"You! Are! Dead!!!"
A shrill, ghost-like screech ripped through the sky, so piercing that even the sea churned violently. Winds wailed and roared, sending chills down the spine.
"Lord Imu…"
The Five Elders—who normally looked down on all living beings, their emotions never showing—shivered when they heard this voice from afar.
In all their years of service in the Holy Land, never had they seen Lord Imu lose her composure and rage like this.
"Mary Geoise is in for trouble. Notify everyone imdiately!"
The kimono-wearing Elder's voice trembled.
"Gather people and evacuate all important officials and Celestial Dragons into the underground chambers beneath the Holy Mountain! Move quickly, or else—"
"Um, Saint Ethanbaron Nusjuro…"
The attendant beside him spoke cautiously.
"Most people in the city were knocked unconscious by the White Dragon's Conqueror's Haki. They won't wake up anyti soon. We… don't have enough hands to move them."
Damn it!
The Elder cursed inwardly, anxiety growing even heavier.
At this point—
All he could hope for was that Lord Imu would quickly finish off the White Dragon and vent her anger… so she wouldn't turn it toward the Holy Land—or them—afterward.
As for the possibility of Lord Imu losing?
A joke.
The thought never even crossed his mind.
After serving Imu for so many years, no one in the world understood better than the Five Elders just how terrifying her true power was.
Calling her a god standing above all creation was no exaggeration.
"…Hm?"
Suddenly, the Elder in the round hat let out a soft noise of surprise.
"What is it?" the kimono Elder asked, turning his head.
"Look at the sky," said the round-hat Elder, frowning. His expression was not good.
"The battle… seems a bit wrong…"
The others imdiately looked in the direction he pointed.
Shock and disbelief appeared on all their faces at the sa ti.
"How is that possible…" the kimono Elder whispered.
—The godlike being he believed invincible…
was being pushed back, step by step, by that White Dragon.
She was losing.
...
FWOOOM!
Two streaks of blue light shot into the sky—one deep blue like the ocean, the other pale blue like lightning.
They clashed violently, sword images flashing like bolts of electricity.
Every strike was faster than the eye could follow.
The destructive force of their battle was horrifying.
Even the leftover shockwaves from kiloters away were enough to reduce the magnificent buildings below into rubble.
Countless fat, pampered Celestial Dragons—still unconscious from earlier—died without ever waking again.
RUMBLE—!
As the battle intensified, the heavens themselves changed, even though neither fighter had used their ultimate techniques yet.
Dark clouds swallowed the sky.
Terrifying lightning tore through the darkness.
Then—CRASH—
as if the heavens were ripped open, rain poured down in sheets.
In just monts,
The sky battle had already been raging for hours.
THUD!
A heavy blow sounded as the two separated.
Imu's eyes were bloodshot.
She gasped desperately for breath, her entire body covered in wounds.
Her previously beautiful face was stained with blood, twisted and fierce.
She gripped the Rose Sword, which hadn't been drawn for many years. The web of her hand was split, and blood oozed out.
Nao was floating ten ters away, looking up at her, completely unscathed.
"Your Observation Haki is inferior to mine."
"Your Armant Haki is inferior to mine."
"Your Conqueror's Haki is inferior to mine."
"And your swordsmanship, your combat technique—
you're even worse."
"Every single thing you're worse than at—is a joke!"
In the pouring rain, Nao burst into loud laughter.
"Old hag, do you still think you're so lofty, untouchable god?"
"..."
Imu stared intensely at Nao, silent.
She couldn't refute him.
She couldn't find anything in his words she could refute.
She didn't want to admit it, but she was still trapped in that shock and disbelief—
That feeling of falling from the heavens, losing control of everything she commanded…
It tore at her like a beast gnawing her heart, driving her into madness.
How?
How was this possible?
How could this man's strength have reached such an absurd level?
The lesser humans of this world shouldn't be able to break through that barrier… How many years have passed since he first erged, attracting my occasional, idle attention?
A little plaything that was once mildly interesting can now steadily suppress in every aspect of combat strength?
Impossible.
Impossible!!
Impossible!!!
"What, lost your voice?"
That voice she now hated more than anything drifted through the rain.
"Speak up. When you first appeared, you certainly had plenty to say."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, brat."
Imu narrowed her eyes.
"You're getting cocky just because you gained a bit of advantage? You listed so many things—
but you conveniently left out one.
And it's the most important one…"
"Oh?"
Nao raised an eyebrow.
"Devil Fruit abilities.
Obviously—it's the Devil Fruit, little brat!"
Imu cackled viciously.
She waved her hand—WHUM!
The sea below erupted into a massive whirlpool.
From its center, endless water vapor rose, enveloping her body.
In just a single breath, all of Imu's wounds vanished,
her condition returning instantly to its peak.
"Do you see it now, brat?!"
