Paper Paper Fruit In One Piece

…?! 

In that moment, everyone froze— 

From Sengoku and Garp, who had been putting on their little act… to the Marines who had been going easy… to the only one actually fighting seriously—Akainu. 

After all, even in their wildest dreams, none of them had ever imagined someone punching Imu in the face— 

BOOM!! 

"Wait, STOP!!" 

Akainu, now sporting a fresh black eye from Luffy's punch, backed away clutching his face. 

These damn kids have no respect! Didn't he see I already stopped fighting?! And he still sucker-punched me… 

"Why'd you stop fighting?" 

Seeing Luffy's clueless expression, Akainu wanted nothing more than to roast his face off with a Hellhound attack! 

But now wasn't the time to deal with this "Pirate King"—because— 

"Neo, you're still as…" 

With a slow breath, Imu—who had just taken a punch to the face—closed their eyes. 

And in that instant— 

Every strong fighter in the plaza went pale! 

Even without Observation Haki, their instincts were screaming at them— 

DANGER IS COMING. RUN—

"Watch out!" 

"Defend, now—" 

Swish, swish, swish! 

Luffy, Garp, Sengoku, the three Admirals, the Five Elders... everyone moved at the same time! Armament Haki spread out like towering walls, forming layer upon layer of defense! The only difference was that some were protecting the Marines, others were shielding the Straw Hat Crew, and some were simply— 

Trying to protect themselves! 

"HEARTLESS AAAAHHHH!!!" 

In the next instant, a terrifying scream, filled with anger, pain, and resentment, exploded without mercy. It tore through the air of the Holy Land Mariejois, spreading like ripples on water, shaking everything in its path. 

"My lord—" 

In that moment, the nearby guards and men in black suits couldn't even finish a sentence before they were swallowed by the shockwaves—a combination of Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, Soul powers, Tremor powers, and Noise abilities. 

Armor shattered, clothes disintegrated! In less than 0.1 seconds, the guards were torn apart like sand sculptures in a storm. Their flesh instantly turned into a red mist, their bones crumbling to dust a moment later! From the throne at the center, everything in the area was obliterated under the violent shockwaves and Haki, completely erased from existence! 

If Big Mom's crazy shriek at Whole Cake Island was like a downpour, then Imu's scream now was a world-shattering tsunami! It wasn't just flesh that was destroyed—even steel and buildings cracked, crumbled, and shattered under her terrifying roar. 

It was like a nuclear explosion carried by sound waves! Even though everyone present was incredibly strong, this kind of attack—no, this outburst—was too overwhelming. They were barely holding on, but— 

"BREAK FOR ME!" 

Facing the terrifying scream head-on, Neo showed no fear! He threw a punch, his arm wrapped in swirling ice, fire, lightning, and earth—four elements clashing and merging into a jet-black energy wave! As he swung, the power not only pushed back Imu's sound waves but also—CRACK—shattered the so-called "invincible" barrier in front of her! 

Then— 

"100x Elemental Annihilation Fist!" 

An uppercut! Neo stepped forward and drove his fist straight into Imu's left chest—a direct hit to the heart! The devastating blow cut off her scream instantly. At the same time, Neo switched his power to Tremor, his fist glowing with the force to shatter everything. Even Imu couldn't just shrug off a punch like that— 

BOOM! 

As the throne behind Imu exploded into rubble, a deep blue light shot up from below, wrapping around her in an instant! Neo quickly jumped back, knowing— 

"The Distant Utopia?" 

The blue light looked like liquid but was actually layers upon layers of shifting, rippling space barriers! Not only did they provide a near-impenetrable defense, but each layer was a separate dimension created by her ability, absorbing damage as a buffer. And if someone got caught between these spaces— 

They would be sliced apart, literally torn to pieces. 

Imu was still standing there, but the "distance" between her and the others had stretched to thousands of kilometers! Unless someone had the ability to break or bypass space itself, no attack could reach her! 

"Tch, this is my own fault, but facing my own 'invincible' power combo is really..." 

"But oh well." 

