"Enough—no need for formalities. Sakazuki, you should already know why we summoned you, don't you?"
Before Sakazuki could salute, the short-tempered Saint Saturn cut him off, his face stern as he spoke.
Because Kizaru, the traitorous Fleet Admiral, had led an open rebellion, the Five Elders now looked at Sakazuki—the other Marine Admiral—with a certain distaste.
Still, they knew Sakazuki's loyalty to the World Government was beyond question, so they weren't about to vent their anger on him.
"I do not, my lords. Please instruct me."
Having prepared himself mentally on the way, Sakazuki wisely lowered his posture.
Since Kizaru had chosen to betray the World Government, Sakazuki had to make his own allegiance absolutely clear—to prove that he and Kizaru were nothing alike.
"Sakazuki," said Saint Nusjuro, the Elder with the katana in his arms, "how do you view the current situation at Marineford? Is it the reckless defiance of that fool Kizaru—or the shared will of the Marine leadership?"
His tone was calmer than usual, a subtle hint for Sakazuki not to be too nervous.
But Sakazuki wasn't naive enough to be fooled. He knew well that in front of the Five Elders, even a hint of ambiguity could be fatal. In their eyes, loyalty not absolute was the same as absolute disloyalty.
"To defy the orders of the World Government—no matter what Marineford's leadership thinks—their actions are rebellion, pure and simple!"
Sakazuki's voice was sharp and unwavering, his whole bearing that of a man ready to march home and personally annihilate the traitors.
The Five Elders exchanged glances but said nothing; several of them nodded faintly, clearly satisfied with his answer.
"It is a stroke of luck," said Saint Peter, the blond Elder, "that the Marines still have a commander as loyal as you. Still, to avoid unnecessary unrest, the matter of Marineford must remain classified for now. You understand this, Sakazuki?"
"Yes, my lords. I understand completely!"
Sakazuki quietly exhaled in relief. His greatest fear—that Kizaru's betrayal would make the Five Elders suspect him as well—hadn't come to pass. They still trusted him.
"Good. Then you may withdraw. Cooperate closely with Kong, and once we've repelled those filthy pirates, the World Government will ensure that no one who earns credit is left unrewarded."
Saint Vochuli nodded with satisfaction, his words carrying a transparent implication: if Sakazuki performed well in the coming battle, the position of Fleet Admiral in the rebuilt Marines would naturally be his.
At that, Sakazuki's heartbeat quickened; he suppressed his excitement, bowed deeply, and left the chamber with exaggerated reverence.
"What do you think?"
Saint Mars, who had been silent until now, lifted his eyes slightly and spoke as he watched Sakazuki depart.
"It has nothing to do with him," said Saint Nusjuro. "Kizaru couldn't possibly afford to buy Akainu's loyalty."
If Sakazuki could lie to his face and escape his notice, Nusjuro thought grimly, he might as well resign his post.
"Then, as we discussed earlier," said Saint Warcury, unable to hide his impatience, "once this war is over, we'll rebuild the Marines around Sakazuki."
After all, Marineford's defection had happened under his own oversight. If blame were assigned, even Lord Im might not forgive him easily.
Still, once the Navy was rebuilt, the Five Elders' and the World Government's control over it would reach unprecedented heights—there would be no more fear of insubordination among its leaders.
"Provided Sakazuki survives the war," said Saint Saturn coldly, leaning on his cane. The temper he'd shown earlier was gone, replaced by icy composure. "Let me be clear: if he fails to earn sufficient merit in the coming battle, I'll oppose his appointment as Fleet Admiral."
"Seconded," murmured another Elder in agreement.
Saint Mars raised his hand, signaling his agreement with Saint Saturn's decision. Their desire to rebuild the Navy didn't necessarily mean they had to rely solely on Sakazuki to do it.
Since they were once able to parachute Kong into Marine Headquarters as Fleet Admiral, there was no reason they couldn't now support another powerhouse to take over that same position.
"I agree."
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter also raised his hand in support. With three votes against two, Saint Saturn's proposal quickly became the Five Elders' consensus.
At that moment, however, the agitated Sakazuki had no idea that the Fleet Admiral's seat he'd just been promised could be taken away at any moment.
After receiving the "assurance" from the Five Elders, every cautious thought Sakazuki once held — preserving his strength, prioritizing self-preservation when necessary — was thrown out the window.
Now, all he wanted was a death match with the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates that would showcase his full strength. Ideally, his opponent would be Boros — though Kaido or Charlotte Linlin would do just as well.
