The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

“So that’s why…” Gern’s hand gesture with the knife changed, from a slanted finger to a standard thrusting slash, causing the ground beneath his feet to crack inch by inch.

"You who are so high and mighty... seem to have it pretty easy too..."

"Kill him!"

The moment the words fell, Gern's figure transformed into a dark azure lightning bolt that tore through space!

The Eight Desolate Blades were aimed directly at Nasujuro's throat, and with the determination to end everything, they slashed out fiercely!

This strike will sever the opponent's head along with their obsession with "immortality"!

But precisely at the very moment the Eight Desolate Blades touched his body...

Nasujuro's pupils, which had been dilated with fear, suddenly underwent a strange change!

His pupils contracted sharply to the size of pinpoints, and then the whites of his eyes were shrouded in a deep darkness.

And in the center of that contracted pupil, a complex, dark red, cyclical pattern suddenly appeared!

The texture of the eyes slowly rotates, then freezes!

A will completely different from Nasujuro himself—cold, ancient, and supreme.

Through those eyes, it has arrived!

An invisible wave spreads out from the center.

The dark purple Conqueror's Haki lightning that had been tightly wrapped around the wound, suppressing its "immortality," was now...

The moment that wave swept through, it dissipated!

It's as if it never existed!

Immediately afterwards, Nasujuro's left side, which had been nearly cleaved in two by the Eight Desolations, teetered on the verge of collapse.

All tissues at the wound site healed and recovered instantly at a speed that defied logic and transcended time!

Not a single scar was left; it was completely intact!

At this moment, the Eight Desolations Blade unleashed by Gern had already touched the skin of Nasujuro's neck!

"Snapped!"

Two hands, which had been raised at some point, one on the left and one on the right, gripped the blade of the Eight Desolations sword with precision and strength!

Ignoring the blade that instantly sliced ​​into his palms, it cleaved straight through his wrists and forearms!

And so, with his own flesh and blood, in a way that was almost self-destructive, he forcefully stopped Gern's sure-kill strike!

It could not advance even an inch further!

"Those eyes..."

Gern's expression changed.

"This power...this feeling..."

At this moment, Nasujuro, who was holding onto the Eight Desolations (or rather, the being occupying this body at this moment), slowly and stiffly raised his head.

Those eyes, imbued with dark red reincarnation patterns, calmly gazed at Gern, who was standing close at hand.

A peculiar voice, neither male nor female, neither old nor young, with overlapping sounds and a hollow, echoing quality.

The words came slowly from Nasujiro's mouth, in a flat tone, without any emotional fluctuation.

"Hmm..."

The voice paused, as if confirming something, or stating a simple fact.

"They've arrived."

Im!

The ruler of the Empty Throne who has ruled the world for eight hundred years, the supreme deity of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, and an being known as "the Great One".

The so-called "supreme blessing" originates from and is maintained by this very... will that transcends everything!

The final enemy, in this unexpected way, appeared through Nasujuro's body.

At this moment... it has arrived!

At this moment, Gern felt as if his heart was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand!

Danger! Incomprehensible! Absolutely not an option to fight against!

Even Rocks, Roger, Garp, Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido at their peak

Even with six people working together, they couldn't kill him, and they might even have turned around and controlled Rocks' "thing"!

Is this the "existence" right before our eyes?!

The unknown has brought unprecedented fear!

Without the slightest hesitation! Not even a moment to think!

"Clang!!!"

Gern unleashed all his power from his wrist, and the Eight Desolations Blade suddenly spun and trembled!

He forcefully severed the hands that were tightly gripping the blade, which had already cut into the palm bones, at the wrist!

The severed hand did not fall off; instead, it transformed into two writhing, eerie black clumps of matter the instant it left the body.

Gern didn't even bother to take a closer look, and even abandoned the idea of ​​chasing or finishing off the enemy.

He slammed his feet into the ground, activated his shockwave, and retreated wildly backward at the fastest speed he had ever traveled!

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

Three consecutive high-speed flashes decisively created as much distance as possible between himself and "Nasujuro" (or rather, the Im Descendant).

Finally, it stopped on a relatively high, broken rock pillar at the edge of the island, its chest rising and falling slightly, its eyes fixed on the "figure" that slowly rose from the ground.

His breathing was rapid, even to his own surprise.

His hand, gripping the knife, had turned white from excessive force.

