"Thinking about taking revenge on the Navy?" Kuke slowly drew out his supreme-grade sword.
"Don't overestimate yourselves. I don't really care much about the Navy. I just can't stand that group of pigs who dare call themselves gods—useless trash."
Kuke slowly began to gather his strength.
"Captain, the Navy headquarters' reinforcements will arrive in one hour and thirty-eight minutes," Violet reported precisely.
She had calculated the distance and added in the speed of the Navy ships to get the exact time.
"Good, keep monitoring," Kuke instructed, hanging up the transponder snail.
"Kuke's about to join the battle," someone said, eyes widening.
Today, they might witness an unprecedented scene—a Navy Admiral dying in battle right before their eyes.
Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
Whitebeard picked up his wine flask but didn't take a sip, afraid he might miss even the smallest detail.
His old rival...
Was he really going to die?
"Old man, is the Fleet Admiral really going to die here?" Diamond Jozu and the others were both excited and incredulous.
"The chances of Sengoku surviving are higher," Whitebeard replied. "He looks miserable, but he's still able to hold on."
Whitebeard was confident that Sengoku had the strength to stay alive.
All he had to do was endure.
If he could last until reinforcements arrived, he would be safe.
"Kuke! What did you do to my family?" Doflamingo roared furiously, veins bulging, as he confronted Kuke.
Kuke glanced sideways at him. "You're still here?"
He had almost forgotten about this small fry.
"Hancock," Kuke called out to Boa Hancock.
With Jinbe and Bartholomew Kuma here, they could easily hold off the Navy.
Even Crocodile and Gecko Moria were making their move. They had realized that becoming one of the Seven Warlords was unlikely. Since that was the case, they were still pirates—naturally opposed to the Navy.
The Navy would continue to hunt them down anyway.
This was a good opportunity to kick the Navy while they were down. Crocodile wanted to use this opportunity to get closer to Kuke, while Gecko Moria was seeking shadows from the Navy.
Their actions threw the Navy into further disarray.
"Betty, Hancock, he's all yours," Kuke instructed the two women.
"Understood."
Belo Betty put down the transponder snail.
Doflamingo clenched his fists.
He regretted speaking up the moment he did. Now, seeing Kuke dismiss him so lightly, his anger overcame his reason.
He charged at Kuke, disregarding everything else.
Only for Boa Hancock to stop him. "You aren't worthy of fighting our captain."
...
"The most dangerous moment has arrived," Sengoku gritted his teeth, staring at the approaching Kuke.
What had been a three-on-one fight was now a four-on-one.
With Kuke joining in, the level of danger had doubled.
Resolving himself, Sengoku made a decision—to focus only on defense for the next one or two hours, no matter what, until reinforcements arrived.
"ROOM."
Kuke suddenly disappeared.
Sengoku's pupils widened.
"Divine Strike - Golden Crow Circling Heaven!"
Kuke instantly swapped places with a nearby boulder behind Sengoku.
This was Belo Betty's Ope-Ope Fruit ability.
No one saw it coming.
Sengoku was entirely focused on what was in front of him.
He had no time to turn around, desperately trying to shield his back with his strongest Armament Haki.
A brilliant golden sword light collided with the golden shimmering back of the Buddha form.
"Boom!"
A surge of energy burst into the sky, quickly expanding as the ground shattered layer by layer, disintegrating into dust before the debris could even scatter.
Blood sprayed out, along with a rain of blood from Sengoku's back.
He turned into a streak of light, sent flying forward.
"Heavenly Thunder - Divine Punishment."
A bolt of lightning descended from the sky, chasing after the flying Buddha form of Sengoku.
"Phoenix Soaring!"
Gion's body was engulfed in flames, transforming into a fiery phoenix, wings spread wide as she pursued Sengoku.
"Black Fist!"
Darkness enveloped Shakky's fist.
A pitch-black fist moved through the air as if teleporting.
"Yama King Guides the Way."
Kuke added his own strike.
Four different attacks converged on Sengoku at the same time.
"I will not die!"
Sengoku roared, covered in the aura of death.
A powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body, the aura wrapping around him as he flew through the air.
He had no choice but to endure it head-on.
"Boom!"
All the attacks struck at once, forming a tightly compressed ring of explosion.
Red, black, gold, white…
The energies constantly shifted and intermingled.
Cracks spread wildly through the air within the explosion ring.
The explosion ring rapidly expanded, devouring everything in its path.
"Wham!"
Kuke stomped his foot, the ground shattering beneath him, his entire body enveloped in what seemed like golden flames, making him look like a deity.
Instead of retreating, he advanced.
He plunged straight into the terrifying explosion ring.
With his sword in hand, he charged.
"You?"
Sengoku, body covered in cracks and spurting blood, was gritting his teeth to withstand the onslaught, but his eyes went wide seeing Kuke break through the explosion.
Not giving him even a moment.
Once the battle had begun.
Not even a second was granted for recovery.
How ruthless.
"Thunder God Paves the Way."
Kuke, advancing with his sword, swung his blade, lightning dancing along its edge, forming a sharp electric beam.
"Boom!"
The clash rang out within the explosion, crackling and roaring.
"Don't enter yet," Gion advised Stussy and Shakky.
Their combat strength…
If they entered such a devastating explosion, they could easily suffer serious injuries.
With her reminder, Gion was just about to enter the explosion herself when Sengoku was sent flying out.
He landed back in sight of everyone.
"Is that Buddha Sengoku?"
Those most familiar with Sengoku almost couldn't recognize him.
He looked nothing like his former self.
Covered in blood, his admiral's coat—a symbol of glory and the highest rank in the Navy—was torn to shreds.
The golden body of his Buddha form was now dull and covered in cracks.
He looked like a ruined statue worn down by centuries of exposure.
There was a hole through his chest, with his heart faintly visible.
His back was ripped open, his bloodstained spine exposed to the air.
One hand was missing.
One leg was bent unnaturally.
It was the most pitiful sight imaginable.
Especially considering that this man was the Fleet Admiral of the Navy, one of the world's top figures, someone who had always been looked up to.
Even the proudest of pirates could only see him as an equal—no one would dare to look down on Sengoku.
And yet, here was this monumental figure…
Now reduced to someone that everyone instinctively felt pity for.
The shock they felt was beyond words.
________________________________
P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 154+ at patreon.com/Emik01.
_________________________