"Hey! Wait for me!"
When Sanji saw Zoro being sent flying by the Bakotsu, he quickly used Geppo to chase after him. He had also heard Vic's telepathic message earlier. Although he was unhappy about cooperating with the Moss Head, given the current state of the Straw Hat Pirates, they had no choice but to join forces!
Didn't you see that Luffy hasn't been able to defeat the giant spider for so long? The opponent is very strong, and Sanji is a great team player with a sharp mind.
" Kuzan! You left the Navy, and now you want to be an enemy of the World Government? If you leave now, I might spare your life!"
Aokiji and Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, who had transformed into Sandworm, did not immediately engage in combat. This was partly due to Aokiji's former status Marine Admiral, and also because Saint Shepherd Ju Peter was not particularly keen on fighting Aokiji. If they could persuade him to leave, that would be ideal.
With the ideological imprint left in the minds of the Celestial Dragons in the Navy, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter was somewhat confident; this was a hierarchical relationship that had been continuously established for 800 years.
Just like when the Celestial Dragons patrolled the Sabaody Archipelago, everyone they met instinctively knelt down. That sense of hierarchy, fear, and the power to take life at will had become a biological instinct!
The Navy members are among those most deeply influenced by the ideology of the Celestial Dragons, as they are the Celestial Dragons ' henchmen and have been thoroughly indoctrinated by the World Government!
However, this kind of baptism only works on those who blindly follow and have rigid thinking; it is difficult to work on those who have independent thinking.
Because these people generally have deep beliefs, their understanding cannot be reconstructed by ideological baptism. These people are very self-centered, and it is often these people who can reach high positions. Aokiji is one of them!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have let young Robin go Vice Admiral, and he wouldn't have left the Navy in the end. With Vic's guidance, Aokiji has become an Awakening One like Dragon. How could he be dismissed with just a few words from Saint Shepherd Ju Peter!
"I used to be lost, but now I have true freedom, and you are destroying my freedom and trying to get rid of me like a dog."
I'm sorry! I can't do it. Even if I lose my life here today, it would be worth it. But with that person here, I should be able to leave alive!
Even after joining the Blackbeard Pirates, Aokiji remained lost and confused. He could only hope that Blackbeard could change the world, so he obeyed Blackbeard's orders.
But here he met Vic, Vic swept away all the confusion in his heart. Now his soul was incredibly free and joyful, and he had a goal to strive for. He would not regret it even if he gave his life!
"Stubborn fool! You're asking for it!"
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter was furious at Aokiji's words. A former henchman, bodyguard, and dog dared to act presumptuously in front of his master; he was courting death.
Without further ado, the giant Sandworm opened its massive, cross-shaped maw and enveloped Aokiji, creating a tremendous suction force on Aokiji.
This is the Sandworm's signature move, somewhat similar to Blackbeard's Dark Water. It allows it to endlessly suck objects into its stomach, as if its belly contains the entrance to another world!
After Aokiji's body was passively moved two meters to the side towards the Sandworm, he finally reacted and quickly waved his arm, sending a large burst of cold air towards Sandworm Sandworm's mouth, which was then frozen solid by a thick block of ice!
Aokiji breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could relax, he saw cracks forming on the ice on Saint Shepherd Ju Peter's giant mouth. The cracks grew larger and more numerous, and in the blink of an eye, they turned into dozens of pieces of ice of varying sizes, which were sucked into the giant mouth and disappeared without a trace!
Aokiji looked solemn. Although the Sandworm seemed clumsy because it had no hands or feet, it was thick-skinned, huge, and its ability to devour still had a significant impact on his cold energy.
After swallowing the sealed ice block, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter stopped devouring and lunged at Aokiji, intending to crush or kill Aokiji.
However, Aokiji's abilities are Logia, so physical damage is useless against him. Saint Shepherd Ju Peter knew this, so he covered the entire insect's head with Armament Haki, preparing to smash Aokiji into pieces!
As a former Marine Admiral, Aokiji was no pushover either. His Observation Haki was also quite impressive. The moment the Sandworm crashed into him, he transformed his body into an elemental form, causing his body to shatter into a pile of ice fragments that scattered in all directions!
But Aokiji quickly regenerated his body from a larger piece of ice and hurled several sharp ice spears at Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, who was rushing past!
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter sensed the danger, turned around, and began to devour everything in sight, even if Aokiji charged at him!
Due to the suction force, the ice spear that was originally aimed at the Sandworm's body instantly changed direction and flew directly into the gaping maw.
" Ice Time Capsule!"
Aokiji touched the ground with his hand to prevent being sucked away, while simultaneously releasing a large amount of cold air onto the ground, instantly freezing it and rapidly spreading it towards the location of the Sandworm!
The ground certainly doesn't freeze as fast as it does in the sea, but whether Saint Shepherd Ju Peter couldn't dodge it or was too lazy to dodge it, the thick ice eventually covered his huge insect body, and a tall insect-shaped ice sculpture was completed in the blink of an eye!
While Aokiji was making his move, Rebecca wasn't idle either. She was one of the main fighters arranged by Vic, and her opponent was one of the Five Elders, an opponent she had never faced before!
Based on her previous encounter with the giant spider and Luffy, as well as the monstrous aura she sensed, she was quite confident!
She had initially thought that Four Emperors were as powerful as Vic, but after sensing Vic's full power, she realized that even among the Four Emperors, there were differences in strength, and the Five Elders were at the bottom of the hierarchy!
Despite her impressive entrance, she might not even be able to defeat Yamato, but she is still capable of putting up a fight against Yamato.
"You should be able to fly, right?"
Looking at the strange giant bird in front of her, Rebecca knew why Vic had assigned this guy to her. She had the ability of the Float-Float Fruit, which allowed her to fly and control flying swords to attack. This gave her the greatest advantage against flying enemies and also allowed her to minimize the enemy's advantage!
"Little girl! Do you want to become Celestial Dragons? I see you have considerable strength and are definitely qualified to join the Holy Knights. Those are God's Knights who are even more powerful than the Celestial Dragons!"
Those are the elite of the elite, able to trample all mortals under their feet, have whatever they want, endless wealth and glory, and even have the chance to extend their most precious lifespan!
What do temporary gains and losses amount to in the face of the long passage of time?
The Five Elders are the Five Elders; they always think about how to defeat the enemy without lifting a finger. At their level, it would be beneath them to fight themselves!
Therefore, they don't mind promising some benefits to bribe some powerful people to join the Celestial Dragons. These people will eventually become Lord Imu's Soul Contract slaves!
To put it bluntly, they are soul slaves, their lives and deaths entirely at Imu's whim. These powerful individuals he has gathered will eventually become Imu's henchmen!
The Five Elders can be borrowed and used as henchmen, but their importance is definitely not comparable to that of the pure-blooded Celestial Dragons. They are just expendable resources, like leeks in a leek field; once you cut one crop, another will quickly grow back!
Vegapunk's alter York, was drawn to the Celestial Dragons ' extravagant lifestyle and became a traitor!