"I am Byrnndi World, Lieutenant General of the Underworld Army!"
"By order of Lady Enma, I have come to invite Shimotsuki Ryōma to the Titan World Underworld for a meeting!"
Byrnndi World landed properly at the edge of the Other Shore Garden. Then, turning toward the manor, he let out a thunderous roar. His words surged like waves, echoing through the entire area.
The blast startled the surrounding Kabane Butterflies, sending them scattering in every direction.
Then, World lifted his leg and stepped into the field of red spider lilies.
To him, announcing his presence beforehand was a gesture of courtesy, not submission to some outdated formality. Besides, he was here on official orders—it wouldn't make sense to stop at the door and not go in.
But clearly, Ryōma had no intention of letting him through.
[Shing!]
A slash of violet light appeared from nowhere, streaking straight toward Byrnndi World. He instantly dodged using Observation Haki, but to his shock, the slash abruptly curved mid-air and came back at him.
This time, he had no room to evade.
Left with no choice, he hardened both arms with Armament Haki and blocked it head-on.
A massive clang rang out—like blades crashing against an iron wall—as World was forcefully blasted out of the garden. His legs tore two long furrows into the earth as he skidded backward.
"Sword Saint's Domain."
From a distance, Imu narrowed his eyes at the scene and muttered to himself.
The so-called Sword Saint's Domain allowed a swordsman to turn anything within a certain range—including the air itself—into a weapon.
Moreover, the swordsman's will could be infused into his 'slashing attacks', allowing him to control them remotely with precision.
This made it possible to combine long-range slashes with Haki.
Meanwhile, Byrnndi World was stunned and furious.
What shocked him most was that he couldn't even tell where the attack had originated—nor how the slash had been able to curve back for a second strike. In his understanding, a swordsman's flying slash wasn't supposed to have that kind of capability.
Fury burned within him—not just because he had been attacked, but because the other party had the audacity to strike first. What nerve! He had once been a General of the former World Government Army, after all!
"Who exactly is this 'Lady Enma' you just mentioned?"
"And you—what did you say your name was again?"
At that moment, a man stepped into the field of red spider lilies. He wore a white kimono, blue scarf around his neck, and wooden sandals on his feet. Black-haired, his right hand rested calmly on the hilt at his waist. Wisps of violet flame curled around him.
Shimotsuki Ryōma.
Imu paused the moment he saw him.
Because Ryōma looked strikingly like Zoro.
The only real differences were the color of his hair and his age. He looked like a matured version of Zoro—Zoro in middle age, with his hair dyed black.
Meanwhile—
Byrnndi World explained that Enma was the ruler of the Underworld in the Titan World. But Ryōma asked again: "What did you say your name was?"
"I was once known as 'Black Rhinoceros,' a former General of the World Government Army. Now I serve as a Lieutenant General of the Underworld Army—Byrnndi World!"
World straightened his back and spoke with pride.
"Whether for being a lapdog of the World Government, or for the bloodshed you caused in Wano—either way, your death is deserved!"
In the blink of an eye, Shimotsuki Ryōma unsheathed Shūsui, the blade at his waist. A dazzling purple glow erupted with his slash, lighting up the entire field.
Byrnndi World's pupils shrank to pinpoints as the massive arc of swordlight came flying toward him.
Elsewhere—
Imu watched the scene unfold, and a chill of killing intent rose within his heart.
Not because Ryōma had attacked Byrnndi World.
But because of Ryōma's stance toward the World Government.
"If that's all you've got… then I can't let you live, Shimotsuki Ryōma."
...
The battle between Shimotsuki Ryōma and Byrnndi World was as fierce as it was intense.
After all, the former struck with seething fury—every swing of his blade aimed to kill.
Each slash of his ghostly, purple-black blade aura swallowed the color from the entire Other Shore Garden.
If Ryōma's swordsmanship were translated into physical combat ability, his counterpart would be none other than Monkey D. Garp.
And his mastery of Haki had clearly reached the level of 'Tri-Haki Integration'—where even Colorless Haki was within his grasp.
However, perhaps due to his prolonged training in the Underworld, his Conqueror's Haki had shifted heavily toward the nature of ghostly energy.
Thus, Byrnndi World's defeat was unsurprising. His annihilation was justified—his soul utterly and completely scattered in the Underworld of Starfish.
Meanwhile—
Shimotsuki Ryōma stood in silence, cold-eyed, watching as Byrnndi World's body slowly dissolved into particles within the swirling ghostly aura.
The moment those particles floated up into the air—before they could even return to the Underworld's cycle—they were devoured by the swarm of Kabane Butterflies that had surged in from all directions.