Arms spread wide, standing under swirling steam,
she looked as though she had regained her omnipotent authority.
"I know you hide many secrets.
I don't know how you freed yourself from the Devil Fruit's curse.
But it doesn't matter!
This is a world of oceans, and I am the ruler of the ocean!
As long as you are in this world—
as long as you stand above this sea—
you can never defeat .
Never! Do you understand?!"
SMACK!
Her grand declaration was answered with a crisp, ruthless kick,
wrapped in the power of countless thundering bolts.
Imu's body was sent flying, streaking across the sea like a dark-blue bolt of lightning.
She quickly recovered, twisting midair, roaring as she charged at Nao—
—but he didn't dodge.
He didn't even try.
He t her head-on, smiling wickedly, grabbing her by the hair and slamming an elbow down toward her skull.
"You talk big, but healing like that must drain stamina, right?
If it's a battle of stamina you want—then let's test it!"
"Let's see if you can still run your mouth
when I've beaten you so badly you can't lift a single finger!"
ZZZZT—!
Deep blue and pale blue lights intertwined violently beneath the iron-gray storm clouds.
Thunder rolled, echoing across every corner of the Red Line.
The downpour grew heavier, spreading wider.
Many residents atop the great continent looked up, fearfully watching the divine clash of thunder and water pass over their heads, moving from the Grand Line to the New World, and then continuing toward the Calm Belt—
ROAR!
A massive Sea King—shaped like a colossal humpback whale—burst from the ocean, bellowing in anger, disturbed from its domain, wondering which fools dared to cause such chaos on its turf.
But the mont the giant Sea King broke the surface,
the terrifying shockwaves of the battle tore it apart instantly, shredding it like paper.
All the surrounding Sea Kings who witnessed this were horrified.
Feeling the overwhelming presence drawing closer from the sky,
countless Sea Kings panicked and fled—
so rushing toward distant sea regions,
others diving frantically into the deepest depths…
Only two relatively small Sea Kings hesitated.
Instead of fleeing, they poked their heads cautiously from the water,
looking up at the sky and letting out soft, whimpering calls.
"Hey—Greenie? Bluey? Is that you two?!"
Nao also noticed them in the sky and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"I knew it! It is you!
It's been ages—
I can't believe we'd run into each other here!
Hahahahaha!
And you two have grown so big!!"
It really had been a long ti.
Almost ten years ago—
back when he was still a Rear Admiral of the West Blue's First Branch!
On his escape from Totto Land, during his journey back to the West Blue,
he owed so much to these two little things—
guiding him along the way.
Otherwise, aside from getting completely lost,
the loneliness of that journey would've been unbearable!
"Wuuuu! Wuuu!"
Greenie and Bluey cried happily—
but their joy turned to terror almost instantly.
The sea surged upward, forming a giant blue hand that reached toward them.
Just as they were about to be crushed—
CRACK!
A bolt of blue lightning blasted down from the sky,
smashing through the giant water hand,
reducing it to scattered waves.
"You're fighting , and you still have the mind to greet two fish?"
Imu's cold voice drifted through the rain.
"Hahaha!
Forget greeting them—
even if soone called on a Den Den Mushi,
I could chat for an hour and still beat you to death!
What can I say—
you're just that weak, you old hag!"
Nao laughed even harder,
then drove another punch straight into her face.
Fast, precise, brutal—
full of lightning force.
Imu was blasted away again like a cannonball,
skimming across the sea and frightening countless Sea Kings,
shooting straight across the Calm Belt into another ocean entirely.
From the North Blue to the South Blue, from the West Blue to the New World, the night fell and passed away. They crossed the twilight line countless tis, and the actual fighting ti gradually surpassed a full day and night.
As the sun set and night once again shrouded the sea, the Red Line, stretching into the endless distance, once again stood before them.
And at this mont, when Nao fiercely sent out a sword strike, sending Imu flying, the two were already in the East Blue.
Whoosh—
Wind howled as Imu skimd backward across the sea,
faster than a bullet.
She made no attempt to slow herself.
Instead, her expression remained cold as she watched
the pale-blue lightning trail rushing toward her.
"You seem unwilling to stay in one place for too long.
You keep changing locations.
What are you afraid of?"
"Why ask when you already know?"
Nao's face was blurred by the lightning,
his voice flickering like static.
"Shouldn't I be cautious?
You might realize you can't beat and resort to cheap tricks…
like triggering a tsunami, for example."
"Like this?"
Imu casually flicked a finger toward a small island nearby.
BOOM!
The sea rose in a towering wave,
swallowing the empty island in an instant.
If it hadn't been uninhabited—
if it had been a bustling town—
the consequences would've been catastrophic.
"You people, who mistakenly believe you shoulder the so-called 'Justice,' ultimately bring about your own demise."
Clang!
Her Rose Sword spun with a tallic ring,
barely blocking Nao's downward slash.
