The sky above Laughtale turned dark, thunderclouds converging as if nature itself held its breath. Luffy stood across from Imu, his resolve unwavering, a glint of fierce, uncompromising courage in his eyes. This was it: the final clash.
Imu's dark aura pulsed like a void around her, while Luffy's radiant energy of the Indra Form illuminated the battlefield with fierce power, a balance of chaos and purpose, hope and fury. Their Haki rose to a scale unseen in the history of the world, each combatant surrounded by an aura so intense that the very air around them crackled, splitting with bolts of electric plasma and dark shadows.
In an instant, the battle ignited. Imu struck first, the ground shattering under her as she charged forward with an ancient technique, Oblivion Slash—a blade of Haki so sharp that it seemed to carve through the air itself, trailing darkness. Luffy met her blade with his own raw power, the Divine King's Strike, a golden fist that sent a shockwave powerful enough to shake the ocean, colliding head-on with her attack. The two energies clashed, sparking in a massive explosion that left a crater behind.
Luffy rolled from the blast, already anticipating Imu's next move. She leaped from the smoldering ground, using Phantom Blades that splintered into hundreds of lethal tendrils aimed directly at him. Luffy reacted with sheer speed, employing Dragon's Dance, his own counter-attack that deflected each of the dark tendrils as he weaved through them with impossible agility, his Conqueror's Haki deflecting the brunt of her attacks.
"Is this all you have, old lady?" Luffy grinned, his teeth bared, showing his fanged D-smile.
Imu's eyes narrowed, the weight of centuries of control and arrogance cracking as she sneered back. "I'll show you the true depths of despair!" She struck her hands together, summoning Eternal Dominion—a sphere of dark energy engulfed the battlefield, constricting the space around Luffy with an intense gravitational pull.
But Luffy was undeterred. With a flex of his arms, he pushed back, activating Godbreaker's Aura—a golden shockwave of pure Haki radiated from him, shattering the energy around him and tearing through the battlefield. He dashed forward, the air igniting as he sped through it, his fist pulled back, infused with the very essence of his willpower.
Imu countered, her form twisting and shifting into a demonic state, her body cloaked in the shadows of Dread Empress Form, her strength amplified beyond anything previously seen. She extended her hands, casting Void Chains of Despair, dark tendrils that lunged for Luffy like monstrous serpents. Each tendril was reinforced with her Haki, aiming to bind him permanently.
In response, Luffy summoned the full might of his Indra Form—massive wings of crackling energy erupted from his back, and with a beat of those wings, he ascended, avoiding the chains as they struck the ground beneath him. Raising his arm, he charged his fist with Celestial Thunder. Bringing it down, he struck with such force that the very island trembled. The chains shattered, dissipating into nothing.
Imu screamed in fury, retaliating with Abyssal Spear, a massive lance of darkness that split into countless shards, each one honed with deadly intent, speeding toward Luffy like a storm of blackened arrows. Luffy braced himself, summoning his wings to deflect the oncoming storm, shattering the shards before they reached him.
"You're only clinging to fear, to power!" Luffy yelled, the passion behind his voice resonating. "The world deserves more than you."
With a roar, he unleashed Wrath of the Divine, a blinding attack infused with Haoshoku Haki, delivering it with a punch that felt like the weight of justice itself. It connected with Imu's form, cracking her armor of darkness as the battlefield erupted in a cataclysmic explosion, the force shaking the sea.
Breathing heavily, they broke apart, circling each other again, their eyes locked. Imu's anger turned to hatred, her resolve narrowing into a single, cruel intent. She smirked darkly, her voice a low whisper as she formulated her plan.
"I'll break you… I'll make you watch as I rip apart everyone you care about," she seethed, her voice filled with malice. She conjured images of the Straw Hats, of his loved ones, each one briefly flickering around her like a twisted mockery. "I'll erase them, and when you kneel before me, only then will I grant you death."
But Luffy's response was immediate, filled with defiance. "That's where you're wrong. I'm not the one who's gonna kneel!" He charged forward again, his wings blazing with radiant energy as he launched into Phoenix Ascendant, a dive infused with his most powerful Haki. The sheer force of it shattered Imu's projections, dispersing them as he closed the gap between them in a flash.
The fight was relentless. Blow after blow, technique after technique, they struck and countered, each one pouring the full weight of their powers into every strike, every dodge. The sky above them split, clouds dispersing as their Haki reached out, an overwhelming energy that echoed far beyond the battlefield.
News Co. Commentary - Live from the Sea!
"And there you have it, folks!" Morgans boomed, his voice echoing over every Den Den Mushi screen tuned to the scene, feathers fluffed with excitement. "This fight is what you'd call the battle of the gods! Imu, the so-called Eternal Ruler, has met her match in our man Luffy! Ha! Look at him go—who knew that troublemaker would be the world's greatest hope?"
On Fishman Island, the fishfolk watched breathlessly, cheering as the fight tilted in Luffy's favor. Children mimicked his attacks, calling out his moves, filled with inspiration. Meanwhile, the women of Amazon Lily, including a flushed and lovestruck Hancock, watched intently. She muttered to herself, "Luffy, my love… every blow, every attack—it's like you're etching your place in history. Look at you, stronger than the gods!" Her cheeks turned red as she swooned, whispering to herself, "He's unstoppable… so powerful and perfect…"
The fight raged on, but Imu was faltering. Each powerful strike from Luffy was now penetrating her defenses, wearing her down despite her boundless malice. Seeing her stagger, Luffy took a breath, focusing as he raised his hand to the sky, channeling his Haki. In a massive burst of power, he cleared the darkened sky above with a single sweeping motion, sunlight flooding the battlefield, his form gleaming in the newfound light.
The Straw Hats, seeing the shift in the fight, grinned and stood proudly together. With the final battle underway, they turned their ship's wheel, facing the horizon, ready to set sail to their destiny.
The time had come. The One Piece awaited.