"You should know Lord Im's reason for releasing you,"
the man said gravely, his eyes shrouded in deep dread and a hint of fear.
After all, he knew all too well the years of abuse the man before him had endured here, and the terrifying strength he had once displayed.
"Hahaha, I know, of course I know,"
Rocks grinned excitedly. "Although I'm surprised that anyone in the sea, without me, dares to declare war on the World Government, anyone who declares war on the World Government is also my enemy. After all, there only needs to be one king in this world, and that's me."
"But, by releasing me, isn't Im afraid that I'll kill him myself in the end? Hahahaha."
"You won't get that chance,"
the man said gravely, stepping into the secret chamber. He produced a special key and untied the seastone shackles wrapped around Rocks.
When the last chain was released…
Boom.
A surge of overwhelming power erupted.
In an instant, many people looked in this direction.
"He's out," Im said calmly, and with one step, he appeared in front of Mio. He punched out, his Armament Haki mixed with a trace of Conqueror's Haki, and the powerful blow struck Mio directly.
In the past eight hundred years, Im's own Taijutsu and Haki had long been cultivated to a terrifying level.
Mio's expression was calm, without any fear.
Without hesitation, he punched forward.
The two fists collided.
Boom.
The residual power exploded, creating a shockwave that swept in all directions.
"Get out!"
Mio shouted, and power burst forth. The muscles in his arms tensed, and the powerful force immediately knocked Im back a few steps. Then Mio grinned. "Rocks? What a surprise! You'd actually release that guy just to deal with a pirate like me. Aren't you afraid he'll turn on you? After all, he's never concealed his ambition to become world king, and he's a pirate, too."
"So what?" Im said calmly. "Eight hundred years of constant loneliness—you won't understand that feeling, and I'm tired of it. But even so, this World Government I personally founded, and the world I rule, won't be surrendered so easily. If you want to replace the World Government, you must defeat it, and defeat me. And I don't mind giving you another powerful enemy."
"As a woman, isn't it normal to feel lonely?" Mio grinned and threw a punch. "That means you need a man, hahaha."
Boom.
Another fist clashed.
The two engaged again.
Yasan's punch blew the head off a CP0 member in front of him. The terrifying power intimidated many nearby, who instinctively took a few steps back.
Yasan paid no attention to them, his gaze fixed in one direction. He licked his lips, a look of excitement on his face. "Looks like I'll finally have a worthy opponent."
The powerful figures under the World Government posed no threat to him.
Even two or three combined would be unable to stop him.
His power was too overwhelming.
Given time, he was confident he could shatter the Red Earth Continent.
This terrifying force empowered him to crush anyone he faced.
But now, simply from the aura, he could sense that the wielder of this aura was a powerhouse of his own caliber.
Only such an opponent could bring him pressure.
"That guy's been released! Looks like trouble's coming!" Yagi also looked in that direction, muttering, his face grim.
Having hidden himself from the World Government for so many years, he was naturally well aware of Rocks's situation.
He was also well aware of Rocks's strength.
Therefore, without a second thought, Yagi turned towards Mio and shouted. "Be careful, Black Crow. Rocks's abilities are not simple. He's the user of the Copy Fruit, able to copy the abilities of others. While each ability must be developed to its full potential before the next one can be copied, he's already copied many abilities. One of them is the Swallow-Swallow Fruit. It was this ability that allowed him to devour the King of Heaven, granting him the power of the King of Heaven!"
With that, Yagi continued fighting.
He simply hoped that the information he knew would be of some use to Black Crow.
"The Copy Fruit?"
Mio raised an eyebrow slightly, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Isn't that guy's ability the Dark-Dark Fruit?" Mio asked in surprise.
"No, that's just one of the abilities he copied," Im replied softly, launching another punch, accompanied by thunder, fire, and holy light.
Mio clenched his fists, his Armament Haki already enveloping them.