Looking at the furious yet well-protected Imu, Neo calmly spread his arms and traced a circle in the air. 

"Even after all these years, your temper is still the same." 

It might sound like a long exchange, but in reality, only a few seconds had passed. From the moment Roman downed a bottle of strong liquor, to Neo stepping in and slapping Imu in the face, to Imu unleashing her devastating attack, and finally Neo landing a heart-stopping punch—it had all happened in the blink of an eye! 

With the terrifying sound wave gone, everything around Imu's shattered throne had been wiped from existence, leaving a lifeless wasteland stretching for miles. 

Everything had turned to dust, except for a dozen frozen figures in white suits. Their skin had turned a dull, lifeless gray. As Neo snapped his fingers, these CP0 elites collapsed silently. 

Armament Haki had protected their bodies, but their souls had already been erased by Imu's scream, leaving behind nothing but empty shells. 

"Thanks for helping me clean up the trash." 

"You... you're Neo!" 

Not the cautious, wary "Roman" from before, but the real Neo from 800 years ago! No wonder he understood her temper so well, deliberately provoking her into unleashing a reckless attack that killed her own subordinates. 

"A bunch of nobodies." 

As for the CP0 agents she had just lost, Imu only let out a cold snort, regaining her usual composure and elegance. 

"Neo, even if you and 'Joy Boy' join forces again, it won't change anything!" 

"At least this time, we're not 'poisoned,' right?" 

 "...Hey, who are you?" 

Luffy had returned to the battlefield, having used his Haki to block Imu's scream and protect the rest of the Straw Hat Crew. Now, he was glaring at Neo with frustration. 

"Where did you take Roman?!" 

"...Luffy." 

Neo glanced at the reincarnation of his old friend. Then, the wild and unrestrained energy he carried settled slightly as he lowered his gaze. 

"I'm Neo. Roman let me come out to settle my unfinished business." 

"Now then—nice to meet you." 

Neo stretched out a hand. 

Luffy hesitated for a second, then nodded, as if he had understood something.

"Looking forward to working with you." 

Their hands clasped together. 

——— 

"Ptooey, ptooey—ah, right! I don't have a tongue~~ Yohohoho~~" 

Brook stood up from the explosion that felt like a nuclear blast. He shook his afro first, then suddenly realized— 

"Everyone! I figured out how to wake Roman u—?!" 

"It already started over there." 

Covered in blood, Usopp pointed his thumb toward the center of the explosions rumbling in the distance. Brook's jaw literally dropped with a *crack!* 

"Eh? Eh?! Wait! Doesn't that mean I— Hold on, Usopp, how did you wake Roman up?" 

"Alcohol. What else?" 

At this point, it was better to just let Roman go wild—cough, cough—have him rampage as a neutral force and throw everything into chaos. In fact, not only did he avoid hurting allies, but he even managed to perfectly counter the enemy. 

"That's not Roman." 

Nami shook her head. This situation confirmed what Trafalgar had said before. 

"That's Neo—the Roman from 800 years ago. Another 'soul' sleeping inside Roman's body. That's why he acts crazy when he's drunk." 

In the past, Roman wasn't strong enough, so even when Neo awakened, he could only move by 'instinct.' And Neo's instincts were— 

"Baaahaha~~" 

"True warriors defy fate! Today, I'll fight you till you drop!" 

"With the two strongest men from two different eras teaming up, even you will fall, Imu!" 

Fighting while throwing out dramatic lines—it was the ultimate example of a battle-crazy teenager in action. 

Of course, this was no ordinary teenager. This was one whose strength had reached an absolutely terrifying level. 

——— 

This is… 

"BIG NEWS! THIS IS EARTH-SHAKING NEWS!!" 

While everyone else was still confused or busy helping their kings and masters, only Morgans got up full of energy. He grabbed his camera Transponder Snail and immediately started a live battlefield broadcast. 

"Everyone, this is the World Economic News reporting to you live from the battlefield!" 

