At this mont, on the Red Line, an enormous gash stood starkly in the landscape.
The recent explosion had nearly torn a chunk out of the Red Line itself.
And Imu was at the bottom of that gash.
She sat motionless on the ground, not yet touched by the sea, though waves were already splashing against her.
The sheer power of that explosion was undeniable.
Vir stood atop the Red Line, one hand resting on the hilt of his sheathed blade, wisps of white vapor drifting from his body. He gazed down at Imu, her head now missing, yet there was no trace of joy in his expression.
Because.
It wasn’t over.
His stamina was completely drained. That single strike to take down Imu had cost him dearly, and the white vapor was proof of his overexertion.
He needed to recover.
At that mont, everyone witnessing the scene was frozen in shock.
Not a single soul could remain calm. Not one could face this reality with composure.
They had all believed that Vir, at best, could only poison Imu to death—an already monstrous feat. When Imu revived, everyone thought it was over.
The Five Elders were already preparing to celebrate, ready to herald their king’s victory.
After all, Imu’s strength was undeniable.
And Vir?
Just a small-ti pirate, not even on the level of a Yonko.
A guy like that, standing against Imu for even a mont? That was a pipe dream.
Even Shanks had begun to pity Vir. The potential Vir had shown already made Shanks see him differently.
He seed... like he could be the destined one.
But no one expected Imu to rise again. How could a pirate with a bounty of just over a billion berries possibly stand against her?
Yet reality slapped them all in the face.
Not only did Vir hold his own.
He one-shot her!
With a single move, Imu was left headless.
Whether she could rise again was unknown.
This shift in power turned everyone’s understanding of the world upside down. A pirate with a re billion-berry bounty, in a single night, had grown to the point of one-shotting Imu-sama?
Had the world gone mad?
Fear flickered in the Five Elders’ eyes as they stared at the near-shattered Red Line and the motionless Imu below. They swallowed hard, their throats dry as dust.
Then they looked at Vir, standing there expressionless, almost serene, and for the first ti in their lives, they felt true awe.
The white vapor rising from Vir’s body reminded them of sothing.
Their pupils shook violently, fear morphing into disbelief.
At that mont, Vir was Joy Boy!
They stumbled back, muttering to themselves.
"Impossible... It can’t be... How could it be him...? He’s... Joy Boy."
Hearing the Five Elders’ murmurs, Shanks froze.
Joy Boy?
Him?
Shanks locked his gaze on Vir, watching the white vapor swirl around him, his presence overwhelming, as if he could crush anything in his path. Shanks... wavered.
Could he have been wrong?
Above them, the onlookers were equally stunned by the sheer force of Vir’s attack.
The explosion that tore a gash in the Red Line sent shivers down their spines.
Was this... the sa Vir they knew?
With one casual strike, he’d taken down Imu, who had crushed them all. Had he been replaced?
A guy with a billion-berry bounty, facing Imu’s terrifying Observation Haki, and still managing to one-shot her on the spot.
One-shot!
In the pirate world, where everyone’s a tank, pulling off a one-shot was near impossible!
Especially against the strongest being in the world.
How the hell did Vir do it?
All eyes were fixed on that lone figure.
Thick white vapor poured from his body. Most couldn’t make sense of it, but Whitebeard furrowed his brow.
"His stamina’s drained to nothing. His cells are screaming from the strain, but for so reason, his stamina’s recovering rapidly, compressed to the extre and refilling fast. That’s what the white vapor is."
Whitebeard’s words brought clarity to the crowd.
Indeed, achieving such a feat without a cost was impossible. His stamina being completely spent was proof enough.
But it was fine. The threat was dealt with.
Even if he was exhausted now, it didn’t diminish his victory.
The tension in the air eased, hearts settling.
Imu reviving once was already world-shaking. A second ti? Impossible.
"He won."
"That guy... he really creates miracles, doesn’t he?"
"Man, in just a few months, he went from a nobody to this. We’ve lived all these years, and it’s like we’ve been living like dogs."
"Yeah, the rest of those guys? In front of him now, they’re nothing."
"Wait, what’s that? Why’s that old man charging at Vir?"
Kaido’s shout drew everyone’s attention to Saint Garling—the Supre Commander of Knights of God—who suddenly surged forward, rushing toward Vir, still wreathed in white vapor.
