To be honest, it wasn’t that Saint Figarland Garling didn’t want to answer.

He simply didn’t know.

Among the three types of Haki, not one of his had ever surpassed its natural limit. The reason he could match the power of Rocks D. Xebec—or even surpass Prime Garp by a small margin—wasn’t due to Haki alone.

No…

Like Rocks before him, Garling had walked a different path.

His strength was a combination of advanced Haki, master-level swordsmanship, and—most importantly—his Devil Fruit ability.

The fruit he consumed was:

Paramecia-type: Godspeed Godspeed Fruit (Shinsoku no Mi)

A secret treasure hidden deep within the vaults of the Celestial Dragons, unknown to the world.

Though classified as a Paramecia, its effect on a swordsman was nothing short of divine.

The name said it all—Godspeed.

This fruit dramatically enhanced the user’s physical speed. Every movement, every swing of the sword, every projectile attack—they were all accelerated beyond natural limits.

The farther his attacks traveled, the more destructive the impact became, thanks to sheer momentum.

This was the true source of Garling’s overwhelming might.

But as for the true form of Kenbunshoku Haki and Haoshoku Haki beyond their ultimate thresholds… even he didn’t know.

The only thing he did know…

Was that it had something to do with the mysterious legacy of the Will of D.

What that connection truly meant, not even Imu-sama had ever revealed.

Yes.

All he had were fragmented whispers—half-forgotten tales shared casually by Imu in rare moments of leisure.

Tales that hinted at the deepest truths of this world…

— — —

Mariejois — The Flower Chamber

Deep beneath the Holy Land of Mariejois lay a sacred place, shrouded in mystery—The Chamber of Flowers.

A building woven entirely from eternal blossoms—flowers that never wilted.

And it was there that the true ruler of the world finally revealed herself.

A name known only to the highest echelons of the Celestial Dragons—

Gocilia D. Imu

She had lived for over eight centuries.

And more than that… she was the last known being to carry the name “D.”

But even that was only the beginning.

The true nature of Imu’s Will of D concealed something far deeper…

To uncover it, one would have to return—

To the ancient era.

— — —

Long, long ago—beyond even the Void Century—demons were real.

Terrifying creatures from the stars.

They came not as legends, but aboard an unmanned interstellar vessel, tearing through space and crashing into this world.

Each demon was monstrous and unique, wielding unfathomable powers.

Many fed on human souls.

To survive, ancient humans began developing powers of their own—the first awakenings of Haki.

Fortunately, only a handful of demons had arrived. And their strength was inconsistent. A few were terrifying, rivaling even the power of today’s Yonko—true Kings among monsters.

But the demons didn’t stand united.

They clashed amongst themselves.

Some even befriended humans.

And in time, humanity discovered a critical weakness:

Demons feared seawater.

This was the beginning of hope.

With infighting among demons and the element of the sea on their side, mankind managed to endure.

Until, 800 years ago…

The birth of a child changed everything.

— — —

Gocilia D. Imu

The first human in history to surpass the limits of all three Haki types.

She didn’t just master them—she combined them.

That fusion became a new force entirely:

Colorless Haki

Eight centuries passed, and not a single soul had ever reached that height again.

Until now.

Until a foreigner from another world arrived—Tachibana Kyūjō.

— — —

Thanks to Colorless Haki, Imu led humanity in an all-out war against the demons.

And the tide began to shift.

But…

Even her strength had limits.

Some demons were simply too powerful. Even Imu’s unmatched might wasn’t enough.

Mankind needed more time—perhaps centuries more—to truly overcome the threat.

Until one day… Imu found it.

The spaceship.

The very one the demons had arrived in.

And what she discovered within shattered everything.

A log of extinction.

The demons’ home planet—destroyed.

Its people—annihilated.

The demons had devoured them all… and now they were searching for their next meal.

Imu, with her unparalleled Kenbunshoku Haki, read the ship’s data—despite its foreign language.

