What truly made Buggy wary wasn't the sight of the approaching Navy ships themselves, but the figure standing at the prow of the lead vessel.
That figure was none other than Sakazuki — the future Marine Admiral Akainu — who had rushed here the moment he received information about Buggy.
Facing Sakazuki, a man who would one day rise to the rank of Fleet Admiral, Buggy naturally felt a heavy sense of caution. The man wielded the devastating power of the Magma-Magma Fruit, a Logia-type Devil Fruit of overwhelming destructive capability. Even at this point, Sakazuki's strength was not to be underestimated. Against such a foe, Buggy could not afford to be careless.
Back aboard the Glory, Buggy described what he had seen to his crew, placing special emphasis on Sakazuki's presence. He explained the nature of the Magma-Magma Fruit, went over the traits of Logia users, and warned everyone to be on their guard. If they couldn't match the opponent's strength, they were to take the Glory and withdraw. Buggy himself would hold Sakazuki back.
Soon, the warships closed to within ten meters of the Glory. But unlike his usual approach of striking pirates on sight, Sakazuki stood silently at the prow, eyes fixed on Buggy.
Buggy locked eyes with him in return — sizing up the man who would one day be a Marine Admiral, and here and now was a deadly opponent. The two simply stared each other down, neither making the first move. Time itself seemed to halt.
"Brat, surrender now. The orders from above are to bring you back alive — but they didn't say you have to be in one piece. To spare yourself some unnecessary pain, you'd best give up now."
Judging by Buggy's youth and his overwhelming power, Sakazuki was certain of victory. To avoid unnecessary trouble — and to prevent accidentally killing Buggy during battle — he uncharacteristically chose to offer a chance to surrender.
"You're Sakazuki, aren't you? One of the Navy's three monsters. Your strength is impressive, but not enough to make me surrender without a fight. Forget the nonsense — let's see what you've got."
The man's condescending tone and smug, preemptive air of victory grated on Buggy. They hadn't even fought yet, and he was already acting like the battle was decided — arrogance to the extreme.
"Hmph… You had your chance, brat. Don't regret it when you're under my fist. I'm bringing you in alive, but I won't promise it'll be pleasant."
With that, Sakazuki decided there was no point in further talk.
Buggy, realizing the clash was about to begin, attempted to rouse the Conqueror's Haki he had only just awakened. He intended to incapacitate as many enemy sailors as possible before the fight. The enemy's high-ranking fighters might be comparable to his crew, but the sheer number of ordinary marines — possibly hundreds or even over a thousand across these warships — could easily overwhelm his allies like Weevil if left unchecked.
At first, nothing happened. Buggy's mastery over his newly awakened Haki was still unstable, and he couldn't summon it at will. But just as Sakazuki was about to make his move, a surge of power welled up inside him, and the pressure of his Conqueror's Haki crashed down over Sakazuki and the marines.
Instantly, the weaker sailors collapsed on the decks, eyes rolling back into unconsciousness. Many officers resisted with difficulty, but Sakazuki himself was barely affected — only showing the faintest hint of strain before regaining composure.
The realization that Buggy had awakened Conqueror's Haki at such a young age darkened Sakazuki's expression. In the New World, this wasn't extraordinary, but here and now — and at this age — it spoke volumes about Buggy's potential. If left to grow, he could one day become a powerful pirate lord.
Still, seeing most of his men down, Sakazuki showed no concern. Instead, the corner of his mouth curled in disdain.
"Useless. The rest of you, keep his crew occupied. I'll finish this quickly."
Without waiting for acknowledgment, his figure vanished from the prow.
Buggy, watching him intently, retracted his Haki. The goal was achieved — now it was just the two of them.
Using Observation Haki, Buggy immediately sensed Sakazuki's position — directly above him, descending fast with a magma-coated fist blazing like a miniature sun.
In an instant, Buggy's entire body and his sword Flame Sun were clad in Armament Haki. Against a Logia user, only this would allow his strikes to land.
With Flame Sun in hand, Buggy used Soru to launch himself upward to meet the attack head-on.
Their clash erupted in midair with a thunderous crack. Buggy's blade met Sakazuki's fist — but the downward force of the blow drove Buggy almost to the deck of the Glory. He barely managed to recover, disappearing with Soru to reappear behind Sakazuki, sending a blazing crescent slash — Flame Moon Blade — spinning toward his back.
Sakazuki reacted instantly, as though he had eyes in the back of his head. Stabilizing midair, his right arm swelled with surging magma, expanding into a massive, molten fist that met Buggy's slash head-on. The Flame Moon Blade was driven backward before shattering entirely, and Sakazuki followed through with another devastating punch toward Buggy.
Below, Weevil and the others had already engaged the remaining navy officers. This time, they had no advantage — any marine who could hold an officer's rank under Akainu was no weakling. Even the ordinary sailors had been hardened under his command, with the weaker ones long since eliminated in previous battles.
The marines didn't rely on individual duels — they fought in coordinated teams, pressing Weevil, Shiryu, and Lafitte with relentless group tactics. Each of them was surrounded by multiple elite opponents.
The only ones facing less pressure were Kuro and Hogback, whose foes were weaker. But Kuro was forced to shield Hogback, blunting his speed advantage. They could only hold their ground with difficulty.
The battle was confined to the Glory's deck — none had crossed to the Navy ships — but even so, the vessel was taking damage under the chaotic clashes.
In the sky, Buggy and Akainu had exchanged hundreds of blows. Overall, Buggy was on the defensive. Sakazuki's fruit was not only Logia, but one of the most destructive among them. Even when Buggy managed a clean strike, Sakazuki could partially transform to avoid injury. His physical strength and stamina were also exceptional, leaving Buggy with no exploitable weaknesses at this stage.
Buggy's Chop-Chop ability couldn't match the versatility of true Logia intangibility. While he could evade some attacks by splitting apart, he also took direct hits — and each punch from Sakazuki carried brutal impact, leaving Buggy with no small amount of damage.
After another violent collision, Sakazuki unleashed a technique — his fists splitting into countless magma projectiles, streaking toward Buggy like a barrage of volcanic shells. Meteor Volcano.
One struck Buggy squarely, blasting him back into the side of the warship. Steel plating shattered, leaving a gaping hole. The impact left him reeling.
Climbing from the crater, Buggy didn't immediately re-engage. Instead, he used Soru to dart back to the Glory, slashing several sword auras toward the marines harrying Weevil's group.
"Retreat!"
With that single word, he launched himself skyward once more toward Akainu.
Weevil and the others were far from gaining the upper hand, and Buggy himself was at a disadvantage. Prolonging the fight would only give the navy time to regroup — once their unconscious soldiers recovered, escape would be impossible. His strikes were meant to relieve pressure on his crew, giving them the opening to break away.
As for why he immediately returned to engage Sakazuki, the reason was simple — if Akainu was free to act, he could personally cut off their escape. Buggy had to keep him occupied, no matter the cost.