It looked like a red-glowing tornado had engulfed World, and within four or five seconds, he was gone completely.
"The World Government… Hmph. One day, you'll pay for your blood debts in blood."
With killing intent still brimming, Shimotsuki Ryōma slowly slid Shūsui back into its sheath at his waist.
He had already learned from Shimotsuki Ushimaru and the others about the tragic incident that took place in Wano Country five years ago. Later, from the samurai who had died and arrived there successively, he heard that Wano Country had been completely taken over by the World Government, eliminating or imprisoning most of the ruling nobility.
Taken together, these events amounted to the true fall of a nation and the eradication of a people.
However, according to Shimotsuki Ushimaru, the Shimotsuki Clan had a branch that had taken refuge overseas—so their bloodline had not been entirely severed.
That was the only good news he had heard in recent years.
As for Kōzuki Oden—he had met him, and found himself sorely disappointed.
There was none of the steadiness or authority one would expect from the Shōgun of Wano Country. At best, his strength was barely passable.
"Seeking blood for blood with the World Government?"
"Then there's no need to wait for 'someday.' I will obliterate you right now!"
Suddenly, a cold voice descended from the heavens.
At the same time, an immense, formless pressure took shape, solid as a mountain of pale golden radiance. In the blink of an eye, it crushed down upon the glowing Other Shore Garden.
The Kabane Butterflies, which had been fluttering joyfully after their feast, were instantly pulverized into the ground, wiped out completely.
From the outside, the entire area had been sealed off by a brilliant golden barrier. It was nearly impossible to see what was happening inside with the naked eye.
"Who are you?!"
Shimotsuki Ryōma snapped his head upward, eyes scanning the sky.
What he sensed now was an overwhelming dominance—a supreme force that stood above all living things.
It was similar to the aura of the King of the Dead, yet also different. He couldn't quite put his finger on how.
But more importantly, he once again felt an incredible pressure—an overwhelming sense of threat.
Yet to Ryōma's fierce demand, Imu, high above, offered no reply.
However, the moment Imu's eyes met Ryōma's, a flash of insight struck the swordsman's mind like lightning.
"You're the ruler of the World Government… the king of the Celestial Dragons… the master of the Dimensional Gate… Imu!"
As the most valued warrior under the King of the Dead, Shimotsuki Ryōma had naturally been privy to no small amount of information regarding Imu.
He just never expected Imu to appear here, in the Underworld.
Could it be that even he had died?
That would certainly be a cause for celebration.
Despite it all, Shimotsuki Ryōma felt no fear—only anticipation, even excitement. His right hand had already moved to rest lightly on the hilt of his blade.
Because he could feel it—Imu was a Sword Saint too.
To cross blades with another Sword Saint in this lifetime… even if it cost him his life, so what?
"Heh... Is that an invitation to settle this with the sword?"
Imu could clearly sense the surging fighting spirit pouring off Shimotsuki Ryōma.
He thought for a moment, then chose to suppress the impulse to end things by other means.
Though they were already mortal enemies, bound by irreconcilable hatred, Ryōma was still a Sword Saint born of Starfish.
If he were to die, then it was only right that he should die by the sword.
With that, Imu extended his right hand.
Not far away, Little Enma immediately turned and reverted to her true form—the Enma Blade—transforming into a streak of violet-gold light that flew into his palm.
"Blade name: Enma."
Imu, from high above, declared in a cold, detached voice.
Hearing this, Ryōma raised an eyebrow slightly, muttering inwardly, 'Isn't that... Enma herself?'
But he didn't dwell on it. Following the etiquette between swordsmen, he answered in a low voice: "Blade name: Shūsui."
[Swish! Swish!]
The moment the words left their mouths, both Imu and Shimotsuki Ryōma burst forth at the same time, streaking toward each other like comets.
[CLANG!!!!]
The first clash of Shūsui and Enma reverberated through the Underworld's glowing River Styx and the garden of red spider lilies.
Ripples spread like waves through the air.
In the next instant, a flurry of impossibly fast and dense strikes exploded—blades clashing like hundreds of drummers smashing cymbals in a mad, chaotic rhythm. The ringing of steel filled every corner of the battlefield.
Meanwhile—
The figures of Imu and Shimotsuki Ryōma had already become a tangled blur of afterimages in midair above the Other Shore Garden.
Countless deadly slashes and piercing sword auras roared like twin rivers in flood, colliding and exploding with every passing moment.
They clashed, shattered, vanished, and clashed again—each wave of sword force trying to utterly engulf the other.
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