One Piece, I'm just an adventurer.

Immediately afterwards, a massive pillar made of countless fine threads suddenly descended from the sky, like a roaring dragon, crashing down on Gringu Saint with overwhelming force.

With a slight shift of his figure, Gringu Saint easily dodged Fiona's incredibly fierce attack. However, something unexpected happened—the pillar of lines that had been standing there suddenly exploded without warning! In an instant, countless fine, silk-like lines shot towards Gringu Saint, who had just successfully dodged, like a torrential rain.

Faced with such a sudden and dense attack, Grimm Saint did not choose to continue dodging this time. A layer of black light suddenly emanated from his body, and then jet-black scales quickly emerged from under his skin, forming an indestructible scale shield in the blink of an eye, blocking all the fine threads that attacked like locusts.

Upon seeing the mysterious scales suddenly appear on Grimm's body, both Fiona and Pan showed expressions of surprise and confusion. Their eyes widened as they stared intently at the scales shimmering with a dark light, wondering to themselves, "What kind of strange ability is this?"

Just then, the cold and merciless voice of the Ancient Saint Grimm, as if from the deepest hell, suddenly rang in the ears of Da Pan and Fiona: "You lowly ants, are you ready to bear the punishment of this Saint!"

Before the words were even finished, the two of them felt a blur before their eyes, and the figure of the Ancient Saint Green vanished without a trace.

Da Pan's heart tightened suddenly, and he thought to himself, "This guy's speed has gotten even faster!"

Almost simultaneously, a sharp pain shot through his chest. Da Pan looked down and saw a deep, bone-revealing gash on his chest. With the appearance of this gash, Da Pan was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string.

At the same time, the figure of Grimm Saint suddenly appeared in front of where Da Pan had just stood. He gripped a long sword with a cold, gleaming edge tightly in his right hand, and crimson blood was still dripping from the blade, as if telling the story of the ferocity and cruelty of the attack just now.

"Big Pan!" Fiona cried out anxiously, her voice filled with worry and anxiety. In a flash, she charged towards Big Pan like an arrow released from a bow.

Just then, the ghostly figure of Grimm vanished from the spot once again.

Fiona's heart tightened, her pupils contracted sharply, and she dared not be careless for a moment. Her hands moved rapidly, instantly weaving an enormous shield of threads that firmly protected herself and Da Pan within it.

A deafening roar resounded, seemingly shaking the entire space. The sound, like a bolt from the blue, struck them directly, causing the two people within the shield to involuntarily shudder. Fortunately, despite the astonishing power of the attack, Fiona's meticulously crafted line shield stubbornly withstood the assault.

"Da Pan, how are you? Are you alright?" Fiona asked Da Pan with concern, while desperately using the power of the String-String Fruit to maintain the string shield. At this moment, her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, clearly indicating that maintaining such a massive string shield was an extremely difficult task for her.

"Hiss..." Da Pan gasped, enduring the pain as he replied, "It's alright, thanks to the healing medicine my brother gave me earlier. Although the wound still hurts a lot, thankfully it didn't damage any internal organs." He glanced down at the wound, which had stopped bleeding, and continued, grimacing, "But our current situation isn't very good!"

Fiona nodded gravely and said in a deep voice, "Yes, this shield won't last much longer. We must quickly find a way to get out of this predicament!"

"His speed is just too fast, so fast that we can't keep up with his pace at all! This can't go on, we have to think of a way to limit his amazing speed." Da Pan stared intently at his slowly healing wound, his face extremely solemn, as if a huge crisis was hidden behind the wound.

Hearing Da Pan's serious words, Fiona's heart tightened, and she quickly asked, "Do you have any good ideas to deal with this tricky situation?"

Da Pan nodded slightly, indicating that he had already thought of a solution. After feeling the pain from his wound lessen slightly, he gritted his teeth and slowly stood up, enduring the discomfort. He took a deep breath and began to fully activate the energy within his body. As the energy surged, the coiled dragon staff he gripped tightly emitted bursts of dazzling light.

Immediately afterward, Da Pan gently tapped the ground with the coiled dragon staff in his hand. In an instant, a strange and mysterious ripple spread rapidly outward from the center of the staff. Wherever this ripple passed, the air seemed to be distorted and deformed, faintly exuding a chilling aura.

