After confirming that the legendary Lord Imu was unharmed, Steel Bone Kong finally turned his full attention toward the lightning-wielding menace before him.
The old man's bulging muscles darkened, hardening like tempered steel as Armament Haki spread over his body. Faint red-and-black sparks of Conqueror's Haki flared around him.
"That old bastard even has Conqueror's Haki?!"
Enel's expression grew serious. Gone was his usual arrogance—his eyes now sharp and focused.
"Wororororo! Steel Bone Kong, still looking so fit for your age! The World Government treats its failures well, huh? Promoting you to Commander-in-Chief after all that?"
'Hundredfold Scattershot!'
Bundy Waldo hurled a handful of stones. In an instant, they accelerated a hundredfold—each projectile breaking the sound barrier as it screamed toward Kong. Waldo's mocking voice followed close behind.
The tale of Steel Bone Kong's defeat at the hands of the Red Count had long spread throughout the sixth level of Impel Down and among the members of Souta Kiryuu's crew. But thanks to the World Government's tight control over information, such stories rarely reached the seas anymore. Most young pirates had never even heard of it.
"Criminals who dare to invade the Holy Land… none of you will leave here alive!"
Steel Bone Kong's body shone with a metallic luster as his Armament Haki deflected both Waldo's devastating volley and Enel's thunderous strikes.
He once trained heroes like Garp himself—his mastery of Haki was second to none.
Years ago, his clash with the Red Count had ended in his loss only because of age—and the Red Count's overwhelming Conqueror's Haki infusion. But even then, it had been a narrow defeat. The Red Count was no stronger—merely luckier. In the end, Garp had been the one to subdue him with little effort.
"You think you can kill me? In your dreams!"
'Momo–Twentyfold Speed!'
Waldo blurred into a streak, refusing to clash head-on with Kong. He unleashed a storm of accelerated bullets and cannon fire, forcing the Commander-in-Chief to stay rooted in defense.
Enel moved even faster, his lightning body darting through the chaos. He had already sensed the depth of Kong's Haki and combat skill, and—like Waldo—opted for a relentless barrage over direct confrontation.
With Kong pinned down by Enel and Waldo, Souta Kiryuu could finally focus on Imu again.
Now, with Barrett, that madman of power, and the Red Count, an experienced living legend, the three barely managed to hold their ground against the monstrous ruler of the world.
"Kuma! Next phase—go!"
Souta roared, blood and fire surging through him. Every strike from Imu felt like death itself pressing down. He couldn't last much longer.
Hearing his command, Seraphim Kuma vanished instantly, teleporting toward the palace district of Mary Geoise. There, he relayed orders to Law and Bege to rally their forces and prepare for evacuation.
"Fufufufu! You CP agents dare raise your hands against your own master?"
Gecko Moria cackled, his laughter echoing like thunder. He commanded his army of God Knight Zombies, including corpses of Figarland Garling and Mamayé Foss, driving them toward the CP forces.
Even freshly fallen Celestial Dragons were turned into undead puppets by Moria, lurching against the guards and CP agents of Mary Geoise.
The surviving Celestial Dragons screamed and barked orders, demanding the CP agents and guards destroy the invaders—regardless of the fallen nobles' bodies being desecrated.
But any who dared shout commands were quickly kidnapped by Law and Lafitte, terrifying the rest into silence.
Now only a handful of God Knights remained in control of the battlefield—but even they were struggling. They faced fierce attacks from Shiryu of the Rain, Moria, Liquor Barrel Jot, and the Moon Hunter.
"Murumuru! If I take down one of those God Knights, I'll earn my heart back and officially join the Kiryuu Pirates!"
Catarina Devon screamed in manic glee.
Storming the Holy Land itself—this was a once-in-a-lifetime thrill.
Meanwhile, Law and Bonney, having received Kuma's signal, began rallying Kiryuu's crew for immediate retreat.
Those prisoners and pirates who obeyed would live.
Those too lost in greed and bloodlust—Law would crush their hearts without hesitation.
Slaves rescued by Bonney and the Pacifistas scattered chaotically across the Red Line.
But Souta's men had already seized control of the massive elevator platform on the New World side. The slaves' survival now depended on fate alone; the Royal Red Port below still swarmed with Marine forces.
Though Bonney wanted to capture a few hundred more Celestial Dragons, Kuma's warning was clear—
It was time to leave.
They didn't yet have the strength to destroy the World Government's seat of power.
As Lafitte took to the sky and blew the retreat signal for the Kiryuu Pirates, the battlefield roared with chaos.
Some prisoners from Impel Down, like Shiryu of the Rain, had gone completely mad.
They refused to retreat before killing their targets.
Five or six notorious pirates swarmed a single God Knight, hacking and blasting in a frenzy.
They would kill one, take its head—and exchange it for their freedom and hearts.
Catarina Devon, wielding the power of the Mythical Zoan Nine-Tailed Fox, transformed into a wounded Celestial Dragon, shrieking pitifully as she charged a God Knight.
The Knight, caught off guard for a single heartbeat, was impaled through the chest.
Devon severed his head in one swift motion, while the other pirates tore apart the corpse—fighting over pieces to reclaim their own hearts.
"Shiryu! You traitor! You betrayed the World Government!"
God Knight Paines, crimson with fury, shouted at him.
The World Government had raised this man into an elite—and now he had turned on them to join Souta Kiryuu's ranks.
"Killing Celestial Dragons… is far more satisfying than killing prisoners."
Shiryu's eyes gleamed blood-red as he swung his cursed blade Raijū.
Every CP agent in his path was cleaved apart in a blur of steel and lightning.
Even an unfortunate pirate who got too close was bisected without hesitation.
The rest of the escaped pirates quickly learned to stay far away from this demon of a man.
"Gahahaha! Funeral by fire!"
Liquor Barrel Jot, the drunken clown with the Booze-Booze Fruit, poured rivers of flammable alcohol across the battlefield, setting entire palaces ablaze.
As Lafitte's retreat horn echoed over the Holy Land, Pacifistas, mafia units, Sky Island divisions, and Oni Gate operatives rushed back, carrying kidnapped Celestial Dragons into Capone Bege's fortress body.
After leaving a spatial marker on Mary Geoise, Seraphim Kuma prepared to warp Bege's mobile fortress back to the sky islands.
"Heh-heh-heh! If you don't want to die, get back here now!"
Lafitte shouted to the rampaging pirates. Souta Kiryuu had made it clear:
If necessary, abandon those who refused to obey.
Still, Lafitte wasn't eager to lose such powerful fighters.
He had warned them twice already—
If they still wouldn't listen…
There was nothing more he could do.