Marine Headquarters, the rear mountain of Marijoa.
Large areas of the island had collapsed, and the entire headquarters' area had shrunk by one-fifth.
The rear mountain was completely gone.
Numerous high-ranking Vice Admirals gathered here, watching the two figures fighting like berserk beasts, afraid to approach. The main reason was that most of them couldn't withstand the aftershocks.
The Vice Admirals could only do their best to shatter the combat aftermath, preventing it from impacting the residential areas.
Borsalino stood at the edge, unsure who to stop first.
Morris frowned, glanced towards the rear, and then suddenly relaxed.
Crackling—
Electric sparks landed on the ground, and Enel's figure materialized.
The battle with Kuzan had ultimately concluded without a victor. Zephyr and Vice Admiral Tsuru had arrived and intercepted the two who were about to unleash their ultimate attacks, preventing them from striking.
However, Enel's aura was steady, and he was relatively neat.
Kuzan, who had returned from the rear, was quite disheveled. His Devil Fruit was at a disadvantage.
Seeing Enel appear, Borsalino breathed a sigh of relief:
"You're finally back~"
"One for each?"
Enel nodded, looking at the two figures radiating gusts of wind. Standing here, he felt as though his skin could be torn apart.
Thinking of something, he looked at Law:
"Can you control it briefly?"
Cold sweat trickled down Law's head:
"No, their Haki is too strong."
"But I can control the scene a bit..."
Law hadn't expected to encounter such an intense situation right after leaving with Enel...
Watching this battle completely extinguished the confidence he had gained from body tempering. He was still far too weak...
Enel nodded:
"That's enough. Prepare."
Law extended his hand, and a ring of light appeared in his palm:
"Room!!!"
It expanded instantly, covering the entire rear mountain.
Enel and Borsalino exchanged a glance. Their bodies began to elementalize, and they charged towards Bullet and Garp respectively.
---
The center of the battlefield.
Bullet's giant Asura King form in his Oni spirit mode was dented and lopsided.
Even with the powerful recovery of the Oni spirit mode, it couldn't heal the damage. Fist imprints were deeply etched into his body. He was covered in blood, his crimson eyes fixated on Garp.
His left arm dangled limply, while the Haki condensed on his right arm had increased severalfold. The spectral image of a fierce demon swelled, and he raised his fist to strike.
Garp's left cheek was shattered, and the ribs on his chest were all broken, caving inward.
A large portion of flesh had been torn from his right shoulder, and his right arm's movements were sluggish.
Near-solid black Haki condensed on his left arm, resembling a gauntlet, and he smashed it towards the charging Bullet.
Boom—
Like a thunderclap from clear skies, those nearby couldn't help but cover their ears.
The two in the center were locked in a stalemate.
Law quickly suppressed the sound, reducing the roar to its lowest level:
"Now!!!"
Law raised his hand, and the ground began to tremble violently.
The entire rear mountain was lifted by Law's ability, and he hurled the locked figures towards the sky.
Simultaneously.
Enel and Borsalino were on either side of the two struggling figures.
The lightning on their arms and the lasers from their feet condensed, infused with Haki, and were fired.
Allowing the lightning and lasers to strike the opponents' wrists at near-light speed through elementalization.
Boom—
The two figures were forced apart...
Their arms brushed against each other, and the faint sound of their shoulder blades colliding and cracking could be heard.
Then, under the uncontrollable immense force, they were shot in opposite directions.
Enel and Borsalino chased after them separately...
Below, Law let out a long sigh and waved his hand downwards. The island ground, which had been lifted nearly a hundred meters, slowly descended.
At the same time, the earth began to recombine, attempting to restore its original state...
However, the land submerged in the sea was beyond recovery; they would have to wait for Sote to bring some land over to replenish it.
The crescent-shaped Marine Headquarters looked as if something had taken a bite out of it, a fifth missing from its perfect arc.
--------
Above Marine Headquarters.
Enel, who had been pushing against Bullet's back and was being forced backward,
happened to encounter Sakazuki, Kong, and Sengoku returning.
Sensing Bullet's berserk aura, Sakazuki's brow furrowed, and he stomped his foot, charging forward.
He appeared behind Bullet, signaling Enel to move aside, and took Bullet's place.
Boom—
A tremendous impact erupted from Sakazuki's back, directly slowing his backward momentum and gradually bringing him to a halt.
Seeing Bullet's injuries, Sakazuki grabbed Bullet and changed direction, charging towards the warships at the port.
Watching Sakazuki depart, Kong called out:
"Hey, Sakazuki!!!"
Sakazuki waved his hand without looking back:
"Nothing to say."
"Enel, gather people. Depart for the New World."
Enel shouted:
"Understood!"
Then, he nodded to Fleet Admiral Kong and disappeared.
Kong's brow furrowed, and without saying anything, he looked at Sengoku beside him:
"What is the reason between you two?"
Now that only the two of them remained, Kong asked directly.
Sengoku sighed, Sakazuki's questioning still echoing in his mind:
"It's my fault."
"Regarding the Revolutionary Army..."
"Sakazuki already knows Dragon's identity."
-------
Marine Headquarters, Marijoa.
Outside the dilapidated Fleet Admiral's office, Kong and Sengoku stood by the fortress, watching warships sail out one by one...
Sakazuki did not delay. After bringing Bullet onto a warship, he immediately set sail for the New World to carry out his garrison duty.
Then, Enel organized his men, and Vice Admirals like Doberman and Momonga followed.
The vast Marine Headquarters instantly became quiet.
Only Sengoku's faction and Zephyr and Morris from the Headquarters Academy remained.
The entire Navy seemed to be split...
Fleet Admiral Kong was somewhat silent:
"This is the Navy you lead."
Sengoku was silent for a long time:
"I apologize."
Kong sighed softly:
"Can an apology mend the situation?"
"I know your feelings for them are deep."
"But ultimately, you've been too lenient with Garp..."
"Sakazuki is not wrong."
"As Fleet Admiral, you should be responsible for the lives of Marine soldiers."
"Think about how to end the war with the minimum casualties."
"Not to show pity to the enemy."
"The values of justice should not be corrupted by personal affection."
"Sengoku."
Sengoku closed his eyes:
"I know..."
"After the New Year, I will resign due to my responsibilities. For the families of those soldiers who died due to my wrong decisions,"
"I will provide compensation to the best of my ability."
Kong looked at Sengoku and sighed faintly:
"You can resign, but you cannot leave the Navy."
"Take a nominal position."
"Otherwise, the impact would likely be no less than this."
"The Navy has probably become the world's laughingstock by now."
"As for the choice of Fleet Admiral..."
Sengoku looked at the busy soldiers below and said:
"I recommend Sakazuki."