Figarland Garling's eyes were fixed on the black giant.
BAM!
The ground beneath Garling's feet exploded into pieces.
Hundreds of meters were instantly bridged. Garling shot through the air, leaping to Susanoo's chest level, then swung his sword with a sharp, murderous intent.
A loud clang of metal echoed. Sparks flew. Susanoo trembled as the Haki-coated sword left a long gash in his armor.
From behind, Shepherd Sommers laughed derisively. The man activated his Paramecia Iba Iba no Mi ability. Thorn roots crawled rapidly through the ground, wrapping around and piercing Susanoo's legs. At the same time, Sommers leaped forward wielding a giant spiked mace, smashing the heavy weapon directly toward the side of Susanoo's head.
At the same time, Satchel Maffey, a tall, burly woman, opened her jaws wide. Yellow energy gathered in her throat before she spat out a blinding, high-destructive-power laser beam, aiming straight for the chest cavity where Seven was located.
Seven's red eyes narrowed. These three coordinated like comrades who had fought side by side for a very long time. Passively enduring the mace strikes, sword slashes, and laser shots while in Susanoo mode would only put him at a disadvantage.
The humanoid Susanoo suddenly vanished.
The three God Knights did not withdraw their attacks. Garling's sword, Sommers' mace, and Maffey's laser shot straight ahead, striking Seven's body simultaneously.
However, instead of the sound of flesh being torn, the weapons and laser pierced through Seven's chest and head as if the young man's body were merely an illusion.
Sommers, Maffey, and Garling's eyes widened instantly. All three were stunned to see their fatal attacks hadn't even touched their target. In that split second of shock, Seven's body—which had just been pierced—suddenly exploded, turning into a thick cloud of white smoke.
"Vanished?!" Sommers' jaw clenched.
From behind the veil of white smoke, Seven's true body flickered with Shunshin, appearing right behind Sommers. His right arm was already drawn back, enveloped in Armament Haki. Without mercy, Seven swung that powerful blow straight into Sommers' spine.
CRACK!
The sound of breaking bones rang out loud and clear. Sommers spat fresh blood from her mouth, her body flung violently into the mangrove roots, shattering them into pieces.
Seeing her comrade fall, Maffey spun her massive body, swinging a sweeping kick that sliced through the air. Seven ducked low to avoid the woman's leg. Seven's hands moved swiftly to form a seal.
"Katon: Gouka Mekyaku!"
A colossal sea of fire at extreme temperatures erupted from Seven's mouth, sweeping across the land before him. The heatwave incinerated the remnants of buildings and mangrove roots, forcing Maffey to leap backward to avoid the inferno.
The flames hadn't subsided yet when Garling charged through the scorching air. His sword swung vertically, aiming for Seven's head.
Seven summoned a blue flame sword in his hand. The clash of blades triggered a shockwave that flattened the remaining trees around them. The two exchanged blows at close range.
Their weapons clashed dozens of times. Garling's movements were highly efficient, driven purely by a killing instinct and masterful swordplay.
Seven's Sharingan eyes darted constantly, analyzing every direction of attack, parrying, and countering with blue-flame swings that melted the ground beneath their feet.
Seven kicked Garling in the chest to create distance, then took a step back to catch his breath.
However, his eyes caught an anomaly.
Sommers stood up. His previously shattered body regenerated, forcibly fusing back together. On the other side, Maffey walked out of the remaining flames. The charred skin on the tall woman's face emitted a thin trail of black smoke, then closed without a trace. Even the scratch on Garling's forehead caused by the blue sparks had healed.
Regeneration?
The Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan pattern spun sharply. It was like the recovery from a Mythological Zoan, but something was off—why were all three of them able to regenerate?
The atmosphere in the area shifted instantly. Red-black lightning erupted, coiling around the blue flame sword in Seven's hand.
Maffey opened her jaws again, preparing to fire a laser. Seven kicked the ground with Shunshin, darting low to evade the shot, then slashed horizontally across the woman's chest with his Conqueror's Haki-coated sword.
Blood spurted out. Maffey growled in pain and staggered backward.
Seven focused his gaze. Black smoke tried to seal the gash in Maffey's chest, but the lingering black lightning of Conqueror's Haki burned the area. Her regeneration slowed drastically. The wound remained gaping.
"So that's how it is," Seven thought.
His weakness had been found, but his instincts were screaming at him. Dragging out a physical fight and a sword duel against three monsters with this artificial durability would be extremely disadvantageous. His chakra was running low since he had used Susanoo. He needed a sweeping attack.
Garling, Sommers, and Maffey focused their Weapon Haki, preparing to charge simultaneously.
Fresh blood flowed from Seven's mouth.
"Susanoo!"
The half-body form of Susanoo erupted once more, enveloping him. Purple chakra bones, tendons, and muscles formed, then turned completely black as they were infused with the remaining Weapon Haki. The massive arm drew a long sword. Red-and-black lightning surged wildly along its blade.
As his three enemies leaped, the chakra sword swung horizontally.
SRAAAKKK!!!
The air split. Roots and ground were sliced clean off. The impact of the attack swept Garling, Sommers, and Maffey away. They were hurled through the rows of trees in Groves 2 and 3, flying far out of sight toward the sea.
Silence.
The Haki-coated Susanoo still stood tall. The Sharingan scanned every corner of the area, aided by Observation Haki. Empty. They had truly been flung far away. All around him lay a sea of dead pirates and slave traders, killed by the aftermath of the battle.
Susanoo dissolved into purple particles.
As soon as the protection vanished, Seven's knees slammed into the ground. His hands clutched the remains of the shattered mangrove roots.
"Ugh!"
Fresh blood spurted from his mouth. The blood vessels around his eyes throbbed painfully. His breathing grew weak. He hadn't been able to freely use his power for a very long time.
The sound of footsteps approached.
Sakazuki and Borsalino arrived at the scene. Both of them stopped in their tracks. Sakazuki's eyes widened as he stared at Grove 1, which had been transformed into a flat crater filled with corpses. Magma dripped from his fist, while the light at Borsalino's feet dimmed.
They looked toward the center of the area. Their older brother was kneeling, clutching his chest, gasping for breath in the midst of what had become a pile of rubble.