*Schwing!!*
A cold gleam flashed as a terrifying slash suddenly erupted from beneath the hundred-ton mechanical tiger head, slicing it cleanly in two!
*Boom!!*
The severed halves of the mechanical tiger head crashed down on either side, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
Kaku's figure emerged from the debris. A red glint flashed in his cold eyes as black flames wrapped around his twisted limbs and heavily injured body, healing his wounds at a visible rate.
From a building just across the street from the city park, Kid's figure slowly walked out of the billowing dust.
Blood trickled from the ten puncture wounds in his abdomen. He raised a hand to wipe a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, a fierce, sinister grin spreading across his face.
"What's going on? Your abilities don't seem as simple as regular Zoans," Kid mocked playfully. He studied Kaku's rapidly regenerating wounds, feeling a bit curious.
Kaku didn't answer. Instead, he further stimulated the power within his body, causing his beast-man form to undergo yet another transformation.
A black flame cloud ignited out of thin air, rapidly spreading to wrap around his shoulders. A pair of red demonic horns sprouted from his forehead, and the color of his fur gradually darkened.
In the blink of an eye, Kaku transformed into a Deer-Man Demon Form.
His eyes turned a bloody crimson, and his long, square neck compressed layer by layer. His physique became slender yet powerfully built, and the spots on his black fur emitted an eerie red glow.
Kid's gaze narrowed. He could clearly feel the enemy's aura steadily climbing.
'Could it be a Mythical Zoan?'
'But these two are obviously not the same type of animal, yet they share the exact same traits. That's a bit too much of a coincidence.'
'Rather than two Mythical Zoans, it's more like they share the same source of power.'
'Combined with that regenerative ability and what that woman said earlier...'
'It feels somewhat similar to the demonic power that guy mentioned...'
"Hey, don't tell me you guys are those so-called Holy Knights," Kid said, the corners of his mouth curling up smugly, feeling like he had figured out the truth.
Despite his reckless fighting style, that was just his personality—it didn't mean he was stupid.
At that moment.
*Swish!*
Another figure descended, landing on the roof of a vendor stall next to Kid.
Gin glanced at Kid, then turned to sweep his gaze over the figures in the park, asking casually, "What happened? You got hurt by them?"
"I just got a little careless, that's all. These minor scratches won't affect me at all," Kid laughed arrogantly. He spread his fingers, releasing his magnetism to attract a massive amount of metal, his eyes darkening. "Against this kind of trash, I'm more than enough on my own!"
With that, Kid leaped toward the park. A massive amount of metal rapidly deformed and assembled behind him, forming a mechanical demon brimming with heavy metal punk style!
"Punk Rotten!!
"Punk Vise!!"
Following Kid's explosive shout, the mechanical demon arrived above Jabra. Guided by magnetism, its massive arms violently clamped down toward the center!
*Whoosh!*
Jabra's eyes darkened. He activated the high-speed movement technique, Shave, and his figure instantly vanished from the spot!
*Clang--!!*
A loud metallic crash echoed in the air. Jabra stepped on the air, his body rising higher and higher as he angrily kicked out four slashes!
"Tempest Kick: Demon Wolf Consecutive Stars!!"
*Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing!*
Cold gleams flashed as the four slashing waves transformed into scarlet wolves, viciously lunging at Kid inside the mechanical demon's cockpit as if to devour him!
Kid's eyes filled with disdain. He controlled the mechanical demon to raise its arms in defense.
*Clang!! Clang!!*
The tightly compressed alloy, reinforced by internal magnetic attraction, had become incredibly hard. The slashes landed consecutively but only managed to leave four gouges on the surface.
At the same time, the other mechanical arm formed a fist and aimed at Jabra. With a burst of magnetism, the entire fist launched out like a rocket!
Facing the roaring rocket punch, even with nowhere to leverage his strength in mid-air, Jabra—a master of the Six Powers—handled it effortlessly, immediately using Moonwalk to dodge.
However, in the next second.
"You really don't learn, you idiot," Kid sneered coldly, reversing the internal magnetic force of the flying mechanical arm.
"Punk Metal Burst!!"
*Boom!!!*
The massive mechanical arm violently exploded, sending countless metal shards shooting out in all directions!
"Iron Body: Steel!!"
Jabra hastily crossed his arms in front of his chest, pumping his blood to tense his muscles until they were as hard as steel!
*Ding! Ding! Ding!*
A massive wave of metal shrapnel instantly engulfed Jabra, striking his body with a dense barrage of crisp clinking sounds. The powerful impact knocked him back down to the ground.