In his perfect outcome, the fight would end in an overwhelming victory for him — preferably capturing or even killing one of the Emperors — proving to everyone that Sakazuki was no less than Kizaru!
Meanwhile, aboard the Dominator, Kaido and Charlotte Linlin had no idea that Sakazuki had already marked them as prey.
Ever since a group of "newcomers" arrived on the Dominator, the two Emperors — already frequent sparring partners for Boros — had gained even more training duties.
The two newly joined elite combatants practically challenged them every day. If the opponent was Tatsumaki, things weren't too bad — having only recently eaten her Zoan-type Devil Fruit, the Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Model: Garuda, she hadn't yet fully mastered its powers.
Her use of Haki was still in its early stages; even with her psychic abilities, she could only barely hold her own against Kaido or Charlotte Linlin for a while.
But Esdeath was a different story altogether. The battle-hungry imperial general possessed near-perfect combat technique, and her mastery of her Teigu's power had reached its peak.
After learning the three types of Haki, she had already earned the right to stand among the world's top fighters — and with the unique powers of her Stand, even the thick-skinned Kaido could gain little advantage over her.
Worse yet, Esdeath's love for combat was practically ingrained in her bones. On the Dominator, she was in her element — fighting Kaido one day, brawling with Charlotte Linlin the next.
Occasionally, she even clashed with Tatsumaki when she managed to irritate her, and in the process, she'd somehow evolved her Stand's ability from merely absorbing damage to healing herself.
From then on, things spiraled out of control — to the point where, for a while, Kaido and Charlotte Linlin would react to the mere sight of Esdeath as though they'd seen a ghost.
Bang!
Kaido, burning with rage, smashed through the wall of ice blocking his path, his face twisted into a snarl as he glared at the woman who had come to challenge him again—Esdeath.
"Damn woman! Didn't we fight enough this morning?!"
Gripping his spiked kanabo tightly, Kaido cursed through gritted teeth. With his Beast Pirate pride, he'd never endured humiliation like this. If anyone else dared provoke him this way, they'd have already eaten a Thunder Bagua as a warning.
But after fighting Esdeath dozens of times already, Kaido knew exactly how troublesome this ice-wielding woman was.
It wasn't that Kaido couldn't beat her—far from it—but facing someone he couldn't go all out against, someone whose strength rivaled his own, was exhausting beyond words.
Boros, that damn bastard, had said he wouldn't interfere in their fights—but the last time Kaido tried to teach Esdeath a lesson, he had nearly been killed by Boros for it.
"Ah, I just came up with a new move," Esdeath said calmly, as if Kaido's murderous glare meant nothing. "I want you to help me test it."
She spoke with the same confidence as always. After all, Kizaru had already granted her permission to spar with anyone on the ship whenever she pleased—as long as she could win.
Unfortunately, the power gap between her and Boros was far too great, otherwise he would've been the one she'd be pestering right now.
Still, Kaido was a fine substitute: strong, durable, and able to take a beating—a perfect training dummy.
Before developing her Stand's healing ability, Esdeath had to be careful not to get injured too badly; her physical durability was nowhere near Kaido's monstrous level.
Even compared to Shanks, who wasn't exactly known for his raw physique among top-tier fighters, Esdeath still came up short. In a head-on clash, she was naturally at a disadvantage.
But once she mastered her Stand's healing power, all of that changed. As long as she wasn't fatally wounded, she could recover in just minutes—and then she'd be back on her feet, ready to go another round with Kaido or Charlotte Linlin.
"Damn it! Who do you think I am?!"
Kaido was so furious he nearly swung his kanabo at her—but just then, a resonant bell rang out from the direction of the temple, signaling a summons.
To Esdeath's surprise, Kaido—who used to loathe that sound—suddenly brightened, turned around, and bolted off toward the temple without a second thought.
He didn't know why Boros was calling them, but anything was better than another round of being frozen solid by Esdeath.
"Hey! Get back here!"
Esdeath hadn't expected the brute to hold back his temper, and by the time she tried to stop him, it was too late. With a sigh, she followed after him toward the temple. She was, after all, one of the Supreme Combatants of the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates now.
When Esdeath arrived at the temple's great doors, she happened to see two sisters—Tatsumaki and Fubuki—emerging from another corridor.
The two "new" Supreme Combatants locked eyes, and sparks seemed to crackle in the air between them.
Fortunately, they didn't start fighting right there in front of the temple doors. Otherwise, the pirates following behind them would've been in serious trouble.
°°°
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