"Don't worry, you're behind… no need to rush. You can play with your little toy. If you can make me happy, I might even let you go."
Nero's words were, of course, false. As the core of the City of Sin, Imu was definitely the best main course here.
If others still had a glimmer of hope, then Imu absolutely had to die.
Imu didn't believe Nero's words. Having ruled the world for eight hundred years, she could see the malice in Nero's eyes.
She would definitely not be spared, so Imu asked again, "Then Nero, why have you come here today?"
"Am I not being obvious enough?" Nero smiled. She knew the meaning behind Imu's actions: to unite everyone to fight her.
Nero didn't care; in fact, it suited her perfectly. The final performance should naturally be as magnificent as possible, so she spoke without hesitation.
"Naturally, I've come to destroy you all. Hmm, do you want to struggle for a while under my hand?"
"Did you hear that? Everyone is a target. After Imu falls, you will all face certain death."
As expected, Imu seized the opportunity to incite the others present, hoping to unite against Nero.
She still had her final trump card: Pluton, the most wicked battleship in history. Its power might be able to defeat Nero.
However, given the current situation, Pluton was too far away. To defeat Nero, it needed to get much closer, and on the open sea… they could only take a gamble.
"Imu can promise you all that after this, I will never attack you again. Imu will go into seclusion and completely hand the world over to you."
The others remained silent, but their eyes grew firm. They were all renowned powerhouses to begin with, and they would be more decisive than ordinary people when faced with a choice.
"Have you decided? Then let the performance begin. Dance without regret for your lives!"
Dense barrages of black and red energy orbs formed, and some who couldn't dodge in time instantly disintegrated upon contact with the energy orbs.
"Luffy, Luffy…"
"Usopp?" Luffy stared at the scene dumbfounded, still not quite processing it.
Usopp didn't evade Nero's area attack; half of his body was struck. After a difficult call to Luffy's name, he lost all signs of life.
"Usopp!!!"
Luffy roared Usopp's name, his eyes wide with fury, then entered Fifth Gear again.
After entering Fifth Gear, much of Luffy's sadness instantly vanished, replaced by an exaggerated smile on his face, though his pupils still held anger towards Nero.
"Hmm, a liberated warrior? Do you truly believe you are a savior?"
Nero mocked, though in reality, the essence of the Nika Fruit indeed possessed similar characteristics.
Luffy, without a word, directly punched Nero. Nero didn't even defend, letting Luffy attack.
"If Happy Boy isn't happy, does his strength also decrease?" Nero slapped Luffy away: "Games are only fun when played with a smile!"
With a wave of her hand, Nero summoned several more giant meteorites, which plummeted towards Luffy with intense heat.
"Fire Fist!!"
"Phoenix Mark!!"
Ace and Marco joined forces to block the meteorites, while Imu also moved to restrain Nero.
Under the aftermath of the battle and Nero's two area attacks, only the most elite powerhouses on the sea remained alive.
Of the Straw Hat Pirates, only Zoro and Sanji were left. The Red Hair Pirates were similarly devastated, with almost everyone annihilated except for Shanks and Beckman. Other factions suffered similar fates.
Those who had harbored a trace of hesitation deep down now looked at Nero with hatred, fully understanding that this was a fight to the death.
The black sun and the flames on the ground had vanished at some point. Red lightning occasionally struck the cracked wasteland from the sky.
"Indeed, the time I chose was just right. This is the best carnival. In a little while, you would all have rotted away."
"Come on! Let's make this carnival even livelier!"
Nero's wild laughter echoed joyfully over the ruined city, blending with the sounds of their clashes, like a fierce symphony.
However, the remaining powerhouses were also rapidly falling, with Nero still holding an absolute advantage in the battle.
Kuzan, Sengoku, Mihawk, Dragon, Sabo, Saint Nashorou, Saint Garling, Shamirrock… these top powerhouses of the sea all fell at Nero's hands.
There was no time even for sorrow; everyone was walking on a tightrope, with the possibility of their end at any moment.
Gradually, the remaining people began to grasp much of Nero's attack rhythm, and the scales began to tip.
Finally, a glimmer of hope appeared.
"Don't rely on Haki; use your eyes and five senses to observe!"
"But don't turn off your Observation Haki either; not all of her attacks can disable Observation Haki!"
"Try to focus your attacks on one point. Although her enormous body has powerful attack strength, it significantly affects her speed!"
"Now we just need one decisive attack. Imu, do you have any powerful moves left?"
Everyone spoke one after another, their expressions serious. They saw hope, but it was merely a glimmer.
"It still needs time to brew. You all must hold Nero back and prevent her from disturbing me."
Imu retreated from the battle to charge her power. The sudden increase in pressure instantly overwhelmed those who had just begun to adapt to fighting Nero.
"‡ λ… η x grass &; / _ " xN
The curses were foul, but everyone knew this was the only way to defeat Nero, so they could only desperately block her.
"K-Kowai… Inai!!" Borsalino, the fastest man, and a great contributor to restraining Nero, was unfortunately caught by Nero.
He instinctively blurted out his catchphrase, but it was entirely from the heart.
Facing this old acquaintance, Nero had no intention of chatting. With a forceful swing, Borsalino was slammed into the ground by the immense power, his fate unknown.
Without the restraint of Kizaru Borsalino, the others could barely hold on.
"Imu, you bastard! Are you not ready yet?" Akainu Sakazuki roared.
Imu raised her hand and unleashed a slash. This was a more powerful slash than Mihawk's; this sword strike was even comparable to Nero in her Little Dragon Person state.
And for the first time, Nero made a serious defensive move. She fiercely swung her claws, and five slashes simultaneously rushed towards this attack.
Zoro and those slightly weaker than King were unable to maintain their footing and were blown away by the attack.
"Now! Everyone, maximum output!!!"
Shanks seized the opportunity and roared, concentrating all his Haki into this single strike.
The others did the same. Zoro and his companions also unleashed their strongest attacks. This was the final blow; it was either success or martyrdom.
It was as if the world trembled. Flames, lightning, sword qi… various dazzling attacks mercilessly struck Nero.
But when the attack ended, Nero appeared unharmed in the dissipating dust, once again making people feel despair.
"Cough cough… Hmm, you certainly kicked up a lot of dust!" The evil beast sneered and casually curled her lips into a smile.
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