Racing through the storm-torn night with his cargo of wounded fighters, Gustave reached Simu's dojo within minutes. The electromagnetic field carrying nine unconscious bodies created an eerie procession as he descended toward the familiar courtyard.
"Jiale!" he shouted urgently. "Open the doors! Your master and the others are badly hurt!"
Both Jiale and Ikkyu burst from the building, their faces pale with alarm as they witnessed eight motionless figures floating in mid-air alongside a trembling Minister Wu, whose legs could barely support his weight.
"Master!" Jiale cried out, seeing Simu's battered condition.
"Taoist Simu," Ikkyu added with equal concern.
Gustave gently lowered the unconscious fighters to the wooden floor of the main hall, his electromagnetic field dissipating as they settled safely.
"Prince Jingwu has undergone a catastrophic transformation," he explained rapidly. "He's evolving into a Ba—a drought demon. Fellow Taoist Yimei and the others were grievously injured trying to contain him. Taoist Tiantong is currently engaging the creature alone."
He gestured toward the wounded. "I'm entrusting their care to you both. I must return immediately to assist in the battle."
"Yes, yes!" Jiale stammered, too distraught over his master's condition to fully process Gustave's words.
Fortunately, Ikkyu maintained his composure despite the crisis. "We understand, Master Gustave. Go—we'll tend to them properly."
"Thank you," Gustave said, preparing to depart.
Minister Wu remained in the courtyard, swaying on his feet and staring blankly at nothing. The traumatic flight through the air had overwhelmed his already fragile nerves.
"Eh, My friend," Gustave said, snapping his fingers in front of the minister's glazed eyes. "Focus! You're safe now!"
"AHHHHH!" Minister Wu shrieked, covering his face with his hands.
"Calm down! You've escaped the danger and landed safely," Gustave said firmly, grasping the man's shoulders. "Your Seventy-First Prince is unconscious but alive. Go inside and help Master Ikkyu tend to him. Can you manage that?"
"Safe... yes, yes, we're safe," Minister Wu mumbled, patting his chest with feminine delicacy. "But Master Gustave, you must defeat Prince Jingwu! He's so terrifying! Wuwuwu..."
The effeminate official produced an embroidered handkerchief and began weeping openly. The sight of over a hundred imperial guards slaughtered within minutes had shattered his already questionable courage.
"Stop whining!" Gustave snapped, his patience exhausted. "Stop sniveling like a courtesan and go care for your prince!"
Before Minister Wu could respond, Gustave dissolved into crackling electricity and streaked back toward the battle.
"A... a god!" Minister Wu whispered in awe, having witnessed the supernatural transformation. "The heavens have sent us salvation!"
When Gustave reached the combat zone, the devastation exceeded his worst expectations. The entire forest had been obliterated, leaving only a crater dozens of meters deep. At its center, Zhang Zhiwei—his body wreathed in brilliant golden energy—exchanged devastating blows with the creature that had once been Prince Jingwu.
To Gustave's surprise, Tu Shanyan was actively participating in the battle, her sword formations creating cascading attacks against the zombie prince.
"Don't just stand there gawking!" she shouted upon noticing his arrival. "Jingwu has completed his transformation into a Ba! If we don't destroy him tonight, countless innocents will suffer!"
"You're fighting alongside us?" Gustave asked, genuinely surprised by this development.
"I may be angry with your friend, but I'm not evil," Tu Shanyan replied curtly, launching another wave of ethereal blades. "A Ba threatens all living creatures—even fox spirits."
Indeed, Gustave thought, studying their opponent with growing alarm. Prince Jingwu's physical form had evolved dramatically during his brief absence. The zombie's cheeks had filled out, his skin had returned to healthy flesh tones, and only the protruding fangs revealed his undead nature.
"Excellent," the creature said in perfectly articulated speech, his voice carrying aristocratic refinement despite its supernatural undertones. "Another one arrives. Once I drain the three of you, I shall achieve unprecedented power."
The transformation into Ba status had restored not only his ability to communicate, but his strategic intelligence as well.
"Prince Jingwu," Gustave said, attempting one last diplomatic appeal, "you were a hero in life—a defender against foreign invaders. How can you become the very evil you once fought against?"
