Cyrus's head snapped back violently.
Having failed to pierce his skull, the black arrow paused for a split second before Cyrus's hand shot out to grab the arrowhead.
It felt somewhat ethereal to the touch, yet it also seemed to be a solid object.
The ribbon of the arrow suddenly tightened, and Cyrus felt a sharp pull from the direction of the Sabaody Archipelago.
Instead of resisting, Cyrus yanked hard on the arrow he was holding.
At the other end of the ribbon, Gunko, who was still on the archipelago, was pulled by the suddenly taut tether.
Her body flew into the air, soaring toward Cyrus's position with such extreme velocity that a sonic boom echoed through the air only after she had taken flight.
The other members of the God's Knights all wore looks of astonishment, but Gunko, pulled by Cyrus's single tug, was already right in front of him.
Swish!
The flash of a blade cut through the air, and Gunko's body was sliced in two at the waist.
White flames ignited at her wounds, spreading rapidly across the upper and lower halves of her body as the severed pieces fell toward the sea below.
However, her Devil Fruit ability had not disappeared.
Still holding the arrow, Cyrus understood that this attack had not killed the member of the God's Knights.
'So, it's an immortal ability, is it?'
The flames burned, rapidly consuming Gunko's body.
Her lower half was quickly incinerated, but her upper half regenerated at an incredible rate, healing even faster than the white flames could burn her away.
Cyrus moved the sword in his hand and felt the arrow in his grasp tremble.
Suddenly, the black arrow extended, striking Cyrus right between the eyebrows again.
"Can't you see? This is useless."
After getting hit once more, Cyrus released his grip on the arrow and spoke in a perfectly calm tone.
[Health: 1%]
Unyielding activated!
Swoosh!
The moment he finished speaking, Cyrus's body was already right in front of Kizaru.
Seeing the young man appear before him, Kizaru's pupils contracted sharply, and he immediately tried to use his Elemental Transformation to escape.
Bang!
Cyrus's foot had already kicked Kizaru square in the chest.
A massive sonic boom erupted as Kizaru's body was sent flying by the kick at a speed no slower than his own light transformation.
The next moment, he crashed violently into Area 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago.
A small mushroom cloud rose from the impact zone, and afterward, the ravaged grove fell completely silent.
The other members of the God's Knights were caught in the shockwave of Kizaru's impact, forcing their regeneration abilities to activate instantly.
'It was too fast,' Akainu thought. 'Kizaru had returned too quickly this time, and that force...'
A golden light shone as Kizaru's body reformed in mid-air. He clutched his chest, a deeply pained expression on his face.
"What happened?" Akainu asked.
"I'm injured. Probably broke a few bones."
This was the first time Kizaru had been so seriously injured since their fight began.
'And what was that just now?'
That last attack from Cyrus was definitely not teleportation using his Devil Fruit, otherwise, Kizaru's Observation Haki would have certainly caught a trace of it.
That move was simply pure, physical speed pushed to the absolute limit.
'If Cyrus had possessed such speed and power when he was fighting the two of us earlier... we probably would have lost long ago.'
At this thought, Kizaru felt another sharp pain in his chest.
"Borsalino!"
The members of the God's Knights, having finished regenerating their bodies, looked at Kizaru and began to speak, but before they could finish, their heads all snapped in one direction.
The movement was so fast that the sound of their necks cracking could clearly be heard!
Kizaru and Akainu also looked in the direction where they had sensed the anomaly.
A sun was rising again!
But this one was different from before, because this time, even from so far away, it still filled their entire field of vision.
Just looking at it made them feel as if the intense light was searing their eyes, and then came the terrifying, blistering heat.
[Duration: 29 minutes, 03 seconds.]
As if he had transformed into a real sun, Cyrus recalled the words that had come from Gunko just now.
Those probably weren't Gunko's words, rather, someone had spoken through her body.
"Become a Celestial Dragon, and everything you've done before can be forgiven."
Cyrus's response to that offer was this unrestricted release of his power.
Gunko's body had already been completely incinerated from being too close, but she was still not dead.
The black arrow ribbon floated like rootless duckweed, twisting and dancing in the air as it seemingly looked for an opportunity to attack.
Cyrus paid the arrow no mind.
In his current state, nothing could harm him.
...
Inside the Room of Flowers.
"He refused?" Imu whispered.
The ruler's body disappeared and transformed into a massive shadow that spread throughout the entire Room of Flowers before continuing to expand outward.
...
"Is he preparing to attack Mary Geoise?"
Morgans stared at the broadcast, his bird-like eyes filled with absolute shock.
'This guy isn't really going to do that, is he?'
But as he watched the still-expanding sun...
"With this kind of power, perhaps he really can do it," Morgans muttered to himself subconsciously.
"The World Government has issued another warning, demanding that you cut the broadcast, President!" His secretary hurried over, speaking rapidly as the immense pressure clearly made her nervous.
"Ignore what they say," Morgans ordered at once, flapping his wings.
What was about to happen could cause a dramatic shift across the entire sea, so how could he miss such a major event?
So what if he offended the World Government? After all, his headquarters was very well hidden!
...
Many others had also noticed Cyrus's actions, but for now, they were all simply watching, wanting to see what would happen next.
At this very moment, the eyes of the entire world were fixed on that rising sun.
Cyrus did not hesitate for long; he acted directly.
The massive sun rolled forward, heading straight toward the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
The ambient light around the flames distorted and dimmed, but a short distance away, the sun itself became extremely bright, making it impossible to look at directly.
Cyrus's gaze was fixed on Mary Geoise as a strange aura rose from the Holy Land.
This was not something perceived by his Observation Haki, but rather something his body—or perhaps his spirit—sensed.
"Hm?" Cyrus narrowed his eyes slightly.
The power entering a certain range of Mary Geoise was simply disappearing.
It vanished suddenly, and even he couldn't detect how the energy was being erased.
'If that's the case...'
The massive sun suddenly began to rotate, and everything around it—the air, the seawater, the islands below, and the very soil of the Red Line—was pulled in by the violent rotation.
But the situation had clearly reached a stalemate.
Cyrus, unleashing his power without limit, was being actively canceled out by the mysterious power rising from Mary Geoise.
'Is there really someone who can compete with me in a battle of attrition in this state?'
[Duration: 10 minutes, 01 second.]
After a period of stalemate, Cyrus let out a light breath.
The sun trembled violently, changed direction, and flew diagonally downward before crashing directly into the side of the Red Line.
Light, heat, and a massive explosion erupted!
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator