The abrupt voice gave Roger a huge fright.
Because this voice not only echoed in his ears but also resounded in his mind, appearing incredibly eerie.
At this moment, not only him but everyone on the island heard this voice in their ears and minds—a tone carrying three parts aloofness, six parts authority, and one part indignation.
Immediately, Caesar and Roger grew alert, scanning their surroundings in all directions.
Yet they found no trace of any strangers approaching.
Buzz...
The two unleashed their powerful Observation Haki perception.
Caesar's expression shifted slightly.
Nothing at all!
Roger tightened his grip on the long sword in his hand.
With his ability to Listen to the Voices of All Things, anything he wished to know would typically be laid bare without concealment.
But now, no matter how he employed this ability, he couldn't detect the newcomer.
Joy Boy rose from the sunken crater in the ground, the drumming in his heart healing the severe injuries from being besieged by the crowd, and fixed his gaze on an empty space before him.
A gentle smile surfaced on his face, his voice exceptionally tender.
"Im—"
Slap!
A pale arm materialized out of thin air, striking his mouth fiercely and cutting off the words he was about to utter.
Joy Boy's body spun like a top dozens of times in mid-air before drilling into the ground like a drill bit, leaving only his head exposed.
His cheek swelled instantly.
Roger shuddered and quietly hid behind Caesar.
Then, under the collective gaze of everyone, a tall, slender female figure materialized from emptiness into solid form, appearing directly before them all.
She was an extraordinarily beautiful woman.
Her face was smooth and fair, exuding a sharp, cold elegance,
with a high nose bridge and authoritative eyes that naturally radiated the dignity of a superior.
Her figure possessed the perfect proportions of an ancient mythological goddess, and even the loose purple gown she wore couldn't conceal her stunning physique.
Caesar couldn't help but scrutinize the woman before him.
"Is this Imu?"
This woman was the ruler of the world nobles, the Celestial Dragons, the root of eight hundred years of calamity on this planet, the origin of all turmoil.
Though Imu stood mere steps away, no matter how Caesar utilized his Observation Haki—which had reached the level of foreseeing the future—he couldn't sense even a trace of her presence.
Perhaps sensing Caesar's gaze, Imu glanced at him.
Her eyes were like those of a lofty deity looking down upon ants on the ground.
After a brief look at Caesar, she shifted her focus to Joy Boy.
As for the others, Imu showed not the slightest interest.
"Joy, you've finally awakened. Do you know how long I've waited for this day? Eight hundred years—such a long time, it accounts for the vast majority of my life."
"I'm sorry..."
Joy Boy opened his mouth, a hint of apology on his face.
Imu continued speaking as if to herself.
"The mothership encountered an accident on another planet in this star system, leaving us stranded here."
"Without the mothership, even though I've reached B-Class superhuman, I cannot traverse billions of miles of cosmic void with my physical body alone."
"Eight hundred years—such an extensive period. With my talent, had I been in my homeland, I would have long reached A-Class, peak A-Class, or even had the potential to surpass A-Class and lead the Celestial Tribe Civilization to ascend to a Tier 3 Cosmic Civilization!"
"But being trapped on this resource-scarce, talent-deficient, technologically barren indigenous planet has utterly shattered my dreams."
A glistening teardrop slid from the corner of Imu's eye.
Her majestic yet tragically beautiful face appeared so pitiable at this moment.
Like a true goddess shedding tears, it made people instinctively want to protect her.
At this moment, everyone's mood turned sorrowful and indignant.
Caesar was inwardly astonished.
"This woman's emotions can influence those around her!"
Even he was no exception, feeling a sudden urge to hold Imu in his arms and comfort her properly.
Imu extended her alabaster-white finger, lightly lifting it upward.
Joy Boy's body rose from the soil and floated toward her.
With loving eyes, she caressed Joy Boy's face, her gaze filled with infatuation, anger, resentment, and sorrow.
"Although the mothership has lost contact, I'm not without hope of returning home."
"Every Celestial Being who has cultivated the creation rule is a key to the celestial ladder leading home."
"Their hearts are tools to call upon the Celestial Tribe Civilization and activate the positioning anchors left in the cosmic starscape."
"That's why every mothership carries someone like you as a contingency tool."
As Imu spoke, her gaze suddenly became exceptionally tender, and her caress of Joy Boy's cheek grew increasingly gentle.
"But who could have imagined I would fall in love with a playboy like you?"
"You're handsome and elegant, with outstanding temperament, speaking gently and courteously, yet erudite and talented. Completely different from those who only know how to flatter me, their eyes filled with possessiveness and sycophancy."
"Those years spent in this world were the most beautiful time of my life."
"For this love, I could even abandon my noble identity as a Lester royal, abandon that dream of pursuing eternal life."
"I was willing to stay on this barren indigenous planet with you, teaching the Celestial Tribe's culture, technology, and supernatural abilities to those lowly ants."
"But..."
The sky suddenly darkened, thick clouds having unknowingly covered the heavens.
Palm-sized crystalline snowflakes slowly drifted down from the sky.
Across dozens, even hundreds of miles of sea, the temperature plummeted wildly.
Within the dark clouds, thunder dragons hundreds of meters long appeared, weaving through them with ferocious postures.
Imu suddenly gripped Joy Boy's neck, the circles in her pupils contracting as terrifying, heaven-like majesty erupted from her petite form.
BOOM!
A circular shockwave instantly swept across Marine Headquarters' island.
The towering buildings and ruins, along with the thirty-meter-high steel walls mixed with seastone surrounding the island, were all obliterated by the shockwave.
The island became perfectly flat.
Everyone standing near Imu, including Caesar, was sent flying as if struck head-on by a meteor.
Both Kizaru and Crocodile were vomiting blood, their chests deeply sunken.
Crocodile's eyes showed confusion and horror.
"I... I'm a Logia user! Why would this non-haki shock injure me?"
In an instant, everyone was sent flying by the outburst of Imu's aura.
Those pirates whose strength fell below elite Vice Admiral level didn't even have time to scream before their bodies shattered into nothingness.
As for Doflamingo, Crocodile, Yamato, Momousagi, Yasopp, and Lucky Roux - they were directly severely wounded and fell unconscious.
The Admiral/Yonko-level combatants who once proudly roamed the New World now vomited blood one after another, their faces pale as gold paper as they collapsed to the ground.
Only Caesar and Roger, after being sent flying dozens of meters, slammed their feet into the ground with a thunderous impact, halting their backward momentum.
They exchanged glances, both seeing the disbelief in each other's eyes.
Imu was actually this powerful!