Chapter 393: This Slash, Twenty-Two Years

Conqueror’s Haki is hailed as the mark of a king, said to awaken in only one out of millions.

And at this very moment in Mary Geoise.

Amid twenty-odd pillars of crimson-black lightning, two unmatched, nearly solidified bolts of lightning crashed together, splitting the sky.

Due to the overwhelming quality of Seven’s and Yimu’s Conqueror’s Haki, even the Morning Star Corps and the Five Elders’ Divine Knights were affected to varying degrees.

Not to mention everyone else.

Throughout Mary Geoise, not a single soul outside the combatants remained conscious; countless descendants of the Holy Land had their sinful lives cut short by the shockwaves of battle.

For these Celestial Dragons, such a death was far too merciful.

“Barzab Seven, Yimu acknowledges you.”

Since the battle began, Yimu had to admit: Seven was incredibly strong, and his endurance was unparalleled.

Despite this level of combat, Seven showed not a trace of fatigue—thicker-skinned than David Jones himself.

Yet even as Seven’s advantage grew clearer, Yimu felt no panic.

He was waiting—for Harald to arrive.

Then, he could seize the chance to possess Harald’s body, far stronger than this Lunaarian vessel.

And amid the chaos caused by possessing Harald, the success rate of Black Transfer Domination would be higher.

“Your acknowledgment?”

“Should I say I’m honored?”

Seven was waiting too.

Waiting for Harald and Loki to distract Yimu, creating the opening for Seven to unleash his fully charged Ultimate Mu-Xiang Slash.

A spontaneous Mu-Xiang Slash couldn’t inflict meaningful damage on Yimu; a fully charged Ultimate Mu-Xiang Slash took too long to execute—there was no opportunity to use it in a life-or-death battle against an opponent like Yimu.

In the end, his daily cultivation had been insufficient.

He always thought he was invincible, that thirty seconds of charging was trivial.

He always thought it was “close enough, close enough,” but at the critical moment, it was always just a hair short.

But against an opponent like Yimu, that one hair’s difference was the key to victory or defeat.

After this is over, Seven vowed he would integrate his Mu-Xiang Slash cultivation experience to over 100%, reaching its ultimate limit.

One slash, one mechanism monster.

The waiting time wasn’t long—or rather, Seven’s entire focus was on defeating Yimu, and he hadn’t noticed time passing.

“Whitehair, brother’s here to help you!”

Loki, smugly calling himself “brother,” ignored his own father Harald and others behind him, instantly shifting from aerial form to human shape, gripping his Iron Thunder Hammer’s haft with both hands, and diving straight down at Yimu.

“Eat this hammer, old man!”

The massive hammer, wrapped in ice, lightning, and dual Haki, came crashing down—but was blocked by Yimu’s long-bladed weapon.

At the same time, Yimu’s demonic spiked tail pierced Loki’s chest without warning.

“Black～Transfer～Domination!”

The expected demonic transformation did not occur; Yimu hovered midair atop black flame clouds, as if entirely expected.

“Nidhogg, long time no see.”

What truly surprised Yimu was: Garp showing up was understandable—he’d already beaten Yimu and Satan Saint in the Valley of the Gods.

But why was Sengoku here?

Was the Marine Commander-in-Chief, the Hero of the Marines, Sengoku, also Seven’s man?

“Rebels are naturally drawn to each other.”

Yimu scrutinized Seven once more.

This face, this body’s allure was truly great—even Sengoku, a staunch supporter of the World Government, had been corrupted.

The Five Elders were nothing but useless fools.

The Marine Commander-in-Chief, the Marine Hero, the Marine Admirals—all were Seven’s men, yet the Five Elders never noticed even a hint of anomaly.

Useless fools, that’s all they were.

At this moment, Kizaru, one hand gripping Garp, the other Sengoku, landed steadily beside Seven from above.

“Captain, we didn’t arrive too late, did we?”

Kizaru said “we.”

It included Harald and Loki from the Morning Star Corps, as well as himself, a formal member, and the Marine justice-bringers Garp and Sengoku.