Kid controlled the magnetic demon to charge forward, seizing the opportunity. A metal drill emerged from the stump of the missing right mechanical arm, spinning at high speed as it thrust downward!
"Magnetism: Demon Star Drill!!"
Right at that moment.
"Demon Deer Nose Pistol: Serpentine Spin!!"
Not far away, Kaku's compressed long neck suddenly erupted. Using his nose hardened by Iron Body as a Finger Pistol, combined with the spiraling thrust of his neck, he launched a surprise attack from Kid's flank!
*Boom!!!*
The high-speed spinning drill viciously pierced into Jabra, sending him flying!
At the same time, Kaku's Nose Pistol heavily smashed into Kid's mechanical demon. The powerful explosive force caused the mechanical demon to shatter on the spot!
*Boom!!!*
Kid leaped up, and two figures took the opportunity to violently spring into action, launching themselves into the air with extreme explosive speed!
"Super Spin: Iron Body: Sphere!!"
Fukurou used Shave to burst forth with astonishing speed, curling his body in mid-air to spin rapidly. Then, activating Iron Body, he used the immense momentum to smash toward Kid like a black tornado!
On the other side, Kumadori the Lion twisted his long, messy hair into several strands, sharpening the ends before thrusting them forward with extreme speed!
Facing their sudden ambush, Kid looked startled. He hastily raised his arms, quickly infusing them with Armament Haki to block.
Just as the two surprise attacks clamped down from the left and right.
*Bang!! Bang!!*
Two gunshots suddenly rang out! By the time the sound reached their ears, the bullets had already arrived. After being amplified a hundredfold, they were the size of cannonballs, traveling far beyond the speed of sound!
*Boom!! Boom!!*
The massive lead bullets viciously slammed into Fukurou and Kumadori. The terrifying kinetic energy instantly sent the two of them flying, crashing heavily into the park's fountain!
"Puh-gah——!!"
The statue in the center of the fountain was smashed to pieces. Half-submerged in the water, Fukurou and Kumadori each spat out a mouthful of blood. Clutching their chests in agony, they turned to look into the distance.
Gin held up a short flintlock pistol, a wisp of white smoke slowly rising from the barrel.
"Who asked you to butt in, hey?! Didn't I say I could handle it alone?!" Kid yelled at him in annoyance.
Gin lowered his gun and said flatly, "Suit yourself. There's no need to waste too much time on them."
"Tch, you say that like I can't finish them off quickly. I just finally found some decent punching bags to play with," Kid retorted stubbornly, then turned to look into the distance.
Only to find that Jabra and the other two had stood up again. Black flames clung to their bodies, continuously repairing their injuries.
"You can recover from injuries this heavy? Hey, hey, don't tell me you guys are actually immortal."
Seeing the bloody, mangled hole in Jabra's abdomen healing, Kid couldn't help but show some surprise.
He had heard Allen mention the Holy Knights before, but at the time, he thought the "immortal body" part was just an exaggeration. He didn't expect it to be this absurd.
'Isn't this basically the same as Marco the Phoenix's ability?'
'A power boost plus the blessing of an immortal body... Did these ordinary Zoans just turn into Mythical Zoans?'
"Gin! Kid!"
At that moment, Nami's voice suddenly called out from high above in the distance.
Everyone present looked up, only to see Allen and the others arriving, leaping down from the rooftops of various buildings one after another.
"Their main force is here, let's fall back!"
Kaku shouted with a grave expression, immediately turning to retreat.
Their mission was only to buy time for Lucci, who had gone to assassinate Vegapunk. Facing an Emperor of the Sea head-on was impossible, even with their immortal bodies.
Seeing this, Jabra and the others stopped engaging Kid and turned to flee.
However, right at that moment.
"Blackwater!!"
Allen leaped out from the group, extending his hands. A cloud of black mist surged from his palms, spinning to release a powerful gravitational pull!
"Crap!!"
The sudden invisible force shocked Kaku and the others who had just jumped into the air, halting their momentum before rapidly dragging them back down to the ground!
"What is this power?!"
"I can't control my body...!"
Panic washed over Jabra and the others. Kalifa whipped her lash around a streetlamp, her body hanging in the air like a fluttering flag.
In an instant, fierce winds howled through the entire park.
The others also grabbed onto whatever was nearby, but they couldn't resist the bizarre suction at all. Streetlamps, park benches, and more were uprooted from the ground!
"Damn it! Let's fight them to the death!"
Jabra gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.
"Jabra!!"
Kaku cried out in panic upon hearing this, but it was too late to stop him.
