While dealing with Setsuna's tempestuous assault, Imu released a psychic call.
"My knights, heed the call. Come to my side."
However, few responded.
She allocated a wisp of consciousness to observe the situation, discovering the God's Knights were already routed.
Sommers was sat on by Rayleigh, Seastone chains tightly binding his wrists.
Maffey was held in Big Mom's hand, being played with, her rigid face frozen in terror.
Gunko was being beaten back by Akainu's Magma Fist, half her body already charred black.
The remaining God's Knights faced Kaido, Kizaru, Aokiji, Dragon, Garp, Loki, Mihawk... also beaten miserably.
Only Shamrock still held on barely under Shanks's assault, but defeat was imminent.
"Trash!" Imu's eyes were cold as blades. "In that case, return the power I bestowed upon you."
In an alley of the Sorbet Kingdom.
Shalria trembled as she slapped Sommers's face, slapping while tearfully explaining. "Sommers-sama, I didn't mean to! They forced me!"
Sommers's face was dark. Though Shalria's slaps were painless, they felt humiliating.
"You lowly commoners just wait. I have heard the God's call. You'll soon..." Sommers's expression suddenly turned terrified. "Imu-sama, please forgive..."
His plea for mercy abruptly stopped.
Under Shalria's horrified gaze, Sommers's skin rapidly withered and cracked, almost instantly turning into a skeleton.
Shalria screamed in terror. "I didn't kill him! I didn't!"
Rayleigh ignored her cries, his expression grave. "This is the Celestial Dragons' god Setsuna mentioned? So heartless. Discarding useless subordinates so swiftly?"
Similar scenes unfolded across various battlefields.
Maffey's body crumbled to dust. Gunko turned to ashes before Akainu...
Shamrock, battling Shanks, suddenly shuddered, his assault halting.
"It seems you were right," He smiled bitterly at Shanks. "The Deep Sea Covenant is both power and shackles. With just a thought from the God, we must offer our lives."
Shanks's pupils contracted sharply. "Imu is draining your power? Quickly sever the arm bearing the covenant!"
"It's useless," Shamrock shook his head. "The Deep Sea Covenant is different from your Shallow Sea one. It's branded onto the soul. Even severing that arm, the covenant remains."
Shanks suppressed his fury. "That bastard..."
Shamrock's body began to transparentize, yet his voice grew even clearer. "You know? I truly envied you. My life was destined the moment I returned to Mary Geoise. If we had both been cast to the lower world back then..."
Before his words finished, the last God's Knight also became specks of light filling the sky.
...
Imu stood under the firmament. The pentagram in her palm slowly dissipated.
"Though most power returned to my true form..." Imu flexed Garling's body. "...this increased amount should be enough to deal with you."
Setsuna's pupils contracted. This scene reminded him of Yhwach's [Auswählen] from Bleach… also bestowing power first, then forcibly reclaiming it after growth.
He hadn't expected Imu to have a similar ability.
"Slash!"
Imu controlled Garling's body to swing a world-shattering sword stroke. A pitch-black slash wave tore through the firmament, annihilating everything in its path.
Simultaneously, Setsuna's power gathering was finally complete.
He pressed his right index and middle fingers together. The terrifying energy condensed at his fingertips transformed into a dazzling pillar of light, colliding with the slash wave with a bang.
"Makankosappo!"
Boom!
The world fell silent, then erupted with world-destroying might.
Blinding light erupted. The Sorbet Kingdom's land began to disintegrate.
Seawater was vaporized. Rock layers were torn up. The shockwave flattened everything within dozens of miles.
When the aftershocks dispersed, Garling's body was mutilated. His right half had completely vanished.
"You win this time," Imu's voice remained icy. "But that's only because this trash couldn't bear my power. If you can reach Mary Geoise alive, I'll let you experience true fear."
Setsuna looked up at the sky. Unnoticed, dark clouds had obscured the entire sky.
Lightning flickered within the clouds. Huge shadows swam faintly visible.
"Is this... Uranus?" Setsuna asked gravely.
"Correct," Imu sneered. "It will thoroughly purify this sea area. If you survive..."
Her consciousness began to withdraw. Garling regained consciousness, shouting in terror. "Imu-sama! Please take this subordinate with you..."
His words abruptly stopped.
Imu said indifferently. "Your words reminded me. I almost forgot to reclaim your power."
Under Garling's disbelieving gaze, his body turned to ashes.
The dark clouds grew even thicker. The firmament seemed about to crush the earth.
Whitebeard, who had been observing from afar for a while, stepped forward. "How do we handle Uranus's power?"
Setsuna didn't answer, simply roaring to the sky. "Titan!"
Rumble!
The sea surface suddenly bulged. A hundred-thousand-meter-long serpent broke through the water.
It was pitch-black overall, scales gleaming with a metallic sheen, each as large as a hill.
Titan opened its abyssal maw, swallowing the shattered island whole, then quickly dove into the sea.
The next second—
Uranus's attack descended.
Countless blazing white pillars tore through the clouds, striking the sea surface like divine punishment.
Seawater vaporized instantly upon contact. A dozens-of-miles-wide sea area was instantly vaporized into a massive depression.
Some pillars landed on Titan's back. Scales melted, peeled off under the terrifying heat, then quickly healed due to its astonishing regenerative power.
The giant serpent emitted pained hisses, but its diving speed didn't slow at all.
Only after Titan dove below a kilometer did Uranus's attack finally completely blocked by the seawater.
Inside Titan's space, Setsuna's expression was somewhat grave.
He had thought Uranus's attack shouldn't be much stronger than Pluton's. Based on Pluton's description of sinking an island with one cannon blast, Uranus's attack intensity should be similar.
But judging by Titan's injuries, Uranus's attack seemed far beyond that.
Simultaneously, Imu in Mary Geoise also noticed the scene through Uranus's monitoring.
"What is that sea beast? Could it be a relic left by the Great Kingdom?" Imu frowned tightly.
Even after ruling the world for eight hundred years, seeing such an illogical creature made her feel a wave of unease.
"Truly lingering like a stubborn ghost. Since you were destroyed, you should sink into darkness forever..." Imu growled, but quickly regained composure.
"My pieces are used up. It's time to activate Impel Down's Abyssal Rite."