Armament Haki attacks proved ineffective; even when the head was shattered, the opponent’s body could still move.
But when Nereus switched to an attack infused with Conqueror’s Haki, the situation changed.
The Celestial Dragon of the Manmayer family no longer continued moving freely after losing its head like before, and instead collapsed straight to the ground.
However, Nereus could still sense that the headless body in front of him was alive—the self-healing process had simply slowed down considerably.
Earlier, the Celestial Dragon of the Manmayer family had fully regenerated in just three seconds.
This time, it took a full thirty seconds before the lost head even began to reform.
And even then, the regeneration was no longer instantaneous like before—it was proceeding at a sluggish pace.
“There’s no problem.
Conqueror’s Haki can suppress that regenerative ability.
In theory, the stronger the Conqueror’s Haki, the stronger the suppression effect, and the slower her regeneration should become.”
“This level still isn’t enough.
Let’s increase it and try again.”
Nereus thought to himself, then did not continue attacking, instead waiting for the opponent to complete their regeneration.
“You bastard… are you treating me like some kind of toy?!”
Although her regeneration ability had not been broken, compared to the initial attacks, the speed had clearly slowed.
And she could distinctly sense that the quality of the Haki in the opponent’s attacks was steadily increasing.
Over a long period of time, the Celestial Dragons had developed an ingrained arrogance.
The members of the God’s Knights were no exception—they were, in fact, among the most arrogant of all Celestial Dragons.
It was only because their minds had not yet completely decayed that they had not become the mindless, degraded versions seen elsewhere.
Being treated like this filled her with unwillingness and rage—but if emotion alone could change everything, then the Celestial Dragon race would have been the first to be wiped from the world.
“I don’t think I ever said otherwise—it’s just some simple testing, isn’t it?”
“Y–you…”
Boom!
Another heavy, forceful straight punch landed—this one far stronger than the previous strikes.
The upper half of the Celestial Dragon from the Manmayer family was blown apart instantly, and even the ground behind them was carved into a deep trench by the shockwave.
“Exactly.
Sufficiently strong Conqueror’s Haki does suppress the regeneration speed—but it’s still not enough to truly kill them.
So does that mean… you need Joy Boy-level power if you rely on Haki alone?”
“Different Celestial Dragons likely have different degrees of regeneration.
I can’t rely on a single subject for this comparison.”
Nereus still clearly remembered the Conqueror’s Haki that, in the original timeline, had been sealed within knots on the robot Emeth.
Even centuries later, that stored Haki had managed to travel from Egghead and still terrified Imu enough to make him collapse and scream in Mary Geoise.
Although Joy Boy ultimately failed in the end, there was no doubt he left an indelible mark on Imu.
Moreover, when Joy Boy’s Haki was released, it directly disrupted and destroyed the Five Elders’ ability to teleport.
By Nereus’s own deduction, those abilities all originated from Imu.
If Joy Boy’s Haki could disrupt such mysterious teleportation, then in theory it should also be capable of breaking this so-called “immortality.”
After all, that man once said, “People die when they are killed.” The Celestial Dragons were no different.
If they couldn’t be killed, it simply meant no one had found the correct method yet.
With the right method, the goal could be achieved.
Otherwise, the Celestial Dragons would have nothing to fear at all.
Nereus’s attack this time slowed the opponent’s regeneration to an extreme degree.
For the moment, they would not be able to interfere in the events unfolding on God Valley.
Having gained a rough understanding of their regenerative condition, Nereus no longer wasted time on her and instead turned toward the nearby forested mountains.
Earlier, after he intercepted that Celestial Dragon, some people had fled in this direction.
Safely evacuating them out of God Valley was not easy.
The surrounding seas were filled with Marine warships and pirate ships.
If Nereus personally escorted them by ship, it would be manageable—but he still had other matters to attend to and no time for that.
Letting them hide on the island wasn’t a good option either.
At that moment, Nereus keenly sensed something speeding away through the sky.
“If you don’t want to die, follow me.”
He called out to the people on the island, then headed in another direction.
The native inhabitants of God Valley and the enslaved captives exchanged glances, unsure of what to do—but in the end, they followed him anyway.
In this environment, he seemed to be their only lifeline.
…
At the same time, in the forests of God Valley.
A burly-looking but boyish, bald teenager was repeatedly swinging his palm.
Whenever the fleshy pads on his palms touched someone, that person would vanish into thin air.
Taking advantage of the earlier chaos, Kuma and Ivankov had successfully stolen the Devil Fruit prepared by the Celestial Dragons.
Although a small mishap meant they could only eat one fruit, it still gave them a chance to escape.
At that moment, Kuma—now having eaten the Paw-Paw Fruit—was sending people away one by one.
“Thank you so much!”
“We were already waiting to die.
If not for you…”
“Stop thanking me.
Hurry.”
Thump… thump… thump…
The power of the Paw-Paw Fruit activated, and one person after another was sent away from the battlefield with Kuma’s help.
In the desperate situation of God Valley, laughter seemed to quietly bloom.
Countless people who had fallen into despair were given hope once again.
Rustle…
“Shit!
We’ve been found!
Kuma!
Faster!”
A sound came from the nearby forest, causing the previously relieved crowd to tense up again.
Even the relatively orderly queue began to fall into chaos.
“Don’t panic.
I’m not with the Marines or the Celestial Dragons.
Can you send a few more people out?”
Nereus’s voice echoed across the area, infused with a faint trace of Conqueror’s Haki, just enough to stabilize the panicking crowd.
Behind Nereus, scattered in small groups, were more survivors he had rescued along the way.
“Alright!
No problem.
Please wait a moment—I’ll send everyone out!”
Seeing that the newcomers were not enemies, Kuma let out a breath of relief.
Wiping away the sweat forming on his forehead from both exhaustion and tension, he immediately agreed.
The more people he could save, the better—that was Kuma’s only thought at that moment.
“Lo…Lord Nereus!!
You’re Lord Nereus, right?!
I… well, you probably don’t know my name, but I’m so glad to see you…”
At that moment, a fish-man suddenly squeezed out from the crowd beside Kuma—the same shark fish-man who had previously spoken to Kuma about Nereus.
Seeing Nereus appear, he seemed so overwhelmed that he could barely form words, stepping forward excitedly from the crowd.
“Yes, it’s me.
Don’t worry—you’re safe now.
I’ll take you home.”
“Yes!!”