The battlefield was consumed in chaos, Garp's laughter booming amidst the fallen bodies of Kong's forces. Blood streaked across his skin, and his breathing was ragged, but his gaze never faltered. Opposite him, Lady Viviane Stuart-Griffin—his sister-in-law and Luffy's grandmother—clung to consciousness, the proud smirk she'd worn replaced by a seething glare. Her once indomitable aura flickered, weakened from Garp's relentless strikes.
Viviane spat blood, glaring at him with disdain. "You always were a foolish brute, Garp."
"Foolish brute?" Garp chuckled, his usual grin stained red. "Takes one to know one!" He shifted, steadying himself for what he knew was his final move. His fist crackled with Haki, emitting a force so intense the ground beneath him splintered. With a hoarse laugh, he muttered, "It's been fun, Viviane… but your tyranny ends here."
In one final, devastating blow—imbued with all his pent-up rage, Haki, and memories—Garp's fist crashed into her chest, the impact echoing like thunder. Viviane crumpled, her once-overbearing presence shattered, leaving only her lifeless form in the dust. Garp took a shaky breath, laughing once more, as if he'd simply punched another mountain instead of putting an end to his family's betrayal.
Meanwhile, the intensity between Luffy and Imu reached an explosive peak. Every clash of their Haki rippled out in waves, carrying a suffocating force that could crush lesser beings. Their stances and movements were almost mirror images—each fluid and confident yet deceptively unpredictable. Imu held a demonic elegance, while Luffy's aura radiated raw freedom and defiance, two diametric forces bound in battle.
The ground beneath them quaked as their fists met in midair, the shockwave sending debris flying. Imu was relentless, her power intertwined with the dark energies she had cultivated for centuries. She sneered as she assessed Luffy, studying his every move with a calculating eye, formulating dark plans in the heat of battle.
Between breaths, Imu's mind raced with insidious thoughts. She intended to dismantle Luffy completely, piece by piece. Her plans took on a sinister edge as she imagined breaking his will, perhaps by manipulating his allies or warping his sense of reality. "You'll watch everything you've ever cared for fall to dust, Monkey D. Luffy," she thought, a smile twisting on her lips. "I'll tear apart your hope until there's nothing left."
But Luffy's defiant grin never wavered as he readied his next move. His body thrummed with the combined energies of his Angelic and Demonic bloodline, and the awakened might of King of Svarga: Indra fueled every strike he unleashed. The air crackled with his power as he infused his attack with Haoshoku Haki, sending a powerful burst forward, intending to penetrate Imu's monstrous defenses.
Imu, sensing the threat, conjured a dense shield of blackened energy, reinforced by the Empress of the Empty Throne's awakened form. The energies clashed, sparking in a display of devastating light. She countered with a precise, razor-sharp slash of dark energy that seemed to tear through space itself, aiming to slice Luffy from a distance. But Luffy moved with surprising fluidity, dodging the attack and countering with a spiraling, long-range Haki punch he dubbed Judgment Fist of the Thunder Dragon. The impact reverberated, ripping into Imu's shield, forcing her backward.
The intensity of the battle only grew as they adapted to each other's styles, reading into each feint, each calculated move. Imu's mind worked with precision honed by centuries of experience, predicting and responding to Luffy's unpredictable attacks. She launched a series of Haki-bladed projectiles, each one imbued with a staggering amount of force aimed directly at Luffy's vital points. Her goal was to gradually drain him, hoping his stamina would falter before hers.
Luffy, however, had no intention of slowing down. He dodged with blinding speed, twisting and weaving through the projectiles with an agility that left Imu visibly frustrated. He smirked, then lunged forward, gathering his Haki into a single, colossal punch. "This is for everyone you've ever hurt!" he shouted, launching the strike with such force that the air itself seemed to ripple.
Imu countered with a fierce, focused blast, deflecting his attack but struggling to hold her ground. She felt a rare crack in her armor as she staggered slightly, a hint of doubt flickering across her face. Luffy caught the moment and pressed forward with renewed intensity.
In a desperate bid to turn the tide, Imu unleashed an ancient and forbidden Haki technique she called Veil of the Abyss. Tendrils of dark energy snaked toward Luffy, aiming to drain his Haki and weaken his physical strength. But Luffy laughed, sensing her trick, and poured his will into a burst of Haoshoku Haki that shattered her tendrils midair.
Imu's frustration mounted. This was no ordinary opponent—Luffy was adapting faster than she'd anticipated. "You're far more resilient than I thought," she sneered, flicking her hand to summon a wave of shadowy spears that shot forward like bullets. She hoped the attack would distract him enough for her to launch a devastating blow, aimed straight for his heart.
But Luffy's reflexes were sharp. He twisted midair, deflecting the spears with a rapid, Haki-infused series of blows, dissipating them before they could touch him. "I'm not giving up, not ever!" he shouted, his voice carrying the weight of his conviction as he prepared for his next attack.
Imu snarled as she closed in, summoning a field of dense energy around herself in preparation for her strongest move yet. Meanwhile, Luffy planted his feet, his aura intensifying as he readied another powerful technique, his muscles coiled and tense. He could feel the weight of everyone's hopes and dreams within him, fueling his every move.
They charged, their respective powers lighting up the battlefield as they closed in for another powerful exchange. Just before impact, the sky above darkened, the clash of their Haki filling the air with a crackling tension. The sheer force of their wills radiated outwards, shaking the very ground beneath them. As they collided, the burst of energy released sent a shockwave through the battlefield, tearing through the remnants of the enemy forces and even disorienting the nearby allied forces.
In the swirling aftermath, both stood, breathing heavily, but unyielding. They had only just begun, and as they faced each other once more, it was clear: this battle was far from over. Luffy's eyes sparkled with determination, and Imu's scowl deepened, her mind racing with plans to tear him down.
The world held its breath as two titans prepared to clash anew, the fate of everything hanging in the balance.