Not long after, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's shattered body completely regenerated. Even his clothes were restored, spotless and intact, as though Marco's strike had never landed.
Nusjuro gazed at Marco with rare seriousness.
"Your strength is remarkable," he said in a low voice. "Your power and Speed are impressive, and your regenerative ability is equally troublesome. If Sakazuki underestimates you, he may very well fall."
Behind him, Saint Marcus Mars also finished recovering. The massive Itzumanade shrank rapidly, its colossal form compressing until it shifted into Mars's Human Beast Form. He now stood roughly five meters tall, with a bird's head, a humanlike torso, powerful wings extending from his back, taloned feet gripping the air itself, and a long serpentine tail swaying behind him. Dark flame clouds coiled around his body, radiating a heavy, oppressive aura.
Marco observed the transformation carefully, his eyes sharpening.
Among Zoan users, the Human Beast Form was widely recognized as the most balanced and combat effective state. The full Beast Form provided overwhelming size and raw power but sacrificed agility and refined techniques. The Human Form retained skill and mobility but lacked the full enhancement of the fruit. The Human Beast Form merged both advantages, granting increased strength, endurance, and Speed without sacrificing precision.
Now both Elders stood in their strongest forms.
Saint Marcus Mars spoke coldly, his voice dripping with disdain. "For an ant to be judged personally by a god is a rare honor. In eight hundred years, very few have earned such an execution."
Marco let out a quiet scoff.
Anger flickered beneath his calm expression. These Celestial Dragons had ruled for centuries without challenge, convincing themselves that they truly stood above humanity. Their arrogance was not just pride, it was belief.
"Ants?" Marco replied, his voice steady. "After sitting in power for so long, you seem to have forgotten what it means to stand on the ground. Since you call yourselves gods, I will be the one who drags you down and reminds you what the world beneath looks like."
Without another word, Marco surged forward again, black flames roaring around him as he launched a renewed assault against the two Elders.
Far away on Whole Cake Island, another battlefield raged.
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn stood in his Ushi oni form, towering and grotesque, surrounded by Marines. His presence alone distorted the air. Invisible force spread outward from him, locking down dozens of pirates in place.
"Damn it… I cannot move!"
"What is this power?"
"Is it the Gravity Gravity Fruit?"
"No, this is different. This is the power of that Gorosei!"
Members of the Phoenix Pirates struggled desperately, their bodies pinned by an overwhelming force. It felt as though invisible hands were crushing them into the earth.
Saturn's voice was cold and absolute.
"Kill them."
"Yes, sir!"
Marine soldiers raised their rifles without hesitation. Gunfire erupted across the battlefield. One by one, pirates fell, blood staining the ground.
Witnessing the terrifying authority of one of the Five Elders, the Marines' morale surged.
"As expected of one of the Five Elders!"
"This is the power of a god!"
"With Lord Saturn here, victory is certain!"
Their confidence swelled, but it did not last long.
"Bastard! You dare slaughter our comrades!"
"Die, Gorosei!"
Several commanders stepped forward in fury. Tenth Division Commander Curiel and Sixteenth Division Commander Izo opened fire without hesitation. Haki infused bullets and shells rained down in a concentrated barrage upon Saturn.
Explosions thundered across the battlefield. Smoke engulfed Saturn's enormous figure.
"Lord Elders!" Marines shouted in panic. If anything happened to him, none of them would escape responsibility.
From within the smoke, Phoenix Pirates members shouted triumphantly.
"How does that feel?"
"Those bullets were infused with Haki!"
"No matter how strong your recovery is, you cannot walk away from that unscathed!"
The smoke gradually cleared.
Jaygarcia Saturn stood unmoved.
His body was riddled with holes from the barrage, flesh torn apart in multiple places. Yet before everyone's eyes, the fragmented tissue began to shift and crawl back into place, as though the pieces were being drawn together by invisible threads. The wounds closed steadily. His presence stabilized. Even his clothing remained flawless, untouched by the explosions.
Silence spread.
Both pirates and Marines stared in disbelief.
Admiral Fujitora tightened his grip on his cane sword. Through Observation Haki, he had clearly sensed Saturn's aura weakening at the moment of impact. There was no doubt the attacks had injured him.
Yet now, that aura was restoring itself at an unnatural Speed.
"This… is immortality?" Fujitora murmured.
His Observation Haki confirmed it. The Gorosei's flesh regenerated as if it possessed its own will, knitting together rapidly until no trace of damage remained.
At that moment, Sak and several others arrived, witnessing the astonishing recovery firsthand. Their pupils contracted as shock washed over their faces.
"Is this truly an awakened ability?"
The battlefield fell into uneasy silence.
The so called gods had revealed their greatest weapon.
Undying bodies that refused to fall.
===
Thanks for the stones🫰🏻.