Chapter 327: The Second Battle

"Blasphemer!"

Accompanied by a furious roar, an enraged believer in the crowd raised a flintlock pistol and pulled the trigger at Xiang Gaowen.

Bang!

The sound of gunfire rang out; before the bullet could even leave the barrel, it was torn apart by a faster bullet, causing the gun to explode from the middle like a blooming flower.

Van Augur stood at Xiang Gaowen's side, holding a pistol in each hand, his eyebrows and eyes drooping as he racked the bolt.

Click-clack—!

The sound was crisp; another bullet was chambered.

The anger and madness in everyone's eyes, however, erupted completely at this moment; countless people grabbed whatever tools were at hand and charged toward Xiang Gaowen and his group to kill!

"Even at this point, still no one recognizes the gap in power between us?!"

Van Augur frowned tightly.

He could naturally see that these were merely commoners who had never undergone any cultivation.

Even an ordinary crew member under Xiang Gaowen's command could, by himself, knock down every commoner present.

Yet Van Augur saw not a shred of fear in these people, only anger and madness, as if all their faith had been defiled, unleashing a hysterical frenzy!

"Kill them!"

"Otherwise, we will all suffer the god's curse and be cast into hell!"

Curses rose one after another.

Even those who had originally retained some sanity were, in this instant, swept up by the surrounding voices; their eyes turned red, and they immediately grabbed the weapons in their hands!

Xiang Gaowen frowned tightly.

The situation before him had somewhat exceeded his expectations.

The mental state of these people was clearly wrong, reminding him of a certain movie he had watched.

In it, the protagonist walked gun in hand into a chapel where prayers were being held; those obsessed believers, even as their companions were killed beside them, remained unmoved, chanting until the very last moment.

That scene had made Xiang Gaowen's scalp tingle when he watched it, yet he never expected to witness it with his own eyes here today.

"Mass hypnosis?!"

"No!"

"It's恐怕 more troublesome!"

Whoosh—!

While he was thinking, an arrow shot past Xiang Gaowen's face at high speed, and his gaze sank slightly at that moment.

The next instant, a violent Conqueror's Haki spread outward from Xiang Gaowen as the center; the howling airflow knocked over the commoners, who immediately foamed at the mouth and lost consciousness.

The surroundings instantly fell silent.

Xiang Gaowen's gaze swept through the crowd, yet his brows knitted tighter and tighter.

Ragged clothing, sallow complexions, and emaciated bodies; most had calluses on their hands from long-term farm labor, clearly indicating that these people were mostly commoners from the surrounding areas.

Xiang Gaowen looked at the church in the center of the town, which could barely be described as tall and magnificent, then immediately turned his head to look at Morgan beside him.

"As you can see, this is the reality of this country."

Unable to bear watching this scene, Morgan turned her head aside:

"After Arthur's death, Britannias fell into the hands of Wales, or rather, the Celestial Awakening Church."

"I don't know what methods they used, but almost everyone has become a believer of Wales, and even..."

Morgan's voice choked up somewhat; the crowd could barely make out the meaning she intended to convey:

"Even in recent years, they have become increasingly mad; they no longer possess the thinking of normal people."

"Perhaps it has something to do with Joan of Arc's ability."

Xiang Gaowen shook his head:

"I'm afraid it's worse; they must have done so voluntarily."

"Voluntarily?"

Everyone looked at Xiang Gaowen, and for a moment, none of them reacted to the meaning behind his words.

"Hey, hey, hey..."

Sanji put down the cigarette in his hand and said in disbelief:

"You saw it just now, didn't you?!"

"That person personally chopped off his own arm, wearing an expression of enjoyment and piety."

Sanji's gaze fell upon a young man in the center of the crowd, whose face was deathly pale and who was clearly suffering from excessive blood loss; instantly, he felt a chill rising from the depths of his heart.

"And him."

He pointed his finger at an old man who had stripped off his clothes:

"Offering everything, not even leaving his clothes behind."

"Even if what you say, Captain, I..."

Shocked by this scene was not only Sanji, but also the silent members of the Xiang Gaowen Pirates surrounding them.

The more they looked,

the more they could perceive a chill.

These people possessed a kind of madness they had never seen nor felt before, impacting everyone's worldview.

The group stood there for a long time.

Only after Van Augur fired an extra shot into each member of the Celestial Awakening Church dressed as priests did he compose his mind, re-board the ship, and prepare to continue their journey.

It was just that the scene from earlier likewise made their hearts feel blocked and heavy.

Xiang Gaowen stood on the deck for a long time before finally returning to the cabin.

Most of these people were commoners on the verge of starvation, yet there were still those who would crush their bones and suck their marrow, squeezing out the last shred of value.

It should not be this way.

No matter how brutal the order, it is always composed of people, and the bottom line must be to let people survive.

