"Dammit!" Saturn roared in fury. He had never imagined that after successfully withstanding their combined attack, Roy would be so bold as to charge straight into the depths of the Holy Land.
He knew that within the Holy Land, there were not only numerous traps and guards, but it was also the place where Lord Imu meditated.
If Roy actually disturbed Lord Imu, he himself would likely face a crisis.
Thinking of these stakes, Saturn was frantic. He no longer held back any of his strength, launching wave after wave of frenzied attacks.
But Roy seemed to have cast aside all thoughts of life and death, ignoring the attacks coming from behind.
After all, this was just a Wood Clone; anything he could probe out was a gain.
The massive wooden figure swiftly crossed one defensive line after another, heading straight for the heart of Pangaea Castle.
Saturn's eyes nearly blazed with fury. At this critical moment, a low, majestic snort suddenly rang out from the depths of the Holy Land.
Immediately following, a wave of Conqueror's Haki, so powerful it was suffocating, swept forth. This power was unimaginably strong, as if it could tear space itself, causing the very sky above the Holy Land to tremble. Everything within the Holy Land bowed low under the weight of this oppressive force.
The giant wooden figure formed from Roy's Wood Clone instantly slowed its advance under the impact of this Haki.
But it did not retreat. Instead, gathering all its strength, it threw a powerful, heavy punch, attempting to break through this invisible barrier.
Yet, at that crucial moment, an even more terrifying force descended, colliding violently with the wooden figure's fist in mid-air.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion echoed, accompanied by the rampaging energy, sending ripple after ripple through the air.
In this contest of strength, although the wooden figure was resilient, it was ultimately no match for this overwhelming power and was instantly blasted apart.
What was even more shocking was that this power seemed to contain a strange energy that suppressed the Wood Style's ability to regenerate, preventing the shattered wood from rapidly reforming as it usually would. Eventually, even Roy's Wood Clone dissipated into nothingness.
"Did he escape?"
However, Imu, who had destroyed the wooden figure with a single strike, spoke in a chilling tone. He had clearly already realized that what he had just destroyed was not the real entity; the man had escaped.
Imu looked towards Saturn in the distance, narrowing his eyes.
"Useless," he thought to himself. He had actually managed to break through to this point.
Meanwhile, on another front, a breathtaking duel was taking place. A sword and a blade clashed continuously, throwing off dazzling sparks.
"Clang!" A crisp sound of metal striking metal cut through the air, and a terrifying sword aura suddenly shot straight into the clouds, tearing the surrounding mist to shreds.
The two had been sparring for a while, the sword aura splitting the sea, causing towering waves to rise in its wake. It was as if even the ocean itself trembled.
Zoro's face was drenched in sweat, his eyes reflecting both shock and awakening.
At that moment, he finally grasped the profound power of swordsmanship, a force that transcended everything he had ever known.
There was a time when he thought cleaving boulders and cutting steel was the pinnacle of swordsmanship, but now he realized he had merely been a frog at the bottom of a well.
Nearby, Luffy watched with a grave expression, his gaze fixed intently on the two locked in combat.
He thought to himself that if everyone in the Navy was this strong, then becoming the King of the Pirates would be an incredibly difficult challenge.
"Clang!" Another loud crash of metal. This time, Mihawk's Black Blade, Yoru, suddenly stopped its attack and was calmly sheathed.
"Huh?" Roy let out a slight sound of surprise; he hadn't expected the other to stop so abruptly.
"Let's end it here for today," Mihawk said, his voice cool and composed, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's, seemingly able to see through a person's mind.
"Your mind isn't here. Continuing this fight would be pointless."
Mihawk's words carried a hint of disdain, as if he had already seen that Roy wasn't giving it his all, merely engaging him on the level of swordsmanship.
When it came to swordsmanship, Mihawk had absolute confidence; he believed no one on these seas could surpass him in that regard.
Roy shrugged lightly, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips, and he too sheathed his sword.
"Mm, how terrifying. I just came out for some afternoon tea and a bit of exercise, that's all."
His tone was relaxed and casual, as if the fierce battle just moments ago had been nothing more than a post-meal pastime.
Mihawk didn't think much of it; he knew that a man as strong as Roy did as he pleased.
He gave a slight nod, accepting Roy's explanation.
"It's a pity not to have had a full-power duel with the youngest Marine Admiral," Mihawk said, turning coolly and boarding a small boat moored nearby.
Roy took the opportunity to withdraw, recalling the information his Wood Clone had finally transmitted back. This was his first time probing the secrets deep within the World Government since arriving in this world.
Even Admirals like them were still not privy to the true secrets of the World Government.
The Haki Imu had unleashed was as profound as an abyss, having completely broken through its limits to reach an unprecedented height.
To sit securely on the throne as the World Government's shadow ruler required strength of no ordinary caliber.
Recalling that moment, Imu had destroyed the Wood Golem technique with just a single strike.
Roy speculated that perhaps only Whitebeard, with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, could possess such devastating power.
Yet what Imu had demonstrated was achieved purely through his own Haki, a power that already surpassed the level of Marine Admirals and the Four Emperors.
"Could it be that Imu has truly succeeded in perfectly fusing Observation, Armament, and Conqueror's Haki, reaching a new realm?"
Roy's eyes sparkled with excitement, his desire for the Sharingan growing stronger.
He, too, needed to urgently seek the power of the Six Paths.
"This is getting more and more interesting," Roy muttered to himself.
As he thought this, his form flickered like light, instantly appearing before Luffy and Zoro with astonishing speed.
"Aaahhh!" Luffy was startled by Roy's sudden appearance; he hadn't even seen Roy move before he was right in front of them.
"Pirate, Straw Hat, you're under arrest."
Roy's voice was cold. As he spoke, a wave of terrifying, overwhelming Conqueror's Haki surged forth like a tidal wave, bearing down on Luffy and Zoro.
This Haki seemed to have a physical presence, causing even the sturdy ship's hull to sink slightly under its weight. Luffy and Zoro, facing this power directly, felt their entire bodies tremble instantly.
"Ah, damn it!" Luffy gritted his teeth, trying to resist the pressure, while Zoro was drenched in sweat, his face pale.
Roy lightly extended a single finger, a terrifying laser slowly gathering at its tip, aimed directly at Luffy.
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