At the same time, Grimm, who was launching a fierce attack on Fiona's line shield, suddenly felt as if an incredibly heavy shackle had been placed on his body. This sudden feeling of restraint caused his originally smooth and free movements to momentarily slow down slightly.

However, before the ancient saint Green could recover from this brief moment of stagnation, Da Pan suddenly roared, "The profound meaning of the Eight Desolate Staff Techniques - Martial Extreme Break!"

With this roar, the shield opened a crack, and the Coiled Dragon Staff, like a dragon emerging from the sea, carrying a terrifying, world-destroying power, stabbed straight toward the chest of the Ancient Saint Green.

"Hmph! Mere child's play!" Green Saint sneered with disdain. He gripped the gleaming longsword tightly with both hands and then slashed mercilessly at the oncoming dragon staff.

However, at this moment, Green Saint had clearly underestimated the power contained in Da Pan's all-out attack. The instant the longsword clashed with the Panlong staff, a loud clang rang out, and a tremendous impact traveled along the blade to Green Saint's arms. He felt a sharp pain in his tiger's mouth, and the longsword involuntarily flew from his hands.

The menacing dragon staff, like a ferocious dragon, continued its thunderous charge towards Gringu Sheng. Before Gringu Sheng's astonished eyes, the dragon staff had already pierced heavily into his chest.

"Pfft—" Green Saint immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body flying backward like a kite with a broken string. Accompanied by a deafening roar, his body slammed into a nearby earthen mound, smashing a large crater into it.

"Did...did it succeed, Pan?" Fiona asked nervously, her eyes wide as she stared intently at the spot where Grimm had fallen, her heart pounding in her chest.

"No." Da Pan looked solemnly at the dusty, smoky area ahead and slowly shook his head.

Although the thick smoke obscured his vision, making it impossible to see the situation inside, Da Pan, with his keen senses, could clearly perceive that the aura emanating from Grin Ancient Saint remained incredibly powerful, seemingly unaffected by the previous attack. It seemed this guy hadn't suffered much damage from his blow.

"Hehehehe... Hahahaha..." Suddenly, a sinister laugh, like the howl of a demon, came from the billowing dust, sending chills down one's spine.

Chapter 24 The Partners in Crisis 4

Filina, Chiyo, and Reiju had just helped Fiona defeat the enemy and, without even a moment to catch their breath, rushed to the battlefield where Dota and Simon were.

At this moment, Dotai and Simon were fiercely clashing with an eight-man squad consisting of two Holy Knights and six CP0 members. This squad was extremely powerful, and if it weren't for Kree's occasional interference from the sky, Dotai and Simon would likely have already found themselves in a very unfavorable situation.

Countless fine needles shot towards the eight people from the sky like a torrential rain. These needles were actually made of countless crystal-clear air bubbles!

They come in overwhelming numbers, leaving no room for escape. Although the destructive power of each individual bubble needle is relatively limited, their explosive properties make them incredibly difficult to handle.

If they fail to penetrate the opponent's defenses, that's fine, but once these tiny bubble needles pierce into the human body, they will inevitably cause considerable trauma to the victim.

Therefore, faced with this sudden and continuous attack of bubble needles, the eight people had no choice but to temporarily abandon their pursuit of Simon and Dota and instead focus on defense to resist the annoying bubble needle storm.

Just as the eight people were completely focused on resisting the bubble needles, Simon seized the opportunity, took a deep breath, and quickly adjusted his breathing. He gripped his trident tightly with both hands and swung it fiercely. In an instant, an incomparably powerful jet of water erupted like a dragon emerging from the sea, sweeping straight towards one of them and sending him flying.

Seeing this, Dota, who was prepared, flashed forward like a ghost to meet the CP0 member who had been knocked away. His fist, as if dyed black with ink, shimmered with an eerie black light and slammed into the CP0 member's body with tremendous force.

A crisp "crack" resounded throughout the area as the CP0 member's bones shattered instantly. His body was sent flying like a tattered rag, utterly defenseless. The speed and force of the impact were astonishing, and he crashed heavily to the ground, creating a massive crater, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.

After completing this series of actions, both Dota and Simon stood there panting heavily. Although they had successfully taken down one of the opponent's key players thanks to their seamless teamwork, they had also paid a heavy price, having exhausted most of their energy.

However, the situation remains extremely serious, leaving them no room for complacency.

