Aokiji frowned as he looked at Akainu.
He had never approved of Akainu's methods.
In Aokiji's eyes, Akainu wasn't a Marine who upheld justice openly and honorably.
He was more like an ambitious power broker willing to use any means necessary to achieve his goals.
"Akainu, don't do this."
"I know you're dissatisfied, but this is the result everyone voted for."
"So..."
Akainu stared directly at him.
"You're afraid?"
His tone remained as aggressive as ever.
"If you're afraid, then withdraw."
"Hand the Fleet Admiral position over to me."
"Heh."
Even an ordinary person would become angry after being provoked repeatedly.
A Marine Admiral was no exception.
"If you're determined to fight..."
Aokiji's gaze sharpened.
"Then don't regret it later."
....
"Have they gone insane?"
Aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' ship, Marco looked completely bewildered after hearing the news.
"Aokiji and Akainu are actually going to fight each other?"
The entire Whitebeard Pirates crew wore similarly confused expressions.
Yet the reports coming from the New World were unmistakable.
The Marines had already moved into the New World.
Their activities on Punk Hazard, a place they had once abandoned, confirmed everything.
"First the Great World Military Draft."
"Now a battle for the Fleet Admiral position."
Whitebeard frowned as he listened to the latest reports.
Both were events capable of shaking the entire world.
"It seems the Marines really are serious about destroying the New World."
As he spoke, Whitebeard turned toward Renji.
"Renji."
"What do you think?"
"If you want my opinion..."
Renji thought for a moment.
"There's no point reacting right now."
"At the very least, we should wait until the battle between Akainu and Aokiji is over."
The news that Aokiji and Akainu were about to fight over the Fleet Admiral position spread rapidly across the world.
After all, a clash between two top-tier Logia users was impossible to hide.
The Marines didn't even bother trying.
Soon, every major force reacted.
Big Mom.
Kaido.
Shanks.
Blackbeard.
Germa 66.
And of course, Whitebeard.
Despite being scattered across the seas, they all reached the same conclusion as they looked toward Punk Hazard.
"It looks like the Marines are entering a new era."
New World Punk Hazard
Punk Hazard was an uninhabited island.
It had once served as both a Marine base and one of Vegapunk's research facilities for artificial Devil Fruits.
However, because the Marines struggled to maintain influence in the New World, and because Vegapunk had insisted the artificial Devil Fruit project was a failure, the island had eventually been abandoned.
Coincidentally, it became the perfect battlefield.
At the center of Punk Hazard.
Akainu and Aokiji stood facing each other.
Neither spoke.
Neither moved.
Yet the atmosphere itself had become suffocating.
The battle that would decide the next Fleet Admiral of the Marines...was about to begin.
Akainu was the first to speak.
"Aokiji, you're not my opponent."
Among the three Admirals, their strength was nearly equal.
However, if they truly fought to determine a winner, there were still slight differences.
Akainu firmly believed that he was stronger than Aokiji.
"In terms of Devil Fruit power, my magma reaches temperatures of at least a thousand degrees Celsius."
"Your ice is a joke in front of me."
"As for Haki, both my Armament Haki and Observation Haki are the strongest among the Admirals."
"What exactly are you using to compete with me?"
Faced with Akainu's confidence and even his aggressiveness Aokiji remained calm.
"If you could really defeat me that easily..."
"I would've left the Marines a long time ago."
Because of their opposing ideals, Akainu and Aokiji had never gotten along.
Although both were disciples of Zephyr, their relationship was anything but friendly.
It wasn't that they had never tried to understand each other.
The result simply spoke for itself.
"Heh."
"If all you can do is talk big, nothing is ever going to change."
Aokiji's voice wasn't loud.
But the mockery in his words was unmistakable.
Akainu showed no sign of anger.
Precisely because he knew Aokiji so well, he was convinced he held the advantage.
At the same time, he understood that the gap between them wasn't very large.
If his mentality slipped...or if outside factors interfered...his chances of losing were very real.
"Aokiji."
Akainu suddenly changed the tone of the conversation.
"What do you say we make a bet?"
His gaze carried a hint of provocation.
Aokiji frowned slightly.
He couldn't understand what Akainu was trying to do.
"Go on."
Aokiji waited.
A victorious smile appeared on Akainu's face.
"The loser leaves the Marines."
The loser leaves the Marines?
In other words, giving up the status and authority they had spent their entire lives building.
Becoming a lone wanderer with nothing.
Aokiji stared at Akainu in disbelief.
He genuinely couldn't understand how Akainu's mind worked.
Both of them were among the strongest fighters in the world.
If properly utilized, they could become the perfect right and left hands of the next Fleet Admiral.
Yet Akainu insisted on creating a situation where only one of them could remain.
A complete zero-sum outcome.
Aokiji slowly closed his eyes.
He calmed the emotions rising within him.
When he opened them again, his expression had returned to complete composure.
"Fine."
"If I win, you resign and leave the Marines."
"And you'll never involve yourself in Marine affairs again."
"If you win, I'll resign and leave."
"I'll keep my word as well."
"Hahaha!"
Akainu nodded in satisfaction.
"As expected."
"My best colleague..."
"And the colleague I hate the most."
Off the Coast of Punk Hazard
The sea around the island had already become crowded with observers.
Everyone wanted to witness the battle that would decide the future of the Marines.
A battle between two Admirals.
A battle that would determine the next Fleet Admiral.
And perhaps...a battle that would decide the future direction of the entire world.
More than three hundred Marine warships had surrounded the surrounding sea.
Every vessel was filled with Marine elites.
At that moment, they patrolled the area with tense and serious expressions.
"Move, move, move!"
"Make absolutely sure there are no outsiders within a three-hundred-nautical-mile radius!"
"Stay alert, everyone!"
"A battle between Admirals will last a long time!"
"Remain at your posts!"
"And don't cover someone else's watch just because you're feeling energetic, understand?!"
The entire region around Punk Hazard had been completely encircled by Marine warships.
To ensure that the battle between Aokiji and Akainu would be fair and free from outside interference, Sengoku had mobilized an enormous force.
Three hundred Marine warships.
Fifty thousand elite Marines.
It could be said that this was virtually the entirety of Marine Headquarters' remaining strength.
"Those two idiots..."
Tsuru stood at the bow of a warship, gazing toward the interior of Punk Hazard.
Beside and behind her stood Sengoku, Garp, Kizaru, and numerous senior and younger Marine officers.
They had all come to witness the duel between Aokiji and Akainu.
After all, previous Fleet Admiral selections had always been decided through voting.
This situation was simply too unusual.
Sengoku had effectively been removed from power and was only temporarily overseeing Marine affairs.
That was what had led to the current struggle between Aokiji and Akainu.
"The Marines are already weak enough as it is."
"And now those two are insisting on tearing each other apart."
Tsuru's dissatisfaction with Akainu was obvious.
The Marines were already in a period of turmoil.
The crushing defeat at the Paramount War had left them badly wounded.
What they should have been doing was recuperating and rebuilding their strength.
Instead, they have become trapped in the complicated situation that is difficult to escape from internal conflict.
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