"Sakazuki, long time no see. Your strength has increased quite a bit again," Rosse glanced at Sakazuki and smiled as he gave his praise.
It was unclear whether it was because he had become fleet admiral early or because the intensity of battle had greatly increased over the past two years, but Sakazuki had clearly reached his peak ahead of time.
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[Sakazuki]
[Overall Rating: S+]
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But the title of Fleet Admiral alone couldn't warrant an S+ rank. Sakazuki's current strength was truly enough to be considered part of the top tier.
"There are too many maggots on the sea. The more I kill, the stronger I get. It's all thanks to Saint Rosse's guidance."
Speaking of his strength, Sakazuki's face, usually so stern, actually softened somewhat.
His rapid improvement was indeed thanks to Rosse's help.
Having an extraordinary-level powerhouse within the organization, and one willing to provide personal instruction, could elevate the strength of the entire force.
Rosse had never been stingy with his teachings. Every time Sakazuki asked about the techniques of Conqueror's Haki, Rosse explained them carefully and would even let Sakazuki experience it directly.
Although Sakazuki didn't report to the Holy Land very often, each visit allowed him to digest new insights from combat, making his growth completely natural.
"Keep working hard. If you can wipe out all the pirates and evil factions, perhaps in the future, you'll earn yourself a seat among the Five Elders," Rosse patted Sakazuki's shoulder, he wasn't any shorter than the other man.
And in terms of power and status, he stood far above him.
Even though Rosse was younger, when he made this gesture, Sakazuki didn't feel the slightest offense, nor did any of the other marines.
To them, it was an honor.
Rosse, in their hearts, couldn't be compared to any other Celestial Dragon.
To them, Rosse was not only their provider and protector, he was the sun leading them toward glory.
"The Five Elders, huh…", Sakazuki nodded slightly, saying nothing more, merely following quietly behind Rosse.
As one of Rosse's closest inner circle, he had heard of Rosse's future plans.
In the future world Rosse envisioned, aside from himself as the reigning emperor, the Five Elders system would still be preserved.
However, the Five Elders would be composed of individuals who had each reached the pinnacle of one distinct domain.
In this regard, Sakazuki had his own ambitions.
When the reform of the Five Elders was eventually carried out, Saint Saturn would surely step down from his position as the God of Science and Defense, possibly taking a purely administrative role.
Alternatively, the two responsibilities might be split into "God of Science" and "God of Defense," with the "God of Agriculture" and "God of the Environment" merging into one.
When that time came, among Rosse's trusted followers, Sakazuki was the one most likely to become the new God of Defense.
Sakazuki silently watched Rosse's towering figure from behind, and the corners of his lips curved into a faint smile.
It was precisely because Rosse upheld the principle of "the capable rise, the weak fall" that Sakazuki could so sincerely follow him.
Those with ability should lead. Those without should serve. That was the world he dreamed of.
Originally, after purging the pirates, the sea's vermin, Sakazuki had planned to move on to those useless nobles next.
But now, Rosse was doing the job so well, so well that Sakazuki himself felt he couldn't compare. Naturally, he chose to assist Rosse with all his strength.
Although the world Rosse envisioned differed slightly from his own ideal, Sakazuki was self-aware enough to know. If he didn't have the ability to build his own world, he wouldn't demand perfection from another's.
"Have all the guards cleared out?", Standing at the gate of Impel Down, Rosse asked casually.
Impel Down was a massive underground prison, the island beneath the surface had been hollowed out and built into six vast levels.
Now it was packed to the brim, with people crammed together, 1.31 million in total.
They only needed to be kept alive. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been enough room to fit so many.
"They've been out for a while. To prevent any riots, it's been supervised by Figarland, but they withdrew early this morning," Sakazuki replied calmly.
When it came to Impel Down's inmates, he neither objected nor supported the operation.
After all, the Navy's combat power wasn't needed for guard duty, and most of the prisoners had been captured by the Military Department, pirates actually made up the minority.
"That's fine, then. It's time for me to begin the demonstration."
Rosse's lips curved upward slightly, his fingers tapping together, producing a crisp snap.
In an instant, a tangible wave of Conqueror's Haki pressure rippled outward from him like spreading waves, plunging everything into silence.
At that very moment, Rosse's form completely changed.
His silver-white hair flowed down to his waist like moonlight. His face was veiled behind divine radiance, solemn yet indistinct. His eyes glowed with silvery divine brilliance, the only light between heaven and earth.
At that moment, the ordinary marines could no longer gaze directly upon him.
They looked up at his figure as though beholding a god. One that could not be stared at, could not be fathomed, could not even be described.
A deep blue Sea God Trident suddenly appeared in his hand.
For his current self, the trident was a bit outdated in power.
But in terms of appearance, it was still impressive enough for this divine performance.
"Come, sea."
He spoke two words, his voice soft, yet it resounded in every soul like a divine decree.
As the words fell, Rosse's body slowly rose into the air.
Beneath his feet, endless azure seawater materialized out of nothing, transforming into colossal waves that devoured the heavens and earth, surging down toward Impel Down's gaping abyss.
The sea poured in, unstoppable as if the sky itself were collapsing.
That so-called indestructible iron fortress, massive enough to hold over a million, was, before this apocalyptic might, no more than a slightly larger cup.
In less than three minutes, the roaring torrents filled the abyss entirely, flooding through every crack of the steel prison, declaring its complete submersion.
And thus, the disaster was complete.
Seeing this, Sakazuki's expression subtly stiffened.
As a Logia user himself, he knew exactly how much stamina it took to generate elemental matter.
And mythical Zoans consumed even more energy to manifest elements.
Take the Magma Fruit, for instance. Even if he burned through all his stamina three times over, he might only be able to fill one floor of Impel Down, considering its height and depth.
But Rosse had just flooded the entire prison, without using a single drop of natural seawater, and in only three minutes.
The sheer difference in power was enough to make Sakazuki realize it deeply.
Though he now stood atop the sea, compared to the true peak of the world, he was still a whole level below.
And in fact, this was already Rosse's limit.
He was now in a state of full fruit awakening, his power output pushed to the absolute extreme.
Moreover, there was a key factor, summoning seawater consumed far less and moved far faster than magma.
At least in terms of flow speed, magma could never compare to water.
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