'Boom boom...'
'Whoosh... Crash...'
The ocean roiled, waves surging violently. A thunderous roar echoed across the entire sea. The wind howled with the force of a storm, carrying the sound of wind and thunder. The powerful tornado was shredded, torn apart by one fierce attack after another.
Without losing momentum, the attacks continued to strike in rapid succession.
'Boom... boom...'
But—
The flames behind El's head extinguished. No longer in his "invincible" defensive state, El's speed and reflexes had peaked. With swift movements, he effortlessly dodged the oncoming attacks with remarkable agility.
"Damn it, of all times for them to show up… Mighty Nation!" he cursed.
Meanwhile, seeing the situation, Linlin gritted her teeth, unwilling to back down as she brandished her massive sword. Gripping Napoleon tightly, she focused her Observation Haki on Kong's position and launched a fierce strike.
'Whoosh—'
In an instant—
A powerful shockwave of sword energy ripped through the air, tearing toward Kong's location like a cannonball.
'Boom... boom...'
"Linlin, we're leaving!!" El shouted.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma! If he survives this, then he's got some serious luck!" Linlin replied.
El swiftly hoisted his Great Halberd behind him and flashed forward, moving with lightning speed. He grabbed Linlin—who, at ten meters tall, was relatively "petite" compared to his own human-beast form—and held her tightly.
'Whoosh...'
Sensing several powerful auras rapidly approaching from both sides, El's four wings flapped in unison. Moving with terrifying speed, he took the closest route, charging toward the sky.
Without hesitation, he opened his enormous mouth: "Golden Reincarnation Burst!!"
'Crack—chirp—'
A brilliant light erupted. The forces of storm, lightning, and fire converged, exuding an aura of intense danger.
'Whoosh—' In an instant—
It transformed into a dazzling, fiercely intense beam of energy, ripping through the air with unimaginable destructive force. It surged directly toward an approaching winged Pegasus, upon whose back a formidable figure stood.
The beam tore forward, unstoppable.
"Fallen Angel El, don't think you can escape!!" roared the Navy Admiral Horn, in the form of the Pegasus. Fleet Admiral Hammons William, standing beside him, instantly reacted, his face darkening as he charged forward without hesitation.
William's right fist, muscles bulging with visible light energy, was wrapped in high-level Armament Haki as he countered with: "Justice Impact!!!"
Meanwhile, the powerful Pegasus raised its Haki-covered hooves high, smashing the air and kicking forward fiercely: "Pegasus Meteor!!!"
'Boom boom!!!'
The deafening explosion and rolling shockwaves shook the heavens. Massive waves surged across the sea, churning endlessly.
Caught off guard, the two figures were forced back by the overwhelming power of the attack.
'Whoosh... whoosh...'
Almost immediately, on the other side of the island—
A massive thunderbird, crackling with lightning, charged forward with fierce intent. But El, carrying Linlin, had already taken advantage of his incredible speed.
Like a streak of light, he maneuvered past Pegasus Horn and Hammons William, who were left disoriented on the sea surface after narrowly blocking the Golden Reincarnation Burst. The two powerful figures looked slightly disheveled as they broke through the encirclement.
Accelerating continuously, El and Linlin swiftly vanished into the distance.
"Damn it—"
"That bastard realized things weren't in his favor and ran?"
"Curses, we were too careless!"
One by one, figures leapt down from the back of the thunderbird. They were none other than the top-ranking members of the Holy Knights.
Shortly after, from two other directions—
A giant vulture and the admiral Pegasus Horn arrived, wings spread.
Not only was Hammons William, the Navy Fleet Admiral, present, but two former admirals, who had retired due to age, had also joined the pursuit.
"Kong…"
"Tch! He's been wounded this badly!"
"Hurry, bandage his wounds, don't let his organs spill out…"
Realizing they couldn't stop Fallen Angel El from escaping, the enraged and frustrated Hammons William and the others had no time to dwell on it. They immediately located the blood-soaked, severely weakened, and unconscious Kong.
As they observed this admiral, now reverted from his human-beast form, lying battered and bloodied, they all drew a sharp breath, their scalps tingling.