Through the narrow gap between their blades,
Imu t his eyes with a mocking smile.
"A good idea, but you underestimate a little. Did you think the range of the sea I can affect is only this small distance?"
"I told you, this world is the world of the ocean! The ocean itself is connected!"
Boom!
Imu suddenly launched a fierce flying kick, wrapped in the overwhelming power of Conqueror's Haki, forcing Nao back dozens of ters. Then, with an elegant posture, she casually snapped her fingers.
The surrounding sea remained calm and quiet. Nothing seed to happen.
But Nao's hearing was incredibly sharp. Enhanced by Observation Haki, he suddenly snapped his head toward the horizon in the southwest.
"You sensed it, didn't you?"
Imu's voice echoed. "One hundred and twenty nautical miles away—Loguetown, where the Pirate King was executed. If nothing unexpected happened, it should already have been swallowed by the sea."
"That was a very prosperous little city. With a disaster like that… two or three tens of thousands of people must have died because of you, don't you think?"
"And that's only the beginning."
"Chaili Island, your hotown. And the surrounding Shimotsuki Village, WindmillVillage, Shells Town, Syrup Village… You've traveled through all these places. You must be familiar with them, right?"
"As long as I keep snapping my fingers, forget the East Blue— even islands thousands of miles away, Water 7? Marineford? One after another, they will all be destroyed by tsunamis."
"…"
Nao fell silent—uncertain whether he was torn between choices, or grieving over the catastrophe unfolding in Loguetown.
"You so-called righteous Marines… aren't you trying to overthrow the World Governnt and create a new order?"
"Speaking of which, Mary Geoise should already be in your Marine's hands by now, shouldn't it? Muse and those Seraphim won't be able to hold out for long."
Imu's eyes curved as if she was savoring Nao's changing expression.
"Coming this far must have been difficult. But from here on… let's see whether you can bear the price of global destruction and endless suffering."
"Are you done talking?"
Nao suddenly cut her off. Imu blinked in surprise—only to et his slightly mocking gaze.
"You still love making assumptions… still think you know everything, you old hag."
"Do you know why I chose to stop here, and let you use your ability?" Nao grinned and pointed toward Loguetown.
"A shut-in who hides in a dark room every day—how pathetic. Your information is ridiculously outdated."
"Loguetown was originally a Marine port outpost ant to block pirates entering the Grand Line from East Blue. After the Great Pirate Era ended, that purpose disappeared. Add to that the Five Elders rushing to suppress the Marine, and so, three months ago, the Loguetown branch—along with many others—was abolished by your World Governnt. The residents have already moved away."
"So…"
Nao flashed a mischievous smile. "Thanks to your obedient servants, the place is now an empty city. You can't drown anyone. The only thing you can drown is Roger's execution platform."
Imu's expression changed, but she quickly composed herself and sneered. "Is that so? And what difference does it make? Can you save your hotown? Can you save the countless other islands in this world?"
"Don't worry."
Nao narrowed his eyes, hands tightening around his blade. "I'm not giving you that chance."
"Hahahahahaha!"
Imu burst into wild laughter. "That's not up to you!"
"How would you know if you don't try?"
The mont the words fell, Nao's gaze turned razor-sharp. His two blades slashed down violently, like lightning descending from the heavens. Instantly, thunder roared across the sea. Countless thick, dragon-like bolts of white lightning surged upward from the ocean, illuminating the pitch-black night sky as bright as day!
"Wind-Thunder Sword Style: Thunder Dragon Slash!"
Roar!
The countless thunder dragons roared in unison. Carrying the overwhelming force of storm and lightning, they shot upward from below, striking straight toward Imuin the sky!
Boom!
In that instant, the very air trembled. The sea erupted into towering water pillars. And even with all her power, Imu could not stop the force of the thunder dragons; she was swept up and blasted skyward as if she were a rocket, shooting into the vast heavens!
Five thousand ters. Ten thousand. Twenty thousand. Forty thousand!
…From the troposphere into the stratosphere, the air thinned rapidly. When they reached eighty thousand ters, about to break into the thermosphere, the thunder dragons finally began to fade, and Imu's upward flight slowed…
Just as she was about to regain control of her body, lightning flashed—Nao suddenly appeared behind her, roaring with laughter, and unleashed another full-powered flying kick!
"You old witch! As heavy as Charlotte Linlin—let give you another boost!"
Boom!
Like a rocket receiving a new burst of fuel, Imu shot straight through the exosphere. Nao, transford into brilliant blue lightning, chased after her like a falling star, never letting go.
Only after several dozen seconds, when their upward montum finally faded, did the two co to a stop.
At so point—
They had already entered outer space.
All around them, the dark abyss of space stretched endlessly, deep and silent as eternal night. Its vast, chilling emptiness couldn't be ward even by the distant blazing sun.
