Infinite Anime [197-199] (Patreon)

Chapter 197: Holy Word. Descent of God

Meanwhile, Snow Wind and her group were rummaging through Enel's home, searching for the blueprints of the Ark Maxim.

"Where on earth could he have hidden them? Enel doesn't seem like someone who's good at hiding things!"

Snow Wind frowned slightly. They had turned the place upside down, finding only some irrelevant documents—no sign of the blueprints.

"Big Sis Snow Wind, I found a really suspicious big box!"

Ulti ran in excitedly from outside.

"Where?"

Snow Wind's eyes lit up.

Ulti led Snow Wind outside, explaining: she and Page One had been playing when they accidentally bumped into a patch of soft island cloud. Lifting the island cloud, she discovered a hidden cellar underneath, and inside it, a heavy seastone chest.

Seeing the chest, Snow Wind was momentarily stunned. "No way, it can't be this much of a coincidence?"

Snow Cake and Snow Lily both nodded. "It really is."

Snow Cake even gave Snow Wind a strange look, as if to say, "See, I warned you, but you wouldn't listen."

Indeed, the seastone chest needed a key to open. Seastone is famously tough in the world of One Piece—forcing it open was nearly impossible.

Snow Wind once had a way to open treasure chests, but now she didn't.

She glanced toward the battlefield, thinking, "You'd better not die out there, or this is going to be a huge loss."

….

Inside the Ark Maxim, angry roars echoed, but strangely, the sound didn't reach the outside.

Enel, with a crazed expression, was clawing at his own face, desperate to rid himself of the unbearable itching.

His body was covered in black spots, looking like rotting flesh—gruesome and terrifying.

Opposite him, a small black figure darted around, dodging Enel's weak lightning strikes.

"So troublesome. I thought you'd die quickly," Black Lily said, her voice emotionless. "Why aren't you dead yet?"

Her curse technique usually meant victory once it hit; her stats were only just at Tier 3, but this move could defeat most foes.

Enel's physical stats weren't high by her standards. If it were anyone else, they'd surely have been weakened to death by now.

But Enel had taken two curses—Chaos and Decay—and was still alive.

She realized she'd underestimated this early-game boss. Though Enel was a glass-cannon mage among the strong, he wasn't without survival skills.

In terms of devil fruit mastery, Enel was just shy of awakening his fruit, and used its power skillfully.

In the original, he was hit by Wyper and his heart stopped, but Enel revived himself using an electric shock.

Without medical knowledge and deep understanding of his fruit, he couldn't have achieved that.

That's what he was doing now: using lightning to stimulate his cells and resist the curse. Otherwise, the curse would have killed him already.

Still, even if he could resist, the decaying spots itched terribly.

In his rage, Enel stopped focusing on precision and unleashed lightning wildly at Black Lily. But although her melee ability was poor, her evasion was top-notch.

Plus, his energy was chaotic and he had to use some of his focus to suppress the curse; the lightning lost power, and even if it hit, it couldn't kill her.

"So annoying," Black Lily said calmly. "Wasn't Gusion supposed to hold him for five minutes? It's already been eight."

She had claimed she could hold Enel for ten minutes, but with the curse in play, she hoped to wear him down in that time.

But Enel was tougher than expected, using electricity to nullify the curse. At this rate, once the chaos curse wore off, he'd be able to unleash his lightning again—and the Ark Maxim would be back under his control. One Raigo, and everyone would die.

Black Lily complained inwardly: Gusion, don't mess this up!

…

On the battlefield below, Body Killer froze for a moment at Gusion's words.

He suddenly realized: how could someone like Gusion not have a Devil Fruit?

He'd risen to All-Star in the Beasts Pirates—surely Kaido would've given his trusted aide a top-tier Ancient Zoan fruit.

From his research, a top Ancient Zoan fruit could raise a user's core stats by five points!

