Chapter 329: Let Him Sink into the Sea!

"But no matter what, no one can walk out of Britannias alive."

Im's tone was indifferent, radiating an unquestionable conviction.

It was as if his words were the sole truth in this world.

Even the battle unfolding at this very moment in Britannias was, to him, nothing more than idle amusement after a meal.

Yet these words, falling upon the ears of Saint Killingham nearby, were no different than a thunderclap from a clear sky.

"Lord... Im..."

Saint Killingham opened his mouth, feeling only dryness in his throat and on his tongue.

Most of the time, the Holy Knights acted as the executors of Im's will.

Whether annihilating a nation or eliminating potential threats, such tasks were basically carried out by the Holy Knights on Im's behalf.

One could say the distance between the Holy Knights and Im was even closer than the distance between the Five Elders and Im.

Consequently, the Holy Knights knew more secrets, naturally including that weapon which required the Mother Flame to drive it.

"You are speaking of..."

Im turned back and glanced faintly at Saint Killingham, then paid him no further heed.

He regarded him as air, or as dust upon his garments.

No matter how great the value, no matter how excellent the ability, whether active or passive, whether informed or uninformed.

Betrayal.

It was simply betrayal.

Traitors are not worthy of forgiveness.

These were words Im had once spoken; Saint Killingham still remembered them, and would remember them forever; at this moment, his heart held only a terror indescribable by language.

He had witnessed the fates of countless traitors.

That blessing, etched into their souls, had granted them bodies that were nearly immortal, but it equally meant voluntarily entrusting their souls into Im's hands.

From that moment on, life and death were no longer within their own control.

Saint Killingham slowly knelt before Im, his lips nearly touching the latter's heels.

Just like those slaves who had once wagged their tails and begged for pity before him.

There was no difference.

It was all merely to survive.

"Lord Im, this entire matter was Xia Mu Luo Ke's doing..."

"Shh!"

Im placed a finger upon his lips and spoke:

"Then, to prove your loyalty, just kneel here until this battle concludes."

"If you survive, it will show you still have value."

Saint Killingham opened his mouth, his voice remaining as deferential as in days past:

"Yes!"

"Lord Im!"

The next instant.

High above in the battlefield, another powerful shockwave erupted, tearing a layer of skin right off the earth.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Giant trees, towering like mountains, collapsed, lodging themselves across the river; the splashing water that fell upon Saint Killingham made him feel only a bone-chilling cold.

Amidst the howling gale.

The Holy Knight member possessed by Im had already departed.

Only Saint Killingham remained kneeling in the original spot, without even the slightest distortion in his posture.

This was simply because he understood clearly.

His life had already been entrusted into Im's hands on the day he accepted the blessing.

The commands of a god are absolute!

Those who defy them shall die!

This point, too, had been etched into the bones and blood of Saint Killingham.

Foreseeing that the situation was amiss and that the scale of the battle had surpassed imagination, Xiang Keluo immediately organized everyone to retreat.

Yet he did not expect that his actions would ultimately be one step too slow.

The Lionheart Knight ship was like a lone boat in a storm, teetering on the verge of capsizing numerous times; only through the combined efforts of everyone was it barely stabilized.

Splash, splash, splash—!

Water droplets filled the sky, raining down and striking the deck of the Lionheart Knight ship.

They also slammed heavily onto the shoulders of Zoro and the others.

"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!"

Shouts of alarm burst from Franky's mouth; he only wished his modified body possessed enough strength to carry this ship and run across the sea!

Law stood on the deck, raising two fingers in a void-lift gesture, directly manipulating the Lionheart Knight ship to fly up and evade the onrushing giant waves.

Bang—!

The ship's bottom struck the water surface, shaking violently.

The crowd steadied their stances, yet their gazes all unconsciously fixed upon the three figures locked in mortal combat high above!

"One of the opponents is Big Mom, the fourth of the Four Emperors, and the other is..."

"A monster!"

"They are all monsters!"

"Just how has our captain been cultivating?!"

"Fighting two alone yet not falling behind in the slightest; it's simply devilish!"

Franky's doubt received no response.

Zoro slashed apart the towering giant tree blocking their course, yet his gaze remained fixed on the three figures high above.

The demon blade at his waist stirred with restless agitation!

It was the instinct of a blade, craving to clash with the strong and be stained with legendary blood!

Zoro pressed his hand against Murasame, an indescribable longing burning in his eyes.

Yet he was not a reckless fool who ignored all consequences; he naturally knew that the battlefield over there was no longer somewhere someone like his current self could intervene in.

Even merely being caught in the aftermath would result in instant shredding, leaving no place for burial!

"So..."

"When the captain defeated that Hawkeye, he hadn't been using his full strength?"

