Sanders hovered in midair in his half-dragon hybrid form.
In his line of sight, a monstrous bird was flying toward him with its mouth wide open.
The creature had an enormous beak filled with sharp, human-sized teeth. Combined with its serpent-like body, it appeared grotesque and terrifying, exuding an oppressive aura.
However, Sanders remained unfazed.
A sharp, eerie screech rang out.
For a moment, Sanders felt his heart tremble, as if some horrifying presence had locked onto him.
Accompanying the bird's cry was Mars Saint's intense Conqueror's Haki!
"A sonic skill that instills fear, huh?" Sanders frowned slightly, his sharp gaze locking onto the creature.
In response, he unleashed his own overwhelming Conqueror's Haki. The dark red aura surged outward, colliding head-on with Mars Saint's Ame-no-Habakiri form.
Ame-no-Habakiri, a legendary yokai, was said to appear during plagues, spitting fire and lightning. Its eerie cries were enough to strike terror into people's hearts.
That earlier screech, enhanced by Conqueror's Haki, was undoubtedly a formidable psychological attack.
But Sanders, possessing invincible strength and an unshakable will, remained unaffected. The fact that the cry made his heart waver even slightly was proof of its immense power.
An ordinary person would have been paralyzed with fear.
Sanders's Conqueror's Haki, imbued with immense force, surged toward Ame-no-Habakiri.
The intense collision of Haki created a violent shockwave, scattering the thick clouds above, only for them to reform quickly.
"You won't be allowed to continue your rampage, Sanders!""How dare you attack the Sacred Land of Mary Geoise!" Mars Saint's voice echoed.
The monstrous bird opened its massive beak, gathering flames within.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, a torrent of fire spewed from Ame-no-Habakiri's mouth.
"Fire attacks? How original," Sanders thought, sarcastically noting how common flame-based powers seemed to be.
Without hesitation, he raised his arm, now covered in a layer of Armament Haki.
The fire struck his scaled arm, but its temperature was mediocre at best—not even close to dragon fire.
"Barely warm. Not even worth comparing to a proper heat blast," Sanders muttered to himself, evaluating the attack.
If not for the risk of singeing his hair, he wouldn't have bothered blocking.
As the flames dissipated, he lowered his arm casually and mocked, "Is it someone's birthday? Did you come to light candles, Mars?"
His words carried a dismissive tone, showing complete disregard for Mars Saint's attack.
Ame-no-Habakiri flew up, reaching Sanders's altitude.
"You know me?" Mars Saint asked, somewhat surprised.
He rarely revealed this form, and the fact that Sanders had not only identified him but also called him by name indicated a degree of familiarity.
However, Mars Saint didn't dwell on the question for long, instead studying Sanders carefully.
"Incredible!"
"You've actually gained the same Devil Fruit abilities as Kaido! How is that even possible?"
Mars Saint's eyes were filled with curiosity as he observed Sanders's half-dragon form, so strikingly similar to Kaido's.
The World Government had known about Sanders's multi-fruit abilities for over a year, but this was the first time Mars Saint had seen them in action.
"It's truly astonishing!"
"And another thing—don't call me by my name alone, Sanders!" Mars Saint's tone turned icy, offended by the lack of an honorific.
"Ruling the world for centuries has really gone to your heads, hasn't it?" Sanders sneered, his disdain evident.
He didn't bother wasting more words.
In a flash, Sanders appeared in front of Mars Saint, ready to strike.
Black and red lightning crackled around his fist, blending with a surge of blue electricity.
"Five Hundred Million Volt Thunder Punch!"
Sanders wasted no time testing his opponent. His electrically charged fist, infused with immense strength and Haki, hurtled toward Ame-no-Habakiri with devastating force.
His speed was incredible, leaving Mars Saint with no time to react.
Sanders moved at lightning speed, an advantage granted not only by the Goro Goro no Mi but also by his innate swiftness. Mars Saint had no time to dodge.
Mars Saint's pupils shrank in alarm as he crossed his wings—coated with Armament Haki—over his chest to shield himself.
The surging lightning, carrying extreme heat and devastating force, exploded from Sanders's punch.
Mars Saint's wings were instantly pierced, leaving a charred hole despite the powerful Haki reinforcement.
He grunted in pain, sent flying backward.
"You five old men sent only one of you to face me? Are you here to die?" Sanders asked coldly, watching Mars Saint stabilize himself midair.
"Don't underestimate the depths of the World Government, Sanders!" Mars Saint growled, his tone menacing.
As if in response to his words, the damaged wing miraculously regenerated. The feathers became pristine once more, with no signs of injury.
Sanders's eyes narrowed.
He immediately recognized this ability as resembling the "immortal" or "indestructible" powers often seen in comics.
Of course, he never believed in true immortality.
"This is just some kind of gimmick—a mechanism," he thought to himself.
The so-called "immortal" state was only invincible as long as its mechanism remained a mystery. But once the mechanism was understood, the supposed immortality would crumble.
Mars Saint, now fully healed, stared at Sanders intently, hoping to glean some reaction.
Unfortunately for him, Sanders's expression remained as calm and indifferent as ever, showing no surprise at his regenerative abilities.
Mars Saint flapped his wings, disappearing in a blink.
In the next instant, he reappeared right in front of Sanders.
Ame-no-Habakiri's massive beak opened wide, aiming to bite down ferociously on Sanders.
But Sanders didn't flinch.
He spread his arms wide, letting Mars Saint bite down.
The monstrous force clamped down on Sanders's scaled arms, causing his muscles to bulge as veins popped. With sheer strength, he held Mars Saint's beak open.
Screech!
The deafening cry echoed in Sanders's ears, the wind it generated blowing his hair wildly.
Mars Saint began gathering flames in his mouth, the intense heat evident.
Sanders, still unfazed, opened his own mouth and spat—a blast of extreme cold.
The freezing spittle hit the gathering flames, extinguishing them instantly.
The inside of Mars Saint's mouth was frozen solid, a spherical block of ice forming.
Before Mars Saint could react, Sanders's limbs emitted an intense chill, freezing his sharp teeth and long beak entirely.
"Shatter!"
Sanders exerted tremendous force with all four limbs, pushing outward.
Mars Saint's frozen teeth shattered into ice shards, and Sanders swiftly moved out of the bird's reach.
Boom!
Sanders's fist, charged with tremendous power, smashed downward, completely obliterating the frozen beak.
Mars Saint let out a wail as he plummeted from the sky.
"Immortal and indestructible?" Sanders scoffed internally.
He didn't believe for a second that the Five Elders were truly invincible.
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T/N:
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