Looking at the syringe in his hand getting closer and closer to Sakazuki's body, a hint of joy flashed in Ivankov's eyes.
Sakazuki looked down from above, his expression indifferent, watching Ivankov's hand thrust toward his leg.
Seeing Sakazuki make no move, Ivankov sped up even more.
At the moment the needle pierced through the clothing, he couldn't help but shout:
"Success!!!"
Crack—
Under Sakazuki's indifferent gaze, the syringes in Ivankov's hand were shattered.
At some point, Sakazuki's body had been coated with Armament Haki.
Before Ivankov could react—
Boom—
A deafening crash, accompanied by the crisp sound of bones breaking.
Ivankov's chest caved in completely, and he was sent flying backward, slamming into Inazuma.
Inazuma thrust his hands into the ground, raising slabs of rock like flowing water to absorb the impact for Ivankov.
Boom boom boom—
Smashing through several slabs in a row, he finally crashed into Inazuma and barely stopped.
Ivankov quickly injected himself with a dose of Energy Hormone. His body trembled:
"Fuhahaha!!!!"
He suddenly leapt up and landed on the ground.
He shouted in a strong voice:
"Everyone! Evacuate immediately!"
"Inazuma and I will handle this! Wait for us at the usual place!!!"
The surrounding fighters, seeing Ivankov unharmed, felt slightly relieved:
"Yes!!!!"
Their morale boosted, they quickly retreated.
Ordinary soldiers didn't understand what the power of an Admiral truly meant.
Nor did they know that even after injecting himself with Energy Hormones, Ivankov's body still trembled slightly—that was fear...
Inazuma stood expressionless beside Ivankov, keeping the troops calm.
Sakazuki slowly raised his arm.
That simple motion nearly made the two lose their composure completely.
With a faint chuckle, Sakazuki reached into his pocket and took out a Den Den Mushi.
Buru buru~ Buru buru~
Sengoku's voice came through:
"How did it go, Sakazuki?"
Sakazuki said:
"I've already captured Ivankov."
"And caught another one as well."
He looked toward Inazuma:
"What was your name again?"
Inazuma's face remained calm:
"Inazuma."
Sakazuki nodded:
"The other one's called Inazuma."
"Looks like his rank isn't low either."
"If we had been half a day late, the Gegoria Kingdom would have been wiped out."
"Heh..."
Sengoku's voice came through:
"I see..."
"So the government had no intel at all..."
Sakazuki nodded:
"Indeed."
"And we can't rely too much on government intelligence."
"Let's set up our own intelligence department."
"We saved the Gegoria Kingdom from destruction. That payout won't be small."
"It can go straight into building the intel division."
Sengoku's voice came through:
"That makes sense."
"We'll discuss it in the next meeting."
"Did you capture all their leaders?"
Sakazuki said:
"A few of the top brass are all caught."
As he spoke, he raised his fingers slightly.
The legs of several squad leaders in the back instantly exploded into bloody mist.
Some who tried to rush forward to save them were also taken out by Sakazuki's Shigan.
Ivankov and Inazuma's eyes nearly bulged out in rage, but they didn't dare act recklessly.
Sengoku's voice came through:
"Good."
"Send them to Impel Down."
"Government officials will handle the interrogations later."
Sakazuki said:
"Understood."
Click—
He hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Sakazuki looked at the two of them:
"Alright, surrender quietly."
Ivankov glared fiercely at Sakazuki:
"As expected of the Marine Admiral infamous worldwide for his brutality."
"They were just ordinary soldiers, no real threat."
"And yet you showed no mercy."
With his remaining hand, a new syringe sprouted, aiming at Sakazuki.
Sakazuki chuckled softly:
"I'm brutal?"
"I bear the weight."
"But you... what nonsense are you spouting here?"
"Did you come here tonight to play?"
"You brought these soldiers, the gunpowder, the weapons."
"Were they meant to be decorations?"
"If this battle had fully erupted tonight, the death toll wouldn't stop here."
"Liberation? Freedom?"
"Did you ask the kingdom soldiers who died what they thought?"
"Killing... there's nothing to hide about that."
"It's just a difference in stance. Isn't it normal for me to kill your people?"
"Why define yourself as the righteous side, standing on some moral high ground to condemn others?"
"Hmm?"
Boom—
Sakazuki's arm turned into blazing magma. The firelight illuminated the thick smoke around him.
Ivankov was at a loss for words, wanting to argue back but... couldn't think of anything.
After all, he had killed plenty himself.
From the enemy's perspective, of course he deserved to die...
Inazuma quickly spoke:
"Don't be fooled by him."
"Questions like that have no answer."
He cut off any way out—no matter what you said, you were wrong... unless all wars in the world never killed anyone.
Inazuma thrust his hands into the ground, moving rapidly.
Ivankov reacted, injecting himself:
"Face Growth Hormone!"
His entire face suddenly swelled several times over, like a giant wall standing on the ground.
Ivankov's huge face took a deep breath:
"HELL's WINK!!!"
The enhanced version of Death Wink, powerful enough to blow apart city walls and send a massive mushroom cloud a hundred meters high into the air.
Against Sakazuki, Ivankov didn't dare hold back—he opened with his ultimate move.
The shockwave surged toward Sakazuki at extreme speed, while Inazuma raised walls of rock around him.
Boom!!!
The shockwave exploded first, right around Sakazuki.
The walls of rock surrounding him made the blast's power even more concentrated.
But they held for only a moment before shattering.
The sharp mushroom cloud burst out, dust and smoke sweeping everywhere.
Inazuma returned to Ivankov's side, his giant scissors crossed in front of his chest.
Ivankov waved the dust aside:
"Cough cough..."
"Did it work?"
Crack! x2
Two crisp sounds of bones breaking.
"Of course not."
Sakazuki had somehow appeared behind them, crushing both their arms.
"This is what you call hell?"
A cruel smile spread across Sakazuki's face:
"Meteor Volcano..."
BOOM!!!!!!!
The island shook violently. Everyone on it was jolted awake.
An endless red glow rose from the jungle outside the royal city...
Under the violent tremors and partial blasts, the rear city walls collapsed one after another.
Most of the blasts were aimed at the escaping Revolutionary Army forces, exploding in a set direction...
The magma spread outward like a fan toward the distant mountains, covering everything in its path.
Flowing magma.
Choking smoke.
Destroying everything along the way.
Like hell itself...
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg. 414 chapters in total