The cigarette in Sanji's mouth had long been soaked by seawater, his blond hair obscuring his eyes so his expression was unreadable, yet his tone was incredibly solemn, brimming with unwillingness:

"I thought that as we cultivated, the distance between us and the captain should have been growing closer."

"But as a result, are we actually getting further and further from our goal?!"

"Tch—!"

"Truly unbearable!"

"Ah~"

Van Augur removed his eyepatch, lowering his brows, feeling that the Senju in his hand was growing hot.

It was the barrel heating up from rapid fire, yet it was also his own hand growing hot.

Simply because he knew clearly that the figures clashing high above, especially Gao Wen fighting two alone, represented a height he might never reach even if he exhausted his entire life's effort.

"The captain, he..."

"Is too strong!"

On the deck.

A silence fell.

Only the gazes of the crowd grew increasingly fiery, nearly burning up.

An invincible leader would inevitably bring endless confidence to his subordinates.

Such a person, even merely standing there, possessed the power to stabilize the morale of the army.

I am here.

Nothing is a problem.

At this very moment.

Gao Wen, entangled in battle with Big Mom and Xia Mu Luo Ke high above, gave them precisely such an illusion!

"Freak!"

Keluo spat out a mouthful of saliva, his gaze suddenly stiffening as he abruptly looked toward the distant island.

A member of the God's Knights stood atop Shanfeng, gazing calmly at the battle unfolding in the high sky.

As if admiring a grand performance!

"This guy is the one who fought us last time... No!"

"No!"

"Completely wrong!"

The instant that person's gaze swept back, Keluo felt his hair stand on end, even producing the illusion that a lethal threat was right before his eyes!

"Could it be that such a monster is hidden within the God's Knights!?"

"Retreat!"

Keluo suddenly let out a startled cry.

In the instant the others were distracted, he manipulated the air currents to propel the Lion Heart Knight beneath his feet, skimming the water's surface in a posture akin to flight as he sped toward the distance.

A speed faster than ever before! "Oh~"

Imu raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze falling upon the Lion Heart Knight:

"Interesting insect."

"Capable of sensing my threat?!"

He looked closely at Keluo, seeing only a panicked face, and immediately found it dull:

"What a pity."

"Not worth looking at."

That sliver of interest vanished in an instant; Imu withdrew his gaze, refocusing his attention on the battle high above!

At this moment.

The battle between the three gradually intensified.

Big Mom, sparing no cost to her soul, activated her gigantification ability; her size surged explosively, and the strength of every aspect of her body skyrocketed, to the point that even Gao Wen found it quite strenuous to pierce through this defense.

Xia Mu Luo Ke, meanwhile, pushed tactics and cunning to the extreme; taking advantage of the gap while Big Mom tanked damage head-on, he manipulated the three-headed hound to leave streaks of wounds upon Gao Wen.

Hiss—!

Amidst the ear-piercing sound of friction.

The three-headed dog's sharp teeth bit down on Gao Wen's dragon scales, yet they left only a few blood trails before proving utterly useless!

"Damn it!"

"This fellow's defensive capability is simply too strong!"

"Even compared to Big Mom, he is not inferior in the slightest!"

Xia Mu Luo Ke frowned tightly, raised his hand to recall the three-headed dog, which transformed into a long blade that he gripped, immediately launching a killing assault against Gao Wen!

He was clear about the Red Dragon's abilities.

In Britannias, the Red Dragon possessed nearly infinite stamina, and any wounds on his body would heal instantly.

In other words, if one could not instantly kill Gao Wen, any damage inflicted was meaningless!

Thinking of this.

Xia Mu Luo Ke gripped the long sword in his hand even tighter:

"Big Mom!"

"Attacks like this are completely meaningless!"

"With such a massive supply of ley line energy, no matter what injury he suffers, as long as he isn't killed outright, he will heal instantly!"

"To win, we must join forces!"

"Kill him in an instant!"

"Or else smash him into the seabed!"

Big Mom withdrew violently, panting like an ox.

She had always excelled in physical constitution, and after decades in the spotlight, she had earned the title of the Iron Balloon.

Those capable of leaving scars on her body could be counted on one's fingers.

Many of them had already perished, such as Luo Jie and the Golden Lion.

She had never expected that today, another person would be added to that list.

On her chest.

A ferocious slash mark ran all the way from her left shoulder down to her abdomen.

Although it had only cut through the skin without damaging the deeper muscles, thus not affecting her movement.

Yet the shock this single strike brought her still surpassed imagination, making her realize a certain fact even more clearly.

Even if she and Xia Mu Luo Ke joined forces, they might still be unable to truly kill the Gao Wen before them.