The collision recurred, and the aftermath swept over the surroundings again and again.
"I see. But it doesn't matter. He was a loser then, and he'll always be a loser now," Mio said gravely. He clenched his fist again and delivered a powerful punch.
This punch, wielding all his might, carried a terrifying force.
Im's eyes darkened. Without hesitation, he waved his hands, gathering all the energy in front of him, transforming it into a protective shield.
"This thing is completely useless," Mio said with a disdainful grin. With a thought, the shield vanished, instantly replaced with a piece of rubble in the distance.
Mio's punch, now piercing Im's astonishment, impacted.
A powerful force erupted, sending Im flying backward like a kite with a broken string.
A trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Dust billowed from the spot where he had landed.
A moment later, Im climbed from the ground, looking even more disheveled.
"Hahahaha, Im, I just got here and saw you in such a mess. It seems that the rule of the World Government is finally coming to an end?" A wild laugh was heard.
Mio turned his head and looked.
He saw a short man of only about 1.9 meters walking slowly, with taut muscles on his body, exuding a terrifying aura.
1.9 meters, in this world, is indeed short.
Even Mio was now more than two meters tall.
But even so, no one dared to underestimate this guy.
Because this guy was undoubtedly Rocks.
The overlord of the sea in the era before Roger.
Being watched by Mio, Rocks's eyes soon fell on him and he grinned. "Junior, you're quite impressive. You've actually managed to push the World Government to this point. I should be thanking you. After all, without you, that damned Im would never have let me out, right? Hahaha. But I alone am enough to be the king of this world. You know there's no room for two tigers in one mountain. So, I'll send you to your death, but I'll remember your name."
"Tell me your name, hahaha!"
With that, a pair of black wings extended from Rocks's back, a terrifying aura erupting.
It looked like the return of a king.
However, Mio sneered at Rocks's words, dismissive. "You're just a loser. Why all that nonsense? You were a loser then, and you're still a loser now. You think you're the master of the world? Do you have any idea?"
"Hmph."
Upon hearing this, Rocks's eyes turned cold. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth and unleashed a terrifying laser beam toward Mio.
The power contained in it was nearly enough to destroy an island.
But just as the beam was shot out, a figure suddenly appeared on the path of the beam, and with a punch, covered with Armament Haki, he actually blocked the beam.
"What?"
Rocks's expression changed slightly, and a look of surprise appeared on his face, a little bit unbelievable.
"There are actually two…"
When he first got here, his eyes had only been attracted by Im and Mio, because only these two people were at the same level as him, and only these two guys could be considered his opponents.
But he hadn't expected that there was another person in the same realm as him.
Looking at the man in front of him, Rocks's face was gloomy, and he grinned coldly. "I see, no wonder you, Im, let me out. Two guys of the same level as you, I guess you didn't expect it?"
"At least because of them, you came out, didn't you?" Im patted the dust off his body and said calmly. "The D Clan, the pirate threat, the Revolutionary Army, you, and the World Government—all have appeared now."
"And those ships…"
"The gigantic Sea Kings beneath the Red Earth Continent, blocking the ships coming from around the world to support the World Government's forces…"
"Pluto and Poseidon have also appeared."
"This war is enough. If the World Government wins, all threats to it will be completely eliminated."
"I'm tired of it, but perhaps if I win this battle, I can finally find the life I've always longed for."
As his voice fell,
Im's aura erupted.
He instantly appeared before Mio, his palms transformed into blades, and a sudden, slashing blow erupted.
Mio, his expression stern, met the blow without hesitation.
"Only one occupant of the throne is enough, and that person is me," Mio sneered, his power erupting, sending Im back once again.
The gigantic skeleton warrior reappeared, enveloping Mio.
Controlling the giant skeleton, Mio swung his fists and suddenly punched Im.
Im dodged the huge fist, but even so, the punch landed on the ground and caused the entire Mary Geoise to tremble, like an earthquake.