Above them, the crater-scarred surface of the moon was clearly visible; below, the massive blue planet, half shadow and half light, slowly turned.
The once sky-piercing Red Line was now nothing more than two faint red streaks crossing their view. All familiar cities and mountains had beco unreachable specks of darkness.
Only in the void of the universe can one truly see their own insignificance and fragility. With no air to carry sound, everything was silent and desolate.
Imu silently observed it all, unusually quiet.
"It's been so long since I last saw this view."
After a while, she smiled faintly and looked up at Nao. "Really… so long. Back then, the planet didn't look like this from space. Kid, I should probably thank you—for letting enjoy this beautiful sight again."
Though sound couldn't travel in the vacuum, Nao could still clearly "hear" every word through Observation Haki.
And the sa was true for her.
"Can you still control seawater from here?"
Nao asked.
"No."
Imu tried raising a finger toward the blue planet below… then shook her head and sighed.
"What about your body? How long can you last?"
"In an environnt without air? If I don't move, just standing still, I could manage several days."
Imu actually rested her chin on her hand and thought seriously. "But if I continue fighting you, I'd last at most a few hours before my body collapses completely."
"So I suppose it should end here."
Nao shrugged. "You have two choices. Either surrender right here—honestly, your origins, your life story… maybe even your species? Lots of secrets worth uncovering— or…"
"This becos your grave. Dying in outer space? If you think about it, it's actually kind of romantic, isn't it?"
"…Hehehe…"
Imu suddenly let out a strange, suppressed laugh.
"Sothing funny?" Nao was also smiling.
"Heh… hehehe… pff—hahahahahaha! Hahahahaha!"
Imu, who had been holding back, finally burst into wild, unrestrained laughter:
"What an arrogant little brat! I told you already—before things are settled, you absolutely shouldn't get carried away!!!"
"You thought that by dragging into outer space, I'd be dood?"
"You thought that making lose my combat ability ans you've already won?"
Imu laughed so hard that tears nearly spilled from her eyes. Then she suddenly pointed upward to her right:
"Hey! Brat! See that? What is it?"
Nao looked up, frowning slightly. He didn't understand what she was getting at, but he still answered calmly:
"The moon."
"Yes! The moon, the moon, the moon!" Imu wiped her tears while laughing. "It's the moon you humans are so familiar with, isn't it? Ever since you were born, that glowing orb has hung above your heads, night after night, seemingly unchanging—like it has been there since the beginning of ti!"
"And what else could it be?"
Nao countered.
"Yes and no. A hundred thousand years ago, there was a moon. A thousand years ago, there was a moon. Nine hundred years ago, seven hundred years ago—it was still there…"
The madness on Imu's face gradually faded. She once again resembled that elegant woman who rarely showed her emotions.
"But in the century eight hundred years ago—that hundred-year span—there was no moon. Or rather, the moon before and after that century… was not the sa thing at all."
She smiled faintly. "You're a smart kid. Haven't you ever wondered why the ultimate weapons—Poseidon and Pluton—no matter how well hidden, can still be traced back to their origins, yet the one ranked above them both, Uranus… has no legends on the sea? Not even a whisper?"
Nao's expression finally changed.
"Looks like you've figured it out."
Imu covered her mouth and let out a small laugh. "Uranus… is right in front of you. It took us a whole hundred years back then to finally obtain it. In the civilization I once belonged to, it even had another na…"
Above their heads, the moon suddenly began shaking violently.
Crack.
Crack—
Huge fractures spread from the moon's south pole to the north pole, interlocking like monstrous teeth. Craters collapsed thunderously. Beneath the moon surface, it was as if countless massive, intricate gears were spinning at high speed.
Then, like a giant beast opening its jaws, sothing beneath the dark, terrifying shell of the moon slowly erged—sothing tallic, colossal, and shimring, gradually aiming straight at Nao in the vast abyss of space.
—And at that mont, Imu's final three words finally reached his ears:
"Star Destroyer Cannon.."
Nao stood frozen in place.
For a long, long ti… he said nothing.
He looked up, quietly gazing at the colossal Star Destroyer Cannon—its barrel so large it could swallow thousands of people whole. Feeling the soul-crushing pressure radiating from it, a strange sense of absurdity welled up inside him.
"…This is really…"
After a long mont, he sighed. He wanted to say this thing is ridiculously, absurdly, insanely oversized, but when the words reached his lips, they instead beca:
"Serves right for crossing over before finishing the damn story."
"What?"
Imu didn't understand a word.
"Nothing. You wouldn't get it."
At that mont, Nao seed to relax, as if a burden had fallen off him. Smiling, he pointed up at the terrifyingly gigantic cannon overhead.
"But… old hag, did you forget how fast I am? So what if the barrel is huge? So what if it fires? Can it even hit once?"
