"Indeed, my theory was correct. Oh wait, this is trouble!"
Seeing Silas actually sever Saint Garling's arm with one slash, preventing regeneration, Ortega's face lit up with scientific excitement, but he immediately realized the problem.
He was a Marine Admiral.
He and Saint Garling were on the same side.
Silas breaking Saint Garling's immortality should worry him!
"Damn damn damn!"
Even when Silas initially showed superior strength, Saint Garling had not broken mentally, but now he truly had.
"Filthy pirate, what did you do?"
Alongside his breakdown, Saint Garling felt genuine panic rising in his chest.
His ability to fight Silas until now depended entirely on his immortal body.
Without immortality, could he still battle Silas?
"Ortega!"
Saint Garling suddenly roared with desperation. "Have you not finished those two giants? Hurry and help me! Kill this filthy pirate! Are you not a Marine? Eliminating pirates is your job!"
He completely forgot he had initially challenged Silas to single combat.
"Really troublesome!"
Ortega was helpless too. Dorry and Brogy were not small-fry pirates. Though lacking speed, their massive size advantages ensured they would not easily let him leave.
Saint Garling paid dearly for his recklessness.
Had he realized Silas had broken his immortality and switched to defense, he could have used his strength to delay Silas considerably.
Unfortunately, immortality's advantages had prevented this realization.
When he finally understood the situation, Silas had already severed one arm.
Silas keenly noticed that even with Haki attached to Saint Garling's severed limb, the arm was still slowly regenerating.
Just not as quickly as before.
However, for someone of Saint Garling's caliber, the handicap was decisive.
"Enough!"
Even for top fighters, losing an arm could not be without significant impact. Saint Garling's strength was already inferior. After losing an arm, even parrying became increasingly difficult.
"Damn damn damn!"
Countless times smashed into the ground by Silas's relentless assault, Saint Garling had lost all initial composure, feeling only burning rage.
"What are the others doing? Why has no one come to help after so long? Without me, can Claude not even protect the Holy Land?"
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
Saint Garling screamed again in frustration.
Though possessing an immortal body without normal pain sensation, after losing his left hand, his sword-wielding right was also severed by Silas's precision strikes.
Losing arms still made him cry out involuntarily.
How utterly embarrassing!
Despite powerful strength, Saint Garling had the worst mentality among all the strong fighters Silas had encountered.
Just a severed hand?
Right.
Just a severed hand.
Saint Garling was mid-scream when he noticed his initially severed left arm had regenerated halfway.
Silas had only hindered arm regeneration, not completely broken immortality!
Realizing this crucial detail, Saint Garling became arrogant again.
"Haha, you cannot kill me!"
Looking at Silas with renewed confidence, Saint Garling laughed loudly. "I am immortal! Just wait. We will never forgive you, never forgive anyone who dares insult Celestial Dragons!"
He was met by another sword flash from Silas.
This time, Silas severed his head cleanly.
Even after beheading, Saint Garling continued chattering incessantly. Despite going this far, Silas could not completely kill him.
"Really annoying!"
Silas sighed with genuine frustration.
"Good thing I prepared a second plan."
Knowing this operation might face Holy Knights members, how could Silas lack proper preparation?
So he had discussed contingencies with Rona from the start.
Given the opportunity, he would actively test Holy Knights' abilities. If his methods could not directly kill them, he would use a slightly more troublesome second plan.
Either plan only worked when stronger than Holy Knights members.
What Silas needed to do was simple.
He grabbed Saint Garling's chattering head, throwing it forward in a beautiful parabolic arc through the air.
Saint Garling's head splashed into the ocean with a satisfying splash.
Seeing the Holy Knights' immortality triggered distant memories for Silas.
He knew an ability called Edo Tensei from his previous world's knowledge.
People revived by Edo Tensei could not be killed, only sealed.
Since Holy Knights' immortality could not be broken completely, sealing would suffice.
Silas was not sure if seawater could hinder immortal regeneration, but keeping Saint Garling unable to participate in upcoming battles was enough.
Freezing Saint Garling's head, then throwing it in water, the remaining threat was only Marine Admiral Ortega!
Holy Land Mariejois.
Holy Knights members' assembly speed was not actually slow.
After Vice-Commander Saint Garling's arrival, next would be the Holy Knights Commander plus the remaining members.
Adding Marine Admiral-level fighters, the Five Elders were out of patience. Since Silas dared kill Celestial Dragons, they would make him pay dearly.
However, unexpected events disrupted the Holy Knights' support plans. The Holy Land enslaved tens of millions of slaves.
Plus, during the World Council period, the Holy Land of Mariejois housed numerous World Government member nation kings requiring protection.
So Holy Knights members were tied down by circumstances.
"Seems this was a premeditated attack!"
As Holy Knights Commander, Saint Figarland Claude could not help sighing, wondering if his foolish brother would have problems. At least after the Holy Land chaos, the remaining Holy Knights members definitely could not handle White Wolf Silas.
One dead Celestial Dragon versus many more dead was a simple calculation.
Saint Claude understood priorities clearly.
Though a Marine Admiral still guarded the Holy Land, compared to Marine Admirals, Holy Knights members, including himself, obviously trusted their own strength more.
After all, the Marines' strongest Admiral was his defeated opponent.
What could he expect from the current Holy Land guardian Admiral?
More than strength, Saint Claude cared about maintaining appearances.
"Miss Rona, long time no see."
Seeing Rona arrive "late" despite being responsible for Holy Land protection, Saint Claude showed no anger.
Beauties always had more privileges.
Especially beautiful, powerful ones like Rona.
"Saint Figarland Claude?"
