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"Fire the cannons! Just hold him back for now!" Saint Jaygarcia Saturn ordered.
Instantly, a barrage of cannonballs rained down on Shin, who finally turned his gaze toward the distant artillery.
"Ah, I almost forgot about you little pests."
Shin unleashed a terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki. The ground itself cracked and split under the force as countless men collapsed, knocked unconscious instantly. Some didn't just pass out—they died on the spot. Such was the overwhelming power of his Haki.
"Did you really think that cannon fodder could ever threaten me?" Shin asked, gripping the Shodai Kitetsu as he faced Saint Jaygarcia Saturn.
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On the deck of the Pluton, Hancock was swooning, her hands clasped to her cheeks.
"Shin is so amazing! As expected of my husband, he's completely dominating the Five Elders!"
"Are you having another one of your fangirl moments?" Robin asked, glancing at Hancock with an amused sigh.
Hancock didn't even bother to reply, her eyes glued to Shin.
"Looking at this, it's pretty clear he doesn't need our help at all," Nami commented. "I feel like we could've just stayed home."
"If you want to help, Nami, I can personally send you down there," Kalifa offered with a cool smile. "Would you like that?"
"Heh, I'll pass. Those old men are no joke. Well, only four of them now."
Nami shook her head. She wasn't a fool—she knew her own limits. Jumping down there would be suicide. Besides, would she really be helping? Or would she just be a liability? Nami had no intention of dragging Shin down.
"Kalifa, turn the Pluton around," Hancock suddenly ordered. "Let's try firing a shot at those buildings."
Those opulent structures were the residences of the Celestial Dragons. Seeing them standing so grandly—and knowing they didn't belong to her crew—Hancock felt no reservations about blowing them to smithereens.
"Understood." Kalifa nodded, using her Float-Float Fruit to pivot the massive warship, aiming its main cannon at the distant architecture.
"Let's blow those pathetic cowards to kingdom come. I'd like to see them try and block a shot from the Pluton."
A single shot from the Pluton could easily obliterate an island. While it might not be enough to destroy all of the Holy Land, it could certainly wipe out half of it.
A cannonball flew from the Pluton, soaring unimpeded until it slammed into Mary Geoise. The entire Holy Land shuddered from the impact.
"Whoops, looks like you blew it up," Shin remarked, glancing at the distant, now-ruined structures. A huge chunk of the Holy Land had been reduced to rubble.
"Damn you!" The Five Elders went ballistic. Imu was in there!
They knew Imu wouldn't be harmed, but the blast would undoubtedly reach them. If Imu decided to hold them accountable, they'd be finished.
The Elders were thinking too far ahead. At a time like this, they were still worried about that? Had it not occurred to them that they were about to die?
That single cannonball had likely killed countless Celestial Dragons.
Shin had originally planned to use a Super Shinra Tensei to level the entire Holy Land, but it seemed his crew had beaten him to the punch.
"Imu-sama will never let you get away with this! You're a dead man, Shin Uzumaki!" Saint Marcus Mars snarled, his eyes fixed on Shin.
"Oh, really? Actually, I'm quite curious about this Imu myself. Why don't you tell me about them?" Shin asked, completely unfazed.
The overall power level of this world had its limits. As strong as Imu might be, could they really possess the power to destroy the entire world? If that were the case, Shin might take them seriously. But could Imu really be that powerful?
"You dare disrespect Imu-sama?? No matter how strong you are, Shin Uzumaki, there's only one path for you—death!"
Saint Topman Warcury roared and charged, his fist like iron as he threw a punch at Shin.
"I don't know if I'll die, but I'm certain you will," Shin said calmly.
He swung his blade toward the charging Elder. Seemingly anticipating the attack, Saint Topman Warcury—whose Observation Haki had reached the level of future sight—was instantly enveloped in a suit of jet-black armor.
It was a full-body hardening of Armament Haki, an impenetrable defense that not even a swordsman like Mihawk could hope to break.
"A good try... but completely useless."
Shin's blade sliced through the Armament Haki armor, leaving a massive gash on the Elder's body. The blow nearly killed him outright, but one slash wasn't enough. Shin followed with another.
A dark blade of energy cut through the air, and Saint Topman Warcury's body was cleaved in two, his life extinguished.
"Your strength is really not up to par. I'm not even serious yet, and you're already falling apart."
Shin glanced at the two corpses. With two of the Five Elders dead, only three remained.
"WE'RE NO MATCH FOR HIM! WE HAVE TO RUN!" Saint Jaygarcia Saturn said to Saint Marcus Mars and Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, however, stared at the Shodai Kitetsu in Shin's hand. He had no intention of leaving. He had to get that sword back.
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn and Saint Marcus Mars paid him no mind. It was every man for himself now—survival was all that mattered.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro remained, his resolve firm. He would either reclaim his sword or die trying. A swordsman's life was tied to his blade.
Picking up a battered sword from the ground, he charged at Shin.
"I have to admit, I admire your courage. In my eyes, you're better than them," Shin said, gesturing to the two fleeing Elders.
"I only want my sword back." The muscles in Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's arm bulged as he swung, unleashing a black slash of sword energy that flew toward Shin.
The ordinary blade in his hand shattered instantly, unable to withstand the force he channeled through it.
Shin swung his own sword, tearing through the Elder's attack.
"To die by my own Shodai Kitetsu... perhaps this is my destiny."
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro seemed surprisingly calm, no longer fighting for his life. He appeared to have accepted his fate. What else could he do? Even if he fought back, he couldn't win, so he chose to accept it. Besides, he had been injured by Shin's earlier kick. He was no match for Shin even when he was at his best, armed and uninjured, let alone now.
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