Chapter 157: Theomachy (4)

Within the Momoiro island, atop one Marine Warship, one man, of small size and extremely old age from a glance, stared at the one-sided war in sorrow.

"...And so,"

He was commonly known as the 'Warper' by many. Being one of the God's Knights and having served as the leader of said organization in the past, he was renowned by many workers of the World Government.

Be it four years ago in the Impel Down or the recent event in the Tajine Kingdom, the mass teleportation of World Goverment troops were all his doings. After all, the black circles with pentagrams were exclusive to the Five Elders, those whose origins were unknown to this man as well.

As such, he existed as one of the core individuals of the World Government for years. And now, he knew,

"...Here it is, the end of our reign."

Garp, Dragon, Sengoku, Tsuru, Zephyr, Gion, Momonga, Ivankov, Kuma, and all those noteworthy combatants rebelled against the World Government.

Who would have known? The man was witnessing something that he used to think impossible four years ago.

The age of Celestial Dragons, which he so faithfully believed that it will never end, was setting.

"This world..."

That was the last words spoken by the man, before the ferocious hurricane struck the warship, grinding everyone who war atop it.

__________

"It's all clear now."

Smoker spoke as he slowly approached Imu.

"Even the question of how you were able to absorb energy from Eve... the impossible becomes possible if you aren't a human being in the first place."

Imu's appearance was that of a wooden doll—his origin was that of a tree. 

In other words, he was a photoautotroph, one that attains energy from the sunlight.

Then, did that mean that Smoker's attack just before was meaningless?

'No,'

Smoker knew,

'The Sunlight Tree Eve will not be usable for quite some time.'

Compared to Eve, the sunlight of the sun was much weaker. The regeneration of Imu's wooden limbs before was probably done through the utilization of the last bit of energy that he stole from Eve.

From now on, Imu won't be able to replenish his stamina.

"..."

Imu seemed to have calmed down. Gone was the rage that he revealed for a brief moment, and the emotionlessness has returned.

Then, his body began to morph—into that of a human.

"Do you believe that you have won? If so, you will soon realize... that this battle has just started."

From the wooden arms, the flesh grew. His wooden face was covered by the handsome-looking face.

"What you have been seeing up until now... was nothing more than the tip of an iceberg."

Blonde hair, crimson eyes, lean and muscular, wearing a golden garment—it was the perfect image of an ideal 'prince' as some people would dream, that Imu morphed into.

It was a stark contrast against Smoker, whose garments were reduced into rags, and his overall form was drenched in blood.

"Some called it an arrogance. Another called it an overestimation of self. However, whoever they may have been, in the end, Mu stood as the victor."

Imu, in an appearance of a human, spoke grimly.

"Mu is perfect. Mu is absolute. This world needs Mu."

One by one, the figures appeared around Imu, kneeling and bowing to him.

Saturn, Peter, Warcury, Nusjuro, Mars, and many more.

Even the dead corpses of the Celestial Dragons rose and knelt toward Imu.

"Mu's reign is meant to be eternal. Such is the destiny, such is the fate."

Imu spoke to himself as the Conqueror's Haki crackled around him. Then, he held his hand out to the side.

The figures of those who were kneeling toward Imu melted away. Becoming the organic, liquid-like substances, they were absorbed into Imu through his palm.

His blonde hair began to levitate and the crimson glow on his eyes intensified—to an extent where it seemed to be blazing just as how Smoker's eyes blazed in bright white.

The debris of broken buildings on Mariejois began to spin around, generating a storm of dust. They then gathered in the space next to Imu's outstretched hand and condensed into... what appeared to be a sword.

'A sword?'

Smoker narrowed his eyes as he collected his breath.

"Seven hundred years ago, a man appeared out of nowhere."

Imu, as he slid his hand along the blade of his sword, spoke stoically.

"Slaying all the foes whom he came to face, be it the marines or pirates, he was hailed as the 'Strongest Swordsman in the World'. History says that such a person disappeared from the world one day, but little did they know..."

Imu's crimson eyes shifted to stare at Smoker, coldly.

"That he is alive even today, hailing as the ruler of their descendants."

Imu then disappeared, before appearing right behind Smoker.

CLANG!

The loud, metallic noise resonated afterward. Smoker was found with his right arm, encased with Haki, raised to guard his body.

"..."

Smoker looked at his back by the corners of his eyes.

Imu, whose face was hidden by the blonde hair of his, then said,

"You may have managed to startle me once. And I praise you for that, White Hunter.

It won't happen twice, however."

Imu's form blurred, once again, at an incredible speed. Smoker's eyes quickly moved along, able to follow Imu at such a speed.

The series of sword slashes approached Smoker at all angles.

"Hu..."

Taking in a deep breath, Smoker's arms then moved at a blinding speed, parrying all the slashes in an instant, with a terrifying accuracy.

Each and every single one of their clashes involved the collision of two Conqueror's Haki: Infusion. Numerous, consecutive, short-lived bursts of black lightning occurred in a split second, and from this exchange of blows, the platform of Mariejois quaked centering Smoker—showcasing just how destructive their attacks were.

'...'

However, Smoker knew. The sword, that Imu was using, was not normal.

Imu's Devil Fruit ability was extremely bizarre. His summons, containing a will of their own, were able to consume the separate Devil Fruits of their own and hone their strengths.

In short, the sword was essentially the combination of thousands of wills altogether—ones that belonged to demons under Imu's control.

Each slash inflicted by Imu was sufficient enough to split mountains. And Smoker was blocking them, bare-handed.

'And so,'

Thought Smoker as his eyes tracked Imu,

'Centuries of living wasn't for nothing, huh.'

