"Time is running out, Admiral Sakazuki."
After carefully processing the stream of reports coming through the Den Den Mushi, Xayuki slowly raised his head to meet the towering figure of Sakazuki, his voice carrying a deceptive calm. "You have precisely thirty seconds to make your decision: stand beside me and share in this historic moment... or continue serving the decaying World Government with your so-called 'Absolute Justice.'"
"Your conception of Absolute Justice is nothing but a monumental farce. You fundamentally misunderstand what true Absolute Justice entails."
"Genuine Absolute Justice would treat even the Celestial Dragons as equals under the law. Yet you cannot—will not—do this. Instead, you endure the humiliation of bowing to the Chamber of Authority's every whim."
"The truth is evident in your eyes, Sakazuki. You despise the Celestial Dragons. You resent the Five Elders and their stranglehold on power. But you've never dared to challenge them—or perhaps you simply haven't found the right opportunity."
"That opportunity now stands before you—"
Xayuki glanced deliberately at his wristwatch, his tone shifting. "Ten seconds remaining."
The moment these words left his lips, every officer surrounding them took a synchronized step forward.
What followed caught Sakazuki completely off-guard. Each officer produced a bucket filled with seawater, its distinctive briny scent unmistakable in the confined space. Clearly, they had meticulously planned this confrontation down to the smallest detail.
While the seawater alone wouldn't be sufficient to completely neutralize his formidable abilities, it would create just enough of a vulnerability for Xayuki to exploit.
Despite being the youngest Vice Admiral in Marine Headquarters history, Xayuki's mastery of both Armament and Observation Haki surpassed most of his peers. More critically, his swordsmanship rivaled—perhaps even exceeded—that of Vice Admiral Gion, a leading candidate for Admiral promotion.
Several officers also revealed hooks crafted from Seastone, their stances making it abundantly clear that should Sakazuki oppose Xayuki, they would attack without hesitation.
"Three."
Xayuki's voice remained steady, methodical. "Two..."
CLANG—
Suddenly, the massive iron doors of the prison chamber burst open.
In the next instant, Vice Admirals Momonga, Bastille, and Strawberry rushed into the chamber. Behind them followed over a dozen officers of various ranks, who immediately formed two precise lines upon entering.
"Vice Admiral Momonga?"
"Bastille? Strawberry?"
"How is this possible? Even you have joined this insurrection?"
As the three veteran Vice Admirals aligned themselves behind Xayuki, genuine shock flashed across Sakazuki's typically impassive features. Momonga, Bastille, and Strawberry represented the very backbone of Marine Headquarters—career officers whose service predated Xayuki's arrival by decades. The longest any of them had known Xayuki was a mere six years!
Sakazuki had anticipated that officers promoted during Xayuki's six-year tenure might waver in their loyalty. But he could not fathom what could possibly have driven these veteran commanders—pillars of the organization—to abandon their oaths and join this rebellion without apparent reservation.
"Lord Xayuki."
Upon reaching Xayuki's position, Momonga stepped forward with a formal bow. "May I request a brief exchange with Admiral Sakazuki?"
"That won't be necessary."
Xayuki dismissed the request with a casual wave. "Admiral Sakazuki has already made his choice."
As these words hung in the air, Xayuki's aura underwent a dramatic transformation, expanding with palpable intensity.
"Xayuki," Sakazuki's eyes narrowed dangerously, "do you truly believe you can force my submission through mere strength?"
Sensing the sudden escalation in Xayuki's combat presence, Sakazuki's voice dropped to a menacing rumble. "Very well. Let us determine if you possess the capability to lead Marine Headquarters as its Fleet Admiral!"
Without further hesitation, Sakazuki unleashed the full might of his Logia-type Magma-Magma Fruit. Molten magma cascaded from his massive arms, hissing and sizzling as it struck the stone floor.
In one explosive movement, he lunged forward, his magma-encased fist hurtling toward Xayuki's face with devastating speed.
"Inugami!"
With this thunderous declaration, the previously cool prison chamber instantly transformed into a sweltering inferno. Sakazuki's enormous magma fist, radiating apocalyptic heat, expanded rapidly in Xayuki's field of vision—its velocity nearly impossible for ordinary eyes to track.
Yet Xayuki had anticipated this precise attack.
As the molten fist closed the final distance, he instantly redistributed his body's tension and activated one of the Six Powers techniques.
"Kami-e—"
The words floated from his lips with serene detachment as his body seemed to transform into paper, flowing around the devastating attack with impossible grace.
Simultaneously, the surrounding officers executed their coordinated plan. Without hesitation, they hurled their buckets of seawater toward Sakazuki.
Whoosh!
A deluge of seawater converged on Sakazuki from multiple angles, leaving him with seemingly no escape in the confined space.
"Fools!"
Confronted by the cascading seawater, Sakazuki released a contemptuous snort. His Magma-Magma powers erupted with renewed intensity, the hellish heat instantly vaporizing the seawater before it could make contact with his body.
Seizing this momentary distraction, Xayuki—having evaded the initial attack with his Paper Art technique—materialized directly before Sakazuki. With surgical precision, he executed a Finger Pistol, transforming his hand into a living weapon aimed directly at Sakazuki's chest.
Sakazuki, seemingly anticipating this counterattack, allowed a cruel smile to form on his lips. "A trivial—"
Before he could complete his dismissal, Xayuki's voice cut through the superheated air:
"Busoshoku!"
A resonant hum filled the chamber as Xayuki's Finger Pistol instantly hardened with Armament Haki, its velocity and penetrating power multiplying exponentially. With a sickening impact, it drove deep into Sakazuki's torso.
Despite landing this decisive strike, Xayuki maintained his offensive momentum. Activating Soru, he vanished from Sakazuki's immediate vicinity. When he reappeared an instant later, he was positioned behind the Admiral, wielding a hook forged from Seastone.
"NOW!"
Without hesitation, Xayuki commanded, "All units—ENGAGE!"
Before the echo of his order had faded, the Seastone hook in his hand slashed toward Sakazuki with lightning speed.
Simultaneously, every officer in the chamber launched their own Seastone hooks at the Admiral from multiple angles.
Vice Admirals Momonga, Strawberry, and Bastille sprang into action as well, drawing their weapons with practiced efficiency, their expressions reflecting the gravity of confronting one of the Marine's most lethal combatants.
Facing this coordinated assault from all directions, Sakazuki remained unnervingly calm. As the Seastone hooks converged upon him from every angle, he stood motionless, seemingly resigned to capture.
Then, in the fraction of a second before impact, Sakazuki's form blurred and vanished completely.
"Have you forgotten who I am? I am an ADMIRAL of Marine Headquarters!"
As his physical presence disappeared, Sakazuki's voice resonated from behind the assembled officers, saturated with barely contained fury and murderous intent. "To think such elementary tactics could subdue me... How DARE you underestimate my power?"
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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