This thought brought a sense of crisis. He fired a light cannon at Gusion and, without hesitation, tore a page from his book: "Divine Word. God's Descent!"

He drew his holy sword and charged at Gusion—the first time he'd initiated close combat.

Gusion dodged the light cannon, grinned, and exhaled a cloud of white steam. The ground shattered under his step, and with immense strength, he launched himself forward.

A sonic boom sounded, arcs of dust trailing behind him.

He pushed his demon god state to the limit. When Gusion and the Holy Sword clashed, a thunderous boom echoed across the sky island.

The ground shattered under the shockwave, stones raining in every direction.

The white sea in the air was blown away by the wind from Gusion's blade. Sparks flew as the Holy Sword and Gusion clashed.

Their rapid attacks whipped up storms, and from a distance, it looked like a blazing white light ignited in the eye of a storm.

The fight was at its peak. Neither would retreat; this clash would decide life and death.

Body Killer went on the offensive, closing in because he couldn't risk giving Gusion a chance to pull out a Devil Fruit from storage and eat it.

Only close-quarters, high-frequency combat would completely limit Gusion's actions.

He gave up his foggy ranged tactics and his advantage, but saw no choice.

Gusion was troublesome enough as is—if he boosted his stats by five, it'd be impossible.

So Body Killer used the Divine Word book's ultimate move: God's Descent, allowing him to be possessed by a god, temporarily upgrading all combat proficiencies by a tier.

But even with his skills at master level, he couldn't suppress Gusion in close combat.

Gusion's skills were terrifying; every move was instinctive, as if battle was in his very bones.

Body Killer wasn't a pure close-combat fighter; he was versatile, but not a specialist. His bloodline allowed him to end fights from a distance, so this kind of intense melee was unfamiliar.

His swordsmanship couldn't overpower Gusion, even with higher stats. The combination of Ryuo and Advanced Armament Haki was simply too overwhelming.

Helpless, Body Killer tried to incorporate spells into the fight.

His third eye opened, and as they locked blades, he fired a light cannon at Gusion's head at close range.

Gusion was caught off guard—not expecting Body Killer to have hidden this move until now. All previous light cannons had been fired by hand, leading Gusion to believe that was his only method.

He had never seen Body Killer use his eye for this.

In a pinch, Gusion used Shunpo to dodge, reappearing behind Body Killer.

Body Killer split his body into elements just as Gusion's blade came, dodging it.

In an instant, Gusion dashed past Body Killer, returning to his original spot.

Now with his back to Body Killer, Gusion sensed danger and used Danku to defend.

Boom—

The light cannon shattered the energy barrier, buying Gusion time to recover, then he slashed at Body Killer's throat with Haki-infused blade.

Logia users are flexible in battle; as long as they predict correctly, they can dodge any slash. But Gusion didn't believe Body Killer could predict every time.

As long as his attacks were fast enough and relentless, Body Killer would eventually slip up.

In fact, although Body Killer was calculating, Gusion felt he was rattled.

Just Gusion's suggestion that he hadn't eaten a fruit yet made Body Killer nervous. The battle seemed stalemated, but Gusion held the initiative.

If things really got desperate, Gusion would eat the T-Rex fruit without hesitation.

He wasn't stupid. By now he'd figured out the opponent's power: Body Killer's chaos-type bloodline allowed him to have multiple bloodlines—hence why he could eat several Devil Fruits without dying.

So as long as he killed Body Killer, it didn't matter if he gained an extra, less useful bloodline—he could have multiple anyway.

This psychological pressure forced Body Killer to fight Gusion head-on, giving Gusion the chance to defeat him outright.

Gusion activated the Soul Devourer's active skill and swallowed a recovery pill—one he'd bought before entering this world, which restored 5% of soul energy per second for 20 seconds.

Body Killer's close combat had improved, and he had stat advantages, so Gusion's blade now did little damage. Only the true damage from Soul Devourer could hurt Body Killer without actually landing a hit.

