After finishing off the horse skeleton, Allen turned to look in the direction of the other Five Elders. He leaped into the air, spreading the wings on his back, and flew off at high speed, kicking up a fierce gale.
The Five Elders could descend upon Egghead via teleportation arrays, and they could also teleport back to the Holy Land at any time. Since they were here, he would kill as many as he could today.
*Rumble—!!*
The ground in the factory phase shook violently. Kid continuously leaped between buildings, and the structures he left behind collapsed one after another.
His eyes were fixed on the bulging earth behind him. The giant sandworm burrowing underground was relentlessly pursuing him.
Soon after, the commotion behind him suddenly stopped.
Kid halted his steps, looking around with a vigilant gaze while reaching out to draw nearby metallic objects toward him.
Right at that moment.
Underneath!
"Great Chasm!!"
*Boom!!*
The giant sandworm suddenly burst from the ground right in front of him, its massive body, tens of meters long, shooting straight up into the sky!
Kid reacted instantly. Just as he was about to launch an attack, he stumbled as the building beneath his feet suddenly collapsed!
*Rumble—!!*
It wasn't just beneath his feet; the entire earth within a radius of hundreds of meters had been hollowed out. In an instant, it crumbled and collapsed into a massive circular crater, burying Kid under countless falling boulders.
"Bite: Great World Devourer!!"
The sandworm lowered its body and roared, opening its blood-soaked maw filled with sharp fangs, unleashing a terrifying suction force toward the buried Kid!
*Whoosh—!!*
A fierce wind rose from the ground. Boulders mixed with various debris flew into the sky. The densely packed fangs inside the sandworm's mouth spun at high speed, brutally shredding everything sucked inside!
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Under this terrifying suction, Kid's body flew up uncontrollably, constantly battered by the surrounding boulders and debris.
"Magnetism: Assign!!"
Seeing that he was about to be swallowed, Kid hastily activated his ability, assigning magnetism to the boulders crashing toward him.
The moment he was brought right before the giant sandworm, Kid's eyes darkened. His palms erupted with powerful magnetism as he clapped them together in front of him!
"Magnetism: Fusion!!"
*Smack!!*
With a crisp clap, countless metallic objects and magnetized boulders suddenly converged, forming a massive rock sphere over ten meters in diameter, heavily laced with metal!
*Bang!!*
The giant sandworm's pupils dilated as the rock sphere, carried by its own momentum, smashed heavily into its face!
With the sandworm's gaping maw plugged by the rock sphere, the powerful suction force vanished.
Kid landed his feet on the rock sphere, spread his fingers slightly curved, and thrust his palms fiercely against its surface!
"Magnetism: Sharp Cone Spear!!!"
*Bang!!!*
A repulsive magnetic force erupted. A massive rock pillar broke off from the center of the sphere and violently thrust into the sandworm's mouth, piercing through its oral cavity and bursting out from its back!
A large amount of thick green blood splattered out. The giant sandworm's tens-of-meters-long body toppled backward and crashed heavily onto the ground!
Right at that moment, Allen's figure descended from the sky!
*Bang!!*
Landing violently on the fallen sandworm's body, Allen slammed his large palm onto his opponent!
"Blackwater!!"
A massive amount of black mist surged from his palm! Like a black tide, it spread across the sandworm's surface, quickly engulfing its colossal body!
"Screeeech—!!!"
*Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!*
The giant sandworm let out agonizing howls, its body thrashing and tumbling, continuously smashing into the surrounding buildings.
Relying on the gravitational pull in his palm, Allen remained firmly attached to it. In the blink of an eye, the giant sandworm shrank back into its human form, pinned firmly to the ground by Allen.
Immediately after, Saint Ju Peter's body withered away, his skin rapidly becoming wrinkled and saggy.
"Hey! What the hell is this?"
Watching the opponent's body continuously shrivel under the black mist, Kid frowned in astonishment.
In just a few breaths, he witnessed Ju Peter die amidst wails, his corpse completely turning into a pile of withered white bones!
"What's going on? Your ability can even..."
"You're overthinking it. The Five Elders were people who should have died long ago. They've merely been sustaining a false life for hundreds of years using Imu's demonic energy."
Allen stood up, waving away the black mist in his hand, and explained:
"The demonic energy granted them immortality, but they still couldn't escape aging. Once the demonic energy within them is drained, they instantly turn into dry bones."
As early as the God Valley Incident, Figarland Garling was already the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights.
In other words, he had already been granted an immortal body back then, yet he was now old and in his twilight years.
And the current Five Elders had existed for hundreds of years.
