Slap!
A crisp, ringing slap echoed across the battlefield, plunging the entire area into stunned silence.
"Lord Imu... was just hit?!"
Saint Killingham and Shamrock, who had just arrived at the main battlefield, stared up at Gurd standing atop the stone pillar, their hearts gripped by terror.
They could never have imagined—not even in their wildest dreams—that Gurd would dare treat Imu this way.
The slap itself wasn't particularly damaging, but...
That was Lord Imu!
Imu, feeling the searing pain on her buttocks, was frozen in disbelief, momentarily forgetting to struggle.
"You dare strike M—"
SLAP!!!
Another resounding slap!
"Ugh!"
Imu let out a pained groan as the other cheek was struck just as hard.
Though she was in a possessed state, her senses were fully synchronized. The humiliation of being spanked repeatedly by a man was far more unbearable than being killed outright.
Such immense disgrace—this was the first time in 800 years!
"Keh-keh-keh~ Hahaha~!"
Gurd sneered, tightening his grip on Imu as he raised his right hand again. In this moment, their roles seemed reversed—he was the true, monstrous Demon.
"Secret Skill: Rapid-Fire Slaps!"
"NO!!!"
Imu shrieked instinctively, completely forgetting to use her abilities to resist, reduced to nothing but primal feminine instinct.
But no one could stop the slaps from raining down!
Slap! Slap! SLAP!!!
A relentless, storm-like barrage!
Gurd's eyes gleamed with a sinister red light, like a vengeful ghost.
If he couldn't kill her, he would break her spirit. For these lofty Celestial Dragons, such blatant humiliation might be worse than death itself.
SLAP!
The final strike!
Imu gasped for breath, sweat dripping onto the ground, her buttocks glowing red-hot from the repeated spanking.
They were practically smoking—like they'd been cooked!
Struggling to lift her head, Imu's eyes burned with fury.
"M-Mu... will kill you!"
"Hmm?"
Gurd raised his hand again, malice dripping from his smirk.
Imu's pupils trembled violently—then, the next second, her eyes rolled back, and her body went limp against Gurd's leg as she lost consciousness.
Holy Land, Flower Room.
"Huff... Huff..."
Imu knelt amidst the sea of flowers, panting heavily, her nerves stretched to the limit. Though the pain had faded, the memory of being beaten lingered in her mind—a humiliation she would never forget.
H-How dare he!
That man... was unforgivable!
"Mu will kill you with my own hands!!!"
Lulusia Kingdom, Battlefield.
"Huh? She ran away already?"
Gurd lifted Imu's unconscious body, noticing that the woman's presence had faded—along with that bone-chilling aura.
Now, this should be Gunko again.
"Tch, I wasn't done yet!"
Gurd clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction as he scanned the surroundings.
Though Imu had retreated, the monsters hadn't reverted to their original forms, meaning her contract's influence remained.
She had only withdrawn temporarily.
Holding Gunko, Gurd leaped down and sprinted at full speed toward the coast, pursued relentlessly by the monsters.
His objective was complete.
Time to bail.
Click!
While fleeing, Gurd snatched up the fallen Sea Prism Stone Shackles and immediately clamped them onto Gunko.
He had to act fast—while Imu was still reeling from the psychological trauma. If the Thorny Man's death were to repeat itself with Gunko, all his efforts would have been for nothing.
Judging by the strength of Thorny Man and Gunko, it's clear that apart from a few exceptions, the members of God's Knights primarily rely on their abilities and Imu's power, not being particularly formidable themselves.
In other words, they can be replaced or replenished at any time.
Once Imu recovers, Gunko will likely be killed. Therefore, every possible means must be used to sever the connection between Gunko and Imu.
Sea-stone can restrict Devil Fruit abilities—it should prove effective.
"He's taken Gunko!"
Shamrock and Saint Killingham immediately realized Gurd's intention and gave chase, but couldn't close the distance.
While Gurd's overall speed was average, his burst speed was astonishing. In just a few blinks, he had already reached the coastline.
Like a bolt of lightning!
The Groudon Ship had already activated its Power Wheel.
The moment Gurd leaped onto the deck, the Power Wheel spun at high speed, propelling the Groudon into the open sea.
"Chikara, lock this woman in the Sea Stone Prison and bind her entire body with Sea-stone chains!"
"Understood."
The Groudon Ship's hold contained a prison made entirely of Sea-stone—a fully enclosed room specifically designed to imprison Devil Fruit users.
Gurd returned to the edge of the deck and looked back toward the island. Hordes of monsters had rushed to the shore, roaring in his direction.
Stinky Ox and Kirin Man were also on the shore.
But the distance had grown too great. Faced with the barrier of the sea, the two could do nothing but watch helplessly as the Groudon Ship sailed away.
On the other side of the island, the Revolutionary Army's ship was also departing, towing the demonized giant Mori behind it. Ivankov was likely aboard as well.
After Ivan and Mori were sent flying by him, the Army Commanders had launched a rescue operation. Whether the two could return to normal remained uncertain.
Imu's sudden appearance had taken not just him by surprise—the Revolutionary Army was equally shocked. With their comrades turned into demons, retreat had become the top priority.
A shout came from the crow's nest: "Lord Gurd, Akainu's battleship is catching up! Those two Celestial Dragons are on it too!"
"Increase speed and shake them off!"
Gurd barked the order.
Having captured such a high-profile figure, it was only natural to take her back for study—perhaps to uncover Imu's secrets.
The Groudon Ship accelerated, heading toward the Florian Triangle, where an eternal fog lingered. Once they entered, they could easily lose the pursuing battleship.
But the pursuers weren't limited to just the battleship!
"Lord Gurd, something is approaching rapidly!"
"That's... Admiral Fujitora!"
"He's incredibly fast—Fujitora is about to catch up to us!"
Fujitora?!
Gurd rushed to the stern and immediately spotted Admiral Fujitora standing on a rock, flying toward them at breakneck speed.
The distance between them was now less than a hundred meters.
Gurd frowned.
Was he on the island too?
Something's off!
Fujitora, Akainu, and Stinky Ox!
Just how formidable must Dragon be to hold off all three of them? Moreover, from what he sensed, the western battlefield was a two-on-two fight.
Wait—could it be that Fujitora has defected?
Gurd could clearly sense no hostility from Fujitora. The admiral wasn't even on guard, having placed his Cane Sword at his feet.
This posture wasn't that of someone looking for a fight.
"No wonder Akainu came!"
Gurd quickly pieced it together.
Most likely, Fujitora couldn't stand the Celestial Dragons' slaughter of innocents and clashed with them in anger, prompting Akainu to intervene personally.
But instead of mediating, the conflict only escalated further.
Now Fujitora had nowhere to go and probably wanted to join him—or rather, the Fengyuan government—to continue shining for his dreams.
What great news!
"Cease fire! Let him approach!"
"Huh?"
The subordinates were puzzled but obediently followed orders, incidentally turning their already-aimed cannons toward Akainu's warship.
The cannons were already loaded—how could they not fire?
"Fire!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Waves erupted in bursts of spray!
(End of Chapter)