Time Skip, 2 years later.
Somewhere in a peaceful country, civilians were discussing the recent news happily.
"Have you heard? The Marines arrested another major pirate with a bounty of tens of millions."
"Hahahaha, I saw that! The Marines are incredible these days!"
"Of course they are! I heard the Marines have produced a huge number of Seraphim, from the common Warlord-class models all the way up to Admiral and even Yonko-class. They've dispatched all of them!"
"With those Seraphim armies and their Anywhere doors, what force in the world wouldn't be afraid?"
Recently, due to the Marines' aggressive new campaign and the elusiveness granted by their anywhere door technology, countless pirates were being crushed wherever the Seraphim appeared.
Not only that, but the Marines also launched a World Conscription to staff and guard the territories they had seized from the Yonko.
With the threat of a surprise attack from anywhere door, the Emperors have been forced into hiding.
Their former territories, left unguarded, were easily taken over by the Marines.
This, combined with the power the Marines displayed during the Summit War, has led to a surge in their popularity and strength, with countless civilians around the world supporting them.
However, the Emperors have also been making big moves.
The alliance headed by Kaido and Big Mom has been crazily gathering money and research materials, and for some unknown reason, they are hunting down Devil Fruit users across the sea.
For a time, the entire world was in chaos.
But now, the number of active pirates has been drastically reduced.
For civilians, it was a reason to celebrate.
And now, breaking news from Marine Headquarters has spread like wildfire across the globe.
'The World Government has officially abolished the Seven Warlords system!'
"What?! The Warlord system that balanced the great powers is being cancelled?"
"Hahaha, it's about time! Those guys were just legally plundering with their Warlord status. I've hated them for a long time!"
"The power of the World Government and the Marines must be so strong now that they don't need the Warlords to maintain the balance anymore!"
For a time, countless people discussed the topic.
The civilians cheered, believing this was the start of a new, peaceful era.
The great age of pirates and Warlords was finally over.
*****
Amazon Lily.
"I never expected the World Government to actually abolish the Warlord system," Gloriosa said solemnly.
"Although I guessed this day would come sooner or later, I didn't expect it to be so soon." She immediately looked at the Pirate Empress.
"Hancock, we must prepare ourselves. Without the protection of your Warlord status, the Marines could attack us at any time. Don't think your past position will protect you; those Marine bastards are ruthless!"
"Are you teaching me how to do things?" Hancock said coldly, before casually throwing the old woman out of the window.
"Hmph. Pass on my order: everyone is to be on high alert. We must guard against the Marines."
As soon as she finished speaking, a warrior from the Kuja tribe suddenly ran in, her face pale with panic.
"It's bad, Empress!" she exclaimed. "A Marine Admiral is personally leading a group of Seraphim in an attack on our island! Our soldiers can no longer hold them back!"
Hancock's face changed drastically.
"Damn the Marines! They move so fast! Everyone, follow me!"
'BOOM'
Before her words were finished, the sounds of fighting grew louder.
The next moment, a Kuja warrior was blasted through the wall, and the palace gate was smashed to pieces.
"Marines!" Hancock snarled, her expression ugly.
She saw a group of Seraphim advancing, effortlessly defeating her entire army.
Among them, Admiral Aokiji didn't even have to lift a finger; he just followed lazily behind, watching the chaos unfold.
"Perfume Femur!" Hancock raised her leg and fiercely kicked one of the Seraphim.
The kick landed, turning part of its body to stone.
But the other Seraphim simply aimed their palms at her from a distance and collectively fired their lasers.
BOOM! BOOM!
Countless beams of light bombarded her position, and Hancock was forced back, her clothes torn.
As one of the stronger Warlords, she could defeat a single Seraphim on her own, but against an entire group whose strength was nearly equal to hers, she stood no chance at all.
"Damn it... is it really going to be over this time?"
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Her right foot had been hit by a laser and was already injured, making it even harder to move.
She knew she had no power to resist, but behind her were the citizens of the entire Amazon Lily.
"Target locked: Pirate Empress Boa Hancock. Eliminate her," Admiral Aokiji said, his voice calm and leisurely.
Suddenly, all the Seraphim raised their right palms again, aiming at Hancock as their lasers charged.
She looked on, her pupils trembling.
She knew she could never avoid this terrifying, combined attack.
At that critical moment, with a whoosh, a figure suddenly rushed past, picking up Hancock by the waist and leaping back to safety.
At the same time, another figure moved with impossible speed, a blur of motion that deflected the massive volley of lasers mid-air.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A deafening series of explosions erupted where the beams were redirected.
Hancock turned her head in astonishment.
It was Shakky and the Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh, who had saved her life.
"Hancock, are you alright?" Shakky asked, putting the Empress down and taking a puff from her cigarette.
