On the Marine side, hearts were in their throats.
Admiral Sakazuki had just been on top—they'd thought Creed couldn't possibly escape. Who could've guessed he'd been slyly holding back? That last strike was like a thunder god descending—no ordinary man could withstand it. Even with a fully awakened magma fruit, they feared Admiral Sakazuki wouldn't be able to resist.
"Admiral Sakazuki won't lose! The absolute justice he upholds won't allow him to fall before a pirate!"
"Admiral Sakazuki will win!"
Some Marines who idolized him shouted to steel themselves.
At the center of the battlefield, magma, flame, and snow still lingered, but the smoke had thinned—just enough to make out shapes within.
What they saw sent panic through the ranks.
Creed hovered in the air with blade in hand—clothes scorched and torn, a touch disheveled. But Admiral Sakazuki lay on a great slab of floating ice, chest carved with a massive X-shaped wound that gushed blood—far worse off than Creed.
That sword just now—Admiral Sakazuki had failed to block it.
They couldn't understand it. Their Admiral could elementize—how had he been injured so grievously?
"Why isn't Admiral Kuzan here yet?"
"Vice Admiral Doberman, what do we do?"
"Charge in and pull Admiral Sakazuki out!"
"Creed is a devil—how can he wield power like this?!"
Order frayed. One of Sakazuki's trusted rear admirals launched with Geppo (Moonwalk) to reach him first—
"Uwaah!"
He hadn't gone far before his whole body caught fire. Screams tore from his throat. If not for his decent command of Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), he'd have become charcoal in an instant.
Doberman reacted fast, heaving up a wall of seawater to yank the man back. Even so, the rear admiral's burns were severe; he was carried away, combat-ineffective.
"Nobody act rashly! Don't touch the cinders or sparks on the water—or the ice and snow!"
Doberman barked.
The Marines hissed through their teeth. Only then did they grasp the truth: even the tiniest ember of magma and flame—or the faintest fleck of frost—left on the sea still held terrifying power. They could not be touched.
"So this is Devil Fruit awakening? Horrifying…"
"Like a devil roused from sleep…"
Someone whispered, voice trembling.
"Shff! Shff!"
Doberman and several elite vice admirals drew their long blades, bodies sheathed in Armament Haki, and charged.
They had to keep Admiral Sakazuki alive.
The chance was slim, but it was their duty—even at the cost of their lives.
"Creed!"
Sakazuki forced himself upright, eyes locked on Creed. "Your Armament Haki—and your defense—there's no way they're this strong!"
For Creed to grievously wound him despite elementization—beyond the monstrous force of that Ni-tōryū (Two-Sword Style) thunder-god slash—the key had been a sudden qualitative leap in Creed's Armament Haki. For an instant, it even caused Sakazuki's elementization to misfire.
"Losers who look for excuses are laughable, Sakazuki."
Creed flicked his blade.
A snow-white arc flashed out—Hyōzan (Ice Slash)—scything toward Doberman and the others!
"Damn!"
It came too fast. With no time to dodge, they could only take it head-on.
Clang!
Craack!
The sword-cry rang—and they were all entombed in thick ice.
Even elite vice admirals could hardly cross a gulf like an SSSS--rank ice sword intent. True, the freeze would hold them only a second or two; the next instant, they'd explode their Armament Haki and break free—
But one or two seconds were enough for Creed to kill Sakazuki.
Creed was no merciful soul. Since Sakazuki had marked him for death, he wouldn't hesitate.
"Sakazuki—sleep here forever."
He spoke softly.
Suddenly—
Vonnng—
A cry like a phoenix rang out. A crystalline white ice-bird stooped from above, locking onto Creed.
"Hyōkai: Pheasant Beak (Ice Block: Pheasant Beak)? Kuzan!"
The instant he saw the bird, Creed felt a jolt of familiarity—and knew who had arrived.
"ROOM!"
He flung out a ROOM sphere that blanketed hundreds of meters and sliced the ice-bird into a dozen pieces at once—
Boom!
Craack!
The severed bird exploded. Shards of ice, steeped in killing cold, blasted out, flash-freezing everything within dozens of meters into a solid glacier.
Craack!
At the same time, an ice pillar rose at Sakazuki's side. A man stood atop it—
Admiral Kuzan.
He'd arrived.
"Creed, do me a favor—let's call it a day."
Kuzan looked at Creed, voice carrying a hint of entreaty.
He understood that if Creed meant to kill Sakazuki, he might not be able to stop it. The current Creed was terrifying. On the way here, Kuzan had already heard: Creed and Kaido had fought to a standstill. He knew exactly what kind of monster Kaido was.
"Kuzan, I don't need you begging for me!"
Sakazuki snarled.
For a Marine to plead with a pirate—so he could live? Laughable. If that was the choice, he'd sooner die.
"Fine. I'll give you this one, Kuzan."
Creed sheathed his blade and became a streak of light, departing without fuss.
Kuzan had protected the G-K branch before; Creed still remembered that favor.
Even so, both Kuzan and Sakazuki were momentarily stunned. So agreeable?
Sakazuki, however, refused the grace. His fist became magma and he smashed the ice beneath his feet. "Damn it!"
Boom!
"Hiss—"
The tearing pain from his chest made him suck in a sharp breath. On anyone else, Creed's wound would already have been fatal.
"Admiral Sakazuki!"
"Admiral Kuzan!"
Doberman and the others burst free of the ice and rushed in, fumbling to steady the staggering Admiral.
Their gazes drifted—unbidden—toward the dwindling silhouette of Creed's ship. Bittersweet emotions knotted their chests.
Of the three Marine Admirals, two had now fallen to him.
This… was the Fifth Emperor of the New World.
(End of Chapter)
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