And there, she uncovered the truth behind everything…

— — —

Every demon possesses a natural weakness, formed by the will of the planet they inhabit.

On their old world, it was sunlight.

Here, a planet of oceans?

It became seawater and Seastone.

But that wasn’t all.

Imu found something even more terrifying.

A futuristic weapon—a silver rifle bathed in alien technology.

A gun that could transform demons into… fruits.

And so began the harvest.

Imu hunted the demons one by one, turning them into Devil Fruits.

Eventually, someone—perhaps by accident—ate one.

And the power of the demon within awakened.

So did its curse.

They gained the demon’s abilities. But also inherited its weakness to the sea and Seastone.

From that moment on, the war shifted once again.

With the power of the Devil Fruits, humanity pushed the demons to extinction.

Victory seemed within reach.

But then…

Imu made a choice.

A pact.

— — —

The last great demon—Azazel, a fallen angel-type from the Mythical Zoan class—offered Imu a deal:

Immortality, in exchange for becoming one with him.

And Imu said yes.

Her immortality wasn’t due to the Ope Ope no Mi. That was just a public lie.

The truth?

She fused with a demon’s soul.

And became half-human, half-demon.

But every contract comes with a price.

The kind, gentle girl who once fought to save mankind…

Became something else.

Ruthless. Cold. Tyrannical.

She united the twenty strongest kingdoms.

Granted Devil Fruits to their rulers.

And created the World Government.

She sat upon the Void Throne, cloaked in secrecy, commanding the world from the shadows.

History was rewritten.

The truth was buried.

And those twenty kingdoms became the Celestial Dragons.

The elite who would rule for the next 800 years…

— — —

As for the Will of D, the Nika Nika no Mi, and the truth about Joy Boy?

(Heh… I’ll make something up in the next chapter.)

Imu-sama, huh?

If Oda won’t write it—

I will!

I’ll forge the missing truth with everything I’ve got!!

— — —

Back to Whole Cake Island

A shriek tore through the sky.

Like the dying scream of a wild boar stabbed through the gut.

“AAAAGGHHH! It HURTS!!”

Big Mom howled in agony.

The sound echoed for miles—reaching Katakuri in the distant sky.

Flying beside Shanks and Whitebeard, his eyes went wide.

He recognized that voice.

It was his mother.

But never once in his life…

Had he heard her scream like that.

Could it be… she was truly wounded?

Whitebeard heard it too.

“Marco! Think you can go faster? Sounds like Linlin’s in trouble!”

Even the veteran Yonko looked confused.

He knew how absurdly durable Big Mom was.

What the hell could’ve hurt her like that?

— — —

In the skies above the battlefield—

Big Mom opened her bloodshot eyes.

She hadn’t passed out.

Not yet.

Activating Soru Soru no Mi, she began burning her body fat to regenerate.

The massive wound across her belly began to seal itself shut.

Her figure shrank, slimming down into a muscular old woman.

But the wound? Gone.

Fully healed.

Then she raised her voice and roared:

“Kaido!!”

Still clashing midair with Garp, Kaido glanced downward.

“You alright, Linlin?”

Honestly, handling Garp solo wasn’t that bad—as long as the old man didn’t suddenly go full Kyūjō-mode and start slicing through dragons in one hit…

“Let’s do it,” Big Mom said.

She tossed Napoleon, her sword, into the air behind her—signaling the start of a combined attack.

“Got it,” Kaido grinned.

He twirled his kanabo into ready position.

In an instant, both Yonko began channeling their Conqueror’s Haki—

Crackling lightning danced across the sky as their auras collided and merged into a swirling storm above.

Tachibana Kyūjō watched silently.

His eyes narrowed, focused.

He’d seen this technique in the manga before…

Hakai.

(Conquest of the Sea)

But in the manga?

That attack wasn’t wrapped in Conqueror’s Haki.

This version…

Was going to be far worse.

— — —

Author’s Note:

Hey, don’t flame me guys! 😂 I told you this was AU! If the lore starts spiraling out of control, I apologize in advance. 😅

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep