Fossa's expression was grave as he spoke in a low voice. "Not necessarily immortality. It could be an extremely rapid regeneration, similar to Marco's."
Kingdew's face darkened. "Whatever it is, that ability will be incredibly troublesome to deal with."
Harta raised his voice sharply, issuing a clear order. "Anyone below Captain level, do not approach that Gorosei. His power is strange and unpredictable."
"Yes!"
At once, the surrounding members of the Phoenix Pirates pulled back, widening the distance between themselves and Jaygarcia Saturn.
Saturn stood unmoved as his injuries completely vanished. His cold gaze swept over the dozen Captains blocking his path.
"Hmph. Mere ants. Do you truly believe you can obstruct this saint?"
Without warning, Izo stepped forward and fired two shots. The bullets, coated in Armament Haki, struck Saturn squarely. Two fist sized bloody holes burst open in his body.
Izo laughed sharply. "What a fool. He did not even dodge. Those were Sea Prism Stone bullets. Pay for your arrogance…"
Before he could finish, the torn flesh began knitting together. The wounds shrank visibly, healing at an astonishing rate. The Sea Prism Stone bullets were forced out as the tissue regenerated, clinking to the ground.
Izo's smile froze.
"How… how is that possible?" His face turned pale. "Those were Sea Prism Stone bullets. Are you not a Devil Fruit user?"
The other Captains were equally shaken.
"If they were Sea Prism Stone bullets, why is he still regenerating?"
"That makes no sense."
Saturn's voice cut through their disbelief, cold and disdainful. "How could insects possibly comprehend the authority of a god?"
A chill spread through the Captains.
It was common knowledge that seawater and Sea Prism Stone were the natural weaknesses of Devil Fruit users. Yet the Elder before them showed no sign of restraint. The black flame clouds hovering around him were unmistakable signs of a Zoan awakening. By all appearances, he was a Devil Fruit user, yet he seemed to have transcended its fundamental limitation.
Admiral Fujitora arrived behind Saturn at that moment, bowing his head slightly.
"Thank you for your assistance, Lord Elders."
Saturn's eyes shifted briefly toward Fujitora, then toward Aramaki in the distance, who was locked in battle with Ace and Yamato. A trace of dissatisfaction crossed his expression.
"A Marine Admiral," Saturn said coldly, "yet you have not even eliminated a single Captain."
Fujitora's voice carried restrained shame. "This old man did not anticipate the strength of the Phoenix Pirates' Captains. Several of them working together were enough to stall me."
Saturn gave a faint snort. Though displeased with the newly appointed Admirals, he understood the reality. The Marines were short on top tier combatants.
"Very well," Saturn said. "Since this saint has arrived, this tiresome battle will now conclude."
Fujitora lowered his head respectfully. "I will assist you with all my strength."
He then issued a command to the nearby Marines. "Take the wounded away for treatment."
Before the Commodore could respond, Saturn spoke again, his tone indifferent.
"There is no need to concern yourselves with fallen Marines. They are merely ants. If they die, they die. Fujitora and I will deal with the Captains. You will annihilate the remaining pirates."
The Commodore stiffened, then saluted. "Yes, sir."
The Marines quickly moved out, redirecting their forces toward the remaining pirate fighters.
Fujitora's expression tightened slightly at Saturn's words, but he said nothing. As a newly appointed Admiral, especially after the Marines' earlier setbacks, he had no position to argue. He could only carry out orders.
Before them stood more than a dozen Captains, their eyes resolute.
Sak stepped forward first. "Brothers, we move together. No matter what, we hold them here."
Without hesitation, he charged at Fujitora.
The other Captains followed, spreading out to encircle Saturn and Fujitora. If they could defeat these two, the morale of the Marines would collapse. That was their only path forward.
The battlefield once again fell into a tense stalemate.
In terms of overall manpower, with the addition of the Phoenix Pirates, the two Yonko crews still held numerical advantage. But at the highest level of combat power, each member of the Five Elders possessed strength comparable to a Yonko. That overwhelming presence tilted the scales dangerously.
Earlier, many Marines and pirates had been rendered unconscious by bursts of Conqueror's Haki. With assistance from their comrades, they had gradually regained consciousness. Yet now, no one spared attention for the fallen.
The battlefield had transformed.
At first, some Marines, especially the more moderate ones, had hesitated to kill. They aimed to wound and capture pirates after the war. But as comrades fell around them, that restraint crumbled.
Grief hardened into fury.
They no longer held illusions about mercy. They carried out Sakazuki's directive without hesitation, striking to kill.
The pirates were no different. With their own comrades lying dead across the field, rage consumed them. There was no time to rescue the wounded. Anyone who attempted to drag a fallen ally away risked being cut down in the process.
The battlefield had become a merciless grinder of flesh and blood.
Reason faded.
Both sides fought like cornered beasts, driven by anger, loss, and the desperate will to survive.