Boom!
Countless blood dragons locked onto Saint Saturn's figure, materializing behind him one after another as a terrifying aura erupted.
In his Gyuki form, Saint Saturn leaped continuously, his figure vanishing across the grassy field, leaving only a series of blurry afterimages. His face was etched with grim determination.
Realizing he couldn't keep running, that the "Akaoni" would eventually catch him, Saint Saturn screeched to a halt. His sharp spider legs dug deep into the earth as his eyes turned blood-red, staring directly at the demon chasing him.
"Cease movement!"
An invisible force emanated from Saint Saturn's eyes. With a thunderous roar, a power of absolute authority slammed into the Akaoni, which had taken the form of the blood dragons.
For a moment, the Akaoni's figure froze in place, truly stopped in its tracks. This was the formidable power of Saint Saturn's Gyuki form.
"Gyehehehehehe…" But the paralysis lasted only for two seconds. A maniacal cackle suddenly erupted from among the blood dragons as a massive, bloody maw appeared.
The gaping mouth lunged forward, swallowing most of the blood dragons in an instant before reappearing directly in front of Saint Saturn.
Roar!
In a flash, the Akaoni's true form emerged. It swung its massive right palm, swiping at Saint Saturn. This was the Akaoni's ability: It could devour and nullify most attacks.
"Indeed, this is what makes demons so troublesome. They possess a power akin to a rule of nature…" A look of resignation filled Saint Saturn's eyes. As the enormous red hand closed in, he roared, "Black Tide!"
In an instant, a boundless tide of blackness spread out, surging madly toward the Akaoni. It devoured everything in its path, corroding any object it touched.
Sizzzzzle!
Black smoke began to rise from the ground.
Bang!
The vast Black Tide collided with the Akaoni's right palm like a giant net. Countless waves of energy erupted, transforming into powerful shockwaves that slammed into the walls connecting the second and fourth rooms.
Boom!
With a deafening crash, massive holes were blasted through both walls. In an instant, three rooms had been merged into one. This was the result of two demon-like beings clashing with their full power—a force so terrifying it seemed to belong to another world.
But Jean Bart could no longer hear any of this. His consciousness had been completely overwhelmed by the demon.
Elsewhere, although the powerful gale had forced Boa Hancock back a few steps, she knew this was the perfect opportunity. Stomping her foot on the ground, she erupted with countless streaks of black and red lightning, transforming into an afterimage as she charged toward Saint Saturn.
One second…
Two seconds…
"Perfume Femur!"
A sharp cry echoed from above as an elegant figure appeared over Saint Saturn. Hancock swung her impossibly long leg down in a powerful kick.
Crack!
Countless black and red lightning arcs burst forth.
"Damn it! Why is the Pirate Empress here now!?" For the first time, a look of terror appeared on Saint Saturn's face. Before him was the grinning Akaoni, and above him was Hancock's attack infused with Conqueror's Coating.
"Die, you disgusting creature!" Hancock's lips curled into a cold sneer of utter contempt.
"Cursed Gaze!"
Left with no other choice, Saint Saturn roared. His eyes, glowing with an eerie red light, unleashed a direct psychic assault on Hancock.
Voom!
In that instant, a potent spiritual force flooded Hancock's mind. Overwhelming fear and countless illusions enveloped her. She saw a vision of Ryuuto being torn to pieces by several hideous demons, and her mind fell into disarray.
"Ah… No!!"
Hancock let out an uncontrollable cry of terror. The powerful force behind her kick dissipated, causing her to miss and strike the ground instead. A loud explosion echoed as she clutched her head in agony.
Bang!
Just then, a bullet flew through the air, cloaked in a swirling layer of Armament Haki. Saint Saturn was already overwhelmed. The timing of the shot was perfect; empowered by the Warp-Warp Fruit, the bullet instantly appeared before his face. He had no time to block and could only try to endure it with his body.
Powerful black lightning flared…
Boom!
A thunderous collision rang out. The bullet shattered the arcs of black lightning and slammed directly into Saint Saturn's head.
Instantly—
Saint Saturn's head exploded like a watermelon, spraying blood everywhere!
"Eat you, eat you!"
At that very moment, the Akaoni on the other side let out a bizarre, deafening laugh. With a surge of strength, its right hand shattered the Black Tide and seized Saint Saturn's Gyuki form.
"Cough!"
Under the immense pressure, Saint Saturn's head was already regenerating, but he could only manage a pained gasp. It was futile. The blood-red Akaoni was already lifting his head toward its mouth.
An unprecedented sense of mortal danger washed over Saint Saturn.
"Divine Punishment: Eight-Spine Crucifixion!"
Struggling, Saint Saturn aimed his eight spider legs at the Akaoni's chest. With a fierce cry, a ghostly light erupted from the tips of his legs as he thrust them forward.
Boom!
An intense flash of light exploded, accompanied by a sound like tearing space itself, as his attack met the Akaoni. Powerful shockwaves blasted outward.
At the same time, the Akaoni shoved Saint Saturn's head into its mouth. Feeling the sharp pain in its chest, it bit down hard on the massive, horned head.
Crunch!
The sound of a powerful impact and the grinding of teeth echoed simultaneously.
Half of Saint Saturn's head vanished into the Akaoni's stomach. The force of Saturn's attack sent the demon flying backward.
"Gyehehehe…"
As it hurtled through the air, the Akaoni continued its maniacal cackle.