This meant Soul Devourer's drain outpaced his natural recovery, so he needed the recovery item to avoid running out.

With everything ready, Gusion's fighting spirit surged. He pushed his demon god state to the brink of bodily collapse.

Body Killer wanted a quick end; so did Gusion.

He hadn't forgotten Enel was still a threat. He'd lost track of how long he'd been fighting, but it was certainly more than five minutes.

To avoid dying to Raigo, he had to go all out now!

Chapter 198: Explosive Shot

Gusion's muscles swelled even further, inflating his black windbreaker.

The torn parts revealed bare, corded muscle—veined and granite-like, covered in dark-purple demonic patterns.

His veins bulged, skin splitting from the overgrown muscle. Blood spurted under high pressure, vaporizing into a crimson mist from the heat.

His bones groaned under the pressure, cracks forming. In this state, he could last less than three seconds before his body exploded.

But now he could endure, because he'd just swapped his original Armament Haki for Seimei Kikan!

Now, his body auto-regenerated, repairing itself even as it was destroyed.

Blood seeped from the cracks, mixing with the purple mist of Gusion. His skin split and healed, life and death manifesting together—Gusion, bathed in red lightning, looked like a demon from a blood pool!

"Whew—"

The steam he exhaled was no longer white, but blood-red vapor, swirling like a red dragon.

In this state, his core stats surged to 58!

Body Killer, seeing the transformation, instinctively sensed danger. He hadn't expected Gusion to raise his power even more at this point.

But he was too close to retreat, and pulling back would defeat his original purpose.

If Gusion ate a Devil Fruit while he tried to withdraw, the fight would be over.

The clouds under Gusion's feet were battered and torn by the battle. He dug into the ground, claws gripping for strength, channeling it through his body.

With extreme power, even Gusion's hilt strained. Gusion unleashed a full-power slash!

Boom—

An unprecedented shockwave erupted where Gusion met the Holy Sword. For the first time, Body Killer was forced back, even though his buffed stats were still four points higher.

Not only that, the force of the blow shook his bones, his wrist went numb—he nearly dropped his sword.

True damage gnawed at his body, and the demon blade drained his soul energy—causing Body Killer, for the first time, to doubt.

Could I lose?

Gusion gave him no respite. Even with regeneration, his state was still time-limited—he had to finish this quickly.

He used Shave to close the distance, unleashing another slash. The red mist and lightning parted the white sea, smashing into the Holy Sword, bending Body Killer's wrist unnaturally.

Body Killer used his flatworm fruit power to heal, but Gusion's attacks were faster than he could recover—relentless and lethal.

Mountain Collapse!

 Rivers Gather!

 Ground Split!

The final Ground Split came down hard. Body Killer blocked with the Holy Sword, but the residual force still drained his soul energy.

Body Killer realized he couldn't keep this up—so, when Gusion swung again, he stopped blocking and focused on dodging with his element form.

He twisted his sword, avoiding Gusion's blade, stabbing at Gusion's heart. His chest split to dodge Gusion's attack.

Gusion silently praised Body Killer's resolve—he really did have the guts to go all out. This time, he dodged perfectly, using his element form.

But Body Killer's attack continued, stabbing at Gusion's heart. Gusion twisted to avoid a fatal wound.

Body Killer wasn't surprised Gusion could dodge; in fact, that's exactly what he wanted—his biggest chance.

Slash—

The Holy Sword stabbed into Gusion's side, not a fatal wound. As long as it wasn't deadly, Gusion could instantly heal with Seimei Kikan.

But this wasn't Body Killer's real killing move. Using his remaining soul energy, he fired a light cannon from his third eye at Gusion's head!

Body Killer's combat experience was formidable—he'd analyzed all possible responses. After dodging the stab, Gusion would be in an awkward position.

