Not long after, Nusjuro's injuries completely disappeared.
The wounds that had shattered half his body were gone without a trace.
Even his clothes were perfectly intact, as if the earlier damage had never existed at all.
Yet Nusjuro's gaze toward Marco had become noticeably more serious.
His voice was low and measured.
"Your strength is indeed extraordinary."
His cold eyes narrowed slightly.
"Your power and speed are astonishing… and your regenerative ability is equally remarkable."
He paused briefly.
"If Sakazuki was indeed careless, losing to someone like you would not be impossible."
Meanwhile—
The massive Itzumanade behind him finally finished regenerating its broken beak.
The enormous creature suddenly began to shrink.
Its colossal body rapidly compressed, bones shifting and muscles tightening until—
In the blink of an eye—
It transformed into Saint Marcus Mars's Human–Beast form.
The creature stood nearly five meters tall.
Its head resembled that of a bird, yet its face retained disturbing human features. Huge feathered wings stretched from its back, while its feet ended in razor-sharp talons.
Behind it coiled a long serpentine tail.
Dark black flame clouds drifted ominously around its body.
Marco watched the transformation carefully, his vigilance rising instantly.
Among Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, the Human–Beast form was widely recognized as the most balanced—and often the strongest—combat state.
The Human Form provided no real boost, essentially meaning the Devil Fruit's power wasn't being used.
The Beast Form granted tremendous strength but sacrificed agility and technique. Many combat skills used in human form became difficult—or impossible—to perform.
The Human–Beast Form, however, combined the best of both.
It preserved the flexibility and combat techniques of the human body while granting the strength, speed, and endurance of the beast.
Now—
Both of his opponents had entered their strongest form.
Marco understood immediately.
The next phase of this battle would be far more dangerous.
Mars spoke coldly, his voice dripping with contempt.
"For an ant like you…"
"It is a great honor to be personally judged by a god."
His black flames flickered ominously.
"In the past eight hundred years, very few ants have had the privilege of being executed by us personally."
Marco stared at him for a moment.
Then he laughed.
A cold, mocking laugh.
But beneath it, anger was slowly rising.
As someone who had crossed into this world with a system, being called an "ant" by these so-called gods was almost laughable.
For eight hundred years, the Celestial Dragons had ruled from their lofty throne.
No one had ever truly shaken their authority.
And because of that—
They had begun to genuinely believe themselves to be gods.
Marco sneered.
"You keep calling us ants."
His eyes burned with defiance.
"After living in the clouds for so long… it seems you've forgotten what the real world looks like."
He spread his wings slightly.
"So let me drag you down from that throne."
His voice turned cold.
"And show you the scenery below."
Before either elder could respond—
Marco moved.
Black flames erupted from his wings as he launched himself forward once again, charging directly toward the two Gorosei with overwhelming force.
Meanwhile, on Cake Island, Saturn—in his Spider-bull form—was leading the Marines in a brutal slaughter of pirates.
The battlefield had become a massacre.
Using his mysterious power, Saturn firmly suppressed the pirates around him. Invisible pressure blanketed the area, pinning them down like insects beneath a giant hand.
"Damn it! What's happening?!"
"My body… it won't move!"
One pirate struggled desperately, his muscles trembling as he tried to force his body forward.
"Is this the power of the Gravity-Gravity Fruit?!"
Another pirate shouted in panic.
"No… this isn't the same," someone replied with fear in his voice. "This… this is the power of that Gorosei!"
Dozens of Phoenix Pirates members were trapped in place, their faces twisted with desperation.
They tried to run.
They tried to fight.
But an invisible force pressed down on them from all directions, locking their bodies in place.
They couldn't even lift a finger.
Saturn looked down at them with cold indifference.
"Kill them."
His voice was calm—like a judge delivering a sentence.
"Yes, sir!"
The Marines behind him responded instantly.
They raised their rifles.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots erupted across the battlefield.
Within seconds, dozens of pirates collapsed to the ground.
Watching the overwhelming power displayed by one of the Five Elders, the Marines' morale soared.
"Incredible…!"
"As expected of Saint Saturn!"
"Is this the power of a god?!"
"To them, those pirates are nothing but puppets!"
"With Saint Saturn leading us, victory is guaranteed!"
But suddenly—
Several furious roars shattered the moment.
"You bastards!"
"How dare you kill our comrades!"
"Die, Gorosei!"
Several Phoenix Pirates commanders charged forward.