Deep within his eyes, which were always filled with confidence, disdain, or amusement, a certain emotion was now clearly reflected.

An unprecedented solemnity, apprehension, and a hint of... fear that even he himself was unwilling to admit!

This is not fear of the power gap, but an instinctive fear of a completely unknown, illogical being that seems to possess the ability to control life, death, and will!

It was the horror of the fact that "even a monster like Rocks could be manipulated!"

Guern's brain was working frantically, trying to analyze the situation, but there was too little information and too much unknown!

Nasujiro slowly straightened up, and the wounds on his severed wrists healed rapidly.

Then it turned its neck, making a slight "click" sound, and those inhuman eyes calmly looked again at the distant Gern who was on high alert.

That hollow, overlapping voice rang out again, its tone still completely flat.

"There is fear when faced with the unknown..."

"The correct response."

"But, facing it, it's useless."

As soon as he finished speaking, Im simply raised his right hand, which had just been "restored," and gently pointed his index finger toward the direction where Gern was.

There were no energy beams, no domineering impacts.

But Gern's expression changed, and his Conqueror's Haki erupted completely without reservation!

Meanwhile, the "Nassuro Saint" descended from Im has already taken a step, slowly and deliberately moving towards Genn.

“But you are qualified to speak with me.”

Chapter 574 Im's Temptation

"You are qualified..."

“Let’s talk, Mrs. Jang.”

"What do you want to talk about?" Gern asked in a deep voice, his tone tense as he forcibly suppressed his inner thoughts.

He held the Eight Directions horizontally in front of him, maintaining a defensive posture, but did not rashly attack or retreat.

When faced with a completely unknown entity that seems to possess the ability to manipulate will, being a reckless and impulsive young person is not a good choice.

Therefore, he now needs information, needs to understand this "enemy," even if it's just a few words.

Im did not answer Gern's question immediately.

Its gaze (it is more appropriate) seemed to shift slightly downwards, landing on the "Eight Desolations" weapon that Gern was tightly gripping in his hand.

"Tsk..."

A soft smacking sound.

"The relic of a loser?"

His tone was calm, yet it pierced through the veil of time, pointing directly to the former owner of this knife—Lox D. Giebeck!

According to Im, the legend who once intended to dominate the world and stir up a monstrous wave was merely a... "loser".

It seemed that he was not too surprised or interested in the fact that Locke's sword appeared in Gern's hands; he just mentioned it casually.

Gern pressed his lips together, remaining silent, but his gaze grew even more serious.

Ignoring Gern's silence and wariness, Im continued speaking in that inhuman voice:

"To be honest, Gern Reginald Sigmar..."

It called out Gern's full name for the first time.

"You surprised me a bit."

But then, the hollow voice added without any inflection, "...but it didn't stir any ripples in Mu's heart."

Gern's numerous feats over the years—stirring up the seas, transforming the navy, challenging the Four Emperors, and even defeating Nasujuro Sei—have been remarkable.

In Im's long history and experiences, he was nothing more than a slightly special but eventually subsided wave.

“Uncertainties can arise in military institutions like the navy…”

"It was bound to happen during the long years that Mu ruled this world."

It's just a matter of sooner or later.

"If Harald hadn't made that foolish mistake back then, he could have completely transformed Elbaf, the land of giants, into a military superpower of the World Government..."

“Then.” Im’s voice remained calm, yet it revealed an absolute control and ruthless judgment over “human resources” and “plans.”

"The Navy itself is a pawn that can be discarded at any time for Mu."

In Im's view, the Navy and even the World Government seem to be merely tools for maintaining "rule" and "balance".

Its existence depends on whether it is "useful" and whether it is "obedient".

What is called eight hundred years of order may just be a long and meticulous "management" in its eyes.

As Gern listened to these words, a chill ran through him, but he also gleaned some crucial information.

Elbaf

So Gern took a deep breath and forced himself to keep his voice steady.

Interrupting Im's monologue, which seemed to be immersed in the past and the macro narrative, he asked the core question.

"What exactly do you want to talk about?"

He needed to know that this "Lord of the Void Throne," who reigned supreme over all, had personally descended to stop him, not to immediately annihilate him, but to "talk"...

What exactly is its purpose?

Im's dark red eyes finally shifted from the Eight Desolations Blade and refocused entirely on Gern's face.

"talk……"

Im's voice trailed off slightly as he carefully chose his words.

"Your 'choice'".

"And, the true 'future' of this world."