"Relax, it's not as scary as you think. The energy in this solar system is far too thin. For Uranus to fully charge even once takes about five or six hundred years. So this big fellow can only fire one shot."
Imu yawned lazily. "But really, if one shot can destroy a planet… what difference is there between one shot, a thousand shots, or ten thousand shots?"
"You can dodge. But what about the planet beneath your feet… can it dodge?"
She raised an eyebrow. "A guy who couldn't even bear the thought of sacrificing the few tens of thousands in Loguetown… hey, take a guess. If this shot hits the surface, how many people do you think will die?"
"So anyway… oh? It's already charging. It should fire in about a dozen seconds."
Imu glanced back. Nao followed her gaze. The entire moon was rapidly shrinking, as if every last bit of energy within its body was being drained to feed the cannon. Imu looked back at him again.
"So, brat, you'd better try your absolute hardest and see if you can block this shot. I think… maybe you can. But whether you block it or fail, your body will probably turn into cosmic dust afterward…"
"You think pretty highly of ."
Nao exhaled gently and glanced down at the familiar blue planet beneath his feet.
"For soone about to die, I never hesitate to say sothing nice."
"Good luck, brat. Sacrificing yourself to save the entire world—that's the perfect mont to carry out your 'justice,' isn't it?"
Imu waved cheerfully and slowly drifted away, turning her back to him. "What a pity that once you die, it seems no one in the Marine will be able to stop . When I get back to the surface, I'll have fun with them for a while… then return to the Flower Room and sleep like a baby. And when I wake up—it'll be another beautiful morning."
Though she seed to drift slowly, she had long since reached a safe distance. Within her Observation Haki's range, she could clearly sense that Nao's nerves were taut—he was already preparing with everything he had to counter the Star Destroyer Cannon's blast…
"Ten."
"Nine."
"Eight."
…
With her hands behind her back, Imu hopped along like a little girl playing jump-rope, carefree and cheerful. Each step she took in space, she counted down one more number.
"…Four."
"Three."
"Two."
Imu finally turned around, her eyes curved into crescent shapes as she smiled sweetly.
Too bad the night sky would never have a moon again.
"One!"
"Ti to watch the fireworks~!"
...
Whoosh—pop!
A streak of pale golden fire shot into the sky. Then hundreds more followed, blooming into brilliant flowers of light above Mary Geoise's night sky.
"Fireworks are beautiful, aren't they…"
A skinny marine guarding the harbor watched the grand firework show from the lookout tower, smiling as he lit a cigarette.
He took a deep drag, intoxicated.
Downwind from him, countless slaves—finally free—were crying, laughing, singing, dancing, and hugging each other in celebration.
This fireworks festival was held for those who had regained their freedom, and also to celebrate the end of the two-day battle, which the Marine had finally won that afternoon, taking complete control of the Holy Land and the World Governnt.
Below the lookout tower, a squad of Marines was clearing rubble, while another squad was carrying sothing away. The skinny Marine glanced over and recognized the broken parts of the Seraphim.
"It's finally almost over."
He muttered, raising his head to the bright moonlight above. "All that's left is for Mr. White Dragon to take down that Imu person… then everything will be finished."
A month from today, he should be able to return ho on leave, reunite with his wife and parents properly.
With no tyrannical Celestial Dragons, and no oppressive World Governnt taxing the world dry… surely the future would be bright and peaceful, right?
Under the vast starry sky—
Mary Geoise glowed with lantern light; people celebrated through the night; fireworks blossod beautifully, forming a picture of joy and harmony.
But—
On the rooftop of what used to be the World Governnt headquarters, the Marine's top officers gathered… and their expressions were far from optimistic.
"The moon… looks like it's getting smaller?"
Sengoku stared at the night sky, brows tightly knit. "How is this even possible? Is this the World Governnt… or rather Imu's final trump card?"
"It's not just shrinking."
Fujitora spoke in a low voice: "I can feel it—its entire power is being drawn into a single point. And that energy is becoming more and more violent… it's about to erupt."
"What about Nao?"
From behind ca Gion's anxious voice. "He's still out in space? If he doesn't dodge, wouldn't that be extrely dan—"
"He can't dodge."
Fujitora shook his head slightly. "Imu is no fool. She knows exactly how terrifying Mr. Nao's speed is. If my guess is correct, that ultimate weapon draining the entire moon… isn't aid at him."
"It's aid at this planet."
Everyone around them gasped sharply.
"How vicious… that old hag." Aokiji's face turned grim. "This forces Nao to take the attack head-on…"
"It's coming!"
Fujitora's voice suddenly sank.
Everyone's hearts tightened. They all looked up at the sky—
And in that instant, though the night was utterly silent, it was as if from hundreds of thousands of ters above, from the do of the heavens itself—
A world-shaking roar thundered down.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The moon completely collapsed and vanished.