Among them were Tenth Division Commander Curiel and Sixteenth Division Commander Izo.
Without hesitation, they opened fire.
Bullets infused with Haki and explosive shells rained down like a storm toward Saturn.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of deafening explosions erupted.
Smoke and fire swallowed Saturn's massive figure completely.
"Saint Saturn!"
The surrounding Marines panicked.
If something happened to the Gorosei… none of them would escape punishment.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Pirates burst into mocking laughter.
"So how does it feel, Gorosei?"
"Those Haki-coated bullets and cannonballs—tasty enough for you?"
"You might be a Zoan Devil Fruit user with ridiculous recovery…"
"But after taking that much firepower, you must be badly hurt!"
Gradually—
The smoke began to clear.
A towering silhouette emerged.
Jaygarcia Saturn stood there calmly.
His body was riddled with holes torn open by bullets and explosions.
But something horrifying was happening.
The shredded flesh began to move.
Like scraps of torn paper drifting back together, the destroyed tissue slowly reassembled itself.
The wounds closed.
The flesh restored.
Within moments, his body returned to normal.
Even his clothes looked completely untouched.
It was as if the explosions had never happened.
The sight stunned everyone.
The Phoenix Pirates froze in disbelief.
Even the Marines stared with wide eyes.
"…Immortality?"
Fujitora murmured softly.
Using Observation Haki, he could clearly sense the abnormal changes occurring in Saturn's body.
Moments ago, the cannon fire had genuinely injured him. His aura had weakened.
But now—
That aura was rapidly recovering.
Fujitora's Observation Haki clearly revealed the truth.
Saturn's body was regenerating at an astonishing speed.
The flesh torn apart by the cannonballs seemed to possess a life of its own, slowly rebuilding itself piece by piece.
At that moment, Zack and the others, who had just arrived on the battlefield, also witnessed the shocking scene.
Their pupils shrank instantly.
"…Is that…?"
One of them whispered in disbelief.
"Is that really Immortality…?"
"An Awakened ability?"
Fossa's expression, however, remained grim.
"No," he said slowly. "It might not be immortality. It could be something like Marco's—an extremely fast regeneration ability."
Kingdew's face darkened.
"Either way," he said gravely, "this guy is going to be extremely difficult to deal with."
Hearing this, Harta immediately raised his voice and shouted toward the surrounding crew.
"Anyone below Commander level, stay away from this Gorosei!"
His eyes were fixed warily on the towering figure of Saturn.
"His ability is strange. Don't get close."
"Yes!"
The surrounding Phoenix Pirates quickly retreated, creating distance between themselves and the terrifying elder.
Once his injuries had completely healed, Saturn slowly looked up.
Before him stood more than a dozen commanders blocking his path.
His gaze was cold and filled with disdain.
"Hmph."
"Do you ants truly believe you can stop a god?"
Just then—
Izo suddenly stepped forward.
Without hesitation, he drew his pistol and fired twice.
Bang! Bang!
The bullets struck Saturn's body directly.
Empowered by Armament Haki, the shots tore into him violently, blasting two fist-sized bloody holes through his torso.
Seeing the attack land, Izo burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! What an idiot!"
"He didn't even try to dodge!"
His eyes flashed with confidence.
"These are Seastone bullets! Now pay the price for your arrog—"
His words stopped abruptly.
The wounds on Saturn's body began to move.
The torn flesh slowly crawled back together.
In mere seconds, the injuries healed completely.
Even the Seastone bullets lodged in his body were gradually pushed out by the regenerating flesh and dropped to the ground with soft clinks.
Izo's face instantly turned pale.
"H-how is that possible…?"
His voice trembled with disbelief.
"That's impossible!"
"I just used Seastone bullets! Aren't you a Devil Fruit user?!"
The other commanders were equally shocked.
"What?! Seastone bullets?"
"If those were really Seastone, how could he still regenerate?!"
If they had been ordinary bullets, it might have been understandable.
But Seastone was supposed to suppress Devil Fruit users.
Yet it had done absolutely nothing.
Saturn's cold voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Hmph."
"How could ants possibly comprehend the power of a god?"
His words sent chills down the commanders' spines.
Everyone knew the fundamental weakness of Devil Fruit users.
Seawater.
Seastone.
Yet the Gorosei before them showed no fear of either.
Had he truly overcome the weakness of Devil Fruits?
After all, Saturn clearly possessed the traits of a Devil Fruit user.
The dark flame clouds surrounding him were unmistakable signs of an awakened Zoan.
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