If Gusion wanted to dodge the cannon, there wasn't enough time to move down—he'd have to jump, but that would let Body Killer tear him up with the sword. According to calculations, the light cannon would hit his chest—a vital point.

Victory!

Body Killer relaxed, inwardly admiring Gusion as a rare strong foe.

But the next instant, his eyes widened—Gusion's response was completely unexpected.

Gusion didn't retreat, didn't jump, didn't drop down. Instead, he kept his stance and spun with his slash.

Slash—

The blade cut into Gusion's flesh—the direction Body Killer thought impossible to dodge. If Gusion spun, the sword would slice right through his heart!

In Body Killer's moment of shock, Gusion spun further, using the momentum to bring down another slash.

In that split second, Body Killer didn't have time to element-shift. The slash cleaved from his left shoulder to his side, cutting him in two!

With Soul Devourer and Demon Slayer's buffs, Ryuo and Haki, the attack was at its peak—this single slash drained Body Killer's remaining soul energy.

With nothing left, Body Killer almost fainted, let alone counterattack.

The air was still tinged red from Gusion's heart wound, but the blood was blown away by the force of his attacks.

Facing the helpless Body Killer, Gusion didn't hesitate—another slash took off his head.

A storm of blows followed—after thirty-seven more slashes, Body Killer's head was reduced to bloody bits. Even a real flatworm would be dead.

Only when Gusion stopped did the blood mist, cooled by the high air, fall as a rain of blood.

Gusion's chest was still spurting blood, his life force at its lowest, but he held on—Seimei Kikan closed the wound, saving him.

He coughed up blood, took another healing item, and picked up Body Killer's Deadman's Chest.

"Well fought. I'll remember you."

Gusion exited his demon god state, catching his breath.

Body Killer was a tough opponent. In those tense final moments, both had chances to win, but Gusion's judgment was sharper.

Body Killer underestimated Gusion's regeneration, thinking Gusion wouldn't dare risk a mortal wound, and missed his chance.

From Gusion's perspective, whoever got the first move at the end would lose—so he risked it all for the win.

It wasn't that Body Killer lacked resolve—he simply lost the judgment battle.

A moment's hesitation decided the outcome.

Gusion paused to recover, and once his life force was over 40%, he used Moonwalk to fly toward the Ark Maxim.

Black Lily and Enel were still fighting—meaning the battle wasn't over.

Gusion didn't care about kill-stealing, but Enel was too dangerous. Gusion was badly wounded; if Enel recovered and used Raigo, it'd be over.

Gusion reached the sky above the Ark, seeing Enel covered in black spots, and a panting Black Lily.

Clearly, Black Lily's stats were at a disadvantage; even with her curse, she couldn't finish Enel, and was now a bit battered.

Without a word, Gusion acted—pulling out the Barbarian King Bow and firing an arrow.

Enel, already thrown off by the curse, was caught off guard. By the time he sensed the arrow, it was too late to dodge—he could only hastily element-shift, hoping the arrow would pass through him.

Despite his wounds, Gusion's haki hadn't dropped. The Barbarian King Bow's arrow, infused with Ryuo, tore a hole through Enel's right chest, exploding his chest cavity.

Enel coughed blood, face twisted in pain and fear. He never expected to be so badly wounded.

So, this is what it feels like to have your chest blown open?

Seeing Gusion appear, Enel knew Body Killer was dead, the priests' fates unknown. Was he the last one left on the sky island?

No, he wouldn't die—not as a god! He still wanted to rule the sky island, finish the Ark Maxim, and go to the endless earth!

Enel, covered in black spots, ugly and cursed, bleeding from his chest, let out a meaningless scream.

Lightning flickered around him. As Black Lily's confusion curse faded, thunder exploded—he was going all out for his final move, trying to kill these mortals who dared offend a god!

Enel's body swelled as he began transforming into his thunder god form.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

But Gusion gave him no chance. Standing above, he looked down, firing three arrows in quick succession.

