"Justice? You're too naive, old man."
Whoosh~
With a sinister grin, Berlos abruptly retracted both arms, clamping down on Rayleigh's hands from left and right, then forcefully thrust her own body forward!
"You may have defeated my manifestation, but you cannot defeat my true form!"
"Hell's Embrace: Life's End!"
Enduring the sword wound, Berlos poured all the Evil Demon Energy and Hell's Breath within her body into Rayleigh at close range, holding nothing back.
Rayleigh's expression changed drastically. He felt a chilling, decaying aura of death instantly invade his internal organs, his vitality rapidly draining away!
He shoved Berlos away, staggering backward as he retreated.
The longsword was pulled from Berlos's body, and her condition immediately deteriorated. The previous attack, along with the injuries Rayleigh had inflicted on her, erupted all at once, exacting a heavy toll.
Fortunately, as a Mythical Zoan Beast Girl, the wound on her chest began to heal at a visible rate under the powerful regenerative abilities of the Mythical Zoan, though the speed was much slower than usual.
Rayleigh fared even worse. His skin instantly turned pale, and black blood seeped from the corner of his mouth—a sign of his life force being devoured.
"Captain, I've done my best—" Rayleigh's voice was hoarse, tinged with exhaustion, before he suddenly dropped to one knee. His sword, "Ming," was thrust into the ground, supporting his nearly collapsing body.
At this point, he had almost completely lost his ability to fight. Even the weakest pirate could now finish off this famously powerful pirate.
Berlos on the other side wasn't faring much better either. She appeared utterly drained, with her Mythical Zoan abilities still slowly restoring her, albeit at a sluggish pace.
No one could have imagined that the battle would end in such a near-mutual destruction for both sides—truly astonishing.
In just a few short minutes, the tide of battle had shifted back and forth repeatedly, exceeding the expectations of all spectators present, such as Roger and Gaban.
The two could hardly believe what they were witnessing; the impact was simply too overwhelming.
The once-formidable Rayleigh was now so weakened, his life force continuously draining away. Any further delay would put his life at risk.
Seeing this, Roger's eyes instantly reddened with rage, his fury erupting like a volcano. The bond he shared with Rayleigh over the years had long transcended the boundaries of captain and vice-captain—it was a life-and-death friendship where they could entrust their backs to each other.
"Rayleigh!"
Roger roared, his sword "Ace" emitting a fierce hum. Conqueror's Haki, like solidified golden lightning, danced wildly around him, ready at any moment to break through the blockade of Brian and the other two.
However, Roger's advance was preempted by a steady, resolute figure.
Gaban.
The man hailed as the "Copper" pillar of the Roger Pirates, his eyes now filled with grief and rage that completely overwhelmed reason. He paid no heed to the aura locks of Brian, Agni, and Berlos, nor did he care about the lethal demonic energy and sinister black flames Berlos had left lingering on Sky Island.
He had only one thought in his mind: save Rayleigh!
"Rayleigh, hold on!"
Gaban roared. His burly frame shot toward Rayleigh like a cannonball, trying to carry him away from this death-filled area before he completely collapsed.
However, his reckless action had long been anticipated by Brian.
"Fool." Brian sneered. Gaban's movement would create an opening in his aura lock, but at the same time, it gave him the chance to eliminate the final obstacle.
"Leona! Eliminate the target!"
A crisp, wild voice rang out from the edge of Sky Island, atop a partially collapsed ruin.
"Understood, Master!"
Leona, the Mythical Zoan Centaur Girl, had long been prepared from her position in the rear.
She drew her longbow into a full moon shape. Instead of ordinary arrows, the bowstring held energy arrows forged from her own Mythical Zoan power and Armament Haki, possessing immense penetrating force.
Three energy arrows flew swiftly toward Gaban, who was charging through the air, arranged in a triangular formation, each aimed at a vital point.
Whoosh~
Whoosh~
Whoosh~
"Damn it!"
Gaban's heart lurched. He instantly sensed the danger, but his speed was not at Rayleigh's level of extreme swiftness. Moreover, all his power was concentrated in his explosive dash, making it difficult to instantly mount a defense.
"Vajra Protection: Immovable Bright King!"
"Hah~"
At this life-or-death moment, Gaban roared. His entire body's Armament Haki instantly enveloped him like a thick, impenetrable wall of bronze.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The three energy arrows slammed fiercely into Gaban's highly condensed Armament Haki, producing three dull, thunderous impacts. Gaban felt his right shoulder and left knee suddenly buckle under immense pressure, his forward momentum forcibly halted for an instant. The arrow aimed at the back of his neck was violently deflected by his powerful muscle groups.
His once-indestructible Armament Haki, honed through countless battles, actually developed fine cracks under these three arrows, sparks flying in all directions.
"Such power—what kind of archery is this?!" A storm of shock raged in Gaban's heart. His proud defense had been breached by an archer, something he found hard to accept.
But what he would find even more unacceptable—even shattering—was yet to come.
The instant Gaban was pinned down by Leona's arrow barrage, a crimson fiery shadow carrying an aura of destruction shot out from beside Brian like a demon emerging from hell, charging straight at Gaban!
"Disgusting creature, taste fire!" It was Agni, the Mythical Zoan Fire Rat Girl!
Her intensely scorching flames instantly surged, enveloping her entire body like a spinning top of fire.
The coordination between Agni and Leona had long been perfected within Brian's forces—ranged suppression, close-quarters lockdown, leaving no openings.
Gaban instantly realized he could no longer focus on Rayleigh; he had to deal with the immediate threat first. Otherwise, forget about rescuing anyone—he himself would be finished.
Gaban spun around abruptly, raising his massive battle axe overhead as Armament Haki coalesced once more.
"Mountain-Shaking Axe: Force Splitting Mount Hua!"
Gaban roared, his battle axe carrying the momentum to split heaven and earth, wrapped in immense force, as he brought it crashing down toward the charging Agni! He intended to crush this troublesome Fire Rat Girl with absolute power!
"Come at me!!!"
Agni's eyes were filled with excitement and a bloodthirsty fervor. She showed no intention of retreating. Instead, she instantly compressed all the flames in her body. The originally orange flames were compressed until they took on a faint white hue, their temperature skyrocketing in an instant. The flames converged on her claws.
Fire Rat Girl Agni, the "Fire Control Master" of the Beast Girl Legion, carrying this awe-inspiring might, initiated a new battle following Berlos.
She wanted to prove that although her strength might not match Berlos's, she wasn't far behind.
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