In the void, a figure hovered in midair.
"Im?" Lin Xuan curled his lips into a smile as he looked at the other party.
There was no reply.
But the silence itself was an acknowledgment of his identity.
Down on the battlefield, many of those locked in fierce combat couldn't help but stop. One after another, they looked up with curiosity at the figure suspended in the sky.
The man wore a gray robe. His features were impossible to make out, as if a layer of mist shrouded his face. Only his eyes were clearly visible—unnaturally bright, inspiring instinctive awe in everyone who met his gaze, to the point that few dared look at him directly.
Whitebeard slashed Sengoku away with a single strike, then raised his head to stare at the figure above. Almost instantly, his pupils contracted.
Danger.
That man made his heart seize.
If they were to fight, Whitebeard knew he probably wouldn't be able to withstand even three moves.
And this was despite the fact that his own strength had improved significantly during this time. Yet facing the man in the sky, Whitebeard could only feel one thing: overwhelming danger.
"What terrifying pressure… Is this the true powerhouse of the World Government that Chairman Lin mentioned—Im?" Whitebeard was shaken to his core.
He hadn't expected that such a monstrous existence still lurked in this world.
Cold sweat seeped into his palm. The pressure emanating from Im was immense.
Can Chairman Lin really be his opponent?
To be honest, Whitebeard wasn't entirely sure.
Im's strength was terrifying beyond measure—but Lin Xuan's power was just as unfathomable.
At this moment, instead of fear, Whitebeard found himself strangely anticipating their clash.
He wasn't alone.
Roger, Kong, Sengoku, Garp, Aokiji, and many others on the battlefield all shared the same focus. Nearly everyone's gaze was fixed on that figure in the sky.
Im—the legendary true master of the Holy Land, Mariejois. His existence had only been revealed after Lin Xuan's attack on the Holy Land. Seeing him now left countless people deeply shaken.
From his lofty position, Im swept his gaze across the battlefield below, his eyes cold and indifferent. Then he looked directly at Lin Xuan and uttered a single word:
"Fight."
"Fight."
Lin Xuan smiled calmly.
The moment his voice fell—
Boom!
A thunderous explosion rang out as the space between them shattered violently. The faces of Whitebeard, Roger, and the others changed at once.
They couldn't see it.
Yes—they could clearly sense that Lin Xuan and Im had already exchanged blows, and the torn space was proof of it. Yet even they were unable to follow the movements.
Whitebeard couldn't help clicking his tongue. "Are these two monsters in human skin?"
"So strong… far stronger than us," Roger said with a wry smile, nodding in agreement.
Marco glanced at his father and the Pirate King, raised an eyebrow, and thought to himself: Great. I didn't see anything at all.
Lin Xuan and Im continued their exchange. The rift in space kept expanding.
The air trembled violently. On the battlefield below, some pirates and soldiers suddenly felt a crushing pressure in their chests and spat out blood on the spot.
Seeing this, Lin Xuan laughed. "This place isn't suitable for fighting. Let's take it higher."
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished from where he stood. Im cast a brief glance upward—and disappeared as well.
Moments later, fierce collisions and deafening impacts echoed once more from far above the clouds.
On the battlefield below, many people stared at one another in stunned silence.
So this is what a battle between true powerhouses looks like?
Quite a few of them even stopped fighting altogether, hurriedly turning their attention to the live broadcast. Soon enough, the screen showed the high-altitude battle.
The footage appeared to be slowed down countless times, allowing viewers to finally see the exchange of blows.
Before long, an utterly absurd scene unfolded at Mariejois.
The New Era Alliance had charged in with overwhelming momentum to attack the Holy Land, while the World Government forces fought desperately to defend it. Yet now, people who had just been fighting to the death were standing together, watching a live broadcast.
Anyone who dared to continue fighting at this point was swiftly suppressed by top-tier experts from either side.
Soon, the battlefield—once filled with thunderous roars and clashing steel—fell into an eerie silence, all because of Lin Xuan and Im's clash.
High above, a trace of surprise finally appeared on Im's face.
"A power that controls time?"
He scanned his surroundings. He could clearly feel that within a certain radius around himself and Lin Xuan, the flow of time had changed—moving far slower than everywhere else.
He didn't quite understand the purpose of it.
Still, he didn't dwell on it for long and immediately resumed his assault.
"Void Slash."
Im's voice remained calm, utterly devoid of emotion.
Boom!
It was as if the very void itself had been split in two.
Bang!
There was nothing flashy about it—just a seemingly ordinary downward slash. Yet it unleashed a terrifying blade of energy, powerful enough to cleave the world itself.
In the blink of an eye, however, the sword light was deflected.
The massive slash crashed into the sea below, splitting the ocean apart and sending up monstrous waves. Countless Sea Kings were torn apart, their corpses floating to the surface.
And this was merely a casual strike from Im.
Impressive. Truly impressive.
Lin Xuan couldn't help praising him inwardly. It had been a long time since he'd encountered such a formidable opponent.
Excitement welled up in his heart. The corners of his mouth lifted as he thought to himself:
"This is a great opponent. Maybe… I can finally go all out and really show off—no, reveal my true strength."
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T/N:
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