This time, no one warned Enel that transforming was foolish. The first arrow, wrapped in Ryuo, punched a huge hole through his thunder god body, expanding with a natural energy explosion.

The second arrow blew apart half of Enel's body—blood and lightning spraying like fireworks.

After the second arrow, Enel reverted to human form, and the third arrow struck his head.

Boom—

The arrow blew Enel's head apart, then slammed into the Ark Maxim, ringing out like a great bell in the sky.

Chapter 199: Ancient Weapon, Uranus

[Hidden Quest: Redemption of Skypiea complete—rewards will be settled after return.]

As the notification sounded, Gusion knew Enel was truly dead.

He landed on the Ark. "The Rumble-Rumble Fruit might be useful for me. If you need it, I can give you an ancient Zoan fruit."

If Black Lily hadn't intervened, fighting Enel and Body Killer together would've been tough, so Gusion felt a bit guilty for stealing the kill at the end.

But he was considering eating the Rumble-Rumble Fruit himself, so he couldn't offer it.

"No need. Whoever gets it keeps it. I couldn't kill him in time—if he'd used Raigo, we'd all be dead."

Black Lily shook her head, injecting herself with a recovery serum.

She knew that even if Gusion hadn't come, she couldn't win in a prolonged fight. If Enel recovered and used Raigo, everyone would die.

Her goal was complete: Body Killer was dead, and she was in a good mood.

"I don't like owing favors. If I get a skill scroll after this, I'll give you one."

Gusion said he didn't need combat skill scrolls, but they were useful for Black Lily—consider it payment for her help.

"Didn't think you were so straightforward. Sounds good."

Black Lily nodded, then jumped off the Ark, vanishing into the shadows.

Gusion didn't pursue her; he adjusted his state and went to find Ulti and Page One.

As he descended, surviving Skypieans looked up at him, unsure if the disaster was over.

Soon, with no more Enel or lightning, the people began to cheer, some weeping with joy at surviving.

But Gusion had no time to bask in their gratitude. He hurried to the eastern area to find Snow Wind's group.

"What's going on?"

He was confused by their eager looks.

"See for yourself."

Snow Wind pointed to the cellar. "There might be blueprints in there."

Gusion's eyes lit up. Even if he couldn't use them, they'd sell for a fortune.

He entered the cellar, checked the chest, and found it was within the range of his universal key. He unlocked it with a click.

The chest's craftsmanship was exceptional—beyond even Wano's artisans. Shaping such a large seastone chest must date back to the Ancient Kingdom.

Inside was a thick stack of blueprints. Appraising them, Gusion was stunned—the design didn't specify what it built, but the system told him: these were the blueprints for the ancient weapon Uranus!

A legendary-grade item—using it in the system and paying a fortune for materials, he could build a legendary-quality Uranus.

But it wasn't a quest reward, and the certification cost was astronomical—not worth it to him.

"What is it?" Snow Wind asked curiously, peeking at the item.

"Uranus blueprints," Gusion showed her, but didn't hand it over—she was an explorer, and if greed got the best of her, he might not get it back.

"Wow, that's high quality..."

Even Snow Wind was impressed, never knowing there was a tier above epic.

Her team had done well this time—if they pooled their loot and sold devil fruits, they might afford the blueprints, but Gusion probably wouldn't let them have it.

"Do you have any copying tools? I can make you a copy if you want—I have what I need."

Gusion planned to leave a surprise for the world before leaving.

Aramaki and Strawberry had orders from the top brass—if the Five Elders hated him so much, he'd just give the blueprints to Kaido.

With Wano's craftsmen and Caesar's science, if Enel could make the Ark, so could they.

"Wait… let me try."

Snow Wind pulled out a pad from her storage—a handy item from the system, far superior to real-world tech, never needing to be charged.

She took photos of the blueprints, then checked the pad—it had become a certifiable item just like the blueprints.