“Perfect timing. I need thirty seconds.”

Upon hearing this, Harald, Loki, Kizaru, Garp, and Sengoku all moved at once.

Five more pillars of Conqueror’s Haki surged upward, merging into a thick, solidified bolt of lightning that collided with Yimu’s.

The old-school fighting style was always this direct.

No words, no nonsense—just slam two tons of Conqueror’s Haki right away.

All five possessed advanced mastery of Conqueror’s Haki—Haki that binds, the most effective counter to immortality and the most potent offensive method.

Together, they successfully held Yimu in place.

Seven hovered midair, one hand holding his sword before him, purple lightning gathering from the heavens, all striking the Dream One Sword.

Purple lightning plasma, solidified Conqueror’s Haki, flowing Armament Haki, ink-black demonic power, Lunaarian bloodline flame—all layered and fused into one.

As Seven began charging, Yimu felt for the first time: the inescapable terror of certain death locking onto him.

This move… will kill me?!

How is that possible? Isn’t Seven’s strongest move the one where he transformed into the Thunder God and obliterated Marineford with his Iron Thunder Hammer?

What is this now?

This guy hid his strength so well!

Seconds ticked by; Seven’s aura grew stronger, Yimu grew increasingly anxious, instinctively wanting to shift his consciousness into another vessel—but for some reason, a stubborn resolve rose within him.

Let’s try it. Just once!

Eight hundred years have passed without such an event—losing one vessel is nothing.

Yimu was betting that Seven couldn’t unleash this move continuously and without restraint.

If he truly could, Yimu would admit defeat.

Not only Yimu sensed the power of this slash—the mere overflow of sword qi from Seven made the Five Elders far away turn pale.

Saint Seven… is a ruthless man.

For all these years, the Five Elders had come to know Seven through conflict, believing they fully understood his strength—yet they never imagined he possessed such a move.

Won’t Lord Yimu be able to block it?

Come on, Lord Yimu!

At this moment, the Five Elders had no time to curse Sengoku, Kizaru, and Garp as traitors.

In fact, they felt a quiet relief—they were lucky they hadn’t contacted Sengoku, or they might already have been defeated.

Finally, with a series of crisp cracking sounds, the space around Dream One Sword shattered—as if the power Seven was about to unleash had exceeded the limits of this world.

The blade’s glow became blinding, impossible to look upon.

This slash fused all the power Seven had accumulated over twenty-two years traversing the Pirate World, along with his inner longing and will for freedom.

“Now, the moment of annihilation.”

The five men battling Yimu had already retreated frantically the instant Seven spoke, terrified of being caught in his attack.

In contrast, Yimu strangely stood his ground, gripping his long-bladed weapon, pouring all his strength into it, a mad gleam in his eyes.

He would test whether his absorption limit was higher—or whether Barzab Seven’s attack was stronger.

Boom～Boom～Boom～

As the blade descended, a massive mushroom cloud rose from Yimu’s position, splitting Mary Geoise cleanly in two.

Not only that.

The Red Line, the continent thousands of meters high that divided the Grand Line and split the Pirate World into four, was also cleaved in two by this slash.

The long-standing problem that had plagued this sea was severed by Seven’s single stroke.

Seeing this, Loki gripped his Iron Thunder Hammer, swallowed hard, and after a brief shock, his eyes burned with fierce battle lust.

I’ll challenge Whitehair once a day from now on!

When the dust settled, apart from the severed Red Line, the waters of Paradise and the New World surged violently—there was no trace of Yimu.

Garp seemed slightly unsatisfied.

“We… won?!”

Everything seemed to signal: Yimu was dead, Seven’s side had won.

Yet the instant Garp spoke, a shadow suddenly materialized out of thin air, its spiked tail piercing Garp before merging into Harald’s body.

“Black～Transfer～Domination!”

Seven knew: mechanism monsters always had a second phase—but it didn’t matter, as long as Yimu’s HP bar showed, and he’d already prepared for Black Transfer Domination.

Noble steed, dispel all external forces.