"So, I couldn't tell before, but you actually have quite a lot of people who like you."
Lying back in a deck chair with one leg crossed over the other, Borsalino looked at the man standing ahead in the sea breeze with a teasing expression.
"What? Jealous?"
Borsalino: …
As expected, I really shouldn't have talked to him.
Marineford, Marine Headquarters.
Dark clouds blanketed the sky above the base built upon the Red Line. Heavy layers of cloud hung so low they seemed almost close enough to touch, drifting slowly under the sea wind, occasionally splitting just enough to let a ray of sunlight through.
But the opening would quickly be swallowed up again by fresh masses of cloud.
The sea below was in violent turmoil. Waves crashed against the cliffs beneath Marine Headquarters with thunderous force.
At the top of the most prominent tower—
Two figures sat facing one another inside an office.
A goat quietly grazed on grass nearby, while an old man with a beard flipped through the documents in his hands. The air was frighteningly still.
"South Blue, Tarakha Town Branch 32, Marine Major Mo Wu. Self-reported age: eighteen. Place of origin: unknown."
"On Qiongjiamo Island, he defeated the Hungry Bird Pirates and saved Marine Branch Colonel Milenko."
"After that, within just eight months of joining the Marines, he swept across the vast majority of pirate crews in the South Blue with overwhelming force, wiping out more than four hundred pirates and capturing over six hundred."
"He exterminated two pirate crews worth over 100 million, five pirate crews worth over 50 million, and twenty-five pirate crews worth over 10 million."
"Because of his proficiency with thunder-and-fire swordsmanship, the terrified pirates gave him the title Thunderfire Blade."
Breaking the oppressive silence in the office, Sengoku adjusted his small glasses, glanced at the dossier in his hands, then looked at the man before him—the one sitting with his eyes closed, looking far too young.
Open surprise appeared on Sengoku's face.
The South Blue was not the East Blue. Turning that sea upside down like this was enough to show just how formidable the man described in the dossier really was.
For a figure like this, the rank of Marine Major was far too low. These achievements had already surpassed many Headquarters Colonels and even some Rear Admirals.
Perhaps only the rank of Rear Admiral truly suited him.
At that thought, Sengoku could not help sighing.
Unfortunately, such a talent would almost certainly be secretly hidden away by the World Government after this—not only to protect Mo Wu, but also to preserve the authority of the Marines and the World Government.
Or perhaps…
They might simply imprison him.
After all, if they could not even protect an executioner, then the prestige of both the World Government and the Marines would be severely damaged.
So what exactly is he after?
Does he have a grudge against Roger?
"You really volunteered to come…" as a sacrifice?
Seeing Sengoku trail off, Mo Wu naturally understood what he meant. He immediately answered in a righteous tone,
"For justice!"
A vague answer.
This man was definitely hiding something.
Rain began pattering outside the window, signaling that a heavy shower had already started beyond the walls.
"You concealed something, didn't you?"
His expression hardening, the man known as the Buddha, famed as a strategist, was obviously not going to let Mo Wu off that easily.
The execution of the Pirate King was a matter of enormous importance. Every person involved had to be examined thoroughly.
If nothing unexpected happened today, Sengoku had plenty of time.
He could spend the entire day wearing Mo Wu down if necessary.
So then…
Would there really be no unexpected developments?
A shrill alarm suddenly blared across the whole of Marineford!
Bang!
The office door was kicked open so hard it nearly flew off its hinges. The Marine who burst in was pale-faced and panting heavily.
"Admiral Sengoku! Marine Headquarters is under attack!"
"What?!"
Sengoku's expression changed at once. He shot to his feet and barked at the Marine.
"How many are there?!"
"O-one person."
Boom!
An explosion thundered from outside the building. The entire structure shook violently with it.
Terrified screams from Marines poured in through the shattered windows all around, along with a fierce blast of wind that instantly swept through the office.
The goat bleated wildly, struggling against the violent airflow.
Still seated, seemingly unaffected by the gale, Mo Wu slowly turned his head and looked out the window.
Has that man arrived?
Boom!
Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the heavens.
A man with a ship's wheel embedded in his head and wild golden hair like a lion's mane stood suspended amid the storm clouds.
Lightning intertwined through the sky. Rain fell like curtains.
In the faint blue light, Mo Wu could clearly make out the countless enormous boulders floating behind the man!
"Sengoku! Garp! Get your asses out here!"
The man roared, his voice like the wrathful bellow of a lion, exploding across all of Marineford.
Thud!
He thrust one arm toward Marine Headquarters, and two colossal rocks dropped from behind him like meteors crashing to earth.
"Bring Roger out to meet me!!!"
Black-red lightning mingled with the thunder in the heavens, bursting violently around the golden-haired man. An overwhelming pressure swept across Marineford.
Conqueror's Haki?!
Realizing what it was, Mo Wu grunted and immediately focused himself, resisting the pressure that sought to crush him to the ground.
He could not collapse now.
Not before he witnessed the end of this battle of the century.
With one hand pressed against his heart, the mark on his forehead flared like fire. His body temperature instantly rose, and his pulse raced upward until it struck two hundred beats!
"Haa…"
Feeling the pressure gradually lessen, Mo Wu let out a long breath and turned fearlessly to meet Sengoku's gaze.
Not bad, kid.
Giving Mo Wu a meaningful glance after seeing him withstand Conqueror's Haki, Sengoku's expression held a trace of approval.
After telling Mo Wu not to run around, Sengoku's face turned cold, and the next instant he vanished from the office.
Slowly rising and walking to the window, the mark on Mo Wu's forehead dimmed somewhat. He stared fixedly at the figure in a Justice coat shooting upward like a meteor into the sky.
So this is the battle I was willing to burn my life just to witness!
It was beginning.
The symbol of Buddha Sengoku.
Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Daibutsu Form!
In the pitch-black sky, golden light suddenly erupted. A vast Buddha silhouette appeared above the heavens, and within that radiance Sengoku's body slowly rose, merging with the image—
Until he himself became a giant golden Buddha!
"So this is… the power of Buddha Sengoku…"
Mo Wu murmured to himself, excitement blazing in his eyes.
Boom!
A massive golden shockwave blasted into the sky, reducing one of the giant rocks to dust in an instant!
"Garp!"
"I'm here!"
A figure leapt into the heavens. A pitch-black iron fist smashed straight into another enormous boulder!
Before that fist, it looked unbearably fragile.
Bang!
The roar shook the sky.
At that instant, time seemed to freeze, and then cracks spread across the giant rock like a spiderweb.
"Break!"
With an angry roar, Garp drove his fist harder. The cracks spread wider in an instant, and the huge rock could no longer endure the force.
With a thunderous crash, it shattered into countless fragments that scattered outward in all directions.
The debris rained through the air like a meteor shower, tearing through the atmosphere with sharp whistles.
Some pieces slammed into Marineford's buildings with heavy thuds. Others crashed into the sea, sending pillars of water soaring skyward.
"Garp! Sengoku!"
The maddened lion did not want to speak.
At this moment, all he wanted was to vent the misery and fury bottled up inside him.
With both hands pressing downward, seven or eight more massive rocks behind him descended again, carrying the force to destroy everything below.
"Sengoku, he's gone mad!"
Garp's expression was grave. Armament Haki wrapped itself around both his fists as the Justice coat at his back whipped violently in the storm.
…
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