"How utterly despicable! You lowly ants, how dare you openly defy the World Government's severe sanctions! This is simply outrageous!" A member of the Holy Knights, witnessing his comrade's death, was instantly enraged and roared at Dotai and Simon with a ferocious expression.

"We must find that elusive rat as soon as possible! Otherwise, our next offensive will be severely hampered!" Another member of the Holy Knights shouted angrily, his face ashen and veins bulging on his forehead.

"Master Qi, so much time has passed, haven't you found any trace of that person yet?" The Holy Knight member who spoke first suddenly turned around, glared angrily at a CP0 member behind him, and roared at the top of his lungs.

The CP0 member known as the Strange Monk was small and wiry, standing there trembling with fear. Upon hearing the other's roar, his body involuntarily shuddered.

He raised his head, cautiously looking at the Holy Knight named Piltover, and stammered, "Lord Piltover, please calm down. I have found the person's figure, but unfortunately, he keeps changing positions in the sky, and his movement speed is extremely fast. I really can't capture him."

As he spoke, large beads of sweat covered Kishu's forehead. Because the members of the Holy Knights were almost all high-ranking Celestial Dragons, he was filled with fear and awe when faced with Piltover's questioning.

Upon hearing this, Piltover's face grew even more gloomy, his eyes flashing with a chilling light. He coldly said, "What a bunch of useless trash! Now, you immediately join forces with Natalo and find that wretched rat no matter what, and wipe it out completely! If you fail to do so, you'll be in for a severe punishment!" With that, Piltover waved his hand fiercely, signaling them to hurry up and carry out the mission.

"Yes, Your Majesty Piltover!" Kishus and Natalo responded in unison, their voices filled with awe and obedience. Without further ado, they exerted tremendous force in their feet, unleashing the Moonwalk technique, their figures flashing towards the sky like lightning.

However, just as they took off, a violent hurricane suddenly swept in. The powerful wind was like an invisible giant hand, slamming against their bodies, causing their previously stable figures to sway and stagger.

Just then, a pink figure leaped down from the cloud that Filina had carefully crafted, like a ghost. Upon closer inspection, it was Reiju who had arrived!

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and then suddenly swung them out. In an instant, countless poison arrows, shimmering with an eerie light and imbued with potent venom, rained down on Qi Xiushi and Natalo.

Faced with this sudden attack, the two, already unsteady in mid-air by the hurricane, hurriedly unleashed their defensive techniques. A flurry of energy surged and rippled. Although they managed to withstand most of the poisoned arrows, a few still managed to breach their defenses and grazed their bodies with deadly accuracy.

The wounds inflicted by these poisoned arrows appeared shallow, merely grazing the surface of the skin. However, unexpectedly, the poison spread rapidly through the bloodstream. In the blink of an eye, both Kishus and Natalo's faces turned ashen, clearly indicating severe poisoning.

Natalo, enduring excruciating pain, struggled to raise his hand to cover the wound grazed by the poisoned arrow, managing to utter a single sentence: "The arrow... the arrow was poisoned..." Before he could finish speaking, his eyes rolled back, and his body plummeted straight to the ground, dying instantly. The strange monk beside him didn't even have a chance to speak before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

The sudden turn of events caused the remaining five members of Piltover's group to change their expressions drastically! They never dreamed that the other side would receive reinforcements first. Could it be that the battles on the other battlefields had already been decided? This thought exploded in their minds like a bolt from the blue.

In stark contrast to them were Simon, Dota, and Kerry. When Reiju and the other reinforcements appeared before them like divine intervention, their joy was indescribable. With these powerful allies, they were confident they could defeat the vicious enemy before them.

Immediately afterward, Filina and her two companions swiftly plunged into the life-or-death battle. A flurry of swordplay and shouts filled the air. The group displayed remarkable teamwork and coordination, their attacks and defenses executed with impeccable precision.

Faced with such a powerful and united opponent, the five members of Piltover's group, who had initially held the upper hand, gradually began to falter. Before long, under Simon and his men's relentless offensive, the five were slaughtered one by one like lambs to the slaughter.

At this moment, only Simon and Piltover remained on the battlefield, locked in a final, desperate struggle. Simon, wielding his trident, thrust it towards Piltover like a dragon emerging from the sea. The incredibly sharp tip gleamed coldly, aiming straight for Piltover's chest.