"I'm fine," Hancock shook her head, her expression solemn as she looked into the distance.
"Rayleigh, they're strong!" Shakky called out.
"Well, don't worry," Rayleigh replied, though a trace of fear was in his eyes as he looked at the legion of Seraphim.
"I can handle these ones, but..." His gaze shifted to Admiral Aokiji, and his face became even more serious.
If it were one of the old Marine Admirals, he wouldn't be afraid.
But today's Admirals were on another level.
Aokiji looked over with a hint of surprise on his face.
"'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh. I didn't expect you to have such a close relationship with the Pirate Empress that you'd come to rescue her yourself. However, even you can't take her away from here."
There was no fear on Aokiji's face, only a calm certainty.
He waved his hand slightly. "Take him."
Immediately, an Admiral-class Seraphim shot forward.
"Tch," Rayleigh's face sank.
'So it's not just Aokiji. They have another Admiral-level fighter here. This is going to be difficult.'
An Admiral-class Seraphim... in terms of pure combat power, he wouldn't lose.
But this wasn't a person; it was a humanoid weapon.
It felt no pain, feared no death, and had an incredibly fast recovery speed.
Not to mention, it would never get tired.
Compared to his own aging body, he couldn't withstand a continuous, high-intensity battle.
"Shakky! You take Hancock and leave first!" Rayleigh urged hastily, planning to cover their escape before making his own.
Otherwise, even if he managed to defeat the Seraphim, he would still have to face Aokiji.
There was no chance of winning here.
"Alright," Shakky nodded, a worried look on her face. "Be careful."
"There's no need for that. None of you are escaping," Aokiji said softly.
"Surround them."
As his words fell, the Seraphim army surged forward, completely encircling them.
At the same time, the Admiral-class Seraphim shot forward, a laser beam preceding its attack.
Rayleigh dodged again and again, but the Seraphim's speed was immense, and it closed the distance in an instant, its fist crackling with Haki.
BOOM!
Their fists slammed together.
Both figures were thrown back, but while the Seraphim was unfazed, Rayleigh felt the blood in his body violently churning.
The humanoid weapon, as if nothing had happened, rushed forward again without fear of death.
'This is what makes these things so annoying!' Rayleigh gritted his teeth.
He was no longer young; a strong collision like that would inevitably take its toll.
"Rayleigh!" Shakky shouted in concern as the other Seraphim began to close in on her and Hancock.
Rayleigh no longer chose to meet the Admiral-class model head-on, instead using his flexible movements to dodge and counterattack.
But out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Shakky and the others were in danger.
His heart wavered.
The only way to deal with an opponent like this was to either overwhelm it with pure destructive power or find a weak point for a fatal blow.
Otherwise, the only option was to stall until its energy ran out.
Rayleigh knew the first option was impossible for him now.
'What should I do?' he thought, his mind racing.
"'Dark King' Rayleigh," Aokiji said, his voice was calm.
"We were only ordered to arrest the Pirate Empress. Since you've delivered yourself to us, there's no reason for us not to arrest you. Just come back to Marineford obediently and spend the rest of your life in Impel Down." He then ordered softly.
"Arrest them all."
The Seraphim advanced.
Rayleigh could barely resist, and he knew he couldn't hold on for much longer.
Under the siege of a legion of Warlord-class machines, Shakky and Hancock had no chance of winning.
However, at that moment, a wild laugh sounded from the sky.
"Jihahahaha! Rayleigh, long time no see! How did you end up in such a sorry state?"
"Huh?!"
At the sound of the voice, Rayleigh, Aokiji, and everyone else's faces changed.
They immediately looked up.
A massive boulder was floating in the sky, and standing on top of it was an old man with long, blond hair.
It was the Golden Lion Shiki.
Beside him stood his own custom Seraphim.
"Golden Lion!" Aokiji's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth raised slightly.
"I didn't expect you to appear here. Are you here to add to my list of achievements today? If you have the ability, come and get them." Aokiji still had his hands in his pockets, looking up lazily at the legendary pirate.
"Hahahaha, I could, but to save them, I don't even have to make a move myself!" Shiki laughed.
"Go! Save them!"
"Yes," the young Golden Lion Seraphim nodded, then leaped down from the boulder, shooting towards the battlefield like a cannonball.
"Hmph, that thing is nothing special," Aokiji said, shaking his head.
He had already decided it couldn't possibly beat his Admiral-class Seraphim.
However, just as Aokiji's words fell, the Golden Lion's Seraphim pointed its right hand toward the Admiral-class model.
Suddenly, a strange burst of light shot out.
"Hm?" A look of surprise flashed in Aokiji's eyes.
Immediately, his pupils shrank as he looked at his own Seraphim in shock.
At that moment, the Admiral-class Seraphim seemed to be restrained by some invisible force, and its movements became extremely slow.
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