"Vice Admiral Lonz."
"An unidentified flying creature is approaching us from the southwest sky."
"He's so fast!"
...
On the fortress of G-1 Branch, one of the Marine squads responsible for lookout put down their binoculars and quickly reported to Vice Admiral Lonz, the giant on guard duty.
"alert!"
Upon hearing this, Lonz immediately turned his head to look at the southwest sky.
As a giant with eyesight several times greater than that of ordinary humans, even without a telescope, he could vaguely see a purple dot of light flying toward G-1 Branch in the distant sky.
Inside the base, Marine forces from all directions immediately swarmed in.
Clang
Some drew their long swords, transforming them into Black Blades using Armament Haki.
snap
Some raised their rifles, their Armament Haki enveloping the bullets about to leave the barrel.
This is the main force Marine of the G-1 Branch in the New World.
There are not many people.
Apart from logistics personnel, the actual combat force consisted of only one thousand men.
However.
All of these thousand men, whether they were generals, captains, or lieutenants, had mastered Armament Haki.
Although they mostly use entangling and hardening techniques, it is enough to intimidate almost all pirate forces in the New World, except for the Four Emperors' crews and the Revolutionary Army.
"Lonz, tell them to put their swords away."
"Everyone should return to their posts."
"Continue patrolling."
Just as Lonz was about to order his men to sound the alarm and put the entire Marine force at the base into wartime mode, Sakazuki had already boarded the base fortress and ordered everyone back to their posts.
"yes."
Upon hearing this, although he didn't understand why, Lonz still ordered the Marine personnel at the base to sheathe their swords and return to their posts.
"Admiral Akainu."
"That mysterious figure who is approaching the base."
"If it's an enemy, then..."
After doing all this, Lonz conveyed his concerns to Sakazuki.
"If he is truly an enemy, even a general mobilization, gathering all the troops from several nearby branches, would be futile."
Sakazuki stood atop the fortress, gazing at the distant sky and his figure growing ever larger in his vision.
"What?"
"Could it be one of the Four Emperors?"
"No, if it were one of the Four Emperors, Admiral Akainu wouldn't have reacted like this; he would have launched a powerful fire attack."
The face of Lonz, covered by the steel mask, was filled with astonishment and doubt.
"It's Rosen."
Although Sakazuki had his back to Lonz, it was as if he had eyes in the back of his head, and even X-ray vision, allowing him to see through Lonz's mask and take in all the changes in his expression.
"That Marine that graduated early from military academy and was hailed by Sengoku as the strongest in a thousand years?"
"Isn't he the Governor-General of the Four Seas?"
"How did we suddenly end up in a new world?"
Upon hearing this, Lonz's expression changed drastically.
Sakazuki didn't speak, but simply waited quietly for Rosen to arrive.
He was also very curious about this.
Although they had never met, he had heard about the other party's deeds, even though he had been stationed in the New World for many years.
Especially his fellow countryman and close friend, Borsalino, openly sided with Rosen.
This made Sakazuki even more concerned about Rosen, and he paid extra attention to everything about him.
Whether it was subduing Douglas Bullet, sweeping across the seas, or placing collars on Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Shichibukai, and Dracule Mihawk, who forged the world's strongest Black Blade.
Every single one of them moved him deeply.
If the G-1 Branch weren't located in the New World, at the intersection of the powers of the Four Emperors—Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, and Ochoku—and if he weren't shouldering the heavy responsibility of guarding the New World, he really would have liked to take advantage of the graduation ceremony at the Marine Academy to return to the Marine Headquarters and personally meet his junior who could win Borsalino's heart.
"It's fine as it is now."
"Although I don't know why you abandoned your affairs across the four seas and came to the New World, it's a good opportunity to see what kind of king you are."
"Even a Marine admiral can be impressed."
As time passed, under the watchful eyes of Sakazuki and many Marine personnel from G-1 Branch, the figure that was located on the distant dome, invisible even with binoculars, became clearer.
A body of a martial god, as majestic as a towering mountain range.
He was clad in imposing armor that shimmered with a deep purple light.
And, a pair of Conqueror's Haki wings that blot out the sky.
Upon seeing this figure, even Admiral Sakazuki couldn't help but show a solemn expression.
"Is this Susanoo?"
"Just as rumored, he released a massive amount of Armament Haki outside his body, forming a majestic and imposing martial god-like form."
"The power to sever all things in the universe with a single strike is indeed well-deserved."
Sakazuki murmured to himself.
Even at their very first meeting, he already knew that Rosen was far superior to him in terms of Armament Haki.
Whether it's the superior quality or the superior skills, they completely overwhelm me.
"This is."
"Susanoo!"
"So, he must be Governor Rosen."
"Wasn't he supposed to be in the Four Seas? How did he end up in the New World?"
...
Not only Sakazuki, but also the Marines in G-1 Branch recognized the burly figure that had descended from the sky as Susanoo.
Of course, there's also Lonz.
"Excuse me."
"Gentlemen of G-1 Branch"
"Please forgive my intrusion."
Rosen dispelled his complete Susanoo, and his body seemed unaffected by gravity as he floated down and landed on the fortress of G-1 Branch.
"It doesn't matter."
"Although the branches are different, it is an indisputable fact that they both belong to the Marines."
"Besides, we are very interested in you, just don't be so sudden next time."
Suppressing the shock of facing Susanoo head-on, Lonz quickly stepped forward.
Thank you for your understanding.
Rosen nodded, then turned to look at Sakazuki, who had been scrutinizing him ever since he arrived at G-1 Branch:
"Nice to meet you, you must be Sakazuki."
He met Sakazuki's gaze with composure and a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant.
"Borsalino has mentioned you to me more than once."
"Whether it's him or Mr. Sengoku, they both unanimously call you a born Marine admiral."
"Indeed, in terms of strength alone, you are worthy of it."
When Sakazuki heard the word "senior," he couldn't help but smile slightly, just like Borsalino when he first heard the title.
During his time at the Marine Academy, he was among the first group of students trained by Zephyr, a Marine monster on par with Borsalino.
After graduating and joining the Marines, he used his immense strength to uphold absolute justice, earning the respect of even the Marine personnel around him.
That's why.
During Sakazuki's Marine career, he typically only encountered two types of people.
Superiors and subordinates.
Friends are not nonexistent, but those with whom one can treat each other as equals, or who one can remain calm and composed in their presence, are extremely rare.
There was only Borsalino, who was both a classmate and from the same hometown.
This is the first time I've ever met someone like Rosen who calls him "senior."
Yet, I felt it was perfectly natural and normal, without any sense of awkwardness or resistance. Even on our first meeting, I felt a genuine desire to befriend the other person.
"You flatter me."
"Senior."
Upon hearing this, Rosen simply smiled calmly, showing no sign of smugness.
"No wonder you speak so highly of this man."
"Whether it's an admiral or another Marine officer, he can blend in without looking out of place."
"Is this why you chose him and not me, Borsalino?"
Sakazuki looked at Rosen, who was calm and unhurried, and had a humble attitude.
He could see and sense that, ever since this man arrived, his subordinates had formed a very good first impression of him with just a few words.
This is something he could never do.
However, Sakazuki was not discouraged by this, nor did he intend to give up his goal, or rather his dream, of becoming a Fleet Admiral.
Those who can stand at the top of the ocean are all monsters with unwavering will and a willingness to die for their cause.
Rosen is strong and excellent, that's a fact, and he readily admits it, but that's a different matter from giving up the competition for the position of Fleet Admiral.