"Get the Pure Gold! At any cost!"
"Forget about casualties! Fire Fist Ace's life is irrelevant!"
"The Pure Gold must never fall into outside hands! Secure it!"
As soon as the Den Den Mushi connected, several voices from the Five Elders erupted in excitement.
Gone was their usual dignity and composure—if they could, they might have jumped through the receiver to snatch the Pure Gold themselves.
"Understood!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who had initially planned to argue his case, suddenly felt drained of all strength.
To the Five Elders, the honor of the Marines, the reputation of the World Government—all of it was worthless compared to Pure Gold.
Judging by their attitude, if he managed to seize the Pure Gold from Dragon, his previous failures would be completely forgiven.
Hell, they might even kick out Commander-in-Chief Kong and promote him to the Supreme Commander of the Three Armies.
"Give it your all! If necessary, abandon the execution of Fire Fist Ace!"
The Five Elders, seemingly dissatisfied with Sengoku's hesitation, emphasized their stance.
Hearing this, Sengoku's face turned ashen.
Their implication was clear—if the situation called for it, they were willing to abandon the execution of Fire Fist Ace… or even use him as a bargaining chip in exchange for the Pure Gold.
So much for the "sinful bloodline of the Pirate King."
Compared to immortality, Ace's value was no greater than the lowliest slaves in Mary Geoise.
"Understood!"
Sengoku, well aware of the Five Elders' ruthlessness, did not bother arguing.
And he had no intention of pretending to obey while doing the opposite.
Only a few minutes had passed since Dragon revealed the Pure Gold, yet the Five Elders had already contacted him directly.
Clearly, CP0 operatives—excluding DeLocas—were present in Marineford and had immediately reported the situation.
The Five Elders' desperation was evident.
They didn't care about the World Government's reputation.
They were determined to obtain the Pure Gold.
In this situation, even Sengoku didn't dare defy their orders.
His only choice was to go all out—crush the Whitebeard Pirates and the Revolutionary Army, and take the Pure Gold!
Otherwise, he'd be forced to abandon Marine honor and negotiate with the pirates and revolutionaries.
"All forces, follow my command!"
Sengoku took a deep breath before leaping off the execution platform, landing heavily at its base.
Just as he was about to deliver a rallying speech, his peripheral vision caught sight of Kizaru—and his blood pressure nearly sent him into cardiac arrest.
That bastard Kizaru…
He had actually set up a dining table in a blind spot of the execution platform's field of view—
Complete with fine wine, gourmet food, and a cute secretary to accompany him.
"Uh… want a drink?"
Kizaru looked a little awkward.
This wasn't his first time slacking off on the battlefield.
It wasn't even his first time getting caught by Sengoku.
But making Sengoku shake with rage like this?
Hmmm… well, actually, it wasn't the first time either.
Sengoku, on the verge of exploding, forcefully suppressed his fury.
If he wanted to preserve the Marines' dignity, he had to obtain the Pure Gold.
Otherwise, the Five Elders would gladly issue a remote command to CP0, free Ace, and strike a deal with the Whitebeard Pirates and the Revolutionaries.
Given this absolute priority, the fastest and strongest of the three admirals—
Kizaru was the best candidate to seize the Pure Gold.
If Kizaru succeeded, then no matter how much Sengoku preferred Aokiji or how unreliable he found Kizaru,
He would have no choice but to name Kizaru the next Fleet Admiral—out of gratitude for saving the Marine's honor.
After all, whatever chaos the next Fleet Admiral might bring was a future problem.
But Sengoku would rather die than watch the Marines' dignity be trampled by pirates, revolutionaries, and escaped convicts under his command!
"Whoever retrieves the Pure Gold…"
"Will be the next Fleet Admiral!"
Sengoku hadn't even finished speaking when akainu took off at full speed
His sheer speed left even Kizaru momentarily speechless.
If Kizaru didn't use his Devil Fruit or substitution techniques, and if he carried an extra ton of weight on his back, he wasn't sure he could outrun Sakazuki.