Two hundred years ago, when Saturn dealt with the Ancient Robot that appeared in the Holy Land, he was already in an elderly state. His normal lifespan had reached its end long ago.
One must know that even the Giant Tribe, which had the longest lifespan in the world, only lived for 300 years. Continuing to survive for 200 years in an elderly state was simply impossible.
"I see. So that's why he died directly after being stripped of his power..."
Kid immediately understood.
"Next..."
Allen turned around again, radiating his Observation Haki to sense the auras on the island. He quickly chose a direction, leaped into the sky, and flew off rapidly.
In the city square.
"Baleful Eye: Heaven's Bind!!"
Saturn, in his Gyuki form, shouted loudly. A crimson light bloomed in his eyes, and the space his gaze fell upon instantly solidified!
Robin's figure froze, her brows furrowing tightly. The surrounding air seemed to materialize, compressing from all directions and rendering her unable to move.
"Savage Spider: Divine Leg Execution!!"
Saint Saturn roared deeply. The four spider legs on his lower body were coated in Haki and suddenly elongated, tearing through space to fiercely pierce toward the immobilized Robin!
Although she couldn't dodge, fortunately, Robin could still activate her ability. She hastily sprouted countless arms in front of her!
"Sunflower: Marigold Flame Wheel!!"
Arms burning with fierce flames grew from the ground, intertwining to form a stem.
From the end of the stem, countless arms grew up, down, left, and right, blooming like a sunflower and spinning at high speed.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The four spider legs struck viciously. Relying on the defensive properties of the Lunarian flames, the venomous spider legs failed to pierce the defense and were instead tightly entangled by the spinning sunflower!
With a thought from Robin, the sunflower formed by countless arms erupted with raging flames that surged along the spider legs!
*Boom!!*
The flames rapidly spread up the spider legs. Saturn frowned tightly and pulled hard, severing his own legs.
After cutting off the spreading flames, the spider legs on his lower body quickly regenerated amidst black flames. He lowered his body, bent his eight legs to gather power, and then leaped fiercely into the midair!
Perhaps because his movement broke the binding ability of the Baleful Eye, Robin felt her body suddenly loosen, regaining her mobility.
"You sinful bloodline! You should have sunk to the bottom of the sea along with Ohara back then. Go to hell, Nico Robin...!!"
High in the sky, Saturn shouted furiously. Eerie purple flames ignited atop his head, coating those ferocious bull horns. With his head pointing down, he used the momentum of his fall to charge down viciously!
"Gyuki: Hellfire Horn Smash!!"
Facing an attack falling from the sky comparable to a meteorite, Robin did not choose to dodge. Instead, she stood her ground, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and looked up at the sky with a resolute gaze.
"No one is born sinful. The true sin is disregarding life and arbitrarily defining others as evil, just like you do!"
"Crimson Lotus Purgatory: Demon Fleur!!"
As Robin's eyes darkened, her ability activated!
The next instant.
*Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!*
Giant arms burning with crimson flames rose from the ground! Winding like purgatory serpents, thousands of arms behind Robin materialized into a massive half-body avatar!
That avatar had a pair of pitch-black wings on its back and a pair of curved bull horns on its head, resembling a demon crawling out of purgatory. It crossed its arms in front of its chest, mirroring Robin's exact posture!
"Sea Dragon Flower: Hell Serpent Dance!!"
Robin shouted angrily. The giant arms around her whistled through the air, lunging wildly toward the sky like crimson flaming pythons!
*Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!*
The flaming giant arms continuously bombarded the falling Saturn, but were deflected by the massive body diving down with the force of a thunderbolt.
Robin gritted her teeth and held on. As the flaming giant arms continued to lunge, Saturn's falling momentum visibly weakened!
Just as Saturn was about to crash into the ground, the demon avatar behind Robin finally made its move!
It fiercely opened its ferocious eyes, raging fire igniting on its back, and thrust its hands out to strike Saturn's bull horns!
*Bang!!*
The earth trembled violently, as if struck by a mountain.
Robin clenched her jaw. The demon avatar firmly gripped Saturn's horns, its face contorting as it exerted force, violently dragging Saturn in a half-circle and hurling him away!
*Boom!!!*
The massive Gyuki crashed into a tall building. Reinforced concrete walls cracked and collapsed, and Saturn's body slid down, smashing into the ground.
Dizzy and clutching his forehead, his eight legs tangled in a mess, he staggered and struggled to stand up from the ground.
However, before he could regain his senses, dozens, even hundreds of flaming giant arms rapidly sprouted from the surrounding earth, pouncing on him like giant crimson pythons!