The madness of this world only made Xiang Gaowen's blood boil with rage.

He did not consider himself a good person, but humans should not, or at least must not, sink to such depths.

Fortunately.

Xiang Gaowen's goal for this journey was Britannias from the start, was the so-called Avalon from the start, and was to establish a stable base here from the start.

How can one tolerate another sleeping peacefully beside one's own bed?!

Xiang Keluo and the others likewise remained silent, returning to their respective posts, their expressions gaining several degrees of solemnity.

The Lionheart Knight advanced steadily, gradually penetrating deep into Britannias and approaching the central continent.

It was at this very moment.

A massive ship flew across the high sky.

Exquisite and magnificent, reeking of extravagance that spent gold like dirt.

Xiang Gaowen stepped out of the cabin, raising his eyes to gaze at that ship speeding away in the high sky.

Sensing the familiar aura within the cabin, the corners of his mouth gradually curled up, revealing a chill killing intent.

"The God's Knights?!"

"Their movement trajectory is indeed consistent with our previous guesses!"

Zzheng—!

Guanshi Zhengzong unsheathed.

In Xiang Gaowen's gaze, the coldness grew increasingly thick.

Having previously suffered an attack from the God's Knights, he already had a belly full of fire in his heart.

Now encountering them again on his own home turf, it was naturally difficult to suppress the anger in his heart any longer.

Moreover, after that previous battle with the God's Knights, logically speaking, since Xiang Gaowen had acted against the Celestial Dragons, the World Government should not have stood by with folded hands under any circumstances.

The Celestial Dragons could almost be said to be the true leaders of the World Government.

But until now, from the World Government side, let alone actual action, there had not even been a verbal warning.

Terrifyingly quiet.

This basically confirmed that Xia Mu Luo Ke's actions were carried out privately, with a high probability that even the Five Elders or even Imu, who sits at a higher level, knew nothing about it.

As for why they would do this, Xiang Gaowen was not surprised.

Eternal life, without having to become a slave dominated by Imu; being a Celestial Dragon of Mary Geoise, and having once possessed combat power comparable to Roger and Whitebeard—who could remain unmoved by such prospects?! Furthermore, Xiang Gaowen clearly remembered that Garling, the current commander of the God's Knights, as a figure from the same era as Whitebeard, was likewise approaching the end of his life.

For such a strong individual, becoming a slave dominated by Imu was an almost intolerable matter.

Taking such action was not strange.

"But no matter who it is, no matter what reasons they have, if they dare to act against us, they must pay the corresponding price!"

A low murmur emerged from Xiang Gaowen's mouth.

Fine dragon scales began to appear on Xiang Gaowen's body surface, twin wings unfolded on his shoulders, and dragon horns coiled atop his head.

Now, accompanied by his familiarity with and development of the Red Dragon's abilities, Xiang Gaowen's utilization of them had become increasingly effortless.

In this current Demon Form, the beastly components were becoming fewer and fewer, transforming more and more into a suit of form-fitting armor, yet the Red Dragon's formidable physical capabilities had not weakened in the slightest!

Bang!

Xiang Gaowen stepped out with one foot, causing the deck of the Lionheart Knight to sink slightly; immediately after, Xiang Gaowen shot toward the magnificent warship in the high sky like a cannonball!

Boom—!

Accompanied by a loud explosion, the warship was instantly pierced through by Xiang Gaowen, who attacked and killed as he came, breaking into two halves from the very center and beginning to slowly fall downward.

The members of the God's Knights on the deck all felt a moment of shock.

"This guy is... Knight Xiang Gaowen!"

"He's actually faster than us?"

Saint Charlos was both shocked and terrified, his mind already beginning to ponder exactly how to escape.

The psychological shadow left by that battle half a month ago had not yet dissipated.

Although the wounds Xiang Gaowen had left on him had long since completely healed, they still throbbed faintly even now.

"What should we do?"

Xia Mu Luo Ke's face turned gloomy:

"The action is actually this fast?!"

He lowered his eyes, gazing toward the place from which Xiang Gaowen had come.

All he saw was a strangely shaped massive warship, topped with a lion's head, speeding toward their side.

Several figures with sharp auras had already darted out from the ship, their killing intent overwhelming!

"Is that the ship?!"

Xia Mu Luo Ke withdrew violently, but then seemed to remember something and suddenly rushed into the cabin.

It was also at this time.

Xiang Gaowen's second slash had already been swung out!

The abundant ley line energy of Britannias, extreme to the utmost, flowed into his body every moment.

Infinite stamina, a body that absolutely would not die as long as it could not be killed instantly; at this moment, Xiang Gaowen was like a tireless perpetual motion machine.

Even though he had long anticipated the Red Dragon's formidable abilities, only when truly standing on the land of Britannias and swinging his blade did Xiang Gaowen realize that the boost this place gave him far exceeded his imagination.