Tilting his head, Smoker then managed to dodge a blade by a millimeter. He quickly had to raise his arms after, however, to block the kick that followed up right after.

BOOOOM!

There was an incredible force packed behind said kick. Smoker was sent flying back and crashed into a pile of pieces that used to constitute a building.

The dust arose from the collision, and Imu stopped his rapid movement. With his grip over his sword tight, he slowly walked toward where Smoker crashed.

"Tch..."

Clicking his tongue, Smoker inspected his surroundings. There were rubbles, dirt, and a variety of other elements, mingling together around him.

One wall seemed to be intact, and judging by how there were holders attached to it, this area which Smoker crashed on seemed to have served as an armory prior to its destruction.

Strangely, there was one weapon, only one weapon, that was left intact for use.

It was a short, steel-made staff with an extra protrusion—a weapon that specializes in disarming the opponents.

A jitte.

"Hah...!"

Smoker wondered if this was the fate. Getting up from his spot and walking wobbly toward the weapon, he gripped it and pulled it out of the wall.

To him, who used a sword to 'crush' enemies rather than 'slay' them, jitte, perhaps, was the perfect weapon.

Upon his grip, the jitte crumbled down, and the bright aether, taking on its form, took its place.

Then, his Armament Haki spread over the jitte and took over the weapon. Atop of it appeared the infusion of Conqueror's Haki, crackling wildly.

Smoker swung the jitte around a couple of times, before readying himself for Imu's attack once more.

Then, the sword came in slashing through the lone wall, toward Smoker who blocked it with the jitte of aether.

The black lightning sparkled in all directions. The ground below quaked. The sky above parted. The pieces of ruined buildings flew in every direction.

Then, the air rippled centering them, before the explosive noise filled the area.

Imu narrowed his eyes at Smoker's jitte before landing a consecutive series of sword slashes.

Smoker, whose eyes caught onto such a terrifying speed, moved just as fast, parrying every slash with his unbreaking jitte.

Then, as their weapons clashed yet again, Smoker's jitte wriggled all of a sudden. Then, in a split second, it bent and coiled around Imu's sword.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Imu widened his eyes as he was caught off guard, and Smoker muttered to himself,

"White Snake."

The jitte was now a white snake of aether that slithered as it remained coiled around Imu's sword.

Imu, quickly kicking Smoker, pushed the latter away from him. Smoker, as he was sent flying, grinned.

The white snake was shining brightly. And then,

it exploded magnificently.

BOOOOOM!

It was proven from numerous clashes before that aether is effective against Imu's summons.

Such a dimension-shredding impact, they are unable to resist it.

"Huff... huff..."

Smoker, breathing rapidly, landed on the ground and knelt on one knee to support his weight.

The prolonged use of the ability granted by the resonance of his Devil Fruit was really taking a toll on him.

"Already tired? Hm,"

The voice, as if suggesting, spoke to him then,

"Hey, how about you let me use your body? You'd be able to use my power non-stop then."

Smoker ignored such words. Standing back up, he stared at the site of the explosion that was currently shrouded by dust.

A shadow then blurred out from the dust.

'Here he comes...'

On Smoker's hand appeared another jitte of aether. Though his breathing hadn't calmed down, his eyes nonetheless focused back on the ongoing battle.

The black sparks splattered as the jitte met... a spear, not a sword.

Then, the spear morphed into a gigantic axe and slammed down onto Smoker. Smoker, by pivotting around his foot, evaded the downward strike of the axe that landed on the ground.

Imu now stood with black hair instead of blonde. His overall appearance changed as well, wearing different attire and having numerous wrinkles on his face.

Smoker knew that this was another identity that Imu took on years ago.

He was the ruler. But at the same time, he was a swordsman, warrior, strategist, and many more.

The hundreds of years of experience—that was what was the most terrifying about Imu.

BOOOOM!

Dashing back, Smoker watched as Imu's axe struck the ground where he stood just a second ago.

Then, the axe morphed into a bow. As Imu pulled its string, the arrow appeared at the site, and Imu shot it straight at Smoker.

The arrow, as it traveled, sprang into an enormous demon in an instant. And,

Smoker was already past said demon, with the jitte in his grip having smashed said demon to death already.

However, this was within Imu's prediction, the prediction that went past the future which Imu and Smoker read via their Observation Hakis.

Where Smoker landed, Imu was standing with the sword. He swung it horizontally at Smoker, and Smoker blocked it at the last moment with his jitte.

Yet again, the black lightning crackled everywhere from the collision. Caught off guard, however, it was Smoker who lost the clash this time around, and was blasted back.

BOOOOM!

Surrounded by the dust after crashing into one area of Mariejois, Smoker huffed rapidly.

'Body, huh.'

Smoker thought to himself,

'It's the injuries on my body that's preventing me from exerting my full strength.'

Therefore, Smoker closed his eyes and focused.

'Then,'

His body began to glow brilliantly.

Be it the artilleries, muscles, or organs whatsoever, Smoker imagined, of them turning into aether, one that is unbreakable and undamageable.

Once again, he stood back up. Outwardly, nothing seemed to have changed.

However, as Smoker breathed out, the smoke-like gas, which twinkled like a stardust in the night's sky, was emitted.

"Seimei Kikan,"

First was 'Ghost Body', where the mass of his body was perceived to be as light as smoke, giving him a huge boost in movement.

Second was 'Steampunk', where the blood circulating in his body attained the gas-like property and circulated much quicker, upregulating the supply of oxygen and enhancing his overall body performance.

And now surfaced, the third and final form of Seimei Kikan, the ultimate form of physique,

"Zenith."

Perhaps some would comment, that the current Smoker has managed to achieve the body of a god.