Seeing Saint Claude, Rona showed perfectly measured disgust and distance but, despite inner displeasure, had to bow her head respectfully.
"Lord Saint Claude, we discovered twenty-six explosions total in the Holy Land, all targeting granaries. I have reason to suspect this was premeditated."
"Oh, the White Wolf Pirates' doing?"
"Possibly!"
Saint Claude's favorite sight was usually haughty women forced to bow before him.
Unfortunately, now was not the time for such pleasures.
Otherwise, he would not mind inviting Rona for dinner and more intimate conversation.
"Whoever dares disturb the Holy Land must pay!"
Saint Claude showed a supremely confident expression.
"Miss Rona, you handle protecting other Celestial Dragons."
"As for those petty criminals, we will handle them!"
Now, the remaining six Holy Knights members had dispersed to various locations.
The Holy Land of Mariejois was vast.
Even with the Holy Knights' power, they could not cover everything simultaneously.
So they needed Marine assistance for complete coverage.
"Understood."
Rona bowed slightly, preparing to leave as ordered.
Just then, Saint Claude's enhanced senses detected something.
"Who?"
Saint Claude's eyes sharpened dangerously, raising his sword toward a burning building in the distance.
Simultaneously, Rona quickly approached Saint Claude.
"An ambush!"
"No worry. These rats cannot possibly hurt me!"
Saint Claude smiled with supreme confidence.
But soon his smile vanished completely.
He saw light, impossibly fast light, approaching from an unexpected angle.
Completely unprepared for this development, Saint Claude never expected an attack from behind.
Observation Haki?
Future sight?
Facing same-level deliberate ambush, even seeing it would not help Saint Claude. When he finally reacted, Rona's blade was already at his throat.
"Weeping Moon!"
Armament Haki defended at the crucial moment, but the attacker was a swordswoman famous for lethality.
"Von Braun Rona!!!"
Saint Claude roared with fury, abandoning defense to grab his sword and strike Rona with everything he had.
Never expecting Rona to ignore everything, willing to take serious injury to sever his head cleanly.
"Useless. I have an immortal body!"
Seeing his headless body still standing upright, Saint Claude coldly looked at Rona. How could he not realize this Holy Land incident was nine-tenths Rona's planning?
He had never expected a traitor among Marines.
An Admiral-level traitor!
But no matter. A mere Marine Admiral gaining advantage by beheading him meant nothing. He was immortal!
Rona beheaded Saint Claude while taking his sword wound to her abdomen. If not for quick dodging at the last moment, it would not just be an abdominal injury.
Her entire body might have been bisected.
But it was all worthwhile!
After losing his head, Saint Claude's body immediately lost resistance.
Rona systematically dismembered Saint Claude's body with surgical precision.
But just as she finished destroying it, Saint Claude's head began regenerating rapidly.
In mere seconds, one-third of his upper torso had regrown.
Awaiting him was another slash from Rona.
Rona knew Holy Knights members' recovery speed was extraordinarily fast.
But her blade was equally swift!
With a calculated surprise attack, even Holy Knights Commander Saint Claude, despite being slightly stronger than Rona, had to suffer this indignity.
Moreover, Rona was not just aiming to ambush and dismantle Saint Claude's combat ability.
"Ella!!!"
"Coming, coming!"
Struggling through debris, Ella ran out with a bitter expression etched on her face.
Saint Claude's earlier sword strike had nearly hit her directly.
She was not Rona with Admiral-level strength capable of prolonged battle with Saint Claude.
She was just an ordinary Marine Vice Admiral.
But even ordinary Vice Admirals could accomplish certain crucial tasks, like preparing a Sea-Prism Stone containment box.
Sea-Prism Stone was this world's hardest mineral.
Even Admiral-level fighters could not easily destroy high-purity Sea-Prism Stone, let alone an Admiral-level head trapped within it.
So when Saint Claude saw Rona stuffing his head into the Sea-Prism Stone box, he finally panicked.
"Von Braun Rona, do you know what you are doing!?"
"This is betrayal!"
"Stop now, and I can arrange lenient treatment!"
Seeming to think of something advantageous, Saint Claude showed an expression like she had gained great favor.
"How about this, Von Braun Rona? I can make you my wife!"
"Feel honored. I am Holy Knights Commander, definitely inheriting father's position to lead the entire Holy Knights!"
"If you agree, I can make you my nineteenth wife..."
Bang!
Before finishing, Saint Claude's head was smashed into the Sea-Prism Stone box by Rona, along with his other severed limbs.
"So noisy!"
Rona looked at Ella with exasperation.
"Where did this pig get the confidence to marry me?"
If she wanted to grovel before Celestial Dragons, she would not be here now.
"Continue the operation!"
Though temporarily eliminating the Holy Knights Commander through ambush, several other Holy Knights members remained active.
Rona's people could not possibly match Holy Knights members in direct combat.
But it was enough for their purposes.
After exploding the Holy Land of Mariejois and freeing its enslaved population, Rona would retreat.
She did not believe eliminating Saint Claude left Celestial Dragons without other strong fighters.
But now the entire Holy Land was utterly chaotic.
Marine defenses were thoroughly disrupted by her betrayal.
Top fighters could easily destroy nations but could not necessarily protect them.
Protection was always harder than destruction.
As for how many slaves would escape this chaos, that depended on luck and their own determination.
Both Rona and Silas had given them choices.
Stay, remain slaves, and avoid pursuit dangers.
Leave, risking death anytime during escape.
Few would choose staying.
Escape might mean death, but staying meant worse than death!
Next came escape time.
Rona felt the irony. She had spent half her life pursuing Silas.
Now she had become the pursued party.
This feeling was not bad at all!