Holy Land of Mariejois.
In the grand, white hall of Pangaea Castle, the Five Elders sat in silence, brows furrowed as they read through the pile of reports spread across the long table.
Mars spoke first, his voice deep. "This won't do. The Revolutionary Army's growth is far too rapid."
"Indeed." Peter nodded grimly. "Their expansion has completely exceeded control. It's good that they're cleansing some of the nations beyond our reach, but at this rate, the chaos could spread across the world."
Nusjuro shook his head. "That's unlikely. At most, they'll stir some trouble across the Four Blues. What they rely on are those mindless commoners who keep multiplying. If they think they can overturn the world, they're still far from it."
Peter folded his arms. "Even so, we can't just ignore it. After all, most of the Heavenly Tribute comes from the allied nations in the four seas."
Nusjuro gave a nod. "That's true enough..."
Warcury said, "Then should we let the Marines intervene? Issue a full-scale bounty?"
Mars thought for a moment. "The Marines' focus should remain on the New World. For the Four Blues, let them prioritize the safety of allied nations. A global bounty would be unnecessary. The New World is already growing unstable as it is."
Nusjuro sighed. "That man has broken the fragile balance that's lasted for years. He truly knows how to make a mess... Still, perhaps this is for the best. Those pirates have grown too bold and too strong. A little chaos might do some good. Let's raise up another Emperor of the Sea and let them fight among themselves."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
* * *
Grand Line, Baltigo.
At the Revolutionary Army's headquarters, sandstorms raged endlessly. The visibility was so low that even thirty meters ahead was a blur. Yet even under such harsh conditions, the soldiers continued training without pause.
Suddenly, the roaring sand and wind stopped. Within a kilometer around the base, the storm seemed to vanish, as if a vast dome shielded the area from the elements.
Every soldier looked up, their eyes lighting with joy.
"The Supreme Commander's back!"
After many days away, Dragon appeared at the gates of the base. He greeted the troops with a smile before walking into the command hall.
Inside, Kuma looked at Dragon and asked, "How did it go?"
He nodded lightly. "Fairly well. The location of that empty level has been passed on to Iva through our contact in the prison. As for what comes next... he'll have to handle it himself."
Kuma let out a soft sigh, "We've always known this day would come. It's just that things had gone too smoothly for too long. Maybe failure is something we all need to remember."
Dragon exhaled deeply. "Yes. This is reality. Nothing ever goes perfectly. Still... it stings."
"Believe in Iva." Kuma comforted him. "He'll make it through."
Dragon gathered himself, then lifted his gaze toward the distant Mariejois. "You're right. The real battle... is only just beginning."
* * *
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku set down the Den Den Mushi on his desk, face dark. "Damn it. What a mess this has become..."
He rubbed his temples. When he took the position, the Marines had been at its peak, yet everything had gone downhill faster than he expected.
With Kong retired, Garp's carelessness, the younger generation still maturing, and the two new admirals doing as they pleased... everything ended up resting on him and Sakazuki.
To make things worse, remnants of the Roger Pirates were stirring up trouble in the New World, while Red-Haired Shanks caused chaos no one could make sense of. Across the seas, the Revolutionary Army spread like wildfire, and the Five Elders had ordered the Marines to defend the allied nations at all costs.
Bang!
Sengoku slammed the desk, venting his frustration.
After a deep breath, he picked up the receiver. "Inform all base commanders across the Four Blues. We'll hold a conference call tonight at eight."
Once he hung up, his gaze fell on the stack of documents in front of him, the government's latest intelligence on the Revolutionary Army. He barely had time to read even half.
Beside him, the little goat chewed through a few pages, but Sengoku didn't stop it. His attention was locked on one photograph: an old, blurred picture of the Revolutionary Army's leader, Dragon.
The shot was poor, and half his face was tattooed, but something about him felt oddly familiar. The name 'Dragon' lingered in his mind.
"Is it really you, Dragon...?"
Though the appearance had changed, Sengoku couldn't shake the feeling. He had watched that boy grow up.
* * *
Grand Line, a deserted island.
Every mountain on the island had been leveled. Craters covered the land, and the air shimmered with heat and pressure.
Two figures faced each other, one burning red, one glowing blue. Their battle had lasted four days and three nights.
Sakazuki had entered his Crimson Lotus form, smoke rising from his body, his golden eyes fixed on his opponent. Bullet was in his Demon Mode. His three types of Haki fused into a blue spectral energy that wrapped around his body. His arms were swollen to three times their normal size, resembling a raging giant ape.
The island was already half-sunken when Sakazuki spoke. "Got any moves left?"
Bullet, his face twisted like a demon's and voice rumbling like thunder, growled, "There's one more. Be careful, Admiral Sakazuki."
