Two immense energies collided, their terrifying power comparable to Benedict opening the Death Gate and unleashing the might of Three Thousand Thunder Strikes with a single punch.
Under the impact of the overwhelming, terrifying force, the Fire Demon plunged into the deep abyss of the sea.
Saitama, meanwhile, tumbled through the air, ascending ever higher into the sky.
Benedict glanced at Saitama, then shifted his gaze to the Fire Demon. After all, the Fire Demon was directly related to his reward.
A moment of silence passed. As Benedict hesitated whether to venture into the sea, an orange-red light flickered from its depths. The seawater, compressed by the colossal energy, bulged into a massive water sphere.
*Bang!*
The water sphere burst, and a column of scalding water, accompanied by flames, shot skyward. The Fire Demon emerged with it. However, compared to its previous form, the Fire Demon's head was now missing its upper half, and both its arms were gone.
Yet, even in this state, the Fire Demon possessed tenacious vitality.
*Roar!*
A low growl sounded, and its injured body healed completely in an instant. The Fire Demon's regenerative ability shocked Benedict and the others. This was true severance, not mere elementalization through a Devil Fruit ability.
"Human!"
"Next time we meet, I will eat you."
The Fire Demon looked up at the sky. It could sense that although Saitama was injured, his combat power had not been significantly diminished. Furthermore, Li Chungang and Benedict, two formidable experts, were present. Knowing that continuing the fight would yield no results, it flapped its wings, preparing to flee.
"Trying to leave?"
"Did I give my consent?"
Benedict caught up to the Fire Demon, grabbed one of its feet, swung it behind him, and sneered. After all, how could he let such a mobile treasure escape?
The Fire Demon was flung away, somersaulting in the air before stabilizing its form. The Fire Demon was astonished by Benedict's speed and, unwilling to entangle itself further, changed direction to fly away. Benedict watched the receding Fire Demon, a smile playing on his lips. In that instant, he had placed a Flying Thunder God Mark on the Fire Demon's ankle. Looking at the Fire Demon disappearing in the distance, Benedict felt no concern that it would slip through his grasp. With a thought, Benedict suddenly appeared, grabbed the Fire Demon's foot again, swung it upward, and then pulled it down. The Fire Demon's body plummeted rapidly.
"How is this possible?"
The Fire Demon felt an incredible sense of dread. When it had left, it had been constantly monitoring Benedict's location. It had been overjoyed not to see Benedict pursuing it. However, before its joy could last, Benedict had already appeared behind it, again grabbing its ankle. As it neared the sea's surface, it stabilized itself again, then skimmed along the water, fleeing rapidly. Where the Fire Demon passed, the high temperatures it emitted caused massive amounts of water vapor to evaporate, creating a white contrail like a missile flying at high altitude.
But this time, the Fire Demon was disappointed again. Benedict reappeared.
*Bang, bang, bang!*
Benedict held the Fire Demon's ankle, using it to spin a few times for leverage, and then smashed it left and right into the sea. While it didn't hurt much, the humiliation was immense, and the disorientation was unbearable.
*Buzz!*
The Fire Demon opened its mouth, spewing flames, intending to incinerate Benedict. Benedict opened the Shock Gate, and a powerful blast of air repelled the incoming flames entirely.
"Chibaku Tensei."
Benedict formed a black chakra sphere in one hand, then pulled the Fire Demon over, shoved it directly into its mouth, and casually tossed the Fire Demon into the sky. The chakra sphere continuously expanded within the Fire Demon, causing its body to swell. In mere seconds, the Fire Demon inflated into a massive sphere, reaching its limit.
*Boom!*
A tremendous explosion erupted. A colossal mushroom cloud rose with it. Amidst the raging wind, Benedict stared intently at the center of the explosion, pushing his Observation Haki to its absolute limit. The blackness, representing darkness and decay, though greatly weakened, was still present.
"As expected of a Devil among Devil Fruits, its vitality is this tenacious."
Seeing this, Benedict muttered to himself. Yes, in Benedict's perception, the Chibaku Tensei that had detonated directly inside the Fire Demon had still failed to take its life. Disregarding the raging winds and energy, Benedict flew into the center.
"Three Thousand Thunder Strikes!"
Benedict struck again. Seeing the Fire Demon close at hand, its body seemingly collapsing with numerous cracks, yet still not dead, Benedict directly activated the Death Gate state and unleashed his divine technique: Three Thousand Thunder Strikes. In an instant, the Fire Demon, which had just felt like it had cheated death, was plunged into utter despair as it saw Benedict attack again. This terrifying power was simply beyond its current capacity to resist.
Simultaneously, the space around the Fire Demon opened, and a tentacle reached out, about to pull the Fire Demon away. Benedict's eyes narrowed instantly at this sight. This guy was too familiar.
"You took away Kaido, and now you want to take this one too."
"You're meddling too much."
Benedict accelerated his movements, striking into the void just as the spatial rift was about to close.
Silence.
Yet, the entire space began to shake violently, like ripples on a lake.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for defeating the Fire Demon, obtaining two drops of Five-Colored Awakening Potion, five Thousand-Man Legion Transfer (Rear Admiral-level) Contract Scrolls, one Random Haki Awakening Talisman, one X-Gene Enhancement Potion data, and 200,000 Justice Points."
A familiar voice sounded, and Benedict breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought this one would be rescued again. Still, the rewards for defeating the Fire Demon were truly excellent.
"Benedict, we will meet again soon."
A spatial rift appeared a hundred meters away, and a muffled voice, clearly filled with rage, echoed. Benedict frowned slightly at this, then fell silent. Meeting soon? It seemed a great terror was about to emerge.
The death of the Fire Demon left Garp, Sengoku, and the others in silence. The high-end combat power of the Xuanwu Navy was too formidable. With their current trump cards, they were simply no match. Whether it was Benedict, Saitama, or Li Chungang. However, due to the appearance of the Fire Demon, Garp, Sengoku, and the others used the opportunity to withdraw from Huilong Gorge and return to Marineford. Meanwhile, the soldiers who had chosen to surrender did not leave, as they no longer wished to fight. Therefore, they accepted the control of the Xuanwu Navy.
On the other side, as Sengoku, Garp, and the others returned to Marineford, they also discovered the Great Tengu Qingfeng, along with the rescued Wang Zhi and Silver Axe.