Since Im's earlier outburst had destroyed all the nearby camera snails, Morgans' personal one—protected by his Haki—quickly connected to other signal points worldwide. Then— 

"I'm 'Big News' Morgans, and today's wedding has been full of twists and turns! First, the reveal of the Celestial Dragons' god, undefeated for 800 years! Then, the newly crowned 'Pirate King' and his crew storming the wedding! Then, the Marine Admiral groom mysteriously passing out! And now—" 

"The groom has joined forces with the Pirate King to battle against the Celestial Dragons' god!" 

"The fight is unbelievably intense! Forget about the camera snails—even the top fighters present can't get involved—" 

?! 

As Morgans passionately continued his broadcast, the dazed and battered Five Elders finally snapped back to their senses. 

"Why are you all just standing there?!" 

Luffy and Neo were already locked in a fierce battle against Im! 

Luffy's Conqueror's Haki-coated attacks and Neo's dimensional-splitting fists were actually breaking through Im's layers of defenses. But on the other side— 

"Akainu! Take the Marines and assist Lord Im!" 

Hearing the order from the Five Elders, Akainu, who was biting down on his cigar, remained motionless. The glowing tip of his cigar cast a blood-red light on his stern face. 

"Gentlemen… Lord Imu is unrivaled in this world. What help could he possibly need from us?"

"Besides, our Marines are either old men or blind men. We can't even keep up with Imu's battle pace..." 

??? 

"Akainu, are you rebelling?" 

Faced with the Five Elders' questioning, Akainu simply shook his head calmly. 

"Why would I? I am the Fleet Admiral. Who would I rebel against? Myself? 

All Marines, listen up! Help the injured on the battlefield! These are high-ranking officials from different nations—handle them with care!" 

As the Vice Admirals and Admirals started pretending to help evacuate the injured, the ones who stayed behind were— 

"Meow-hahaha, now this is interesting~~" 

"Shut up." 

Zou's Duke Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, and their heavily armed Musketeer Squad had come fully prepared for this battle. 

The "Fighting King" Elizabello II began throwing punches into the air, gathering power like a boxer charging up for a knockout blow. 

"Rebecca, Viola, you two go first." 

Standing firmly on one leg, wearing a red cape and gladiator armor, Kyros braced himself. 

"So... the day has finally come?" 

The three princes of Fish-Man Island and the captain of the Sun Pirates, Aladdin, stood their ground. 

"Princess Vivi, don't act on impulse." 

Bellemere and Chaka, in their half-beast hybrid forms, flanked Vivi protectively, shielding her from harm. 

"Hahahaha, a fight!" 

Prince Loki of the Giants let out a hearty laugh and casually pulled out his... staff. 

Although calling it a "staff" was a bit misleading—it was a weapon the size of a house, reinforced with Seastone and covered in sharp spikes. 

"Where there's battle, the Giants will never be left out!" 

At the same time, hidden masters from various kingdoms, royal guards, and elite warriors all chose to stay. Their bodies radiated Haki, muscles tensed, clearly not just here to watch. 

"You... are all betraying us?!" 

Hearing the Five Elders' enraged roar, Neo's wild laughter echoed across the entire Holy Land of Mary Geoise. 

"Imu! Back in the days of chaos, when the people were still ignorant, Joy Boy and I proposed a vision of unity for the world... cough cough, let's just say a fair and just society. 

Maybe we rushed things back then, and we failed. No one to blame but ourselves. But—" 

Drawing a circle in the air, Neo grinned at the dark-faced Imu. 

"But now, civilization on the seas has reached the Industrial Revolution, while you're still clinging to a system of slavery? 

Right now—" 

"It's you who's about to be swept away by history!" 

Of course, this was just Neo running his mouth. His real goal? 

"So, all of you are choosing to go against me?" 

Imu's cold gaze swept over the Marines, the strongest warriors of various royal families, and the Straw Hat Crew. 

To Imu, anyone who dared defy her orders was the enemy! 

And now, she—and the Celestial Dragons she represented—stood alone against the entire world! 

Even though the Marines and the royals were still hesitant, merely observing the situation... 

"Fine. If that's what you want—" 

"I will destroy this world!!" 

(End of Chapter)