As the saying goes, where there is oppression, there is resistance. You can't expect people to just stand there and let you kill them, can you?
Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, so people certainly won't sit idly by and wait to die. So, just as there was resistance on Gunko's side, there was also resistance on Saint Shepherd Sommers's side!
Although their attack methods are similar, Saint Shepherd Sommers's thorns are covered in barbs, and even being entangled by them is extremely painful, let alone being pierced indiscriminately. His thorns have a special amplification effect on pain!
But Gunko's arrow did have a restraining effect; once the arrow set the direction, those people could not escape and would only face certain death!
Saint Shepherd Sommers's thorns had also been cut by swords imbued with Armament Haki.
However, his thorns are no ordinary items either. Even without being entangled with Haki, they cannot be easily cut by ordinary Haki!
Its hardness and toughness are in no way inferior to refined iron, and may even be superior!
The thorns were so thick that they made it impossible to get close to them.
Even when the pirate captain himself took action, he couldn't last more than a few rounds before Saint Shepherd Sommers bound him with thorns, causing him to lose consciousness from the pain!
Needless to say, Jiringomu's monster army was all materialized from the dreams of pirates!
The first batch of monsters weren't very strong, and some were even killed by the pirates.
However, as time went on, the materialized monsters became stronger.
Since the monsters appeared in the pirates' dreams, and these dreams came after they had experienced fear, the more fear they felt, the stronger the monsters they dreamed of would be!
With this cycle repeating itself, the plight of pirates is predictable!
The tall, ferocious monster could crush a pirate with a single stomp and tear another to shreds with a single claw strike.
With a single downward gulp, it can snatch a pirate into its mouth; for something more gruesome, it will bite down directly, instantly splitting the pirate in two by its sharp teeth, blood splattering everywhere!
Some people will swallow them whole and digest them with acid; although they can't see it, it's still extremely gruesome!
It wasn't just them; the other God's Knights were equally ruthless and cruel!
They had been ordered by Shamrock to intimidate the villains, so they naturally wouldn't be gentle.
Although the God's Knights are powerful, they are outnumbered, and if they are surrounded, the consequences will not be good.
Moreover, among these enemies are many powerful figures at the level of Yonko commanders and Shichibukai, and even several Four Emperors- level individuals!
There are even those who surpass the Four Emperors and can break through immortality. The situation was already unfavorable to them. Now, if they can intimidate a group of people or kill some, it will be of some help in the later battle!
However, they didn't use all their special skills, otherwise, if the powerful figures knew all their secrets, the subsequent battles would be much more difficult!
"Is this the strength of the mysterious Holy Knights? They're all incredibly powerful. No wonder Luffy's tone was so much more serious when he talked about them. I've truly witnessed it today!"
As Ace watched the God's Knights take action, he recalled the events of that year, the gathering he had with Luffy and the others on this very island.
Back then, the valley in the center of the island was not such a mess, but a lush and peaceful place, dotted with several small villages, with the river meandering through them!
They held a banquet next to a small village, and it was at that banquet that Luffy solemnly mentioned this Holy Knights!
They've faced off more than once or twice, and the battle has remained undecided!
The Straw Hat Pirates at that time was a true Four Emperors crew, and the members were all quite strong.
The Order of Gods includes former Marine Admiral and Shichibukai, Luffy even defeated the veteran Four Emperors Kaido, which shows just how powerful the Holy Knights is!
Their strength comes not only from their own power, but also from their formidable ability of immortality.
Furthermore, the number of God's Knights who have fought Luffy has never exceeded five, but how many are here now? A full twelve!
If we calculate based on the number of God's Knights who fought against Luffy, the Holy Knights are at least equivalent to two Four Emperors) crews!
If this force were to mobilize in full, none of the Four Emperors' crews could withstand it!
Ace thought that the only force that could possibly handle them was Vic's Thunder God Pirates, a force that couldn't be judged by ordinary standards!
" Ace! You know them?"
Marco was the one asking the question, but Hawk-Eye, Buggy, Crocodile, and the others nearby were all listening intently.
When Luffy mentioned the Holy Knights to Ace, it was a subtle reminder that they weren't around. This was also the first time Ace had ever seen the Holy Knights, and it had been quite a shock to them!
This is a force never seen before, and it belongs to the World Government, making them the natural enemies of the pirates.
They now feel somewhat fortunate that the World Government was hiding these powerful figures and wouldn't intervene unless there was a major event; otherwise, they, as the largest power in the New World, would definitely have been the first to be hit!
Especially considering Ace joined the Cross Guild before, he dared to put a bounty on the Navy—he was practically courting death!
Ace told everyone what he had learned from Luffy about the Holy Knights.
In fact, Luffy's knowledge was quite limited; he only knew about the Devil Fruit abilities of some of the God's Knights and their immortality.
After all, these are things that can be learned from battle; as for anything else, Luffy doesn't know either.
Therefore, Ace could only provide a brief introduction, just enough to ensure his companions wouldn't suffer losses later.
Why didn't he intervene to stop the God's Knights ' slaughter?
Of course, it's impossible to stop them. Few of these pirate crews who come to join in the fun have good intentions. Reducing their numbers would be a good thing!
"Mr. Dragon! Is this the power of the Holy Knights? They are indeed powerful!"
Thankfully, Mr. Vic was there during that attack on Mary Geoise, otherwise we would have had a very difficult time getting back!
Sabo was also somewhat frightened after seeing the strength of the Holy Knights. Dragon had experienced being ambushed by a small number of the God's Knights and had also told Sabo about this mysterious force!
Sabo didn't have any particularly direct experience at the time, after all, he wasn't a firsthand witness, and there weren't many God's Knights attacking.
But now, seeing the number of the God's Knights and the fighting power they have shown, Sabo realizes that when he led his men to raid Mary Geoise back then, he couldn't have defeated a single one!
After all, he hadn't even Awakening Conqueror's Haki at the time, so he couldn't break through the God's Knights's immortality.
Thankfully, Vic was there back then, and for some reason, the Holy Knights didn't participate in that incident, which allowed their Revolutionary Army to escape unscathed. Otherwise, they would all have been left on that filthy land!
"It's not surprising that a power that has developed for nearly a thousand years could be hiding any kind of strength!"
If it weren't for the information from Vic, would we even know about the existence of the God Realm?
Do we know if there truly exist beings that are almost like gods?
Do we know if there really is such a being among the Celestial Dragons?
"Without Vic's help, if we had plunged headlong into the Celestial Dragons ' lair, we probably wouldn't even know how we died!"
The more Dragon knew, the more grateful he became to Vic. It could be said that most of what the Revolutionary Army possessed today was brought about by Vic!
Most importantly, Vic saved them from total annihilation without knowing anything about the situation—that was a huge favor!
"Perhaps this is fate!"
Dragon sighed as he watched the Holy Knights slaughtering the enemy not far away.
He didn't choose to stop the God's Knights's slaughter; most pirates are utterly wicked.
Whether viewed from the perspective of a father or a revolutionary fighter, these people should not have lived!