Watching Akainu's eagerness, Sengoku felt a bit helpless.
With that violent, all-out battle style, Akainu would probably reduce the Pure Gold to dust before the fight even ended.
"What are you standing around for?! Move it!"
Sengoku glared at Kizaru in frustration.
If this lazy bastard were even a bit more reliable, Sengoku wouldn't have to rely on that deadweight, Kuzan.
"Roger! Little Nami, head back to headquarters and find a safe place to hide."
Kizaru patted Nami's head, casually wiped his mouth with a napkin, and—under Sengoku's murderous glare—vanished in a flash of light.
"For justice! Wipe out the pirates!"
Sengoku, feeling mentally drained, didn't even bother rallying the troops.
He simply charged straight at the Whitebeard Pirates.
If it meant saving the Marines' honor, then his own dignity as Fleet Admiral be damned!
Fueled by his charge, Marine morale soared like never before.
"Wipe them out!"
"For justice!"
"Kill them all!"
A tidal wave of Marines roared as they surged forward.
Their sheer momentum was like a mountain collapsing, a tsunami crashing down—
Even the most ruthless of Impel Down's escaped convicts felt their legs go weak in the face of 100,000 elite troops.
"Hellhound!"
Driven by his desire to become Fleet Admiral, Akainu unleashed his full power, transforming into a raging mass of molten lava as he charged at Dragon.
Several pirates and Revolutionary Army soldiers tried to block him, but they couldn't even slow him down.
"Chimera Flame!"
Just as Akainu was about to strike Dragon, DeLocas stepped in without hesitation.
His chest swelled unnaturally, and he spewed a massive burst of multi-colored flames straight at Akainu.
Akainu punched through the fire with ease, but he wasn't careless—
He knew Delocas' strength was nearly on par with his own.
"Get out of my way, Delocas! Or I'll kill you!"
Akainu roared, too focused on the Fleet Admiral position to hold a grudge.
Of course, if he did become Fleet Admiral, he'd gladly hunt Delocas down afterward.
"Mehahaha! What's the matter, Sakazuki? Pissed off?!"
Delocas hadn't stepped in for Akainu's sake—he just couldn't let the Pure Gold fall into enemy hands.
But seeing Akainu in front of him, the rage from their past boiled over.
If Kizaru was his number one enemy—the man who exposed his secrets and ruined his career—
Then Sakazuki, the man who took his place as Admiral, was number two.
Back when Delocas was still a candidate for Admiral, he had been ruthlessly ambitious, willing to eliminate fellow Marines for power.
Now, as a dog of the Celestial Dragons, he was obsessed with the Marine status he had lost.
"Die!"
Realizing he couldn't break through Delocas quickly, Akainu's eyes turned bloodshot.
All of his pent-up rage erupted as a massive lava flow surged toward Delocas, ready to reduce the traitor to ash.
---
Meanwhile…
As Sengoku led the charge, a slender ice spike shot across the battlefield at lightning speed, weaving through the chaos toward Dragon.
Unlike Akainu's violent lava, this attack was silent and deadly—
Any pirate who touched the ice was instantly frozen into a solid block.
"Clang!"
Just as the ice spike was about to reach Dragon, a mysterious figure in a black hooded cloak suddenly stepped forward, drawing a sword and slashing a deep trench into the ground—blocking the ice's path.
As the freezing mist settled, Aokiji took shape, his usual lazy expression replaced with an uncharacteristically serious look.
"Dark King Rayleigh... are you choosing to stand against the Marines?"
Aokiji's voice was cold as ice. He didn't know exactly what had happened on the execution platform, but if Fleet Admiral Sengoku was leading the charge himself—completely disregarding his own dignity—then something big was going on.
Knowing both Sengoku and the Gorosei, Aokiji had no doubt—it had to be because of the Pure Gold Dragon had revealed.
What he hadn't expected, though, was that the Gorosei would go so far as to throw away the World Government's reputation—even if it meant humiliating the Marines—just to obtain it.
