Mars Saint, who had been falling, quickly stabilized himself midair.
The shattered beak restored itself completely in a matter of moments.
"I should've killed you back then!" Mars Saint spat venomously, glaring at Sanders with a mix of fury and pain.
Though his regenerative ability allowed him to heal his wounds, the intense pain from Sanders's earlier strikes still lingered in his senses.
"Well, too bad for you that you didn't!" Sanders shrugged casually before darting forward to engage Mars Saint once again.
The skies roared with the sounds of their clash.
Mars Saint, now more cautious after his previous defeats, lunged repeatedly with his haki-infused talons, aiming for critical blows.
Sanders, his fists covered in powerful Armament Haki, met every attack head-on.
The continuous clanging of their clashes echoed through the skies like a symphony of destruction.
Yet, every time Sanders landed a hit, Mars Saint's wounds regenerated almost instantly.
It was as if he truly were immortal.
"You can't kill me, Sanders! You'll never surpass the World Government's resources!" Mars Saint sneered. "Your attack on the Holy Land won't go unpunished. The World Government will hunt down and destroy everything and everyone connected to you!"
Sanders remained unfazed.
"Be my guest," he said with a mocking shrug. "Try it—if you can handle the consequences."
Mars Saint narrowed his eyes.
Sanders's confidence wasn't baseless.
The base of his operations floated in the sky, out of reach for most. Even if it were on land, the World Government wouldn't dare to make a move lightly.
As long as Sanders was alive, any attack on his forces would be met with devastating retaliation.
He could effortlessly launch raids like the one on Mariejois today or drop entire islands on the Marines' headquarters.
Unlike other Yonko, Sanders's mobility gave him a significant strategic advantage.
"You're provoking the World Government!" Mars Saint growled.
"And what of it?" Sanders retorted. "Can you kill me?"
Mars Saint faltered, his words caught in his throat.
The truth was painfully obvious—the World Government had no real way to eliminate Sanders.
Even with their vast resources and numerous powerful agents, none could match Sanders's ability to dominate the skies.
His unique combination of the Float-Float Fruit and his incredible combat prowess made him virtually untouchable.
Suddenly, Sanders spoke, breaking the tense silence.
"I've been wondering about something."
Mars Saint, caught off guard, blinked. "What is it?"
Sanders pointed to Mars Saint's claw. "Why aren't you affected by seastone?"
Mars Saint followed Sanders's gesture and froze.
A small piece of seastone dangled from his talon.
His expression darkened.
"By all rights, if you were a Zoan-type Mythical Beast user—assuming this Izanami-Tengu form—you should've felt its effects the moment you touched it," Sanders continued.
"And yet, you've been fighting and yammering away without so much as a flinch. So, tell me... should I call you Mars Saint, or Izanami-Tengu?"
Sanders's suspicions deepened.
He had already theorized that the Five Elders weren't typical Devil Fruit users.
His experiment with seastone had confirmed it. Mars Saint wasn't affected by it or seawater.
This could mean one of several things:
The Five Elders weren't ordinary Devil Fruit users.
They were something entirely different, perhaps demons in disguise.
Or, they might be individuals coexisting symbiotically with demonic entities.
After all, how else could they explain their supposed immortality, the use of magical circles for teleportation, and powers that surpassed even the most powerful Zoan Fruits?
Even Kaido, with his Azure Dragon form, lacked such abilities. So how could a mere yokai wield this kind of power?
Mars Saint's gaze sharpened, his eyes filled with hostility.
"Sanders, you're a man full of secrets, aren't you?" Mars Saint growled.
Sanders chuckled lightly, unconcerned. "And you're not?"
Mars Saint didn't respond, choosing instead to glower silently.
"I don't just know about Izanami-Tengu," Sanders continued casually. "I know about the other names, too. Makura, Gyuki..."
As each name escaped Sanders's lips, Mars Saint's expression grew increasingly grim.
His bloodshot eyes locked onto Sanders with murderous intensity, as if willing him to vanish on the spot.
"You've been hiding a lot, haven't you?" Sanders smirked.
Mars Saint's silence spoke volumes. The tension between them grew thicker, a prelude to the next clash.
A moment later, Mars Saint looked at Sanders and spoke:"Since you know so much about us, you should understand the power of the World Government!""Now, I'll give you an opportunity!""Submit to us, and you'll gain an exalted status and endless wealth!"
Sanders was momentarily stunned, not expecting Mars Saint to actually try to recruit him.
Indeed, in a world where strength reigns supreme, anything is possible if you are powerful enough.
After all, he had just attacked the Holy Land of the Celestial Dragons, and who knows how many of them had died by his hand. Yet, the Five Elders were still thinking about recruiting him.
Yes, it wasn't just Mars Saint who wanted to recruit him—it was the collective decision of the Five Elders.
The Five Elders had the ability to communicate telepathically. Everything happening here was known to the other Elders as well. Thus, the proposal to recruit Sanders was definitely not a decision Mars Saint could make on his own.
Seeing Sanders remain silent, Mars Saint assumed he was considering the proposal.
"As long as you agree, the World Government can create a position for you, just like the Warlords of the Sea," Mars Saint continued, sweetening the deal."If you're willing to rejoin the Marines, once Sengoku retires, the position of Fleet Admiral will be yours!"
This was the result of the Five Elders' collective deliberation.
Sanders was simply too powerful and had unparalleled mobility. Killing him would be incredibly difficult. If left unchecked, his actions against the World Government would soon reduce their prestige to nothing.
Furthermore, they were very interested in Sanders' body—specifically, the secret behind his ability to wield multiple Devil Fruit powers.
If Dr. Vegapunk could study him, the government's technological advances would soar to unimaginable heights.
To that "great figure," Sanders was just a mortal, capable of living no more than a hundred years. In a few decades, dust would return to dust, and no one would remember his existence. Meanwhile, the World Government would still rule the world.
"I refuse."
Sanders rejected the offer without hesitation.
He had no intention of becoming anyone's dog.
Mars Saint wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Someone who had achieved such great power in their early twenties wouldn't submit so easily.
"If he doesn't surrender, take his blood or flesh! We need to uncover his secrets!"
A voice echoed in Mars Saint's mind. It was Saturn, one of the other Five Elders, instructing him to collect samples from Sanders for research.
Clearly, they intended to obtain Sanders' blood or flesh for Dr. Vegapunk to study.
"In that case, die!"
Mars Saint's enormous bird-like eyes flashed coldly. His aura began to surge, and black flames appeared around his form as Yatagarasu. The terrifying heat distorted the surrounding air.
It was clear that, to obtain Sanders' blood sample, Mars Saint was ready to escalate the battle.
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T/N:
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