The colossal cannon trembled—
and an unbearably blinding white light poured forth.
The world turned pure white; ti and space themselves seed to lose all aning in that instant.
Over half the world—half the planet!
Islands, towns, forests, oceans still shrouded in night…
were suddenly lit as bright as day.
But—
In the very next mont—
—an even brighter light flared to life!
It was boundless, overwhelming azure lightning!
Against the white-washed sky, a colossal silhouette appeared—massive, towering, ten thousand ters tall—like a thunder god of myth descending upon the world.
"Elents are being pulled away!"
Fujitora, ever sensitive to such things, sensed the anomaly first. He abruptly turned around, scanning the area.
"Mary Geoise… all the lightning-elent in the sky above the entire city has almost been stripped away…"
No—
Not just Mary Geoise.
Far, far beyond that!
From the Grand Line to the New World,
from the icy northern pole to the shores of the East Blue,
from thousands upon thousands of islands and towns,
from the forests along the vast Red Line—
All the lightning-elent in the entire world, the entire ocean, was surging madly toward that thunder god–like figure in the heavens!
Can he stop it?
Can he?!
Fujitora stared deathly hard at the sky, as the cannon blast—a torrent of white destruction—collided with the gigantic thunder god silhouette.
The others attempted to look as well, but the explosion of radiant light forced them all to squeeze their eyes shut…
…
Ti passed—brief yet endless.
When Sengoku, Aokiji, and the others finally managed to open their eyes,
the anomaly in the heavens had vanished.
The towering figure of ten thousand ters was gone.
Only faint azure lightning remained, falling like shattered fragnts—
like a gentle rain drifting toward the sea…
"Fujitora!"
Sengoku imdiately turned to him. "What's the situation now!?"
"It was blocked. There was so residual impact that entered the atmosphere… but it won't cause much damage anymore."
Fujitora's tone was complicated.
"It's just…"
"Just what?"
Sengoku's heart tightened.
"It's just that…" Fujitora's voice turned hoarse,
"I can no longer feel any trace of Mr Nao's presence…"
Impossible!!
Everyone on the rooftop froze as if struck by lightning.
Gion's heart lurched; she staggered backward a few steps.
"Hey, what kind of joke is this!"
Aokiji suddenly grabbed Fujitora by the collar, eyes bloodshot.
"Do you even hear yourself?! That guy is Nao! A monster like him—A MONSTER LIKE HIM—no one in this world can kill him! How could he just die like that?!"
"Kuzan, calm down!"
Kizaru pulled him back with great effort.
"I believe the sa."
Fujitora's expression returned to calm.
"I only said I cannot sense him. That does not an Mr. Nao is dead. So—"
He suddenly drew his cane-sword and pointed toward Pangaea Castle.
A terrifying invisible gravity wave exploded outward; the arched do atop the castle tower cracked and tore free, flying toward them.
Fujitora stepped onto the do and gazed up into the endless night sky:
"Allow to go up and see for myself. Please wait here."
"I'm going too!"
Gion's voice rang out as she rose into the air, teeth clenched.
"I don't believe it! Even if—even if Nao really…
I won't accept it until I see his body with my own eyes!"
"Gion!"
Aokiji urgently opened his mouth to say sothing, but Sengoku cut him off.
"Enough. Let her go too, Kuzan."
"But—"
"Imu isn't dead yet, but she's definitely heavily injured. If we let her escape back to her den, how are we supposed to face Nao? Besides, with two of them going, at least they can look after each other."
Sengoku shifted his gaze to Fujitora and Gion floating in midair:
"Be careful."
"I understand."
Fujitora nodded.
The others also wanted to follow, but they couldn't—that was outer space, tens of thousands of ters up. Other than the Float-Float Fruit and Gravity Fruit users, the rest had no way to reach that height—not even Kizaru.
All they could do was stand and watch as Fujitora and Gion flew higher and higher, becoming tiny black dots that finally vanished beyond the sky…
.........
"What an even grander firework show than I imagined!"
Imu admired the countless azure light fragnts drifting through space, like fireworks fading after a brilliant bloom…
"Speaking of which, I really didn't expect you to turn into such a massive lightning giant. You gave quite the scare."
Imu clapped her hands and laughed.
"I almost thought I wouldn't be able to kill you. What a pity—little brat, in the end you still got blasted so thoroughly not even scraps remained."
A close call, but no real danger.
In any case, it was truly over now.
She stretched leisurely, preparing to descend into the atmosphere below—
Suddenly.
A familiar voice echoed in her mind.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but it seems… you got one thing wrong."
Imu froze where she stood.
It felt as if soone had gripped her heart with a cold, rciless hand. A wave of fear unlike anything she'd ever felt surged through her. She whipped her head around frantically, searching everywhere—
but she couldn't find a trace of Nao.
"Where are you?!"
Imu roared, her voice so shrill she barely recognized it as her own.