Seeing the trident about to pierce his body, a ruthless glint flashed in Piltover's eyes. He gripped the trident's head with all his might, while simultaneously swinging his longsword with his right hand, slashing fiercely at Simon with a whooshing sound.

But how could Simon be so easily harmed by this desperate, dying counterattack? A slight, disdainful smirk appeared on Simon's lips. Then, he secretly activated the power of the Explosion-Explosion Fruit embedded in his trident. In an instant, the trident piercing Piltover's chest suddenly erupted with a powerful surge of energy.

With a deafening roar, Piltover's entire chest was instantly blasted apart, revealing a horrifying, gaping maw. Blood splattered everywhere, staining a large area of ​​the surrounding ground red.

“You…” Piltover’s eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief and resentment. In the end, filled with endless hatred, he slowly collapsed into the pool of blood, becoming another cold corpse added to this land.

"Simon! Dote! We have to get there quickly to help Da Pan and my sister! They're in extreme danger!" Filina cried out anxiously.

After the fierce battle, her hard-won energy was once again completely depleted. At this moment, she could only hope that Simon and Dota would still have the strength to deal with the upcoming crisis.

Hearing Philina's urgent cry, Simon and Dote nodded without hesitation, indicating that they could still fight. Although they, like Philina, had been greatly exhausted and seriously injured in the previous fierce battle, their merfolk's resilient and strong physiques still gave them the strength to continue fighting.

Therefore, without daring to delay for even a moment, everyone quickly adjusted their state and then rushed towards the battlefield where Da Pan and the others were at top speed.

The scene shifts to Pan, where he and Fiona are struggling against the berserk Grimm. Pan and Fiona are in a terrible state, covered in deep and shallow knife wounds, with blood gushing out like a fountain; it's unclear how much blood they've lost.

If they hadn't been within the Yin-Yang Domain created by Da Pan, which provided them with some protection and blessing, these two would probably have lost all ability to resist and become lambs to the slaughter.

Even so, the situation remained far from optimistic. "Pfft—" A dull thud echoed around them as Da Pan was once again struck hard in the chest by the incredibly powerful fist of the Ancient Saint Green. In an instant, a mouthful of bright red blood gushed from his mouth, and he flew backward a considerable distance like a kite with a broken string.

"Damn, this old guy is too strong." Da Pan used the Panlong Staff to support himself, his face pale as he exclaimed.

Three incredibly sharp blades hovered before Fiona, watching intently as the mighty Gringu Saint displayed his power. In the brief, breathtaking battle with Gringu Saint just moments before, three of her original six sharp blades had been tragically shattered! Each blade was as precious as a treasure to her, and their destruction caused her immense pain.

Meanwhile, after a brief respite, Grimm launched another fierce attack. This time, however, he clearly changed his strategy, directly targeting Fiona. This woman was far too troublesome, using her unique Devil Fruit ability to relentlessly attack him from afar. If it weren't for his own superior strength, he would likely have already suffered greatly from her relentless attacks.

Seeing Gringu Saint charging towards her like a furious lion, Fiona's expression instantly turned serious. She took a deep breath, and with a sudden wave of her hands, countless hair-thin threads shot out. These threads seemed to possess a life of their own, rapidly intertwining and transforming into enormous hands that lunged and clawed at Gringu Saint.

However, Grimm remained unmoved. He opened his mouth and suddenly spat out a thin, scorching thread of fire. The thread of fire, like a nimble fire dragon, streaked through the air at astonishing speed, easily severing the large hands made of thin threads one by one, and instantly burning them to ashes.

In the blink of an eye, Grimm had already reached Fiona. He raised his gleaming longsword high and brought it down with overwhelming force towards Fiona's neck. In the nick of time, Fiona gritted her teeth and, with all her might, raised her greatsword, "Snow Drinker," barely managing to block Grimm's fatal blow. A loud clang rang out, sparks flew, and a dazzling light erupted from the point where the two weapons clashed.

But how could Fiona's strength be a match for Grimm's? Soon, Fiona could not withstand Grimm's greatsword and was cleaved in the shoulder by it.

"Ah~" The intense pain made Fiona cry out and take two steps back.

Grimm once again raised his long sword, intending to kill Fiona in one fell swoop.

