[AUTHOR NOTE: Thanks to Jandro123 for giving me tip on Gumroad. Shakky joined the harem on chapter 59 at patreon.]
'No. She can't be Imu.'
York instantly rejected the idea.
If this woman was the true body of the King of the World, Rocks would be dead already.
Imu had ruled for 800 years. Joy Boy's Haki—sealed in a knot for centuries—could suppress all Five Elders and intimidate Imu from an island away. If the real Imu was here, fighting Rocks (a non-fruit user) to a stalemate would be pathetic.
The woman confirmed his suspicion a second later.
"Is this all?" she sneered, her voice echoing. "The strength that can be exerted while possessing a vessel is limited."
BOOM!
The Haki clash exploded. The shockwave obliterated the rocks hiding York and Shakky.
Exposed, York stood up, brushing dust off his coat.
"Yo! Rocks! Looks like you found your family!"
Rocks glanced back, surprised. "You succeeded? You're fast."
"Luck."
York walked over. Rocks didn't hesitate. He handed the crying toddler to York.
"This is my son, Teach."
Rocks looked at the boy one last time, his eyes softening for a fraction of a second.
"Take care of him."
York nodded solemnly, cradling the boy. The shockwave had knocked the toddler unconscious, which was a mercy.
"What's with the woman?" York asked.
"A puppet," Rocks spat. "Possessed by something nasty. She's strong enough to fight me to a draw."
"Heh. Then I'll kill her now!"
Rocks charged back into the fray.
CLANG!
Another clash. But this time, the Possessed Woman looked past Rocks, her heterochromatic eyes locking onto York.
"Are you Atlas D. York?"
Her voice was cold, inhuman.
"Imu has never seen your ability before. Are you interested in serving?"
York raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? An invitation to the God's Knights? Tempting."
He grinned.
"If I join... can I have any woman I want in Mary Geoise?"
Shakky stiffened. "York..."
York raised a hand to silence her.
The Possessed Woman's eyes narrowed.
"Don't push your luck, mortal."
"Ha! Stingy. No sincerity at all."
York mocked her openly.
The woman said nothing more. Disdain radiated from her.
SLASH!
Taking advantage of the distraction, Rocks lunged. His blade, coated in maximum Haki, sliced the woman diagonally from shoulder to hip.
"DON'T LOOK AWAY WHEN YOU'RE FIGHTING ME!!"
SQUELCH.
The woman didn't die.
She looked at Rocks with indifferent eyes. Black smoke poured from the wound, and her body knit itself back together as if time were reversing.
"Immortality..." York muttered.
He knew the Five Elders were immortal. He hadn't expected Imu's avatars to share the trait.
'Damn. The manga hadn't revealed the weakness before I died. Is it the sea? Or just overwhelming Haki?'
Rocks grinned. He didn't seem discouraged.
He swung again. This time, he didn't aim for the body. He aimed for the space around her, flooding the blade with enough Conqueror's Haki to warp reality.
The woman's eyes widened. She dodged.
The slash missed her, carving a canyon into the mountain behind her.
"OH?" Rocks laughed wildly. "Why did you dodge?! Does Haki hurt you, 'God'?!"
"Today, I shall slay a deity!"
"This sword shall be named God Slayer!"
Rocks charged, his blade turning pitch black. The woman raised her trident, forced to block seriously.
While the titans clashed, York watched, analyzing every move.
Suddenly, his Observation Haki screamed.
Danger.
York spun around, curling his body around baby Teach.
BOOM!
An invisible force exploded against his back.
"York!" Shakky cried out.
York turned slowly, his expression grim.
Walking out of the smoke was a massive, elderly man. He wore a black suit, held a cane, and had a thick, dreadlocked beard.
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn.
"Inferior mortals," Saturn rumbled, his voice dripping with arrogance. "You are not worthy to gaze upon the Great One's form."
To him, York and Shakky were insects.
"Gorosei," York said coldly. "Why aren't you protecting the Celestial Dragons? What are you doing here?"
"I am here to protect the Great One."
Saturn's eyes narrowed, fixing on the bundle in York's arms.
"And to erase a mistake."
BOOM!
Another invisible explosion. York raised his arm, coated in Armament Haki, and swatted the force away.
"Really?" York sneered. "You say you're protecting, but you're aiming for a toddler's head?"
If York hadn't blocked, Teach's skull would have been crushed.
"I didn't expect a Grand Elder to be so cheap."
"Against enemies of the world," Saturn said, tossing his cane aside, "there is no need for morality."
CRACK... SQUELCH...
Saturn's body began to twist and expand.
His legs fused and multiplied. Bull horns sprouted from his head. His torso bloated into a grotesque spider abdomen.
In the blink of an eye, a giant Ushi-Oni (Ox-Demon) stood before them.
"Zoan Type... Spider-Spider Fruit, Mythical Model: Ushi-Oni," York identified, his eyes narrowing.
"Troublesome."
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