Thor jumped upward with a steady breath, aiming himself toward the area where all the irritated presences he had been sensing were gathering.
As he rose higher into the air, Stormbreaker began to shift into its Mjolnir form, its surface vibrating as if reacting to the overwhelming will that Thor was pouring into it.
He focused on creating as much damage as possible, coating the entire weapon with an intense amount of Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki.
Thor knew very well that he could afford to use it recklessly. His recently strengthened willpower and the essence he had consumed allowed him to maintain his output without worrying about running dry.
When he closed the last bit of distance, he finally saw the figures standing below. The members of the God's Knights were gathered in one spot, calmly discussing something among themselves.
Just near them stood a woman, and Thor immediately recognized her as Gunko. She was not officially counted as one of the God's Knights yet, but being a God's Blade still made her a threat.
Seeing this small difference in positioning, Thor changed his target, deciding to drop down and strike the God's Knights first before they could react to his presence.
Thor threw his voice forward as he began his descent.
"ELBAF'S HAMMER!"
He slammed the hammer down with his full strength, catching all seven figures by surprise. Their conversation cut off at the exact moment the impact landed. The force of the strike tore the ground apart, sending violent cracks racing in every direction.
Lightning erupted from the point of contact, spreading like a sudden wave. Those standing too close were hit immediately, their bodies freezing solid in a matter of seconds, leaving them lifeless where they stood.
Celestial Dragons who had believed themselves completely safe under the protection of the God's Knights were caught within the wave and frozen with the same merciless result. Several members of Cipher Pol and a few Marines also suffered the same fate.
Thor looked at the recovering God's Knights, still standing through the damage, and spoke with a calm but clear irritation.
"It seems a rat is right in front of me. I will not mind killing you first."
The God's Knights remained composed, even while the injuries they had taken slowly regenerated. Their expressions stayed calm because they relied on their so called immortality.
Maffey glanced at Thor with an expression that mixed arrogance and hunger. She licked her lips in a playful way, looking at Thor as if he were nothing more than prey.
"A giant like you would make a very fine slave."
Several of the God's Knights smirked at her comment, all of them sharing that same irritating confidence.
Garling stepped forward with a look of disgust.
"How dare an insect gaze at us as if we are equals. Who allowed you to look at gods with such disrespect?"
Thor answered without hesitation.
"Gods? The smell tells me exactly what sewer you crawled out from. Do not act like you are something special. You are just a squeaking rat looking for leftover crumbs."
Some of the God's Knights smiled in amusement, believing Thor had just sealed his own fate by provoking Garling.
Garling raised his sword, covering the blade with Armament Haki, and spoke with a cold tone.
"I will enjoy breaking your spirit."
He rushed toward Thor, but Thor threw Mjolnir directly at him. Because of its immense weight, Garling was launched backward before he could adjust. Thor then created a sword of ice and immediately moved to confront the others.
Thor's excessive use of haki was beginning to show its effect. He poured so much force into every strike that the God's Knights struggled to defend themselves, which was unexpected given their immortality. The intensity of his attacks outmatched theirs repeatedly.
Sommers formed a kanabo made of briar and charged at Thor. At the same time, Maffey opened her mouth and fired a large laser beam. The other God's Knights joined in, all trying to overwhelm Thor with simultaneous strikes.
Thor redirected their attacks against each other, yanking Sommers into the path of the laser so the attack blasted straight through his body. Sommers was thrown aside heavily.
The God Knight from the Manmeyer Family attempted to flank, but Thor froze him instantly using True Ice, covering the frozen form with an additional layer of mass to prevent movement.
Right after, Thor grabbed the blonde woman by her leg and slammed her into the ground. He stepped on her head as if extinguishing a cigarette.
His boot, reinforced with Armament Haki, crushed her skull. However, unlike earlier, her regeneration did not react as quickly. The delay made Thor pause for a moment, realizing he had triggered something important.
The remaining God's Knights became more cautious as they sensed the shift in the battle. Garling returned, just as Thor summoned his weapon back into his hand. The hammer shifted into its awakened form, displaying its full muscular structure, as if the weapon itself were breathing in preparation.
Thor closed his eyes briefly, recalling everything he had learned about haki. He remembered the lessons from Xebec, the concepts Gaban taught Luffy, and every known fact he had gathered. His mind raced faster and faster until it reached a sudden clarity.
With that realization, Thor opened his eyes and grinned.