As soon as the words left his mouth, his enormous arms contracted. The muscles across his body shifted and pulsed, his legs thickening as his stance changed. The blue aura coating remained, but his form became more compact and balanced. If before he'd been a brute gorilla, now he was a feral tiger. Lean, precise, and deadly.
Bullet's eyes glowed crimson.
"Demon Aura: Great Asura King!"
Sakazuki nodded once and raised a hand.
Bullet's lips curled into a grin, his fists wreathed in a dense blue aura that almost took physical form. Shadowy phantoms of demons flickered around his knuckles as he swung forward.
Several spectral strikes shot out toward the admiral in chaotic arcs. At the same time, Bullet stomped down, his speed exploding as he lunged straight for him.
Sakazuki chuckled and launched a Hellhound. The molten beast exploded midair, splitting into multiple magma heads that struck each blue phantom in turn.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A chain of explosions lit up the battlefield, forming a rain of molten rock between the two.
Swish!
Bullet didn't slow for even a second. He tore through the blast waves, his demonic fists crashing toward his opponent.
Sakazuki met him head-on, fists clashing with a deafening shockwave that cracked the ground below them.
"Hm?" Sakazuki frowned slightly.
As their fists collided, the demonic energy flowing from Bullet's punch seemed to seep into his arm. For a brief moment, the muscle there stiffened unnaturally.
It only lasted an instant, his overwhelming Armament Haki immediately purged the energy, but that split second was enough. Bullet poured more strength into his attack, forcing the admiral back several steps.
Sakazuki murmured, "Interesting."
He gathered his Armament Haki, compressing it until it surged across his entire body like liquid iron. The force gathered in his right arm and shoulder before he slammed his fist forward.
Bullet met him blow for blow, but his demonic aura failed to pierce Sakazuki's iron-like defense this time. The ghostly energy stopped at the point of contact.
The demon-like face of Bullet twisted slightly in frustration. "You're really something else..."
Sakazuki grinned. The muscles at his right shoulder exploded outward with a thunderous crack, blackened steel-like skin gleaming under the light.
The sheer power behind his punch was unstoppable. Bullet felt an irresistible force slam into him, hurling him backward through the air.
Boom!
He crashed into the island, setting off a massive explosion that sent a mushroom cloud a hundred meters high into the sky.
The island, already half-sunken, shook constantly. Cracks spread across its surface until it cleaved in two.
Through the roaring winds and flying debris, Bullet plunged his hands into the shattered ground. Blue aura surged endlessly from his body. When he'd gathered enough, he braced his feet, muscles tightening like coiled cables.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
BOOM!
He tore a huge chunk of land, large enough to blot out the sun, from the earth and hurled it skyward. It looked like a mountain, except it shimmered an eerie, glowing blue.
In the next second, Bullet leaped high above it. The demonic aura wrapped around him rippled like flame as he drew back his right arm and smashed his fist down into the floating mountain.
The mass trembled violently, then shot toward the admiral like a meteor.
Facing the descending blue mountain, the ground behind Sakazuki turned molten red. Magma surged, forming a gigantic lava fist cloaked in Haki that stretched upward to meet the oncoming strike.
A deafening crash followed.
The island quaked. The sea around it boiled and churned. The top layer of the lava fist shattered on impact, but the rest of it held firm, stopping the falling mountain in the air.
Then, a massive demon's face appeared on the surface of the mountain. Bullet was there again, standing atop the glowing mass, pouring his blue aura into it relentlessly.
The phantom demon roared, bursting through the Haki shielding Sakazuki's magma arm, shattering the giant limb completely. Then it plummeted straight toward him.
Sakazuki lifted his head, eyes narrowing. While the giant demonic shadow came crashing down, his right leg slid back, his arm drawing in behind him, muscles tightening as magma flared.
Right as the mountain and its phantom closed in, less than half a meter away, Sakazuki leaned his body forward and unleashed his fist.
Boom!
A fiery Hellhound burst forth, piercing through the demonic shadow, through the mountain, and struck Bullet across the face.
The impact drove Sakazuki, and everything within a kilometer around him downward. The ground beneath his feet sank knee-deep.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A violent shockwave burst out from under the mountain, splitting it clean in two.
But Bullet was gone.
Without turning, Sakazuki threw his left arm backward.
Bang!
His fist smashed directly into Bullet's, sending him tumbling through the air in a streak of blue and black energy. The man spun wildly before regaining control midair.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he vanished. His speed was so extreme that the naked eye couldn't follow, but Sakazuki's Observation Haki could.
Bang!
In an instant, blue flashes surrounded the admiral like a raging storm, Bullet's silhouette darting in and out as he launched rapid, fierce strikes from every direction.
Sakazuki stood at the center, his fists meeting each blow in a blur of motion.
Then suddenly, he turned and threw a powerful punch.
**
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