Sabaody Archipelago — Grove No. 30.
The great Live Square was overflowing with people. Tens of thousands of reporters, merchants, travelers, and onlookers crowded beneath the glowing mangrove trees, their eyes fixed on the enormous projection Den Den Mushi screens that broadcast the war from Marineford in real time.
At the very center of it all stood Golden Lion Shiki, grinning broadly as he hosted the live transmission, his golden mane of hair gleaming in the sunlight.
"Uohohohoho!" Shiki laughed into his mic, his voice booming across the square. "You see this, folks? The Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates have gone to war again! A clash of legends!"
The crowd erupted.
"Marshal Sengoku's transformed into a giant Buddha to face Whitebeard himself!" someone shouted.
"The shockwaves from their clash are tearing the sea apart!" cried another.
Gasps rippled through the masses as the screen flashed with explosions of golden light and crushing sound.
"Ahhh! Look at that! Admiral Sakazuki's magma attack—blocked by the Phoenix, Marco!"
"And Admiral Aokiji's freezing strike—countered by Fire Fist Ace! Fire versus ice! It's a battle of natural forces!"
The audience murmured in awe, heads craning upward toward the massive screens. Then—
"Wait! Wait, look—!" a reporter screamed.
"Ahh! Admiral Kuzan—he's done it! He's defeated Fire Fist Ace!"
For a moment, there was silence—then chaos exploded across the square.
"Whaaaat?!"
"No way! Fire Fist Ace fell?!"
"Kuzan Admiral is incredible!"
"This is the might of a true Marine Admiral!"
"The commanders of the Yonko can't compare! Only the Emperors themselves can stand against the Admirals!"
The cheers thundered like waves, echoing across Grove 30.
High above the crowd, several figures watched from the rooftop terrace of a mangrove bar.
"Oi, you serious?" Capone Bege, the cigar-chomping captain of the Fire Tank Pirates, slammed his fist on the railing. "That Fire Fist brat got one-shotted by Aokiji?"
"Impossible…" muttered Urouge, the Sky Island monk, beads clinking as he frowned. "Ace was the Second Division Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates—a Logia user at that. Against another Logia like Aokiji, he should've held the advantage."
Nearby, the stoic Drake, once a Marine Rear Admiral, crossed his arms. "Could it be his injuries? He did just escape from Impel Down after all… perhaps the torture weakened his body."
Killer shook his head. "No. That wasn't weakness. That was strength—Aokiji's strength. The Admiral's power is simply too overwhelming."
"The cards speak the same," murmured Hawkins, the Magician, pulling one from his deck. "His fate was sealed the moment he stepped into that clash."
They all remembered it—the Celestial Dragon incident just ten days prior. They had faced an Admiral then as well—Borsalino, the Yellow Ape—and none of them could even touch him.
If Kizaru's speed and power were that fearsome, then Aokiji's might could only be imagined.
"The previous strike," said Eustass Kid quietly, his eyes fixed on the glowing screen, "that was Admiral Aokiji going all out."
"Bah! Look again, that damn Kizaru's moving now!" shouted Skullachimanap, the pirate with the skull mask. "Is he trying to kill Fire Fist Ace and Straw Hat while they're down?!"
Marine Headquarters — Marineford.
The war raged on. The skies split, and the sea boiled under the might of titans.
Amidst the smoke and shattered earth, golden light shimmered once more—
Admiral Kizaru moved.
Quiet, deadly, and precise.
A beam of condensed sunlight gathered at his fingertip, aimed straight for the unconscious Ace and the weakened Straw Hat Luffy amidst the chaos.
If he fired, both would be annihilated instantly.
Then—
Whoosh!
A shrill sound sliced through the air.
"I won't let you harm the flowers of the new era, Kizaru!!!"
A blur of motion crossed the battlefield.
The man known as the Dark King—Silvers Rayleigh—descended like lightning, his kick slamming into Kizaru's arm and knocking it wide.
BOOM!
The golden beam exploded harmlessly into the empty ground, sending waves of dust and fire skyward.
"Nani—?!"
Sabo's eyes widened. For a brief instant, his composure shattered.
"Morley! Protect Ace and Luffy!" he shouted.
"Understood!"
The giant commander of the Revolutionary Army's Western forces slammed her trident into the ground. With her Push-Push Fruit, the earth rippled and surged, forming a shelter that swallowed Ace, Luffy, and the ship's doctor underground for safety.
"Leave the revenge for my foolish brother… to me!"
Sabo's fists ignited with swirling flames and hardened scales—his hands morphing into the talons of a dragon.
With a furious roar, he launched himself straight toward Admiral Aokiji.
..
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