"Hahaha!" The creature's laughter was genuinely amused rather than maniacal. "You speak of 'Prince Jingwu' as if we were the same being. That man died and was buried. I am what emerged from his corpse—we share nothing but memories. Your moral arguments are meaningless to one who exists beyond human concepts of good and evil."
The philosophical clarity of his response chilled Gustave more than any bestial roar could have.
"Then there's nothing left to discuss," Gustave declared, his body beginning to emit electromagnetic energy. "Taoist Tiantong, Lady Tu Shanyan—let's coordinate our assault. Honor means nothing against such a creature!"
"Who are you calling 'Lady,' you presumptuous bastard!" Tu Shanyan snapped, though she moved into position for the combined attack.
Zhang Zhiwei's golden aura blazed brighter as he prepared his most powerful techniques. Gustave's form darkened with Armament Haki so dense it resembled liquid shadow. Tu Shanyan's sword formation expanded into a complex mandala of cutting edges.
All three struck simultaneously.
Prince Jingwu's Ba-enhanced physiology proved remarkably durable. Attacks that would have pulverized lesser undead barely left marks on his transformed flesh. He weathered their combined assault with disturbing ease, retaliating with strength that sent shock waves through the mountain valley.
"This isn't working," Gustave called out after several minutes of futile combat. "His defenses are too strong for conventional attacks. Taoist Tiantong, Lady Tu Shanyan—keep him occupied! I'm preparing something special!"
"Don't worry about containment," Zhang Zhiwei replied, his golden radiance intensifying dramatically. "I can manage crowd control!"
The Heavenly Master's power surge was so dramatic that even Prince Jingwu paused in recognition of the threat. When he attempted to break free and interrupt Gustave's preparations, Zhang Zhiwei's enhanced techniques proved more than capable of maintaining engagement.
Meanwhile, Gustave retreated to a safe distance and began gathering electromagnetic energy on a scale he'd never attempted before. His recent battle with the Fat Doll demon and subsequent Devil Fruit awakening had granted him unprecedented control over magnetic fields. Tonight, he would test the absolute limits of that power.
This technique could kill me, he realized, feeling the strain as invisible forces gathered around him. But if Prince Jingwu escapes, the death toll will be immeasurable.
"Everyone clear the area!" he roared, his voice carrying over the sounds of combat. "MAINTENANT!"
Zhang Zhiwei and Tu Shanyan immediately disengaged, retreating to minimum safe distance.
"Witness my ultimate technique!" Gustave declared, raising both hands toward the sky. "Tempête Magnétique Céleste!"
Celestial Magnetic Storm.
Prince Jingwu suddenly found himself suspended in mid-air, invisible forces tearing at every molecule of his enhanced form. The Ba's supernatural durability meant nothing against electromagnetic manipulation that operated at the atomic level.
"What... what is this?" he gasped, his composed facade finally cracking as unimaginable forces pulled his body in multiple directions simultaneously.
The magnetic storm intensified beyond anything Gustave had previously achieved. Every iron atom in Prince Jingwu's blood, every trace element in his bones, every electromagnetic bond holding his flesh together—all of it became subject to Gustave's will.
BOOM!
The Ba's body exploded into a fine mist of blood and tissue, the organic matter scattered across hundreds of meters by the magnetic forces.
Zhang Zhiwei immediately summoned purifying flames to incinerate every trace of the remains, ensuring that no fragment could regenerate or spread contamination.
Gustave, meanwhile, collapsed to his knees, his breathing ragged from the enormous energy expenditure. Unlike his previous battle with Kaido—where he'd fainted completely—this time he retained consciousness, though barely.
"Merde," he gasped, wiping sweat from his forehead. "That... that was considerably more difficult than anticipated."
The technique had pushed his electromagnetic manipulation to its absolute limits, but the results spoke for themselves. Prince Jingwu, the Ba who could have turned southern China into a wasteland, had been utterly annihilated at the molecular level.
As the purifying flames consumed the last traces of the drought demon, Gustave allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. His power had grown tremendously since arriving in this world, but tonight had proven that even ultimate techniques came with ultimate costs.