"Co out! Stop hiding and pretending to be so ghost!"
"Oh, I'm not hiding."
The familiar voice chuckled softly.
"Look closely. Isn't this on your own body?"
On my body?!
Im looked down, scrutinizing her entire body. Just as she was about to explode in anger, thinking she had been tricked, she suddenly widened her eyes, looking at the scene before her with disbelief—
A few strands of flesh and blood residue, like fine threads, floated out from beneath her fingernails. They converged and then grew frantically at an incredibly terrifying speed.
Hearts, lungs, stomach, intestines, blood vessels… like bamboo shoots sprouting after rain, the internal structure of a human body was instantly restored. Then ca the outer skin. In just a few breaths, the silhouette of that person who had once fascinated her, disgusted her, and terrified her… reappeared before her eyes.
"How old are you already, old hag? And you're still imitating teenage girls, keeping your fingernails that long."
Nao grinned, rows of white teeth gleaming.
"See? That's the downside of liking long nails."
"…"
Imu was silent for a long, long ti.
Only after a while did she finally speak, voice hoarse:
"What… what kind of monster are you?"
"Chaili Island. You know that. Born and raised in the East Blue."
Nao smiled.
"That's really a question I should be asking you. But you never seem willing to answer… Well, that's fine. We'll have plenty of ti later, won't we?"
"Co on then. We're not done fighting yet."
He drew his sword and pointed toward the blue planet beneath them.
"But let's hurry it up. If I get back too late, people down there will think I actually died. My wife will cry her heart out…"
...
When Fujitora and Gion finally broke through the atmosphere and reached outer space, it didn't take long before they spotted Nao near the remains of what used to be the moon.
He was sitting right on the muzzle of the colossal cannon, idly playing with a transparent glass bottle that held a flickering blue fla.
They had already sensed his presence earlier while flying up, which relieved them greatly, but seeing him in person made Gion's eyes well up—she nearly burst into tears as she threw herself into his arms.
"Hey, hey, alright, alright—don't start crying for real in a bit. We've been together for years now. After all the storms we've been through, sothing this small isn't worth crying over…"
After finally calming Gion down, Nao looked up and smiled at Fujitora.
"Didn't expect you to co too, Mr. Issho. Sorry for making you all worry."
"It was necessary."
Fujitora shook his head, then couldn't help but turn his attention toward the blue fla.
"Mr. Nao… what is that?"
"This? It's the soul of old hag Imu."
Nao casually tossed the bottle toward him.
"That old hag had quite the backbone. Even dying, she refused to surrender and tried to self-destruct to take with her… Didn't work though. I trapped her soul using so voodoo tool I picked up by accident ages ago. I always thought it was useless junk—didn't expect it'd co in handy."
Fujitora fumbled to catch the bottle, nearly suffering a heart attack at how casually Nao threw it. He didn't dare grip it too tightly or too loosely, and after a quick look, carefully handed it back.
Nao didn't mind and casually shoved the bottle into his pocket.
"Ti to head back?"
Gion looked up from his arms.
"Everyone down there is worried sick. We brought Den-Den Mushi, but once we left the atmosphere, the magnetic field killed the signal…"
"We're going back, but no need to rush."
Suddenly rembering sothing, Nao grabbed Gion's hand excitedly and led them along the massive cannon.
"Co, co, look at this."
"Here, see this? What does it look like?"
Gion and Fujitora exchanged confused looks as they examined the enormous, pitch-black opening.
"That thing… Imu's ultimate weapon. I don't know how she made it, but—what about it?" Gion frowned.
"An ultimate weapon… could this be the legendary Uranus?" Fujitora asked uncertainly.
"Yep! It's Uranus. But that's not the point."
Nao patted the cannon's inner rim.
"Notice anything? The outside rim is perfectly round, but the inside is uneven. I didn't think much of it before, but when I inspected it more carefully… the shape looks really familiar."
"Just say it," Gion shoved him.
"People are waiting for news down there. Don't start teasing us now."
"Heh, alright. Straight answer then."
"Doesn't it look like… not just a cannon, but also like a giant key? You know, one of those rare triangular internal keys?"
A key?
What in the world would require a key this enormous?
The cannon barrel was large enough to fit an entire mountain…
Wait.
Fujitora stiffened, a mory flashing through his mind—of a mountain he had crossed countless tis, one everyone in the world knew:
"Reverse Mountain!"
Gion also reacted, blurting the words out before widening her eyes in shock.
"No way—seriously…?"
It sounded absurd. But the more they looked, the more the internal shape of the barrel matched the shape of Reverse Mountain…
"No doubt about it! It's Reverse Mountain!"
Nao burst into laughter.
"Good thing I stuck around and took a closer look. So? If we take this thing and plug it into Reverse Mountain… what do you think happens?"