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
The flaming giant arms wildly coiled around him, densely packed to the point of almost completely submerging Saturn's entire Gyuki body. Their fingers curled into claws, tightly locking onto his limbs and bones!
"Purgatory Lotus: Stronghold!!"
Robin shouted furiously. Her ten fingers gripped tightly, and those giant arms, like crimson pythons, bent Saturn's body and viciously snapped it!
*Crack!! Crack!! Crack!!*
"Gwaaah—!!!"
Buried under countless giant arms, Saturn let out an agonizing howl. The raging flames burned his body, sizzling loudly.
"Stop it, you bastard!!"
"Screeeech—!!"
"Nico Robin!!!"
Tragic howls continuously rang out. The demonic energy repaired his body, only for it to be ruthlessly scorched by the fierce flames again, cycling endlessly through this purgatory-like torment!
*Whoosh—Tap!*
Allen's figure descended from the sky, landing lightly behind Robin.
"It seems I've come at a bad time."
Seeing Saturn being tortured to the point of wishing for death, Allen was in no rush to step forward and end his life.
After all, beasts shouldn't be treated the same as humans.
Unfortunately, generating such a massive number of arms was already physically exhausting.
Unleashing flames at full power on every single arm multiplied the drain on Robin's stamina.
A moment later, Robin could no longer maintain it. She stumbled and nearly collapsed on the spot, simultaneously releasing her hands and deactivating her ability.
Allen supported her in time, watching as the arms nearby turned into flaming petals and scattered into the air.
On the scorched earth, Saint Saturn was burned completely black. His flesh was torn open and smoking. He lay motionless on the ground, his body only rising and falling with his gasping breaths.
Demonic energy continuously surged from his body, endlessly repairing it.
Allen patted Robin's shoulder, then leaped forward, landing his feet on Saturn's body and crouching down to press his palm against him.
"Blackwater!!"
Soon, a massive amount of black mist emerged, rapidly spreading across the body.
Saturn's pupils widened, but his severely traumatized body was powerless to struggle. He could only watch helplessly as the black mist devoured him whole.
A moment later, Saturn's figure vanished, leaving only a set of stark white, withered bones in his place.
*Crunch—Crack!!*
Allen stomped his foot, shattering Saturn's remains on the spot. He turned to look into the distance, just as he was about to set off to deal with the other two Five Elders.
"There are two left..."
His voice abruptly stopped. Allen and Robin's expressions suddenly changed, and they whipped their heads around to look toward the East Coast at the same time!
"..."
"It's the exact same aura as when the Holy Knights and the Five Elders descended..."
Allen's face darkened. He crouched low, bending his knees, ready to launch himself at any moment, and spoke rapidly:
"You and Kid go support the others. I'm heading back!"
"Understood," Robin replied hastily.
Just as she finished speaking.
*Bang!!*
The ground shattered into a deep semicircular crater, and Allen's figure instantly vanished from the spot!
Egghead, East Coast.
The waves gently lapped against the beach, soaking the soft, fine sand. A row of coconut trees painted a touch of green along the shore, their large fronds swaying gently in the cool sea breeze.
The *Freewill* was quietly docked near the coast. Sanji, in his Pink Dragon form, carried Vegapunk and the others down from the sky.
"Aha, with this, we've successfully escaped."
Vegapunk impatiently jumped off Sanji's back. The moment his feet touched the deck, his tense body and mind instantly relaxed.
"Don't get too careless, you stupid old man. As long as we haven't left Egghead, we're far from safe."
*Poof!!*
Sanji remarked casually. After unloading the others and the heavy fusion reactor, he reverted to his human form and landed on the deck.
"I'll notify the others still on the island first. You guys get ready to set sail."
"Understood, understood."
Vegapunk nodded in agreement, then turned to Sentomaru. "Let's move the fusion reactor into..."
Halfway through his sentence, Vegapunk's voice abruptly stopped.
Sanji and the others around him looked over, only to see him with his eyes wide open, staring fixedly at the top of the ship's cabin.
"What's wrong?"
"Doctor?"
Confused, Sanji and the others instinctively followed his gaze.
The next moment.
Everyone froze in place, utterly shocked.
"This body brimming with vitality is truly rare. Imu cannot help but feel a sense of pity."
Above the ship's cabin, Lucci's figure hovered in the air. A pair of pitch-black wings spread from his back, and black flame clouds coiled around his body.
His eerie eyes, bearing concentric ring patterns, looked down coldly at the crowd from above!