from the back.

"Tch... just what is going on here?!!" Bonney cried as she shot multiple rounds of seeds, which quickly grew into the huge trees that attached themselves to Mob's chunks of earth.

"Don't... *Huff*... forget... *Huff*... about me!" Vivi's sand too joined the resistance, pushing against the seastone poles as much as she could.

"...It isn't going to be enough." From the cage behind the ones in Cocoyashi, Kuroobi said grimly.

"...I'm going, Kuroobi." Hatchen, with determined voice, stated.

Kuroobi's eyes widened—for Hatchen's cage was undone.

"Since when?"

Ignoring Kuroobi's question, Hatchen walked out of the cage and held his hand out to Kuroobi,

"Are you coming with me, Kuro?"

Kuroobi saw a genuine smile on Hatchen, and found his face morphing in a similar fashion.

"Of course, Hachi."

*Creak*

Everyone faced the two seastone poles that slowly descended to them. With everyone's efforts, one seastone pole has successfully skidded sideway and tilted away from its trajectory path. However, another one continued to fall toward them—to those from the Cocoyashi.

"Heh, if we were to die here," Dr. Nako grinned without any fear, "let's go with a smile!"

"EVERYONE!!!!" Nojiko screamed in panic, even as her face paled up from the excessive use of her ability.

*VROOOOOOOOOM*

The tip of the gigantic pole was approaching them fast. Even under the countless corpses, barriers, earth chunks, weakened gravity, and many other factors slowing it down, their eventual deaths seemed impossible to prevent.

"*Huff*... *Huff*..." Dragon, who was on one knee, raised his trembling arms up, trying to operate the wind one more time. However, it was prevented by Sakazuki, who was rapidly flying to Dragon, in an attempt to end the latter's life once and for all.

*BOOOOOOM*

Sabo grabbed the immobilized Dragon and avoided Sakazuki's attack at the last second.

Subsequently,

""Fish Man Karate: Tranquil River!!""

*SPLASH*

A huge mass of water that was brought into existence by Imu swirled into one and pushed onto the ones of the Cocoyashi, who were awaiting their deaths. They were sent out of the area of impact at the final moment, within their eyes, two Fish-Men entered their sight.

"...Kuroobi? Hatchen?" Nojiko found her eyes wavering as the two of them stood below the seastone pole with smiles.

"We're sorry for all that we've done in the past." Kuroobi said with a weak smile.

"We're not trying to ask you for forgiveness." Hatchen said genuinely, "We're doing this for our sake, out of our selfish minds. It's... it's just us paying for our wrongdoings."

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

That was the final sight of the two before the pole impaled through the ground of the Mariejois.

"...W-we are... alive." One member of the Cocoyashi Revolutionary Army muttered, "We were saved by them... the ones who killed our families."

A complex emotion invaded their minds.

"How amusing."

Imu, from afar, watched with his eyes gleaming enigmatically, "So you managed to handle the two. Well done.

However... what about four then?"

Then revealed—four seastone poles that suddenly appeared from the sky.

"Ha... hahaha... is he a god or what?" Vivi said in a resigned voice. She sat down on the ground, having no strength to continue further, "Isn't this too much, even for a devil fruit?"

They spent all their strengths just to defend the past two strikes. Now, there were four of them.

It was the end.

*VROOOOOOOOM*

In the battlefield where their will was slowly dying into a despair, not even a ground for them to be buried within will be granted, it seemed. After all,

*VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

the ground began to shake.

No, the whole Mariejois was shaking.

"No... that's not it." Dragon, who was held by Sabo, whispered weakly, "The whole Red Line... is shaking...!"

*VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The whole Red Line began to crumble down!

Ahhhhhh—

Within this sudden quake, a distant cry was heard in everyone's ears,

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh—

"From... down below."

The seastone poles were descending without a stop. However, at the same time, the whole Mariejois was tilted all of a sudden, about to fall off at any moment.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Then appeared—one man holding his soaked captain's hat, floating his up in the sky. On his waist, many ropes were tightened around, and those ropes were connected to the eight other powerless individuals and a huge ship. One of the roped ones, Cavendish, was seen to be screaming in horror.

That man was recognizable in everyone's eyes. The man who stood atop all the pirates. The man having rumoured to travel rapidly from an island to island, seeking for the greatest treasure of the world, One Piece. He was standing above all of them at the current moment.

"Ro...wan... what the hell are you doing there?!!" Nami cried in shock while falling.

*SPLASH* *SPLASH*

One by one, the chunks fell into the water. The Mariejois too broke into pieces, and disappeared one by one. Eventually, the Red Line was no more.

"Rowan!" Shirahoshi shouted in a joy.

On the bottom, the Sea Kings who were on the standby, caught the falling allies before they fell into the water.

"Hey, Shirahoshi! Good to see you!"

Rowan, on the other hand, noticed the four seastone poles above him after greeting Shirahoshi, "Seastone, I see."

He clenched his right hand, where the extremely potent Conqueror's Haki: Manifestation, burst into its existence. Then, without any hesitation, he threw it forward.

And within everyone's sight, the seastone poles were sent blasting back into where it came from, before completely disappearing from their view.

""""""""*Bleughhhhhh*""""""""

The eight others who were attached to the ropes with Rowan, then vomitted a huge amount of water, generating rainbows.

The scene was so abrupt and so comical, that it seemed to be out of the world.

"Promy! I'm cutting the ropes now, alright?"

Upon the rope being cut, the silent ship suddenly transformed into a roaring azure dragon, and allowed all members of the Grimheart pirates to safely land on its deck.

"Well, that was..." Carina muttered with a blush while wiping her mouth, "slightly embarrassing."

"You've finally come." Law grinned with an evident relief in his expression.

*SPLASH*

"Law, you pesky coward! So this is where you were hiding!" Bonney, who just landed close by, immediately shouted upon seeing Law, to which Law replied with a middle finger of his own.

"...Ha." Imu, on the other hand, placed his hand on his forehead, finding himself at the loss of words.

In front of him lied his own heart,

*Ba-Bump*

which was beating within the tightly-sealed sphere of seastone.

"Vasilia. The first whom I defeated after my arrival to the future. They were the weaklings who believed in the supposed superiority of their lowly strengths and lived with arrogance... where did an anomaly like you come from, Grimheart?"

The heart now lied in Imu's hands. With a well-hidden fury, Imu slowly placed his heart back to where it belonged. He was back into the whole after the countless years.

And now, Imu found his eyes sharpening at Rowan,

"...So we finally meet, Imu."

who glared back at him with ferocity.

Imu's one and sole contender for the throne has arrived, to finish everything once and for all.