Im raised her right hand, palm open toward Vane. Black gloves covered her hand, concealing any hint of ability. At first glance, there was nothing remarkable about it. Vane felt no surge of energy—no signal of danger.
An invisible force blasted into him, launching him back like a cannonball. His body skidded midair before halting sharply, twenty centimeters above the ground. He steadied himself.
"That wasn't impact," he muttered. "That was repulsion."
Suspended midair, Vane narrowed his eyes. Something was off about Im's power. It wasn't a simple physical strike.
Im's fingers curled slightly—not tightly, but with purpose.
Suddenly, a powerful force latched onto Vane, as if unseen ropes had wrapped around his limbs. He was hurled upward, then slammed hard into the ground, cracking stone and soil.
Vane's tone darkened. He could feel it—Im's ability manipulated force itself. Gravity? Traction? Control? A power over motion, over energy... over him?
"Some kind of force manipulation... but she actually controlled me."
Forming seals with his hands, Vane summoned the power surging within him. He focused, channeling everything through his core.
"[Great Fire Release: Hellfire Burst]!"
A torrent of searing flames erupted from his mouth, cascading forward like a blazing tidal wave aimed straight at Im.
"Hmph." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ɴoᴠel Fɪre.nᴇt
Im scoffed, not even blinking. The hold on Vane's body disappeared the moment the flames launched. From behind the blaze, Vane barely glimpsed her motion—she tilted her right hand to the side, subtle but sharp.
The flames abruptly veered off-course, pulled as if obeying her will. What had been a firestorm racing toward her now crashed into the building beside her, redirected like a diverted river.
It was as though she had raised a dam midstream.
"Such control over power…"
Vane's thoughts were sharp. The [Hellfire Burst] was no ordinary flame—it was a version once used by Madara himself, powerful enough to level forests born from [Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence].
And yet, Im had redirected it with a single hand.
He saw it—her hand trembled faintly. She wasn't unaffected.
Still, the building beside her ignited, roaring with fire. Flames consumed it, turning calm into chaos once more.
What a terrifying woman.
"Become my slave, boy," Im declared, voice echoing like divine decree. Her tone wasn't a suggestion—it was law. The command of a god to a mortal.
In an instant, he reappeared right in front of her. His fist, cloaked in wind pressure, cut through the air and aimed straight for her face.
He didn't care how beautiful she was—he'd treat her like any other enemy.
Im blocked it—but the sheer force drove her back five full steps.
Vane followed through. There was no point in banter anymore.
His next punch pulsed with the might of the [Tremor-Tremor Fruit], the legendary Devil Fruit once wielded by Whitebeard. His fist drove into Im's stomach with devastating pressure.
She winced, brows twitching from the blow. But her body held strong.
It was like striking Kaido.
"So you've lived long enough to have skin as thick as Big Mom or Kaido."
He smirked. "You're not married, right? Then again, maybe no one wants to marry a woman with skin like stone."
The jab hit deeper than his punch. Im's eyes narrowed sharply.
"This is only a temporary defense! Don't confuse it with being thick-skinned, brat!"
Her fury was unmistakable. No woman wanted to be compared to Big Mom.
"You're the one who should die," Vane shot back, voice like ice. "Become my slave instead. When I rule the world, I'll cast you down from that throne—and wipe out everything you built."
His next blow landed before she could answer. The force of the quake-infused punch sent Im flying, crashing through a marble building behind her. The ground shattered, tremors rippling in all directions.
Dust and debris filled the air.
When it settled, Im emerged from the rubble, crown lost, clothes torn, red hair loose and wild. Dust clung to her, but as she rose, an invisible pulse radiated from her body. The dirt vanished in an instant. Her appearance returned to perfection, and her hair fell neatly behind her like flowing silk.
A soft light shimmered from her frame.
"That boy… I'll make him suffer worse than death. He'll be my pet!"
Her voice dripped with venom.
Both hands still gloved—until now.
She peeled the gloves from her fingers and tossed them aside. Her white palms gleamed under the crimson sky.
Before the gloves even hit the ground—she vanished.
Dust shot upward, disturbed by the speed of her movement.
In that next breath, the very sky bled.
The world turned blood red. Space fractured.
Blood-red lightning tore through the air like veins of rage, and pressure surged as though the heavens themselves were collapsing.
Im's power had been released.