The mont he charged, the vapor around Vir stopped.
Everyone knew what that ant.
It stopped.
His rapid stamina recovery... halted.
Had that guy interrupted it?
But no one was worried. Even exhausted, Vir could kill them with ease.
The gap in strength was too vast.
The Five Elders and Zero were dumbfounded. Was he insane? Vir’s power had just been laid bare, and now he was charging in? Wasn’t that suicide?
But when Saint Garling saw the vapor stop, a glint flickered in his eyes.
He knew he was no match for Vir, but if he waited for Vir to recover to his peak, they were all dood.
Better to take a chance than sit and wait for death.
He’d guessed Vir’s recovery only kicked in after a fight ended, and the current situation proved it.
As long as Vir couldn’t recover fully, as long as they could buy ti, they still had a shot at winning.
He didn’t believe Imu was dead.
Not after just one move.
The supre Imu-sama could not be gone.
All he could do now was delay Vir’s recovery, adding a sliver of hope to their uncertain odds.
A domineering burst of Haki erupted from him, sweeping forward with unstoppable montum, aid straight at Vir.
The ground cracked along the path, and even the air made cracking sounds.
The strike was extraordinary.
Whitebeard’s face darkened above. This attack... it faintly matched his own current strength.
This guy had been hiding his power.
Could an exhausted Vir block it?
Probably not.
But no one was worried. Even if he couldn’t block it, he could just slip through space and dodge.
Killing him was impossible for these guys.
The Five Elders and Zero, seeing Saint Garling’s montum, lit up with hope.
There was a chance.
A real chance.
Vir was exhausted, with barely any fight left in him. That strike that killed Imu must’ve cost him dearly. Maybe this attack could finish him.
"Together!"
Saint Saturn roared, and the five wasted no ti, bursting forward to attack Vir.
But before they could close the distance, Saint Garling was already there.
His overwhelming Haki suddenly vanished at the last mont.
On his blade flared a dazzling red light.
"Die!"
He swung with all his might. The air shattered, space itself cracked, as the strike descended upon Vir’s face.
And Vir—
Stood tall, unshaken.
Expression calm, one hand still on his blade.
He ignored the strike.
Even as the wind tore through his hair, even as his clothes shredded, his eyes remained tranquil.
Like an ancient tree.
Steady, unmovable.
Garling’s eyes glead with triumph.
It worked!
At this distance, Vir hadn’t moved!
It would succeed!
Excitent broke through his solemnity.
He stared at Vir, watching his blade inch closer to Vir’s neck.
Just as the sword was about to touch Vir’s skin—
A flash, impossibly fast, cut through the air.
A brilliant red glow flared.
But it flickered and died in an instant.
Like a shooting star, gone in a blink.
And then.
Saint Garling’s sword froze just before Vir’s neck.
It could move no further.
A bloody hole appeared on his forehead, blood trickling down.
Through that hole, the scenery behind was clearly visible.
Terror burst from his eyes, as if he’d just seen sothing horrifying.
Those eyes locked onto Vir, but their light began to fade.
Vir, who hadn’t moved until now, finally acted.
He raised his right hand, extending his index finger, gently pressing it against the blade.
With a slight push, the sword was nudged aside.
His expression remained calm as water.
Saint Garling, like his sword, began to collapse under Vir’s push.
His eyes, though, refused to close.
*Thud!*
*Clang!*
Man fell, sword dropped.
Life faded.
Without even lifting a hand, Vir had killed him.
Yet even as Saint Garling died, Vir didn’t spare him a glance.
His eyes stayed fixed ahead, a trace of gravity in them.
As Saint Garling hit the ground, the battlefield fell into absolute silence, and the white vapor began rising from Vir’s body again.
All eyes were glued to the fallen figure.
Shock filled their gazes.
They could all sense Saint Garling’s presence fading fast.
He was... dead!
Vir hadn’t even moved, yet he’d killed a Yonko-level powerhouse.
The truth sent waves of awe through every strong fighter present.
No movent.
No words.
Not even a glance.
With just his terrifying Observation Haki, he’d taken down a top-tier Yonko-level threat.
Just how strong was Vir now?!
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