"Shave!!"
Jabra stopped resisting the suction. Instead, he stomped heavily on the ground, using the gravitational pull to burst forth with terrifying speed right at Allen!
"Iron Body Kenpo!!"
"Demon Wolf Hunt: Heavy Step Cannon!!"
Jabra roared fiercely. The muscles in his strong arm bulged, layering Iron Body with Armament Haki hardening. Combined with his terrifying explosive speed, he threw a punch like a heavy cannon!
Facing this fast and powerful attack, Allen simply flicked his arm casually.
The movement seemed slow but was actually so fast it left countless afterimages! He placed a palm on the incoming fist, flipped his wrist, and used Jabra's own momentum to deflect the strike.
"This is...!!"
Jabra's pupils shrank. Feeling the force behind his punch instantly dissipate into nothingness, panic uncontrollably spread across his face.
The next second, a dark shadow flashed before his eyes!
*Bang!!*
Allen delivered a violent, sweeping kick! It slammed into Jabra's face with a dull thud, sending him flying away!
*Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!*
Jabra's body flew out at extreme speed, skipping across the ground like a kite with a broken string. He crashed through several buildings, kicking up billowing clouds of dust.
Allen cast a cold glance at Kaku and the others opposite him, saying flatly:
"Is this the extent of your demonification boost? Too weak."
"Being called weak by an Emperor doesn't make me feel ashamed. Since there's nowhere left to run..."
Kaku's eyes grew solemn. Knowing they couldn't escape, their only option was to do their best to buy more time for Lucci.
However, Allen had no intention of fighting them. He glanced up at the cloud island above and casually instructed:
"Two of the presences I sensed earlier are missing. I'll leave this to you. Their weakness is their hearts. Don't let them escape."
With that, Allen leaped into the air. Black wings materialized on his back, and with a powerful flap, he accelerated into the sky.
Hearing his words, Kaku and the others visibly stiffened, their expressions turning grim.
'This guy actually knows that our hearts were modified by demonic energy—our fatal weakness!'
"The heart, huh? If they have a weakness, then this just got a lot simpler."
Gin's lips curled up. He activated his ability, emitting a strange purple glow from his body, and bent his knees slightly into a crouch.
"More-More: Hundredfold Acceleration!"
*Bang!!!*
The ground beneath his feet suddenly exploded into a deep crater as his figure instantly vanished.
The next moment.
Kaku's eyes widened in shock as Gin's figure instantly appeared right in front of him!
'So fast!!'
*Schwing!!*
Kaku hastily raised his leg, instinctively aiming a Tempest Kick at the space in front of him. But just as he lifted his leg, Gin stomped on his instep, pinning it back down.
At the same time, Gin drew the iron tonfa from his waist with his right hand. Twisting his waist to generate power, the iron ball at the end of the tonfa swept out with a howl!
*Bang!!*
Kaku brought both arms together to block, but the heavy iron ball smashed into them, instantly fracturing and twisting his arms!
"Thirtyfold Multiply: Destructive Blast!!"
Following Gin's explosive shout, a blinding light erupted from the iron ball. A terrifying explosion, powerful enough to shatter a warship, detonated on the spot!
*Boom!!!*
A terrifying explosive shockwave rippled outward. Fierce flames and black smoke shot into the sky, forming a massive mushroom cloud that billowed over the town!
*Bang!!*
Kaku was blown away by the blast, his back slamming heavily into an unknown metal dome. His body slumped down like a pile of mud, and he couldn't hold back a mouthful of blood.
"Puh-gah——!!"
Before he could stand up again, Gin flashed right in front of him. Curving his fingers into a claw, he thrust downward with lightning speed!
"Finger Pistol: Claw!!"
*Squelch!!*
"Uwaah--!!"
Kaku opened his mouth wide in agony, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as Gin's arm pierced straight through his body!
A large amount of blood splattered onto the ground. Gin pulled out a heart wrapped in black mist with a single claw strike!
"Hm?"
Looking at Kaku, who was lying on the ground panting and covered in sweat, Gin couldn't help but look surprised. The bloody hole in Kaku's chest was still regenerating under the black flames.
'His heart was ripped out, and he's still alive?'
He couldn't help but glance again at the heart wrapped in black mist in his hand.
"So as long as the heart isn't destroyed, you can recover from any bodily injury? Conversely, if the heart is destroyed, you'll die instantly, right?"
"Kaku!!"
"This is really bad now, hey! Our heart's weakness has been exposed!"
Kalifa and Fukurou cried out in panic from a distance.