"Pwah!"
After smashing a gigantic crater into the ground, Im opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood.
"What?!"
At this moment, Im couldn't help crying out in shock.
That Alex—
could he really be this powerful?
Powerful enough to instantly defeat him?
If Im hadn't personally experienced Alex's thunderous strike, he would never have believed such a thing.
He had been seriously injured by a single punch.
One had to understand—
Im's strength was far greater than that of the Five Elders.
If the Yonko were taken as a unit of combat power, then Im's strength was equivalent to ten Yonko!
A being of that level had been beaten into a miserable state by Alex.
Who could believe that?
Whoosh!
Just as Im struggled to leap out of the crater—
He saw Alex, the one who had sent him flying, already standing at the edge of the pit, though Im had no idea when he'd arrived.
Alex stood there calmly, looking down at him.
In his eyes was nothing but disdain.
As though he were looking at a weakling… a clown.
"So," Alex said lightly, raising an eyebrow,
"is my strength enough now?"
Under Im's shocked and furious gaze, Alex spoke in a casual tone.
"I never imagined that someone like you still existed on the seas—
a powerhouse so terrifying it makes people tremble."
Im wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. By now, he had regained his composure.
"I admit your strength. You are the first person I've ever truly acknowledged."
"But Alex, you're far too arrogant if you think this is all the Holy Land has!"
As he spoke, Im's confidence visibly returned.
He flipped his hand.
In it appeared a stone—crude in appearance, yet exuding a sense of profound antiquity.
Strange patterns were carved into its surface, patterns no outsider could understand, and faint light pulsed within.
Even someone blind could tell at a glance that this was no ordinary object.
"This is…?"
Alex's attention was drawn to it, his curiosity piqued.
What exactly was that stone, to give Im such confidence?
Crack!
A faint sound of something breaking rang out.
Im clenched the "stone" tightly in his hand, its sharp edges biting into his palm.
Blood immediately flowed from his hand and soaked into the stone.
Buzz!
The stone, which had only been faintly glowing, suddenly erupted with a dazzling crimson light.
An incomparably terrifying energy began to gather within it!
Rumble—!
The very next moment—
The entire Holy Land of Mary Geoise began to tremble.
Amid a world-shaking force, the whole of Mary Geoise was lit up.
Yes—lit up.
Massive "grooves" appeared out of thin air, each one glowing with brilliant crimson light.
Standing within Mary Geoise, one might not notice anything unusual.
But if one were to look down from the sky—
They would see that these "grooves" formed an incomprehensibly complex pattern.
Crackle! Crackle!
Whoooosh!
At the same time, Mary Geoise was suddenly engulfed by thunder and lightning, accompanied by terrifying hurricanes.
"Lightning… gales? Uranus?"
Alex narrowed his eyes, a realization dawning on him.
In his previous life, countless fans had speculated that one of the three Ancient Weapons—Uranus—was hidden in Mary Geoise.
It now seemed very likely.
No wonder—
Im had been beaten into existential despair just moments ago, yet suddenly regained such confidence.
So it was the so-called ceiling of combat power in the One Piece world—
One of the Three Ancient Weapons!
"Correct. It is Uranus."
Im did not deny it, his face icy cold.
"For nearly a thousand years, you are the first to behold Uranus again!"
So it truly was Uranus.
Alex suddenly understood—and couldn't help but feel a hint of surprise.
"So Uranus itself is Mary Geoise?"
"No mistake," Im said, his voice firm and resonant.
"Uranus is hidden within Mary Geoise. Mary Geoise is Uranus, and Uranus is Mary Geoise!"
"To die beneath Uranus is your honor."
"You're far too confident," Alex laughed.
Before his words had even faded—
His body blurred, transforming into a streak of light as he charged straight at Im once more.
Before Im could even react, he was sent flying again.
This time, Alex had used more force—
Enough, by all logic, to blow Im apart completely.
But—
Im wasn't blown apart.
He wasn't even injured.
Because the power of Uranus protected him.
Boom!
The ground shook violently as Im once again smashed into it, forming yet another crater.
He immediately leapt back out—completely unscathed.
This time, he didn't rush to attack Alex.
He simply stood there, staring coldly at him.
Crackle! Crackle!
At that very moment—
The skies above Mary Geoise erupted with countless bolts of lightning.
Each bolt stretched several kilometers long, brimming with supreme divine might, as if capable of tearing apart space and heaven itself.
Compared to this, Enel's ultimate move, Raigo, was nothing more than a joke.
Not even worth mentioning.
Even the Admirals or the Yonko would be struck with dread upon seeing such power.
The lightning alone was terrifying beyond measure.
Whoooosh!
Alongside the lightning came equally horrifying super-hurricanes.
Hurricanes powerful enough to shred mountains into dust with ease.
If not for Uranus' special protection, Mary Geoise would already have been blown away entirely.
Before such apocalyptic power—
Even a Yonko-level pirate crew would have no choice but to kneel.
Aside from the Yonko themselves, or special cases like Marco the Phoenix, everyone else would be instantly annihilated.
Even the Yonko would have no idea how long they could hold out.
Truly worthy of the name Ancient Weapon.
Indeed, its power was terrifying—
At least, by the standards of this world.
But in front of Alex?
It was impressive—deeply impressive—but still not enough to make him take it seriously.
Buzz!
With a thought, an immense psychic barrier formed in front of Alex once more.
The terrifying lightning and hurricanes were completely blocked outside.
It was as if a vacuum zone had formed around him.
For a moment—
Mary Geoise was a scene of chaotic storms and divine punishment,
yet Alex stood calmly at the center, unmoving.
The contrast was visually overwhelming.
"What?!"
"Even Uranus can't deal with him?!"
Im cried out in disbelief, unable to believe his own eyes.
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