On the boundless sea, the Marine warship sailed side by side with the Groudon Ship, neither attempting to shake off the other—as if mutually surveilling one another.
"Why is Akainu here?"
Gurd sat at the tea table, glancing at the warship dozens of meters away.
As the Fleet Admiral, Akainu couldn't leave Marine Headquarters at will—his restrictions were even stricter than those of the Admirals.
For the Fleet Admiral to personally appear, it must mean a major incident had occurred, most likely involving the Celestial Dragons.
Judging by the warship's course, their destination was probably the same as his.
The Kingdom of Lulusia.
"Did the God's Knights make their move?"
Gurd stroked his chin.
After much deliberation, this seemed the most plausible explanation.
But even if the God's Knights had intervened, it shouldn't warrant the Fleet Admiral's personal involvement. Given the Revolutionary Army's combat strength, they might not even be a match for the God's Knights.
Something far more significant must be happening.
His subordinates asked, "Lord Gurd, the Marines are following us. Should we attack?"
"No need."
Gurd shot them a glance.
If a real battle broke out here at sea, in the end, likely only he and Akainu would survive—everyone else would perish.
With their abilities, destroying each other's ships would be effortless. Without ships, the aftermath of their clash alone would turn the area into a dead zone.
Moreover, they weren't far from Marine Headquarters. Reinforcements could arrive within an hour at most. If they wanted to fight, it would be better to wait until they reached the Kingdom of Lulusia.
Something major must have happened there.
Not far away, aboard the warship.
Akainu stared at the Groudon Ship.
Marine officers stood behind him, gripping their weapons nervously.
The Marines were no strangers to Gurd. They knew his power well—even with Fleet Admiral Akainu present, their chances of defeating him were slim.
Additionally, whether it was the Beasts or the Hoenn Government, both were currently in a ceasefire with them. Provoking a war recklessly would have severe consequences.
"They're heading to the same destination as us!"
Since their encounter, the two ships had sailed side by side for over half an hour. Now, as they neared the Kingdom of Lulusia, the Groudon Ship showed no signs of changing course.
Clearly, their destination was also Lulusia. The question was—why were they going there?
To aid the Revolutionary Army?
Possible, but unlikely. After all, it was the Hoenn forces who had driven the Revolutionary Army out of the North Blue. There was bad blood between them.
"Wait!"
Akainu suddenly thought of another possibility.
Had Gurd and Fujitora been secretly in contact all along?
The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed. Otherwise, why would Fujitora suddenly betray them and attack the God's Knights?
If Fujitora had already defected to Gurd, staying in the Marines only to wait for the God's Knights to descend—to eliminate them—then everything made sense.
"Such a massive oversight!"
Akainu's face twisted in fury.
Fujitora had joined the Marines through the World Military Draft and was exceptionally promoted to Admiral. However, his tenure was too short, making it unlikely he felt strong allegiance to the Marines.
Correspondingly, their trust in him was also limited.
This was the greatest flaw of the draft system.
Among the newly recruited Marines, there were all kinds of individuals. Fujitora wasn't the only one—Ryokugyu had been a prisoner before his conscription.
"Fleet Admiral Akainu, we're approaching the Kingdom of Lulusia!"
"Full speed ahead!"
"Yes!"
Almost simultaneously, the Groudon Ship and the warship reached the shore.
Gazing at the giant grotesque monsters wreaking havoc on the island, Gurd could no longer spare attention for Akainu and his group, his focus completely seized.
"What the hell are these things?!"
"Lord Gurd, look over there!"
Chikara pointed at one of the monsters.
"That bald monster—it looks just like you!"
"Huh?"
Gurd followed her line of sight.
A smooth head, thick muscles.
It did bear some resemblance.
But unlike real monsters, the creatures on the island seemed more like drawings, their overall style eerily unnatural.
"An ability of God's Knights?"
Gurd pondered for a moment.
In his memory, the Revolutionary Army didn't possess such powers. That meant the ones summoning these monsters had to be their enemies—God's Knights.
"Non-combatants, stay on the ship!"
"The rest, follow me!"
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, at the heart of the battlefield.
Saint Killingham summoned Nightmare Monsters once again. Since this was a dream, the creatures couldn't truly die.
At the same time, his true self drew his bow, firing arrows to assist Saint Sommers and Gunko as they launched attacks against the Army Commanders.
"Kehahaha!"
Saint Sommers hefted his Thorned Mace, standing atop an ever-expanding Thorn Forest—anyone stepping into it would suffer injuries.
Directly in front of him, the Western Army Commander, the giant Mori, was covered in wounds.
"Stay back!"
Mori roared, warning his comrades as he pushed against the ground with his harpoon, shoving the encroaching thorns back toward Saint Sommers.
Having just engaged in battle, he had no understanding of his opponent's abilities and had already suffered heavy losses—his massive frame proving more of a hindrance than an advantage.
"Pushing the thorns back? What a strange ability. Kehahaha! But the outcome won't change."
Saint Sommers swung his hand, and the ground erupted with blade-like thorn spikes, sprouting in clusters like bamboo shoots.
Mori was caught in the attack range.
"Thunk!"
A thorn pierced through his foot!
The giant's enormous size made him the perfect target.
The other Army Commanders wanted to help, but they were already overwhelmed—just dealing with the Nightmare Monsters swarming from all directions was exhausting, let alone facing two of God's Knights.
"You can't lay a finger on me."
Gunko stood atop an arrowhead, gazing down coldly at the Eastern Army Commander, Betty. Any attack aimed at her would be deflected under the guidance of the arrowheads.
Paramecia: Arrow-Arrow Fruit.
Its power allowed her to create arrowheads that could alter the trajectory of any attack or be flexibly reshaped into various forms.
Gunko spread her fingers, and Arrow Bandages rapidly coiled around her palm, soon forming a Knight Lance.
Then, the arrowhead beneath her feet shot toward Betty, carrying Gunko forward in a swift glide—like skiing—at an unbelievable speed.
The lance's tip gleamed with a razor-sharp edge!
Betty's heart pounded in alarm as she dodged sideways, but the arrowhead in front of her followed her movement.
"Thud!"
The lance tip stabbed into her shoulder!
Gripping the shaft, Betty panted heavily.
She couldn't afford to fall before figuring out her opponent's abilities.
Gurd arrived at the battlefield and saw from a distance that the Army Commanders were being overpowered, each bearing injuries of varying severity.
When outnumbered, individual weaknesses became glaring—especially when lacking crucial intel, making them easy prey.
And as it happened, every one of God's Knights wielded monstrous abilities.
A Thorn Forest and endless monsters!
This reminded him of a certain place.
The Great Prison—Impel Down!
The scenes of Impel Down's first level, Crimson Hell, and the second level, Beast Hell, bore an uncanny resemblance to the battlefield before him—brutal yet formidable.
It was too much of a coincidence.
Perhaps the abilities of God's Knights truly resembled those of Impel Down, possessing other special powers like starvation, scorching heat, extreme cold, and even endless torment.
Gurd curled his lips.
"Honestly, every one of them is like a monster!"
(End of Chapter)