Outside Pangea Castle, the God's Knights were gradually being overwhelmed by the Captains who had obtained the Phoenix ability. Most of the God's Knights were newly recruited, and aside from their troublesome immortality, their overall combat abilities were nothing extraordinary.
The Emperors Alliance had already prepared methods to deal with immortality. Whether it was Seastone handcuffs or the bubble gun created by Dr. Vegapunk, both were effective against Devil Fruit users.
As long as they were Devil Fruit users, even immortality could not save them from the effects of Seastone and the bubble gun.
Unfortunately for the God's Knights, the majority of them relied heavily on Devil Fruits.
The fastest way to increase someone's strength was through Devil Fruits, and the World Government, as the ruler of the seas, naturally possessed countless powerful abilities.
Most Celestial Dragon preferred luxury and comfort over harsh training. They hated pain and hardship. Even the members of the God's Knights, who were considered more disciplined among the Dragons, trained far less than ordinary Marine soldiers.
Their strength depended almost entirely on powerful Devil Fruits and immortality.
Meanwhile, Saint Nusjuro was steadily being pushed back by Kaido.
Kaido had already stepped into the realm of a true King-level monster. Although he lacked immortality, his awakened Fish Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, combined with the regenerative abilities of the Phoenix power, gave him absurd endurance and recovery.
At this moment, Kaido completely suppressed Saint Nusjuro.
More importantly, Kaido's Conqueror's Haki had already reached the point where it could directly damage and even kill immortal beings. That alone placed immense pressure on Saint Nusjuro.
" Worororo! Saint Nusjuro, is this all you've got?" Kaido laughed wildly as his killing intent surged. "If this is your limit, then die already!"
Kaido swung his kanabo violently, colliding against Saint Nusjuro's blade.
Boom!
The sky trembled from the impact of their Conqueror's Haki.
Even after injecting four portions of divine blood, greatly boosting his physical abilities, Saint Nusjuro still could not match Kaido's raw strength.
Kaido himself was a natural-born monster, a warrior with overwhelming power in every category.
The violent shockwave exploded outward as Kaido's Conqueror's Haki completely overpowered Saint Nusjuro's, blasting him backward.
" Worororo! Die!"
Kaido did not give him even a moment to recover.
Against ordinary opponents, Kaido often fought proudly, allowing enemies to stand back up before continuing the battle. He despised cheap tactics.
But the Gorosei were different.
These monsters possessed immortality. If he allowed them time to recover, the battle would drag on endlessly. Even Kaido did not want to test his limits against immortal enemies.
Although he had supreme confidence in prolonged combat due to his Oni physique, awakened Devil Fruit, and Phoenix regeneration, immortality was still too troublesome.
Even his Conqueror's Haki could not kill them instantly.
That meant only one thing.
He had to keep attacking.
"Damn it..." Saint Nusjuro's expression darkened as he watched Kaido rush toward him once again.
The previous clash had already injured his internal organs. If he continued taking Kaido's attacks head-on, he would truly die.
But there was no one left to support him.
He had no choice except to endure.
Compared to the Gorosei, however, the situation of the God's Knights was even worse.
Although they also possessed immortality, they still suffered from the weaknesses of Devil Fruit users.
Once bound by Seastone chains, they became completely powerless. Their Haki was nowhere near strong enough to destroy Seastone restraints.
"What despicable methods!" Saint Sommers roared furiously as he watched several members of the God's Knights get captured and restrained with Seastone.
Even immortality became meaningless once their bodies lost all strength.
Harta stared coldly at Saint Sommers and said, "Soon, you'll end up just like them."
The moment his words fell, Harta attacked again.
Saint Sommers possessed the Thorn Thorn Fruit, a strange and dangerous ability that allowed his thorns to become nearly invisible.
However, against someone like Harta, who possessed the Phoenix ability, such tricks were not enough.
One of the greatest strengths of the Phoenix Pirates' commanders was their exceptionally solid foundation.
Physique, Haki, swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, they had mastered all of it.
Back when they were young, Whitebeard personally trained them. At the time, the Whitebeard Pirates lacked resources and rarely had access to Devil Fruits.
If they wanted to become stronger, they had to rely on pure training and fundamentals.
Those basics might not have looked flashy, but they allowed them to adapt to nearly any situation.
Against strange abilities, that experience often became the deciding factor.
At first, Saint Sommers' nearly invisible thorns had caused Harta some trouble. But after observing the attacks and defending repeatedly, Harta gradually understood the pattern behind the Thorn Thorn Fruit.
Once he adapted, the battle immediately shifted.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
Saint Sommers screamed in agony as Harta's slash severed his right arm along with countless thorny spikes.
The detached arm fell to the ground without spilling blood.
Then, under Harta's watchful gaze, Saint Sommers calmly picked up the severed arm and reattached it.
Harta narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Immortality really is troublesome."
"Brat, don't underestimate the God's Knights!" Saint Sommers roared furiously as he activated the Thorn Thorn Fruit once more.