"No loopholes, huh…"

Snow Wind sighed. She'd hoped using her own device might avoid certification, but the system simply turned her pad into a certifiable item. At least, if she didn't certify it, she could still use the pad—but to use the data in the system's world, she'd have to certify it.

Gusion stored the blueprints in a sturdy iron box, handed it to Ulti, and said, "This is important—later, give it to Mr. King or Mr. Kaido, tell them it's the Uranus blueprints."

Ulti was confused. "Brother Gusion, why not give it to them yourself?"

He was stumped—he couldn't say he was about to leave this world. He'd escaped, but hadn't thought of an excuse for disappearing.

"Cough, cough…"

He coughed up blood—not faking, his heart wound was still serious. Even with Seimei Kikan, he could only barely stop the bleeding.

"Brother Gusion, are you okay?" Ulti asked, worried.

Gusion waved her off. "No problem. Sky Island's safe now. I just need to rest."

Snow Wind's group gave him a knowing look and left—they needed to regroup before returning.

Gusion didn't stop them; they were just a temporary team. He wanted to complain: "Damn, I soloed the Sky Island raid—where's King? Why hasn't he shown up?"

Could Green Bull really have beaten him? No way—Green Bull wasn't even an admiral yet. He shouldn't have been able to kill King.

Then Gusion realized he'd forgotten something.

Crap, I never told King I was going to Birka!

It hit him—they'd split up in a rush, and he didn't even have a den-den mushi to contact the Beasts Pirates.

He'd always been with them since arriving, and forgot to set up a way to communicate after splitting up. King said he'd catch up, but they never coordinated directions.

The Summit of High West was complicated, and there were multiple sky islands. If King took the wrong route, who knew when he'd find Birka.

Worse, the scheming Body Killer wouldn't make such a mistake—so where was Aramaki?

Boom—

As if on cue, a loud crash came from the island's port.

Looking west, he saw a giant humanoid tree towering over the Birka, holding up Gusion's wanted poster and asking, "Have you seen this man?"

Gusion cursed and hurriedly shoved Ulti and Page One into the cellar. "Hide and don't come out—wait for King to get you."

"Brother Gusion…"

They wanted to protest but were thrown to the bottom and covered with cloud.

Before leaving, Gusion warned, "If anything happens to me, tell Mr. Kaido what I said—don't act recklessly for revenge. Only do it when you have the strength!"

He then dashed to the eastern port.

He couldn't trust the Skypieans' resolve—in the face of the giant tree's pressure, a trembling Skypiean pointed him out.

Aramaki, soon to be an admiral, had strong Observation Haki and a great vantage point. Within seconds, he locked onto Gusion.

In his treant form, Aramaki grinned cruelly. "Let's see where you run now!"

He'd fought King all the way from the Summit of High West, only separated by ocean currents. A Navy elite had tipped him off that Gusion was on Birka, so he rushed there, lucky not to run into King again. He'd only arrived a few hours after Gusion.

Seeing Gusion fleeing, Aramaki was delighted. In his eyes, Gusion wasn't some big shot—just his ticket to becoming an admiral.

No Kaido, no King—no one could save Gusion. Kill him here, and promotion and fortune awaited.

With that thought, Aramaki moved—don't let his giant tree form fool you, he was fast. Each step covered over a hundred meters, shaking the ground and smashing everything in his path.

Birka had survived Enel's destruction plan, only to suffer Aramaki's rampage—more people died.

Aramaki didn't care about civilians—Sky island wasn't a World Government affiliation, so to him, they were no better than pirates.

Anyone blocking his pursuit of Gusion was a traitor and deserved death.

"Damn, who's the real pirate here?" Gusion cursed, seeing Aramaki's brutality.

But Gusion didn't dare stop. He would have helped civilians if he could, but survival came first.

He ran for his life, unsure whether to blame himself or King—for leaving him, wounded, to face a future admiral alone.