"Yes, Marco is right, and so am I. Just you wait, Ashveil. Don't think your drinking capacity is unbeatable. Next time, I will definitely drink you under the table!" Diamond Jozu muttered, clenching his fist.
Fire Fist Ace added loudly, "That's right, Captain Ashveil! Once you defeat Imu, we, the Whitebeard Pirates, will drink for three days and three nights!"
"Me too!" another voice joined enthusiastically.
"And me! I may not match you in combat, but I'll train to match your drinking prowess and drink you under the table!"
Edward Newgate laughed heartily, slamming Murakumogiri into the deck as his immense aura swept across the ship.
"Hahaha! Did you hear that, Ashveil? We are all waiting for your victory. For the celebration, we'll drink for three days and three nights! You absolutely cannot lose this battle!" Whitebeard's laughter resonated across the Moby Dick.
Ashveil's words and the reactions of the Whitebeard Pirates ignited Imu's fury. The God of the World could not tolerate such blatant disregard. As the supreme ruler, he had already granted Ashveil immense face by inviting him personally. Countless people had submitted to him, yet Ashveil had the audacity to defy him and even look at him as if he were pitiable.
"Since you are so ungrateful, don't blame me!" Imu said coldly.
Her Conqueror's Haki thickened instantly, surging outward with unstoppable force, like a dam bursting.
The sky darkened rapidly, clouds forming as the bright sunlight dimmed. The sea churned violently under her immense aura, and the ground beneath her sank into a massive pit. Birds and beasts fled from the area, sensing the overwhelming power.
Everyone nearby watched in disbelief. Even the Conqueror's Haki wall Ashveil had created began to ripple under the pressure.
"Then let me test your true strength, Ashveil!" Imu declared with unwavering confidence.
Ashveil smiled faintly. Finally, a challenge worthy of his full strength. He straightened, shedding his previously lazy demeanor, and released his own Conqueror's Haki in full force.
The two auras collided with titanic force, shaking the very air. Earthquakes rippled through the land, the sea rose in massive waves, and underwater volcanoes erupted. The water turned crimson as the temperature soared, while dark cracks tore through space itself. Hundreds of small islands within ten kilometers of the Whitebeard Pirates were annihilated. Trees were uprooted, and the land itself shattered outside the protection of Ashveil's Haki wall.
Whitebeard and the others stared in awe.
"Is this… truly a battle between the two most powerful beings in this world?" Edward Newgate said, emotion lacing his words. Compared to this, his battle with Roger seemed almost trivial.
Hawkeye Mihawk's sharp eyes gleamed. "Magnificent! To witness such a battle is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Even if I die, it will be worth it," he muttered, thrilled at the display of raw power.
The two Haki surges collided repeatedly, ripping and reshaping the world around them. Space itself seemed to fracture and then heal as the battle raged on. The intensity of their fight was almost incomprehensible, yet both fighters remained poised and smiling faintly, as if the battle were merely a test.
The second elder finally spoke, his voice trembling with realization.
"No… No, it hasn't ended. If I'm not mistaken, they were merely probing each other's strength!"
The surrounding observers were stunned. To think that such catastrophic destruction was only a preliminary test of power! Even Sengoku confirmed their assessment.
"Yes… the Gorosei are right. Their auras remain stable, untouched by exhaustion. This was just a warm-up," he said, swallowing hard.
The Whitebeard Pirates craned their necks toward the sky, their expressions a mixture of shock and awe. Monsters… both Ashveil and Imu were true monsters.
Finally, Imu spoke first.
"Hahaha! I truly did not expect, Ashveil, that your strength could withstand my Conqueror's Haki," she admitted, a rare note of sincerity in her voice. For centuries, no one had resisted her Haki save for the ancestor of the Demon Race, who had long perished. Yet Ashveil had endured.
Ashveil allowed himself a faint smile. "You are the first person in this world who can withstand my Conqueror's Haki," he said, his tone calm but admiring.
Imu's eyes narrowed, sensing Ashveil's arrogance. Initially, she had hoped to recruit him as her right-hand, but such an indomitable spirit could not be tamed. Only destruction awaited him.
Her Conqueror's Haki surged again, manifesting into a nine-headed python in the sky, its massive form aimed directly at Ashveil. Imu's face twisted, forming the likeness of the serpent herself, a terrifying fusion of human and mythical serpent.
Ashveil responded in kind. His Haki fused with his Magma Fruit, transforming him into an enormous Eastern dragon, magma dripping from its jaws, ready to meet Imu's attack head-on.
The stage was set. The two most powerful beings in the world, their true forms revealed, were about to clash once more.
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