"Bunch of mere ants, daring to challenge the gods?"

Gunko, who had altered Shiki's attack trajectory, stepped forward.

Her gaze was icy as she coldly regarded Shiki and the unlucky San Juan, who had taken the hit.

In an emotionless tone, she stated indifferently, "Orion-sama has declared this place your grave. You should lie down quietly, for your resistance is utterly meaningless!"

As Gunko advanced, strips of bandages silently unfurled, wrapping around her feet at an astonishing speed.

The moment the bandages secured her feet, her legs began to elongate with each step she took.

By the time she stood less than ten meters away from Shiki, Gunko had transformed into a member of the Longleg Tribe, resembling a circus performer on towering stilts.

An intimidating aura of terror radiated from her as she looked down upon Shiki and the others, who now seemed minuscule in comparison.

Watching the approaching, ever-taller "giantess" Gunko, San Juan—standing beside Shiki—momentarily forgot the wounds left by the slashing waves.

With a foolish expression, he mumbled, "So scary!"

Not only San Juan was shocked, but so were Pizarro, Vasco Shot, and Catarina Devon, who was currently battling Hancock.

However, their astonishment wasn't due to Gunko's sudden transformation into a "longleg."

What truly stunned them was Gunko's identity as a member of the God Knights.

Although the existence of the God Knights was little-known, that secrecy only applied to ordinary people or minor pirate riffraff.

They were all once powerful figures who roamed the Grand Line, notorious villains who wreaked havoc in their domains, so they were naturally familiar with the God Knights—the mysterious unit established specifically to maintain the rule of the Celestial Dragons.

Most importantly, as a member of the God Knights and a Celestial Dragon, Gunko seemed to hold Orion in high regard.

Based on their understanding, even if Orion was the Fleet Admiral, he should be subordinate in the presence of a noble Celestial Dragon.

Under normal circumstances, it should have been Orion protecting Gunko and ensuring she wasn't caught in the crossfire of the battle!

Yet just now, not only did Orion not intervene, but Gunko instead acted to alter the trajectory of Shiki's attack for Orion!

"Dammit, since when did the Navy gain such formidable influence? The God Knights are almost entirely selected from the Celestial Dragons, a mysterious force dedicated to upholding their rule. How could they be fighting alongside the Navy's Fleet Admiral?"

"San Juan, stop her!"

After a brief moment of shock, Pizarro and Vasco Shot shouted almost simultaneously.

At the same time.

Gunko, transformed into the "Giant Woman," abruptly raised her leg.

Her black boots, now colossal due to her increased height, descended with terrifying pressure, aiming to crush Shiki and San Juan.

Although San Juan was a giant himself, he was a horizontal giant, whereas Gunko was toweringly tall.

In terms of sheer height, San Juan was merely like a castle beneath Gunko's enormous black boots!

"Expand, expand, expand!"

Facing the mercilessly descending black boot, San Juan snapped awake and decisively unleashed his unique Paramecia-type ability.

As his Devil Fruit power activated, his already giant body began to swell at an astonishing rate, transforming into a massive humanoid battleship.

Gunko's raised foot and the colossal boot came crashing down from above.

"Boom—"

Another earth-shaking explosion echoed as the giant boot stomped into San Juan's body, creating a deep indentation.

A terrifying shockwave erupted from the impact, forcing San Juan, who had already been struck by Shiki's slashing attack, to let out an uncontrollable roar.

Instantly, the giant's bellow reverberated throughout Absolute Hell, causing everyone present to feel a sharp pain in their eardrums.

The terrifying soundwaves even pierced through Absolute Hell, reaching the fourth level, Scorching Hell.

"Even the God Knights have been deployed? How exciting!"

Just then, a deep voice suddenly rang out from several hundred meters away.

Following the sound, they saw Bullett, who had been sent flying earlier by Orion's simple and primitive collision, rising from a cracked ice fissure.

Before anyone present could react, both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body.

In the blink of an eye, Armament Haki hardened his entire body, and the jet-black, gleaming surface of his hardened form became entwined with black-and-red Conqueror's Haki.

Enhanced by the two types of Haki, Bullett directly entered his Devil Mode.

Merely standing there, he exuded an overwhelming pressure.

Having fused his own Haki to elevate his speed and strength to unprecedented heights, Bullett didn't hesitate in the slightest.

The moment he bent down, he shot forward like a demon from hell, carrying a fierce gale as he flashed over from hundreds of meters away.

His massive fist, coated and entwined with Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, struck decisively at Gunko's head!

Faced with the suppression of Bullett's Conqueror's Haki, even someone as powerful as Gunko couldn't alter the trajectory of his attack using her Devil Fruit ability.

Combined with Bullett's astonishing speed, she had no time to evade and could only choose to withstand it head-on.

"Boom—"

With a deafening roar, half of Gunko's head was instantly shattered.

Immediately after, she reverted to her normal height by retracting the legs she had extended through her Devil Fruit ability, standing opposite San Juan with half her head missing.

"As expected of the Devil's Heir, he actually took down a God Knights member in a single strike!" Pizarro seemed to see hope for victory, exclaiming excitedly.

"Who would have thought that after being imprisoned in Level 6 for over a decade, his strength hasn't declined but instead improved significantly! Truly formidable, meow~"

"The God Knights are nothing more than a weakling!"

Bullett, who had shattered half of Gunko's head with lightning speed, leaped onto the shoulder of San Juan looking down condescendingly at Orion across from him.

"The only one here qualified to be my opponent is you! Come on, Fleet Admiral Orion, let me see just how powerful you are, to make even a Legendary Pirate like Shiki fear you... Huh?"

Before he could finish speaking, Bullett's pupils involuntarily contracted.

He saw Gunko, who had returned to her normal height, with only half of her head remaining, recovering at an astonishing rate.

In just a few seconds, Gunko's head was fully restored, without even a trace of a scar left behind.

"Immortal body?"

Witnessing this shocking and bizarre scene, Vasco Shot, Pizarro, and San Juan all exclaimed in disbelief.

"Bullett, don't target the wrong person!"

Suddenly, Shiki's voice rang out urgently, "Our target is Orion. He is the key to winning this battle. Let's join forces and take him down in one go!"

As soon as he spoke, having witnessed Gunko's formidable strength before, Shiki didn't hesitate in the slightest and decisively leaped into action.

The scales of the battle had already tilted completely in Orion's favor.

If they didn't join forces to eliminate Orion, the core of their opposition, this Absolute Hell might very well become their grave today.