Luffy's punch shattered the faith of the royal guards, their god, Imu, who had lived for more than a thousand years…
Defeated by a mere mortal. That dreadful divine might… undone.
It was the power born from the union of demon and god.
In the First World, the civilization that came from the moon enslaved the earth and harvested the energy of the Forest God, Sunlight Tree Eve.
The moonfolk discovered an endless source of power. They enslaved humanity, draining their lives and wealth, using Eve to fuel their insatiable thirst for technology.
Under the moonfolk's exploitation, people prayed to the gods. The gods gave no answer.
So they prayed to demons, and the demon answered.
That demon was Im. To the people, she became their god. The magic circles she created became the ancient totems of many nations.
The kingdom of Harahetania still prays for Imu's appearance to this day.
Imu was hailed as a god, but once she drove out the moonfolk, she enslaved the world just as they had.
The people longed for a true god. The Sun God Nika was born from Eve and chose Joy Boy.
The war between Joy Boy and Imu forced Imu into a dormant state. The world was enslaved by the Celestial Dragons, formed from the royal families of nineteen countries.
And those races once enslaved, those who had betrayed Imu, would face divine punishment.
The Celestial Dragons were their executioners. Back then, Joy Boy had severely wounded Imu; otherwise, Imu would have acted long ago.
She couldn't act because of the contingency Joy Boy had left behind.
Why were all the Celestial Dragons on Mary Geoise so afraid of Nika? Precisely because Nika possessed the ability to counter Imu.
The Sun God Nika, a free and uncontrollable being.
Facing Imu's Divine Might, even Roy was affected. Only Luffy was not.
"When it comes down to it, the protagonist's plot armor is still intact," Roy smiled wryly, suddenly feeling it was all very pointless. Lying on the ground, he didn't want to move. It wasn't that he lacked strength, just that he felt bored.
A predetermined world, where all his efforts would ultimately be just a supporting role.
It was like looking up at the sky, seeing the vastness of the universe, and realizing the planet he was on was less than a speck of dust within it.
That feeling of insignificant fear, like seeing a giant who could crush him like an ant.
This immense sense of disparity in his heart made Roy look at Luffy with envy.
Of course, there were also those like Koby, whose growth was even more exaggerated than Luffy's.
He had cheats, but what about his own growth?
Pathetically weak, like World's sickly brother.
"Sigh, I'll lie down for a bit, rest first," Roy decided to be lazy for a while.
He never understood before what it meant to have a broken belief but now he had a slight inkling.
It was like some students striving hard for years, only to have others effortlessly surpass them with sheer talent.
In many top universities, some students work hard for over a decade to get in, only to find it full of classmates more talented than them.
They don't even need to attend classes; a quick thought easily solves the problems.
Under such a huge gap, an idea sprouted in Roy's mind.
This battle was meant for Luffy to resolve anyway. Why should he bother putting in the effort?
Even if he didn't intervene, the world's outcome might be the same.
Of course, he quickly dismissed that thought. Because of his appearance, the Whitebeard Pirates still existed. Whitebeard didn't die, Ace didn't die; they were all living just fine.
"Go for it."
Roy raised a hand and gave a weak wave.
....
After having her Divine Might broken, Imu was furious. She raised her hand and threw a punch at Luffy.
Luffy grabbed her arm, his small figure running up along it, his legs turning into wind-fire wheels.
"Shishishi!!!"
The laughter brought by the Nika Fruit and the intense heartbeat sound irritated Imu.
Before she could react, Luffy had already charged right in front of her, while his arm remained stretched back in its original position.
"Gomu Gomu no White Rocket!"
His hands snapped back like rockets, impacting Imu's face.
Imu's massive form took the hit, her face caving in again. She was sent flying back, crashing heavily onto the ground.
With the sea receded, the land area of Hachinosu had become larger, so when Imu fell, she didn't plunge into the water as before.
Luffy grabbed a cloud in the sky and swung down. Flames suddenly erupted from his arm.
"Gomu Gomu no White Star Gun~"
Imu's body rapidly shrank. She raised the Sunlight Tree Eve in her hand.
"Laser Beam!"
The small tree erupted with an intense beam of light, shooting towards Luffy. Luffy couldn't react in time.
"That is..."
Luffy's mind flashed to Kizaru's ability. He had fought Kizaru; this was clearly his Devil Fruit power.
BOOM!
The speed of light was too fast, much faster than his own.
Intense flames erupted on Luffy, blasting him down from the sky. Fire burned on his body, and Luffy writhed on the ground in pain.
But the whimsical power of Nika quickly restored him. Luffy jumped up again. Imu had already returned to normal human size.
Clearly, she realized her large size only made her a bigger target for Luffy's attacks.
Luffy was like a fly or mosquito, constantly buzzing around and harassing her.
In that case, on equal footing, Imu thought of Joy Boy from back then.
A figure very similar to Luffy flashed in her mind. The two were too alike, especially that straw hat.
"Gomu Gomu no White Stamp~"
Luffy puffed out white clouds. His body disappeared into the clouds, and suddenly hundreds of him appeared.
"Sun Flare!"
Imu raised the Sun Tree Eve. Intense flames erupted with her as the center, more terrifying than Ace's Mera Mera no Mi.
"Heavenly Thunder!"
Dark clouds gathered in the sky. Lightning ravaged the island.
"Gale!"
Leaves shook. The wind howled, dispersing the clouds Luffy had created.
"Darkness!"
Finally, Imu raised her hand and unleashed the power of the Yami Yami no Mi towards Luffy.
"Black Vortex!"
Luffy was, after all, still a Devil Fruit user. His abilities were restricted by darkness.
"This is Blackbeard's ability..."
Luffy had seen Blackbeard at Impel Down and fought him. He knew his ability could restrict Devil Fruit powers.
Being absorbed by the darkness again, Luffy felt his body flying uncontrollably towards it.
"Not good! I can't let her grab me!" Luffy turned to run.
However, flames, lightning, and wind continuously attacked him, forcing him back, while the dark matter behind absorbed his abilities.
At this critical moment, someone rushed in front of Luffy, using their own life as a shield against Imu.
"Divine Departure~"