Just then, Simon arrived in time, raising his trident to block Green Saint's fatal attack. Dota then delivered a powerful punch to Green Saint's head from the side, sending him flying.

"Phew, I'm saved," Fiona said with some relief. Then her body went limp and she was about to fall to the ground; she had almost thought she was going to die.

Felina and Chiyo quickly helped Fiona up as she was about to fall, and asked with concern, "Sister, how are you feeling?"

"Cough cough... It's nothing, just a superficial injury." Fiona coughed twice, her face pale. Although she was seriously injured, she still smiled and comforted her.

Seeing this, Reiju quickly took out her healing medicine and gave it to Fiona. Fiona felt a little better, but due to the severity of her injuries, she fainted.

(What do you usually do on the third day of the Lunar New Year?)

Chapter 25 The Unwilling Grimm Saint

At this moment, Grimm was no longer the elegant and noble figure he once was. His once magnificent clothes were now tattered and torn, riddled with holes and cracks, making it impossible to discern their original style and color. His usually meticulously groomed hair and beard were now a mess, making him look no different from a beggar.

"Hmph! Very well, you ignorant fools have successfully pleased this saint. However, things won't be so fun from now on. This saint will let you lowly insects experience what true divine power is!" Saint Grin said through gritted teeth, his icy words seemingly capable of freezing people into ice sculptures in an instant.

Then, a jaw-dropping scene unfolded. Grimm's body began to change at an astonishing speed visible to the naked eye. First, a dense layer of scales, shimmering with an eerie light, rapidly grew from beneath his skin, gradually covering every inch of his body; then, his body began to swell and transform into a gigantic, beast-like form, as if inflated. In the blink of an eye, a colossal black dragon, over fifty meters long, with a pair of enormous, sky-blowing wings, appeared before Da Pan and the others.

The black dragon was enveloped in billowing black smoke. Its ferocious head had blood-red eyes that burned like flames, and it spewed forth streams of scorching red flames from its mouth, as if to incinerate the entire world. This was the terrifying power of the mysterious Devil Fruit that Saint Grimm had swallowed—the Zoan-type Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Mythical Zoan Type: Hellfire Dragon Mode!

The colossal dragon's body loomed before them like a towering mountain, its intense pressure like a crushing weight, instantly turning Da Pan and the others deathly pale. Even a top-tier expert like Da Pan, whose strength was approaching the King level, felt the immense pressure, his breathing becoming rapid; the situation was even more dire for Felina and the others, whose strength was relatively weaker. Kerry, in particular, trembled involuntarily under this terrifying pressure, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

At that moment, Fiona, who had been unconscious, was jolted awake by the powerful pressure, her face pale. However, before she could fully regain her senses, she heard a deafening roar from above: "Insects, obediently accept the judgment of the gods! Pillar of Hellfire!"

With this roar, the black hellfire dragon opened its enormous, jaw-dropping maw, spewing forth a torrent of raging flames. Immediately afterward, the ground began to tremble violently, as if the earth were undergoing an apocalyptic catastrophe. In an instant, the ground beneath Da Pan and the others cracked open, and massive pillars of fire, each over a meter in diameter, erupted into the sky like volcanic eruptions, carrying a devastating force.

Faced with such a sudden and incredibly powerful attack, the remaining members of the group, including Da Pan, were visibly shaken. They moved with incredible speed, desperately trying to avoid the deadly pillars of fire. However, Fiona, heavily injured, moved slowly, and the weakened Kerry was even less able to dodge. As the massive pillars of fire were about to mercilessly crash down upon them, a surge of intense resentment welled up within Fiona.

Her eyes widened, fixed on the approaching pillar of flame, countless images flashing through her mind. The figure who had brought light back to her life kept appearing, but she hadn't even had a chance to properly thank him. Was she really going to die like this? No, she refused! She still had so much left undone, so much left unsaid…

A surge of intense resentment welled up within her, and Fiona's body suddenly erupted with an unparalleled, domineering power. She shook her head with a bitter smile, never imagining that she would awaken the legendary Conqueror's Haki in the final moments of her life. However, it was all too late; this powerful force could no longer change her inevitable fate.

Filina and the others watched this scene unfold, their eyes filled with anxiety and pain. The two incredibly powerful pillars of fire, seemingly capable of destroying everything, hurtled straight towards Fiona and Kerry with overwhelming force, threatening to engulf them completely.