He slammed the hammer again, this time aiming directly at the oldest looking God Knight. The strike crushed the man's head instantly. A burst of Conqueror's Haki followed through the attack, forcefully disrupting the regeneration process. The body collapsed without moving.
"I understand it now."
The remaining six stared in shock as the fallen Knight did not regenerate, and even their mental link to him fell silent.
"You killed a god. How dare you."
Maffey screamed in anger and opened her mouth to fire another laser, but Thor threw an ice orb into her mouth. The orb sealed her jaw shut at the same moment the laser activated, causing the beam to explode inside her own face.
The others moved to attack Thor again, scattering around him and coordinating their next assau
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Meanwhile, Borsalino, who had already turned himself into light, continued helping the civilians in every possible way he could think of.
Whenever he saw marines aiming at the people who were trying to escape, he would simply kick them away, and each kick produced an explosion that Borsalino was sure would kill the attackers on the spot.
Even so, he did not show any hesitation in doing it, since protecting the civilians always came first. Still, Borsalino knew he could not stay in one area for too long, because there was something else he needed to accomplish.
It was the mission that Thor had personally assigned to him, which was to find and secure any Devil Fruits that were scattered around the island. Thor was very particular about this task, and Borsalino understood that he had no room for failure.
As he travelled across the island in a streak of light, he eventually came across an isolated cabin that seemed hidden on purpose.
When he stopped, he heard two children whispering and discussing something urgently inside.
Before he could make any move to approach them, the massive figure of Linlin suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Without any warning, she launched an attack straight at the cabin. When her strike destroyed the structure, the rubble revealed two young figures.
One child was on the ground staring up in shock, while the other was already caught in Linlin's hand.
Her other hand was gripping a Devil Fruit, the same one Thor told Borsalino to retrieve along with the Paw Paw Fruit, which he now saw in the possession of the boy who had been thrown to the ground.
The child in Linlin's grip managed to shout something despite being held tightly. He called out to the boy below and told him to eat the Devil Fruit. He said that even if only one of them escaped, it would still be considered a victory.
The words seemed to strike the boy with determination, and he immediately bit into the fruit and swallowed it, even though the taste almost made him gag. Right after he finished, he bolted away from Linlin as fast as his small body allowed.
Borsalino knew that this was the moment to act. He transformed fully into light once more and controlled the light around them to blind Linlin for a brief moment.
His plan worked exactly as he hoped. Linlin covered her eyes and roared in annoyance.
By the time she reopened them, the child she had been holding was gone, the treasure chests that had been inside the destroyed cabin were missing, and Borsalino was already far away.
Linlin did not notice that the only thing left in her hand was the Azure Dragon Fruit, which she instinctively clutched when her senses were interrupted.
Only Borsalino could move this fast, Linlin said as she cursed out loud. She continued complaining about that lazy man while Borsalino carried the rescued child, Ivankov, in one arm, and held the four treasure chests tightly in the other.
He then began heading in the direction where Kuma had escaped, wanting to regroup the children together before anything worse could happen.
Ivankov looked up at him with tired eyes and thanked him sincerely. Borsalino only gave him a small smile in return, while keeping his senses spread as far as he could manage.
When they finally saw Kuma running in the distance, Borsalino felt a presence approaching them.
It was an unpleasant presence that did not feel natural, and even Borsalino recognized that it was something that should not exist in any normal order of the world.
That is an enemy, Borsalino said quietly. He did not waste any time and forced himself to move at a speed his body was not prepared to handle.
The world around Ivankov suddenly froze, at least from his perspective, while Borsalino pushed his limits and shifted into a near uncontrollable burst of light.
He grabbed Kuma as he passed by and carried both children away from the location before the presence could reach them.
When the presence finally arrived, the ground cracked slightly, and Saint Saturn of the Five Elders materialized. He looked around the empty area and saw nothing.
His expression darkened immediately, and he scanned the surroundings even more carefully, but Borsalino and the children were already far away.
On the other side of the island, Borsalino reformed his physical body. His breathing was extremely heavy, almost painful, and sweat dripped down his forehead. There was a clear reason why he rarely used that level of speed.
Even though he possessed the power of the light fruit, his body was not yet capable of handling everything that came with that power.
He was still far from the version of himself in the future who could control his abilities with refined precision, and his body did not yet have the strength to move at such extreme levels without consequences.
For now, Borsalino just held the two children close and tried to recover his breath, knowing full well that he barely avoided something far worse.