"The Red Line—the barrier that separates the seas—and Mary Geoise on top of it… will sink into the ocean. Completely disappear."
Fujitora drew a deep breath, voice trembling with excitent.
"All seas reunited… All seas reunited! Nao! This thing isn't just Uranus—it's the key to the All Blue spoken of for centuries but never seen!"
"Bingo!"
Nao clapped.
"Might even be the real ONE PIECE. Sha Roger died—otherwise I'd ask if what he hid on Laugh Tale had anything to do with this."
"Forget it for now. We still have this thing anyway—we'll have plenty of ti to figure everything out later."
Nao patted the glass bottle in his pocket. Then he stood up straight, stretched lazily, and said,
"Alright, let's head back! Honestly, that fight really wore out. Once I'm ho, I'm sleeping for at least a full day and night…"
The three of them finally started moving, drifting toward the blue planet below. Just as they were about to re-enter the atmosphere, Nao—flying ahead—suddenly stopped and turned around.
"What now?"
Gion looked at him helplessly.
"I just realized—there's no moon anymore!"
Nao stared at the misshapen lump that could no longer be called a "sphere," expression lancholic.
"Such a beautiful thing… so many love stories begin under the moonlight. Rear Admiral, do you rember the first night we t? The shimring sea, the beautiful moonlight…"
"And then I ended up switching bodies with so rookie sailor thanks to you, and got stuck with a womanizing jerk like you."
Gion cut him off sharply.
"Enough! We have important things to do—hurry up already. You're too old to be this sentintal. Aren't you embarrassed in front of Mr. Issho?"
"But suddenly I really want a photo. A keepsake. We never took one under the moonlight before. Gotta seize this last chance to make up for the regret!"
He produced a cara from who-knows-where and tossed it to Fujitora.
"Here, Brother Issho, help us out!"
Fujitora fumbled to catch it again. Holding the cara labeled Canon, he looked completely lost.
"This is such a hassle, I don't want to take a picture. And besides, where's the moonlight? That thing doesn't count as a moon anymore."
"Oh, stop worrying about it. Just snap whatever!"
"You two… fine, fine…"
After much effort, Gion agreed. Nao then helped Fujitora turn on the cara, wrapped an arm around Gion's waist, and the two floated in space, smiling and flashing a "yes" gesture at the lens.
Click!
The flash went off, and a photo slid out.
"What kind of pose is that? So childish. I can't with you."
"Uh… then let's take another with a different pose?"
"No! Enough! Let's go back already!"
"Alright, alright…"
Fujitora handed the photo to Nao with a chuckle. Watching the two bicker, he felt as though he'd been transported back to a few years ago, traveling on honeymoon with the newlyweds…
...
Azure lightning streaked through the atmosphere like a teor.
With no moonlight, the sea below was pitch black, waves gently rising and falling. Suddenly, a shout echoed from high above:
"Ah! My photo—where is it? It was in my pocket just now! When did it disappear?!"
"What is wrong with you?! Sothing that important, and you just stuff it in your pocket? You idiot!"
A lovely, annoyed female voice followed.
"What's wrong with keeping it in my pocket? Imu's soul bottle is still in there—I didn't lose that…"
Nao muttered, then paused in confusion.
"Eh? Why are you so worked up? Didn't you say you didn't want the picture? You even complained about it…"
"Shut up. Go look for it!"
...
And so—
Fishern nearby were stunned to see a streak of cot-like blue light zipping across the sea like a headless fly—going here and there and back again…
Was it searching for sothing?
Who knows. But without moonlight, the sea was darker than ever, and searching for anything was far harder…
anwhile—
Sowhere thousands of miles away—
A group of little fellows didn't care about moonlight at all. Just like every night before, they continued their journey under the dark sky.
To be precise—
They were small sea otters, adorable creatures with raccoon-like dark circles on their furry faces and fish-like tails. They paddled leisurely across the ocean surface as if relaxing in a swimming pool.
Suddenly, sothing floated down from the night sky—like a postcard? Or a photo?
A chubby little sea otters spotted it and lunged up, catching it midair.
"Chigu? Chigu?"
The little creature stared at the people in the photo, feeling they looked familiar. It scratched its head but couldn't rember. Probably sothing from a long, long ti ago?
Whatever. Can't eat it anyway. Boring.
The sea otters quickly lost interest, tossed the photo back into the air, and hurried to catch up with the rest of the group.
The sea otters left, and silence returned.
The night wind picked up, and the photo spun gently through the sky, refusing to sink—floating farther and farther away, as if traveling with the sea otters…
...
[END OF BOOK]
The last chapter took so much revising, but it's finally done—the story is officially complete~
TL/N: Thank you to every reader who accompanied Nao on his adventures in this world of pirates. Reaching the end of his story was only possible because of your constant support and patience.
Try checking out my other One Piece fanfic, guys, you might really like it!
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