The battlefield outside the royal city.
The ground split open with massive fissures, dividing the battlefield in two. Nearly half of the 100,000 soldiers led by King Kelt had fallen into the abyss, their fates unknown.
This scene, beyond comprehension, plunged the citizens watching from the city into panic, leaving them with nothing but despair.
In the face of absolute power, all resistance was futile.
At the center of the battlefield.
Gurd frowned and barked,
"Go back and stay put!"
"Fine!"
Hancock reluctantly retreated.
If anyone else had dared to speak to her like that, she would have flown into a rage. But coming from Gurd, it was perfectly acceptable.
He must be worried about her getting hurt!
Gurd shook his head in exasperation and turned his attention to Karasu.
The man was muttering something incomprehensible. Couldn't he speak louder? It was exhausting to listen.
Did the Revolutionary Army even have any normal people?
In the distance, Jilon, the deputy commander of the Northern Army, grabbed Sabo's leg and yanked him out of the rubble.
"Sabo, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Thanks, Jilon."
Covered in blood, Sabo struggled to his feet from the debris. The spot where he'd been kicked felt like dry stone, chunks of it flaking off unnaturally.
"My face…?"
Touching his nearly petrified cheek, Sabo shuddered with lingering fear.
If not for his Haki defense, the Pirate Empress's kick would have turned his entire head to stone.
He'd almost died!
"That woman… she's terrifying!"
"Of course. She's the Pirate Empress, one of the former Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea. That level of strength is to be expected!"
Jilon nodded gravely.
None of the Warlords were pushovers!
"Sabo, what do we do now?"
"..."
Sabo's eyes darkened.
They couldn't win.
With Earth Calamity now in play, and the enemy backed by a group of formidable subordinates, their chances of victory were slim to none.
Add to that the heavy casualties among the royal army and King Kelt's unknown fate—this battle was already a crushing defeat.
But after years of effort to build their revolutionary gains, how could they just let the Beasts trample over everything?
If they retreated now, the Revolutionary Army might truly lose its foothold in the North Sea.
BOOM!!!
An explosion erupted beside them!
Sabo and Jilon flinched, but when they saw Karasu in the dust, their faces paled, and they rushed to help him up.
"Mr. Karasu!"
"Captain!"
Cough!
Blood seeped from Karasu's mask—he was clearly injured.
"..."
Seeing this, Jilon flipped on the amplifier.
"My apologies. I let my guard down."
Karasu's expression was stormy.
Even if he couldn't defeat Gurd, his Elementalization should have bought him time to stall. But he hadn't expected the man's Haki to be so overwhelming.
That punch, infused with Conqueror's Haki, had struck him. Though he'd dodged the physical impact with Elementalization, the Haki's shockwave had still sent him flying.
The distance was too close, the attack range too vast—Gurd had struck not just his soot form but the very air around it. There'd been no room to evade.
At least the injuries weren't severe.
Gurd strode forward, his towering frame like an iron demon. Each step sent tremors of dread through the three men.
Just his aura alone made it hard for Sabo and the others to breathe.
Gurd stopped, his cold gaze boring down at them.
"Get up. Keep fighting."
"Damn it!"
Sabo angrily wanted to charge forward, but was held back by Karasu and Jilon. The man before them was not someone they could contend with.
Within the Revolutionary Army, only their leader Dragon might stand a chance against him!
"Sabo! Jilon!"
Karasu crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"I'll hold him off! You two run!"
"..."
After a brief hesitation, Sabo and Jilon immediately turned to flee.
Karasu's escape abilities were formidable—they didn't need to worry about him. Their only task now was not to become a burden.
As members of the Revolutionary Army, they'd faced similar situations countless times before. The Marines and CP agents had been hunting them relentlessly.
When a battle couldn't be won, retreat was the wisest choice!
They bore the heavy responsibility of revolution and couldn't afford to die carelessly.
"Look out!"
Sabo's expression changed instantly as he shoved Jilon aside!
A Magma Pillar pierced through his abdomen, lifting him into the sky. Even Jilon, who'd been pushed away, couldn't escape unscathed.
There was more than one Magma Pillar!
"BOOM!!!"
With an explosive flash of fire, both men came crashing down to the ground, smoke rising from their bodies.
"Damn it!"
Karasu's veins bulged with rage.
He hadn't detected any warning signs before the Magma Pillars appeared.
"Obelisk Coal!"
Karasu swung his arms, sending streams of coal dust flowing across the ground toward Gurd. When the dust reached Gurd's feet, it instantly formed over a dozen blade-like structures stabbing at his body.
"How unoriginal."
Gurd slashed with his hand, dispersing all the coal dust blades.
The techniques of Logia Type Users were largely similar—relying on the inherent properties of their elements and creating constructs to attack. The only exception was Kizaru, whose abilities stood out as more impressive.
"Crow Soul Link!"
A swarm of crows flew toward Gurd. The moment they neared him, the birds suddenly ignited, bursting into flames.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!"
A series of explosions engulfed Gurd.
Without hesitation, Karasu immediately scooped up Sabo and Jilon and took flight.
"A bit too far!"
Gurd emerged from the flames, watching the three figures fleeing into the distance. With a cold laugh, he reached out and snapped off a nearby stone pillar.
The Cliff Sword couldn't reach them, but he had other methods for aerial targets.
Gurd's right arm muscles bulged as he used Observation Haki to lock onto the escaping trio. Then, with tremendous force, he hurled the massive stone pillar—larger than himself—through the air!
"WHOOSH!"
A circular shockwave exploded through the atmosphere.
"What?!"
Karasu sensed the attack roaring toward them from behind and immediately altered his flight path. However, carrying Sabo and Jilon hindered his maneuverability.
And the projectile was too fast!
"BOOM!!!"
A dazzling explosion lit up the sky.
"OH YEAH!!!"
Gurd excitedly raised both hands skyward.
Direct hit!
"Kehahaha! Try fighting me!"
The North Sea was his domain, and the Revolutionary Army's presence only got in his way. Even if he couldn't eradicate them completely, he would at least drive them out to other seas.
Besides, by this world's standards, he treated the people in his territory quite well—at least ensuring they didn't starve and purging the noble class.
Take this Rune Nation, for example. Even if the revolution succeeded, it would just mean replacing one king with another. In a few years, everything would revert to how it was before.
Human greed never ends!
Water Seven, the Nation of Labor...
With so many better systems to draw inspiration from, why cling stubbornly to feudalism? What kind of revolution was this anyway?
A hierarchical system built on princes and nobility could never achieve true equality. And yet they had the audacity to talk about creating a free and equal world.
Dragon should really be made to copy the Revolutionary Army's principles ten thousand times, looking up the meaning of each word in the dictionary before starting a revolution.
Yes, make him copy it ten thousand times!
"Lord Gurd!"
His subordinates gathered around Gurd.
"Those Revolutionary Army officers have disappeared!"
"Disappeared?"
Gurd froze for a moment, then immediately activated his Observation Haki.
"There's a powerful presence!"
Gurd turned his gaze toward the palace, faintly spotting a giant figure standing atop it. A phrase suddenly flashed through his mind.
"If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?"
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