Researching Immortality

"That's right! We can never be killed!"

The Five Elders shouted arrogantly as their bodies rapidly swelled, transforming into enormous, grotesque monsters.

Gyuki, with the body of a spider and the head of an ox!

Itsumade, with a bird's head, wings, and talons, yet a snake-like body!

Fengxi, with four massive tusks!

Bakotsu, a skeletal horse without a shred of flesh!

And a gigantic sandworm covered in fangs!

The five legendary Mythical Beasts all revealed their true forms, black flame clouds symbolizing Devil Fruit awakenings coiling around them.

At the same time, five utterly different yet immensely powerful attacks—toxin, flames, roars, icy slashes, and yellow sand—surged toward Zhu Mang.

The place where Zhu Mang stood was completely engulfed in an instant!

"Oh no, why didn't he dodge?"

On another open stretch of ground in the distance stood a group of four spectators: Doflamingo, the Empress, Hawkeye, and Tyrant Kuma.

They were neither Marines nor pirates.

So everything that had happened before, they had merely watched in silence, enjoying the spectacle without getting involved at all.

Ever since Zhu Mang had declared war on the World Government and brazenly struck down the Five Elders in an instant, the Empress's heart had unknowingly begun to lean toward him.

Perhaps it had not yet reached the point of "falling in love," but she had already developed a feeling even she herself could neither explain nor understand.

At that moment, as she watched the dust filling the sky, a trace of anxiety flashed through the Empress's eyes.

Doflamingo stood beside her with a complicated expression, unsure of what to say.

Things had changed far too quickly.

He had originally believed that by attaching himself to Gebinz, he could make the Donquixote Family rise again and eventually return to the ranks of the Celestial Dragons.

Because of his foolish father when he was young, he had been taken out of the Holy Land, stripped of his identity as a Celestial Dragon, and subjected to endless humiliation afterward.

Thus, becoming a Celestial Dragon had become the greatest obsession of his life.

To achieve that goal, he was willing to do anything!

Yet now, before he could even dream of a bright future, his greatest backer—or so he believed—and his ultimate goal had started fighting right in front of him!

Stop fighting already!

Doflamingo truly wanted to rush over, stand between them, and roar those words.

But reason told him that this battlefield was simply not one he could take part in.

So he could only stare at the dust filling the sky and worry about his future.

—It seemed that no matter which side won, his future would be utterly bleak.

Damn it!

Doflamingo clenched his fists.

Beside him, Hawkeye's eyes suddenly lit up.

His brief clash with Whitebeard earlier had made him realize the gap between himself and the strongest man in the world.

But Whitebeard was stronger than him not because of swordsmanship, but because of his physique and Devil Fruit ability.

Yet now, he saw another master of the sword.

No, to be precise, three of them!

The Warrior God of Finance among the Five Elders!

Gringo, commander of the Holy Knights!

And his son, Shamrock, who looked remarkably like Shanks!

Both the Warrior God of Finance and Shamrock had used external means to supplement their swordsmanship to some extent.

But from Gringo's swordsmanship, Hawkeye could sense nothing but the pure essence of the sword!

This was a true great swordsman!

Hawkeye's fighting spirit surged at the sight of such worthy prey, and he felt the urge to replace Garp at any moment and charge in for a fierce battle with Gringo.

As for whether that would offend the World Government, he did not consider it in the slightest.

At worst, he would become wanted.

As for Tyrant Kuma.

He merely narrowed his eyes, held the Bible in his arms, and stared blankly at the battlefield. Only when he saw members of the Celestial Dragons' forces being killed did a concealed glimmer flash through his calm eyes.

The dust gradually dispersed, revealing Marineford Plaza below, which had become a crater hundreds of meters deep.

Yet at the center of that crater stood a slender stone pillar, still firmly standing tall.

Atop the stone pillar stood a man idly swishing a monkey tail.

"Is that all?" Zhu Mang spread his hands, his expression carrying not only disappointment but also mockery.

"Damn it!"

"How is this possible?"

"No, how can this be possible? The ground was torn apart, yet he came out completely unscathed?!!"

"Even a Four Emperors-level pirate couldn't emerge unscathed from our combined attack! He must be forcing himself to endure it..."

Bang!

Before one of the Five Elders could finish his supposedly airtight reasoning, a figure rapidly approached from afar. A massive foot stomped directly onto his face, knocking him to the ground before ruthlessly driving him into the soil.

Boom!

The earth shook violently, and half of that Five Elder's body was pulverized by the blow.

"When did he—?!" The other four Five Elders stared in shock as Warcury, the Warrior God of Justice and the one with the greatest defense among them, was crushed beneath a single foot. They suddenly realized that the being they faced seemed to be a monster ten, perhaps even dozens of times more terrifying than the so-called Four Emperors!

Ignoring whether Warcury was dead or alive, the four of them leaped away from where they stood, staring at Zhu Mang with extreme wariness as they guarded against his next attack.

However, Zhu Mang did not continue attacking. Instead, he looked down at his feet.

He wanted to find out just where the limits of this immortal body lay.

If they could do what Majin Buu—or no, even Cell—could do, freely regenerating as long as a core remained...

Then he wanted this "immortal body" technology!

Even if he had to turn Mary Geoise upside down, he would get his hands on it!

The red flesh scattered across the ground wriggled frantically as though it were alive, continuously gathering toward the center.

"Interesting."

Zhu Mang raised a finger and controlled his output, keeping it at a level sufficient to kill ordinary lifeforms without reducing him entirely to ash.

Sizzle—

Warcury's remaining half-body trembled.

"He can still feel it?"

Zhu Mang pointed again and removed Warcury's fifth limb.

The trembling became even more violent before falling into dead silence.

"Hm? Did he faint?"

He then turned his gaze toward the other four Five Elders.

They immediately sensed that something was wrong. No longer caring about carrying out Lady Imu's orders, they scattered in all directions, intending to flee back to Mary Geoise.

But how could their speed compare to Zhu Mang's?

Before long, the four fleeing men had been caught and brought back. Some were heads, some were hearts, some were hands and feet... The five of them lay neatly in a row, though the missing parts differed from one to another.

Such crude and brutal methods made the Empress and the others watching from afar shudder in fear.

Yet at the same time, they made Doflamingo even more certain of one thing.

Damn, the Five Elders were nothing!

The five of them put together weren't even worth one ball now!

Lord Gebinz, I will follow in your footsteps forever!!!

Doflamingo charged into the CP0 at top speed and began slaughtering them, determined to use this chance to demonstrate his loyalty.