"Ahahahaha! Dark King Rayleigh? Who's that?"
The hooded man chuckled before coughing awkwardly.
"I'm just a passerby! No way I'd know someone so important!"
As he lifted his head, Aokiji finally saw the cheap cardboard mask covering his face—a mask so poorly made, it looked like something given away for free with a theme park ticket, probably worth 50 Berries at most.
But no matter how much this old man denied it, Aokiji knew—his body shape, his presence, his Haki—this was undoubtedly Rayleigh.
By refusing to admit his identity, Rayleigh was giving the Marines an out—a way to save face.
As long as the damage wasn't too severe, the Marines wouldn't have a reason to go after him later.
And as much as Aokiji hated to admit it, Rayleigh had the Marines figured out.
Even though he was being deliberately stalled, Aokiji had no choice but to accept the situation.
Meanwhile, as Sengoku led the charge, he finally clashed head-on with Whitebeard, who had stormed to the frontlines.
Two old rivals from the same era—their battle erupted instantly.
Sengoku transformed into his Golden Buddha form, while Whitebeard swung his Supreme Grade blade, Murakumogiri.
A slap from Sengoku, a slash from Whitebeard—both fighting with everything they had, exchanging devastating blows.
For a moment, Sengoku considered calling in Garp to help beat Whitebeard down—
After all, they had once teamed up to crush Golden Lion Shiki, throwing him into Impel Down.
But Sengoku couldn't let Garp find out—
That to the Gorosei, the justice they had spent their entire lives upholding was worthless compared to Pure Gold.
Amidst the chaotic battlefield, Dragon—who had yet to make a move—suddenly crossed his arms in front of him, coating them in Haki.
BANG!
At that very moment, a blinding flash lit up the battlefield—
A figure engulfed in light appeared in front of Dragon—Kizaru, delivering a devastating kick straight at his raised arms.
The sheer force sent Dragon sliding back several meters, his feet digging deep trenches into the ground.
"Not bad, Dragon…"
Kizaru grinned.
That kick? Barely even a warm-up for him.
But the fact that Dragon had reacted in time—and blocked it—was a little surprising.
"…You've improved."
Dragon lowered his arms, looking at Kizaru with complicated emotions.
No matter how much he had prepared himself, he had still underestimated his former mentor.
That speed, that power—it was unreal.
And worse? Dragon knew—this wasn't even close to Kizaru's full strength.
Because that was Kizaru's style—he always held back, only revealing more power as needed.
The moment his opponent thought they had a chance—
They'd realize it was nothing but an illusion, and that Kizaru had been toying with them the entire time.
That was how he earned the title of "Marine Monster."
Of course, most enemies never even made it that far—Kizaru's "test attacks" were often strong enough to kill them outright.
"I hate to say it, but… would you mind handing over the Pure Gold?"
Kizaru raised a hand with an almost apologetic expression.
"That little thing happens to be my ticket to becoming Fleet Admiral."
Dragon frowned.
"Since when did someone like you care about a meaningless title like Fleet Admiral?"
Dragon's face was filled with confusion.
In his eyes, Kizaru was someone who had long grown tired of the corruption and decay within the Marines, yet—just like his father, Garp—was unable to abandon the principles he had followed for decades. That was why he always seemed so flippant and unrestrained.
"A Marine who doesn't aspire to be Fleet Admiral isn't a good Marine. Be a good boy and hand over the Pure Gold—otherwise, I won't be holding back~"
Kizaru's lips curled into a playful smirk, and before Dragon could react, his body flashed once more.
Wanting to test just how much Dragon had grown, Kizaru moved at an absurd speed, instantly appearing behind him. His leg lashed out, carrying a howling gust of wind, slamming into Dragon—who seemed frozen in place.
"BOOM!"
A deafening shockwave exploded through the air—
Dragon's body was split in half at the waist—
Only for it to instantly lose all color and detonate into a storm of vacuum wind blades, tearing outward in all directions!
°°°
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