"But... why did you betray me??"
Imu gripped Joy Boy's neck, her body continuously radiating terrifying energy.
The level of this energy overwhelmed all forms of Haki and Devil Fruit abilities, like a boiling furnace of flames that distorted the very space above the entire G1 Base.
"Power of Rules!"
Caesar's massive body began to surge with crimson flames, the demon blood within him automatically boiling.
A shadow resembling a black sun appeared behind him, with twisting black tendrils continuously extending outward, attempting to devour the energy torrent emanating from Imu.
However!
"Unable to devour it? Why?"
Caesar's expression changed drastically.
He could clearly feel that this energy surrounding him was more powerful than anything he had ever encountered.
The devouring desire within him was also expressing an intense craving to consume it.
But when he activated his Devour Rule, he found himself blocked by this raging energy, as if something was stuck in his throat, unable to absorb even the slightest amount!
"She's a B-Class superhuman, a humanoid disaster renowned throughout the cosmos! You've just comprehended the Power of Rules, at most qualifying as C-Class, only capable of dominating on a planetary scale. Your Devour Rule cannot yet consume her energy!"
Joy Boy suddenly spoke, his neck melting like liquid under Imu's grip.
His entire body collapsed into a sticky rubber mass that shot over to Caesar and Roger before reforming his body.
"What the fuck is B-Class? C-Class?" Roger shouted through the raging energy torrent.
"This is the cosmic classification system for powerful beings."
"D-Class: Those who haven't comprehended rules but have awakened or obtained superpowers, or practiced martial arts or magic."
"C-Class: Those who have stepped into the threshold of Power of Rules, capable of surviving in vacuum with their physical bodies alone."
"B-Class: Humanoid disasters - given enough time, they can destroy a planet's surface with their bare hands."
"A-Class: Can punch through continental plates, shatter planetary cores, blow away oceans ten thousand meters deep with a single breath, destroy planets with bare hands, and won't be harmed even when approaching a star's surface!"
Caesar listened in utter shock.
He had thought his current power could completely overwhelm Admirals and Yonkos without any effort.
But compared to what Joy Boy described, he was still like an infant just learning to walk.
"What about above A-Class?" Caesar couldn't help but ask.
Joy Boy's face showed fanaticism and yearning.
"Above A-Class are the divine level, S-Class! Such powerful beings can traverse billions of miles through the cosmos with their physical bodies alone, pluck stars and grasp moons, shatter stars. When going all out, they can destroy an entire star system!"
"If a civilization gives birth to such a powerhouse, it can directly ascend to become a third-tier civilization in the universe!"
"Each of them is a terrifying existence renowned throughout the cosmos! They are the true overlords of the universe!"
"Go... gods?"
Roger's pupils dilated, his breathing becoming frantic.
Plucking stars, seizing moons, shattering suns!
Such feats could actually be accomplished by living beings!
Not far away, Imu turned around with an utterly cold expression, her gaze falling upon the trio led by Joy Boy.
"Correct! S-Class—condensing divine status, mastering laws, transcending all living beings, obtaining eternal life!"
She slowly approached empty-handed, without any weapon.
Yet the mere aura radiating from her was like a frenzied, boiling ocean, violently assailing the minds of Caesar and the other two.
"Once, my greatest dream was to reach this level!"
Her sharp eyes fixed on the three.
Ssshh ssshh ssshh.
Suddenly, numerous fine blood marks appeared on Roger's body, blood spurting out from them.
Roger was horrified.
Imu's gaze was like a blade, effortlessly slicing through the layers of Armament Haki covering his body and cutting his skin!
On Caesar's burly frame, many white marks appeared, but they did not split open.
His physique far surpassed Roger's by who knows how many times.
Though Imu was powerful, her gaze alone couldn't injure him.
Imu slowly raised her hand, directly pointing toward where the three stood.
"Joy! You destroyed everything! Now, I will cast aside that useless emotion, take out your heart, summon the celestial anchor of the Celestial Tribe Civilization, and once again tread the path toward eternity!"
The smile vanished from Joy Boy's face, replaced by boundless gravity.
With a furious roar, the pale flames above his head surged hundreds of times, filling the void before Caesar.
The raging flames brought not scorching heat, but an endless, ocean-like vitality!
"Attack!"
Joy Boy bellowed, already throwing a punch toward Imu's pointing finger.
BOOM!
The residual shockwaves from the clash between Imu and Joy Boy completely shattered the ground beneath them, countless massive fissures spreading toward the island's edge.
Panting heavily, Fujitora and Shiki simultaneously used their abilities, levitating a large piece of land and carrying all the severely injured as they frantically fled from G1 Base's island.
Destruction Rule power surged from Roger's body, halting his backward flight.
"Hey! Wait a minute!"
Caesar suddenly cursed loudly.
"That old hag wants your damn life, you old pervert! What's it got to do with us?"
Roger also had a sudden realization, shouting in agreement, "Yeah! Damn it, Joy Boy, you deserve to be killed by your ex! Caesar, let's get out of here!"
Joy Boy, barely holding his ground against Imu's casual strike, his face skin ruffled by the fierce winds, strained to yell.
"It's not that simple! If it were just my death to settle this grudge, I'd be more than willing to atone to the lives on this planet!"
"But you've misunderstood one thing—the Celestial Tribe Civilization's methods of resource extraction are far from gentle!"
Caesar's expression changed drastically, roaring, "What do you mean?"
"The Red Line! The latitude and longitude lines that split this planet in half are instruments used to extract the core energy of Blue Water!"
"My heart is indeed an anchor point that can summon the Celestial Tribe Civilization, but it requires sufficient energy to sustain it!"
"And the accumulated magma heat from billions of years within this planet's core is the best energy source!"
"When she begins to summon the cosmic anchor point of the Celestial Tribe Civilization, the Path to Heaven, this planet's energy will deplete at an extremely rapid rate!"
"Blue Water will head toward destruction!"
"By then, all life on this planet will wither and cease to exist!"
Joy Boy's roared words caused both Caesar and Roger to change their expressions simultaneously.
A sense of powerlessness surged within Caesar's heart.
This was a negative emotion he had never experienced before.
The gazes he and Roger directed at Imu were filled with furious killing intent.
Thousands of words converged in their hearts, condensing into a single word.
"Damn!!"