"Your Headquarters is getting old and worn out — let me help you tear it down!"
Vladimir grinned, completely unfazed despite being surrounded by the strongest fighters of the Marine base.
"Hmph! Try it if you think you can!" Sengoku snapped.
"We have spent the last nine years preparing specifically to deal with you and Phantom!"
He waved his arm sharply and shouted, "Strike!"
---
At the same time, three kilometers away, on the very top floor of the Headquarters building.
A man in a suit lay flat on the ground, operating a heavy-duty sniper rifle.
He wore a monocle over his left eye, peering through the scope until his aim locked perfectly onto Vladimir's forehead.
"Wind speed: perfect. Angle: perfect... But can this really work at this distance? I only get one shot!"
Sweat formed on the man's palms. He waited for the exact right moment, then squeezed the trigger hard.
BANG!
The gunshot was deafening, ringing painfully in everyone's ears.
In the next second, a bullet made of Seastone shot out, traveling at over 300 meters per second.
This was a subsonic sniper rifle, designed by the great scientist Dr. Vegapunk specifically to take down powerful Devil Fruit users.
Fired from several kilometers away, even pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions would easily fall victim if they had no warning.
On top of that, the bullet had been coated in the man's full Armament Haki, giving it destructive power comparable to a high-yield bomb.
The instant the shot rang out, every top-tier Marine present — including Sengoku — released a massive wave of Conqueror's Haki, aiming to suppress Vladimir's senses and reaction speed.
Vladimir instantly felt his body grow heavy, but he understood exactly what was happening.
"Trying to snipe me? How naive."
THWACK!
The bullet spiraled through the air, tearing through space, carrying immense force — and slammed directly into Vladimir's forehead.
But the shower of blood everyone expected never came. The moment the projectile touched his skin, all the kinetic energy it carried instantly reversed direction.
SWISH!
Seconds later, on the rooftop of the Headquarters building.
The Marine Corps' finest sniper had his own head blown apart by the bullet he had just fired.
"Impossible..."
Even as the thought flashed through his mind, his vision blurred rapidly. He stared in horror at the large, gaping hole that had appeared in his forehead.
With a dull thud, he collapsed into a pool of blood, eyes wide open in death.
"WHAT?!"
Sengoku's jaw dropped open in utter disbelief. "When did you detect him?!"
The plan had been flawless: first suppress his perception and reflexes with sheer pressure, then strike from extreme range.
The bullet had hit its mark perfectly. Yet the sniper was the one dead.
Through his Observation Haki, Sengoku could clearly sense the man's life force had vanished completely — he was dead beyond saving.
"Hahaha..."
Vladimir put his hands in his pockets and mocked them openly.
"Nine years of preparation... and this is the best you can do? Toys guns for children?"
Sengoku's face turned purple with rage.
"Stay calm, Sengoku!" Garp warned. "His ability reflects attacks back at the user!"
"If physical attacks are useless... what about elemental attacks?!"
Akainu scoffed. Magma surged violently all around him. He lifted his right foot and stamped down hard.
BOOM!
In an instant, the forest was engulfed in roaring flames. Rivers of molten rock spread rapidly, flowing straight toward Vladimir's feet.
The next moment, the ground beneath him erupted. Magma at thousands of degrees surged upward like a gaping maw, ready to swallow him whole.
"Akainu... the only thing holding you back is your lack of education," Vladimir said calmly, standing untouched in the center of the fire.
"I told you already — my power is Vector Control. Heat and energy are vectors too, you know!"
He waved his hand casually. Suddenly, fierce winds gathered, forming a massive tornado that instantly wrapped around Akainu himself.
"Wind speed: 100 meters per second. Strong enough to tear steel apart. Enjoy it thoroughly!"
Just how powerful is wind moving at 100 m/s?
For reference: a Category 12 hurricane only reaches about 35 m/s. Even the legendary Category 17 storm barely hits 61 m/s.
100 m/s? That is enough force to level an entire city in minutes.
In almost the blink of an eye, Akainu's body was shredded by the gale. Trapped within a vortex he could not possibly resist, he was unable to maintain his solid form.
His entire body dissolved into a flowing mass of magma, mixing with the wind to create a terrifying Magma Tornado that ravaged the land.
Everyone watching felt their pupils shrink in pure shock.
Even standing hundreds of meters away, they had to channel every ounce of their strength just to withstand the shockwaves radiating outward.
"A monster! How can such destructive power be contained in that frail-looking body?!"
"Someone stop him! Or we're all done for!"
"Is this really Phantom?! Even a Special Envoy has this kind of strength?!"
The six surviving candidates had completely forgotten why they came here. Their only thought now was to flee this nightmare as fast as possible.
Sengoku was furious beyond measure.
With a roar, his body radiated a blinding golden light, expanding rapidly until he transformed into the Great Buddha.
Channeling his full might, he brought his palm crashing down toward Vladimir.
"ACCELERATOR!!"
Golden light flooded the area, forming a dome-like barrier that enclosed Vladimir completely.
In the next instant, a crushing force of unparalleled intensity slammed into him from every direction at once.
"Hahaha! You really are clueless! I am a Level 5 Esper! Attacks like this are well within my range of reflection!"
____________________
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