While the two were lost in thought.

Gao Wen's slash approached once again, passing between the two of them, tearing apart the sky-full of clouds, appearing exceptionally ferocious!

"Instantly killing him is unrealistic; the only solution is still to smash him into the sea!"

"Good!"

Xia Mu Luo Ke responded, his gaze becoming sharp once more.

Although it was only the first time he and Big Mom had cooperated, they were extremely tacit; one would tank damage head-on, while the other would use their abilities to disrupt Gao Wen's attacks or land critical strikes.

And this time.

Both of them simultaneously assumed their stances, clearly intending to use an overwhelmingly powerful slash to sink Gao Wen into the great sea.

Under normal circumstances, a Devil Fruit user sinking into seawater had only one outcome: waiting for death.

Even Fish-Man Devil Fruit users would lose all ability to move; without timely rescue, they would likely have no path but death.

But regardless of whether it was Big Mom or Xia Mu Luo Ke, they were both clear that Gao Wen was a pure human!

Xia Mu Luo Ke swung his blade, and the three-headed dog rushed toward Gao Wen at high speed, opening its bloody maw wide in mid-air as if intending to swallow its opponent alive and peel them raw!

The collar around the three-headed dog's neck spun rapidly, resembling a series of electric saws!

Facing this formidable offensive, Gao Wen's expression remained indifferent as he swung his blade in a horizontal slash, yet unexpectedly, the three-headed dog split into three in mid-air, its three dog heads biting down on Gao Wen's sword-wielding arm and his legs respectively.

"Hm?!"

Gao Wen narrowed his eyes slightly; he had already noticed Big Mom gathering her power high in the sky, while below Gao Wen lay the churning sea!

"So that's your plan?!"

Gao Wen understood, a trace of mockery flashing through his eyes.

The next instant.

Big Mom's furious voice exploded in mid-air:

"Elbaf Spear!"

"Rage of the Sea!"

The impact, like a pillar of light, struck from above, blasting Gao Wen's body straight into the sea until he vanished!

The seawater churned, spreading outward in ripples in all directions!

A wild wind howled, uprooting the surrounding trees!

The aftermath of the impact pushed the Lionheart Knight Ship several kilometers away.

The member of the God's Knights possessed by Im was ultimately too weak; caught in the backlash of Big Mom's attack, he lost consciousness on the spot.

The Den Den Mushi on his shoulder was completely shattered.

Inside Mary Geoise.

The scene before everyone's eyes came to an abrupt halt; everything seemed as if a pause button had been pressed the moment Gao Wen was blasted into the sea by Big Mom.

"That monster is young and powerful, but in the end, did he lose out by one measure in combat experience?!"

Saint Mars stroked his long beard, a trace of contempt flowing in his eyes:

"This is the drawback brought by a smooth journey all the way."

"He was too underestimating, and too arrogant."

"In this battle, it was Knight Gao Wen who originally held an absolute advantage, yet he suffered a crushing defeat because of tactics."

"That's right."

Saint Nasujuro nodded, the corners of his mouth curling into a withered and ferocious grin:

"Given his potential, he could originally have gone much further."

"Even further than Luo Jie or Rocks back in the day, perhaps even becoming a grave threat to us."

"However."

"This does save us some trouble, it's just..."

Saint Nasujuro's gaze swept intentionally or unintentionally over Saint Garling beside him.

In the latter's eyes, he saw a complex interweaving of emotions: secret joy, worry, forbearance, and a resentment hidden extremely deep...

Hatred?!

Hatred is exactly right!

The more one hates, the more painful it becomes.

This is the torture bestowed upon you by my lord Imu...

Eternal torment!

On the other side, Saint Saturn had different thoughts; he looked toward Imu and said respectfully:

"My lord Imu."

"Knight Gao Wen has sunk into the sea; even if he isn't dead, he likely no longer possesses the strength to fight."

"The outcome of this battle in Britannias has already been decided."

"That vast land holds extraordinary value for us, after all, in this world there is no resource more precious than land."

"Regarding the question of testing that weapon, perhaps..."

"Hehe~"

A light chuckle.

Erupted from above the Wang Zuo.

Everyone couldn't help but look up at Imu.

The latter's face was blocked by shadows, with only those eyes being exceptionally conspicuous.

"Is it really that simple?!"

"Did that fellow perish in the sea so easily?!"

"Yet I clearly saw contempt in his eyes!"

"An extremely arrogant, extremely self-centered contempt!"

"That kind of look should be very familiar to you; it was as if he were watching two clowns dancing!"

"But once a Devil Fruit user is blasted into the sea, what means could they possibly have left?!"

"It truly is..."

"Curiosity-inducing!"

(End of Chapter)