The numerous cuts and abrasions were one thing, but—
His back was a mess of torn flesh, his body curled protectively. A massive, bloody gash slashed diagonally from his right chest to his left abdomen, exposing shattered ribs and even his organs. Only a thin membrane kept his intestines from spilling out.
Fortunately, the situation wasn't as dire as it could have been. Otherwise, survival itself would have been a miracle.
"Damn it…"
"We truly underestimated that monster!"
"Quickly, get his wounds bandaged!"
Meanwhile—
Members of the Holy Knights finished surveying the battlefield. One immediately contacted the Five Elders on the Red Line.
"What!?"
"They escaped?"
"Commander Howard is missing?"
"What were you all doing?"
In the Chamber of Authority at Mariejois, the expressions of the Five Elders shifted dramatically. Shocked and enraged, they rose from their seats.
"Honorable Five, we rushed to the scene as quickly as possible, but we were still a step too late…"
Observing the devastation spread across the ravaged island, Saint Denis reported with frustration, "If we'd been even a little later, Admiral Kong might have become the second admiral to fall to Fallen Angel El."
"Right now, he's on the verge of death, practically disemboweled. He's unconscious and barely hanging on!"
Hearing Saint Denis's report, the Five Elders looked visibly shaken.
"Even Kong couldn't handle him?" Saint Mars frowned, almost in disbelief.
They were well aware of Steelbone Kong's strength—among Navy Admirals and even past Fleet Admirals, he was considered one of the best. Under forty, he had already mastered high-level techniques like Conqueror's Haki infusion.
Yet even with his strength, he was no match for Fallen Angel El? It was nearly inconceivable.
"We still don't fully understand what happened," Saint Denis continued into the transponder snail. "When we arrived, Commander Howard was missing… We only found Admiral Kong, barely holding on under the relentless assault from Fallen Angel El and the woman Charlotte Linlin!"
"That Lunarian monster has this level of power?"
"Damn it, were we too complacent?"
"Or did we underestimate him?"
The Five Elders looked grim.
They had been uneasy ever since receiving a report from CP that Saint Rhodys's Vivre Card had burned to ashes, and two CP0 senior agents' cards were partially burned, indicating serious injury or worse.
Their worst fears were confirmed within an hour.
Commander Howard's Vivre Card had nearly vanished.
The reinforcements had only managed to save the critically injured Admiral Kong, who was near death.
As for Commander Howard, the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights, he had vanished without a trace.
It was almost certain that he'd been captured by the Fallen Angel Pirates.
To think that a lowly Lunarian remnant could repeatedly challenge the dignity of the "Gods," leaving the World Government helpless and enduring significant losses—
It was an unbearable humiliation.
Furious beyond measure.
"What an utter failure…"
Saint Mars clutched the sofa, his face dark with anger. "We, who hold the title of 'Warrior God,' have never faced such a blunder."
This time, they'd thought their plans foolproof.
They believed they had already overestimated Fallen Angel El, or rather, the strength of the entire Fallen Angel Pirate crew, yet it seemed they had still underestimated them.
Grudgingly, they had agreed to El's demands, intending to exploit the pirates' predictable greed. Tempted by rare Devil Fruits, they expected El to linger, unwilling to abandon such treasures.
The plan was for Kong to create the impression of a difficult but manageable fight, encouraging El to stay while reinforcements approached. With a top-tier Logia, a Mythical Zoan, and other valuable Devil Fruits as bait, they had hoped to trap him.
Instead, they lost both the treasures and personnel—and even Howard, the powerful Commander of the Holy Knights, was now likely captured. Admiral Kong had barely survived.
It was beyond disbelief. It was an utter, seething outrage.
"A disgrace of epic proportions!"
Saint Saturn's face darkened with fury. He struck his cane on the floor, shouting, "Order CP and the Navy to investigate thoroughly. We must find them!"
"As the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights…"
The blond Elder, Saint Ju Peter, frowned deeply. "Howard's unique position makes this matter of utmost importance. We cannot ignore it!"
"Recover him at any cost!"
"Yes, sir!"