Zzzzt—!

Red lightning surged through the void, churning the sky-full of clouds as it raced across the earth.

A horizontal slash unleashed the ley line energy within Xiang Gaowen, swollen to its absolute limit; silver brilliance filled everyone's vision, pressing straight down upon the members of the Divine Knight Legion!

Boom—!

The magnificent warship, snapped in two, was crushed; several screams rang out in the air, only to vanish within a few breaths.

Chiringomu Holy watched with his own eyes as the companion beside him was blasted by Xiang Gaowen's domineering aura into his body, his self-healing ability completely suppressed, before falling powerlessly into the dense forest below.

Alive or dead, none could tell!

"This guy truly possesses the ability to kill us!"

"He has already mastered those abilities that only the remnants of Rocks can wield!"

"Damn it!"

"This trip might just get us all killed!"

At this thought.

Chiringomu Holy, filled with both shock and terror, looked left and right, scanning for Xia Mu Luo Ke's figure.

Very quickly.

He spotted Xia Mu Luo Ke atop a falling section of the ship's hull; standing shoulder to shoulder with the latter was Big Mom, mentally disordered yet becoming extremely docile.

"Mama~ Mama~"

Confused and bewildered murmurs escaped from Big Mom's mouth.

She couldn't help but raise her hands to cover her eyes, feeling the weightlessness of falling from a great height, her body trembling uncontrollably!

"How did I end up here?!"

"Right, it's you!"

Big Mom glared furiously at Xia Mu Luo Ke beside her.

Her memory still lingered in that battle from before, yet the surroundings were completely different from the several fights that had occurred previously!

Swish—!

Big Mom raised her hand, splitting off a portion of her soul to once again condense Zeus the Thundercloud and Napoleon transformed into a long blade, preparing to strike.

Xia Mu Luo Ke, standing nearby, had not glanced at her even once from start to finish, yet the words he spoke made Big Mom's body shudder:

"This is Britannias; our purpose in finding you is to achieve immortality by leveraging the Soul-Soul Fruit!"

Xia Mu Luo Ke's gaze fell upon Xiang Gaowen above, his eyes holding nothing but an indescribable solemnity.

No matter how unwilling he was to accept it, he had to admit that relying solely on his own strength, he could no longer contend with Knight Xiang Gaowen!

Originally, defeating Big Mom had stirred a sense of invincibility within his heart.

He had thought pirates, thought the Four Emperors, were nothing more than this.

But Xiang Gaowen's single slash, which instantly shattered the Divine Legion and even severely injured several core members, completely粉碎ed the confidence that had not yet had time to swell within him.

At present, the only way to win was to join forces with Big Mom!

"We can cooperate!"

"Faced with eternal life, surely you won't remain unmoved?!"

"That boring rumor about Britannias? That's nothing but a fabricated fairy tale; how could it possibly..."

Big Mom instinctively opened her mouth to refute, yet her voice grew quieter and quieter:

"Really?!"

"Then even if I kill you, I can still obtain it!"

"Wait—!"

"That is..."

A manic Conqueror's Haki, chilling enough to make one shudder, swept down from the sky.

After a momentary pause, another wave of Xiang Gaowen's assault arrived once more!

He had already fallen in love with this feeling of unrestrained indulgence!

It was like a game where one had activated infinite health and mana cheats, slashing through melons and chopping vegetables, blasting a boss that was originally quite troublesome until it exploded!

"Silver Moon - Falling Frost!"

Two slashes erupted, weaving together in the air into a dense blade-net, crisscrossing from top to bottom, intending to crush everything!

Boom!

The blade force ranged freely, turning the entire island into a vessel of destruction, leaving cracks dozens of meters deep.

Underground debris splashed outward; the air gained a layer of translucent mist, obstructing everyone's vision, yet unable to block that figure suspended high in the sky, Knight Xiang Gaowen, who possessed the momentum to suppress all!

At this very moment.

The oppressive pressure emanating from his body was even greater than that of heaven and earth!

"Monster!"

"A thoroughgoing monster!"

Chiringomu Holy, having landed steadily, spat out a mouthful of bloody froth.

Although he had done his utmost to dodge, he was still injured by Xiang Gaowen's slash, leaving a hideous wound across his chest.

Black qi弥漫ed, yet it remained unable to repair it!

Xiang Gaowen's slash had injured his very foundation; without more than half a month of recuperation, recovery was utterly impossible.

This trouble is huge!

Whether he can even save his life is now a question!

Yet at this very moment.

From the corner of his Saint's Eye, Qilingemu noticed that a Den Den Mushi had somehow climbed onto his companion's shoulder.

A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head, making him forget even his fear of Xiang Gaowen in that instant.

(End of Chapter)