At that moment, Jean Bart could hold on no longer. His body went rigid, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The retreating Akaoni's form began to turn ethereal, rapidly fading away. In a few moments, its figure had vanished completely, leaving only a dissipating mist of blood in the air, as if it had never been there at all.
But the gaping wound on Saint Saturn's head was a permanent testament to the Akaoni's power. Though he remained in his Gyuki form, the missing half of his head would never grow back. It was a wound inflicted by the Akaoni's rule-based power.
The injury was severe, and his immortal body was unable to regenerate it. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he looked incredibly weak.
Indeed—it took the power of a demon to fight a demon.
"Well done, Jean Bart!" Hancock had recovered from the illusion. Seeing the scene before her, she let out a joyful cry.
"That disgusting creature is finally wounded!" she thought to herself.
"It worked! Thank you, Jean Bart. You've done enough," Van Augur said softly, looking at the fallen giant with gratitude. "Leave the rest to us."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Lifting his rifle, Van Augur fired several shots in quick succession, all aimed at Saint Saturn. Thanks to the Warp-Warp Fruit's ability, the bullets leaped through space, reaching Saint Saturn's face in less than a second.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several impacts rang out. Saint Saturn didn't even try to dodge. Bursts of blood erupted from his body, leaving behind bowl-sized wounds.
"Cough…"
The intense pain finally snapped Saint Saturn back to his senses. He coughed violently, spitting out a large mouthful of blood. Under the effects of his immortal body, the wounds from Van Augur's bullets began to slowly heal, but the rate of recovery was more than ten times slower than before, a clear sign of his weakened state.
"Damn you, ants! To think I would be wounded so badly by your hands!" Saint Saturn roared in fury. "All of you will die!"
He swung his spider legs at Hancock, unleashing a flurry of powerful black and red lightning strikes.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hancock remained completely unfazed. She met his thrusts with a continuous barrage of kicks, her long legs equally wreathed in a massive amount of Conqueror's Haki.
Crack…
The two figures flickered in and out of existence, the air filled with the sound of their ferocious collisions.
"You've gotten weaker, Saturn!" Hancock shouted coldly after dozens of exchanges. She could feel that his speed had slowed and his strength had diminished significantly.
Hearing this, Saturn's face twisted with a mixture of rage and fear. He knew his condition was dire. He could even feel his own life force draining away.
"Lord Imu…"
Saint Saturn looked up at the sky, where a massive five-pointed star formation hovered. In this moment of desperation, he thought of the omnipotent Lord Imu.
Voom!
Countless streams of purple light began to converge, as if Imu had truly heard his call.
Boom!
When the purple light reached its peak, three brilliant pillars of light shot down onto the sea below. Within them were the remaining three of the Five Elders: Saint Topman Warcury of Mercury, Saint Marcus Mars of Mars, and Saint Shepherd Ju Peter of Jupiter.
Their target, however, was Dragon and his comrades, who had suddenly appeared beside the Pluton. Or rather, what had truly drawn Imu's attention was the Mother Flame in Dragon's possession. Saint Saturn's life was never a consideration.
Imu had only one way of dealing with failures: elimination. After all, Imu had plenty of demons. If you won't do the job, someone else will.
Realizing that Lord Imu had not come to his aid, Saint Saturn understood that he had been abandoned. A deep despair filled his eyes, and his attacks grew even more frenzied. From this point on, he no longer needed to conserve his energy. He had no path of retreat.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amidst a storm of black and red lightning, the towering Gyuki form stomped toward Hancock while simultaneously using its gaze to lock onto Van Augur's position.
"Let's see how long you can last!" Hancock's figure flickered continuously, doing her best to evade Saturn's attacks.
Van Augur employed the same strategy, using his Warp-Warp Fruit to constantly reposition himself and wear down Saturn's stamina. They would wait for him to tire and reveal an opening. That would be their moment to strike. They were in no hurry.
Time ticked by, second by second.
"Now!" Hancock and Van Augur yelled in unison.
Hancock slipped past an attack from Saturn's spider leg, and looking up, she saw an opening. With a powerful step, she shot forward and launched a kick.
Van Augur's bullet arrived in the same instant.
The two attacks grew larger and larger in Saint Saturn's eyes.
Bang!
A massive spray of blood erupted from Saint Saturn's chest. An instant later, a snow-white leg, crackling with arcs of black and red lightning, slammed into the remaining half of his head.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave, the result of their clashing Conqueror's Haki, blasted outward. Hancock's Love-Love Fruit ability then activated, rapidly turning the remnants of Saturn's head to stone.
"To think… that one day… I would be killed by ants." In the final moment of his life, this was the only thought that remained in Saint Saturn's mind. A Celestial Dragon who had stood at the apex of the world for centuries, defeated just like this.
Filled with bitter resentment, Saint Saturn's body was rapidly petrified until he became a towering stone statue.
The Love-Love Fruit was truly terrifying.
"Hah…" Seeing the outcome, Hancock let out a heavy breath. The battle had clearly exhausted her as well. If not for Jean Bart's sudden demonic awakening, they would have stood no chance against the immortal Saint Saturn. Van Augur also breathed a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Ryuuto was locked in a fierce battle with Saint Somaz, golden thunder clashing endlessly with black and red lightning.
Out on the sea, a giant boar—Saint Warcury in his Houki form—was charging across the water toward the Viento Grama, where Dragon stood.
But then, a hurricane suddenly materialized on the sea. Caught in the powerful winds, the Viento Grama began to move at incredible speed.