"What?!"

  "Stealing Devil Fruit abilities?"

  "How are they even capable of something like that?"

  The shog words from Fleet Admiral Hammons William sent a wave of disbelief rippling through the Wover forces.

  "Is that why they sughtered all the prisoners in Impel Down?"

  Even Saint Mars, along with the other Holy Knights, CP0 agents, and Marines, couldn’t hide their astonishment.

  All eyes turoward Fallen Angel El, who stood calmly amidst the battlefield. His posed smile added an unnervi to the revetion.

  "Could it really be true?"

  Recalling the attapel Down—where nearly all prisoners, including those with Devil Fruit abilities, were killed except for a few select captives—a chilling realizatiohrough them.

  The grim possibility caused them to involuntarily shudder.

  Even among the Marines, Garp and Sengoku were stunned.

  "Devil Fruits regee randomly after the user's death. That’s on knowledge," Sengoku muttered, sweat running down his face as he stared at the rampagis. "How could they have mao take those abilities directly?"

  "Hey, Sengoku, you better watch your back!"

  The Roger Pirates’ Rayleigh and Gaban, though equally shocked, couldn’t help but smirk.

  "Doesn't seem to us much," Rayleigh said with a hint of humor. "After all, none of us are Devil Fruit users."

  "You..."

  Sengoku turned, frustration clear on his face, as Roger leaned casually on his on.

  Saint Mars, now in his monstrous Itsumade form—wreathed in fmes and bck clouds—stared at El with a murderous glint.

  "So this is the true purpose behind your attapel Down?"

  His sharp, raven-like features twisted in both anger and unease.

  To Saint Mars, the atta the world’s stro prison, the mass sughter, and the targeted escape of only a few select prisoners now fit into a chillingly clear strategy.

  "Don’t look so surprised."

  El’s expression remained calm, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

  "It’s just a simple trick, really."

  There was no attempt to hide the truth. After all, it wasn’t something that could remai.

  The power to grant stolen Devil Fruit abilities to his subordinates was already publiowledge through their as otlefield.

  "Enough talk! Let’s kill them all at once!"

  A massive Azure Drago out ah-shaking roar as it surged forward.

  The air rippled with heat as clouds of fire billowed around its colossal form.

  The dragon’s sights locked on the a beasts—giant tyrannosaurs, mammoths, and saber-toothed tigers. The rampaging giant warriors, armed with Zoan abilities, were wreaking havoc among the Marine forces.

  "Demolishing Wind!"

  A massive bde of wind tore through the sky, slig through the air with deadly precision. It was aimed directly at the chargis.

  But before the attack could nd, El moved like a blur, positioning himself in its path.

  With a flick of his enormous Dragon Halberd, he deflected the attack.

  "Boom! Boom!"

  The wind bdes hurtled off course, crashing into a nearby town. Buildings colpsed in an instant, cleaved ly apart, leaving the terrain in ruins.

  "Damn it! Then I’ll deal with you first!"

  The Azure Dragon’s blood-red eyes locked onto El. Its jaws opened wide, revealing a massive, glowing ball of heat and energy.

  "Heat Breath!"

  "Crack——"

  The temperature in the air spiked instantly.

  A bzing ball of fire shot forth, dist the atmosphere as it roared toward El. Its sheer size a promised obliteration for anything caught in its path.

  "Boom! Boom!"

  Fmes engulfed El pletely, ing everything in their path. The firestorm swept through the area, redug buildings to ash and leaving the ground scorched and cracked.

  "Whoosh... whoosh..."

  The bze towered high, and thick bck smoke rolled across the battlefield. The once-pristine ndscape was now a sm ruin, littered with rubble and fme.

  The Fallen Angel Pirates stared toward the inferno, shod etched across their faces.

  "El-sama…!"

  Witnessing this se, several newers to the Fallen Angel Pirates, such as Tsuru, Bangi, Lillian, and Cyril Oka, along with the giant warriors like Helen, Lonz, and Lacroix, were visibly shaken.

  It wasn’t a question of doubting El’s strength; rather, it was because he hadn’t made any effort to evade or defend himself. The attack had nded directly, full force, and the sheer power of the fmes was terrifying.

  “Sizzle... sizzle...”

  Yet—emerging from the burning wreckage, the sound of heavy, unhurried footsteps echoed.

  A t, awe-inspiring figure stepped forth from the fmes.

  "A top-tier ability like the Mythical Zoan: Azure Dragon form, yet this is all you’ve got?"

  El, his fming mane dang in the heat, stood unscathed. Bck wings unfurled behind him, adding to his imposing stature.

  Brushing the ashes off his shoulders, he stared coldly at the massive dragon, his tone dripping with disdain.

  "Not even a scratch. Giving such a Devil Fruit to someone of your caliber is a waste."

  The Mythical Zoan: Azure Dragohough formidable, was weaker than El had anticipated.

  "The Wover's strength is undeniable, and their resources run deep," El mused. "Yet this level isn’t insurmountable.”

  The Azure Dragoe being enhanced by its newfound ability, remained fually limited. The user, over forty years old with stagnant potential, had only retly acquired the Devil Fruit. While the Azure Dragon franted incredible endurand regeion, these advantages weren’t enough to elevate its user to the level of a true "monster."

  El estimated that the dragon's pht slightly surpass Cyril Oka’s current state as a Mythical Zoan: Kaminari user. However, the difference was marginal.

  Oka, a Bueer tribesman with a naturally robust physique, had long crossed the threshold into "moerritory, especially after mastering the Kaminari’s abilities. His ongoing battle with Hammons William, the Fleet Admiral, proved that point. Although Oka was slightly disadvantaged, he wasn’t being overwhelmed.

  The battlefield grew tense as murmurs rippled through the spectators:

  "No way… he’s pletely unharmed?"

  "He didn’t dodge… didn’t even block…"

  "Is this the power of the Lunarian race?"

  From the Fallen Angel Pirates to the Wover’s forces, disbelief was etched onto every face.

  El’s ability to walk through such a devastating attack as if it were nothihem utterly dumbfounded.

  "You…!"

  The Azure Dragohed with rage, its massive form trembling in fury. Before obtaining the Azure Dragon fruit, its wielder had been weaker than Saint Denis. Now, with a plete transformation and newfound fidence, he believed he had surpassed Saint Denis and could even crush Saint Howard, the ander of the Holy Knights.

  Yet, here he stood, belittled by El.

  "Don’t let him provoke you so easily," warned Saint Mars, his cold gaze fixed on El.

  "This Lunarian monster isn’t someone you uimate."

  Deep within Saint Mars's mind, he reached out telepathically to the other Five Elders, still stationed in the Holy Land of Mariejois:

  Five Elders (via telepathy): "How’s the situation?"

  Saint Mars: "The Fallen Angel Pirates’ strength is far greater than anticipated. If we want to take them down swiftly, you’ll o act."

  Five Elders: "Uood. Prepare yourselves—we’re ready to move."

  Saint Mars’s coiled serpentine form, cloaked in eerie fmes, exuded an aura of pure malice. His gaze bored into El as he muttered coldly:

  "You’ve crossed the line by provoking the Wover. No matter how strong you are, Lunarian, this ends today."

  As he prepared to summon the remaining Elders, a strange crag sound suddenly filled the air.

  "Bzzt—bzzt—bzzt—"

  Bleam