"Old man, are you really sure Sengoku can hold on until reinforcements arrive?"
Whitebeard's sons, who had never doubted his words before, were now questioning.
Whitebeard's face twitched. "I said that Sengoku, at his peak, could hold on."
But Sengoku had been ambushed twice.
The first time was when Kuke made his unexpected appearance, catching everyone off guard.
There was no way to prevent that.
The second time had just happened.
No one expected Kuke, who was ready to join the battle, to suddenly teleport behind Sengoku.
These two blows were lethal.
It was only because Sengoku was powerful, and his Devil Fruit abilities provided strong defense, that he managed to survive. If it had been someone like Zephyr, he might have died from the first strike.
"Kuke, looks like you don't need us," Gion said, stopping in her tracks.
She intended to leave the unprecedented honor of killing the Navy Admiral entirely to Kuke.
"No need, it's just a Navy Admiral. It's not that big of an honor. Let's all attack."
Kuke wasn't going to give Sengoku any chance.
He charged at Sengoku first.
"Looks like I'll be making history too," Shakky couldn't hide her excitement.
After decades of retirement, she realized she couldn't remain calm when faced with such a great honor.
"Boom!"
The blade in Kuke's hand trailed with a golden streak.
Each strike was faster and heavier than the one before.
Gion and Kuke fought together in perfect harmony, every move they made was a flawless collaboration.
Even Sengoku at his peak couldn't withstand it.
Let alone now.
The Buddha's form was slowly chipped away, blood and flesh flying off.
Stussy attacked from afar.
Lightning shot out with precision, paralyzing Sengoku's body and leaving him without a chance to retaliate.
Shakky, also attacking from a distance, unleashed powerful gusts with her fists.
Punch after punch, she left Sengoku covered in bruises.
Miserable.
Absolutely miserable.
Many couldn't bear to watch anymore.
"There's still a chance, there's still a chance," Sengoku refused to give up, holding on with sheer willpower.
Slowly, his will began to waver.
He was going to die.
He really was going to die.
"At least I won't let them get away without paying," Sengoku gritted his teeth, his eyes turning wild.
Using what little strength he had left, he blocked Kuke's sword with one arm.
His entire arm shattered.
The moment his arm broke, its power seemed to transfer to his remaining arm. It swelled several times in size, resembling a giant's fist.
Conqueror's Haki enveloped his fist.
Buddha's Strike!
Sengoku unleashed his final move, aiming at Gion.
He knew that this strike wouldn't kill Kuke, but if he could take down Gion, make Kuke pay a price, it would be worth it.
"Move aside."
Kuke pulled Gion back, facing Sengoku's fist that tore through the air.
He didn't have time to gather his strength.
One hand held his sword, while the other braced against the blade.
Using "Ace," he blocked the incoming punch.
"Boom!"
The punch connected with Ace, an indescribable force creating a massive shockwave, tearing a chasm through both the ground and sea, extending to the horizon.
The clouds in the sky split, leaving a deep scar.
Kuke's feet slid across the ground, moving back several hundred meters.
"No wonder you're the Navy Admiral, even in this state you can unleash such power."
"Are these sea monsters really the same species as us?" people murmured, in awe of Sengoku's strength.
"That was quite something."
Kuke cracked his neck and let out a heavy breath, a hint of blood at the corner of his mouth.
Sengoku's eyes dulled.
Even this attack hadn't severely injured him.
What kind of physique was this?
Big Mom, watching from a distance, had her eyes gleaming. No doubt about it, Kuke definitely had a monstrous physique similar to her own.
"You actually managed to injure Kuke."
Gion's flames flared uncontrollably, transforming her into a majestic phoenix.
Stussy took on the form of the Thunder God, larger than before.
"Unforgivable, you dare hurt Kuke."
"I will never forgive you," Hancock shouted from not far away, abandoning Doflamingo as she rushed toward Sengoku in rage.
Her Conqueror's Haki flared, faintly enveloping her.
Watching this scene, Shakky's lips twitched. "Should I say something too?"
"Boom!"
The three enraged women unleashed even greater power.
Sengoku, who had already reached his limit, had no strength left to resist. He was like a dying dog, rolling across the ground.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A few minutes later.
"Alright, he's about to die," Kuke called off the three women.
He wouldn't deliver the final blow to Sengoku—that honor was for them.
The chaotic battlefield fell silent.
The Navy Vice Admirals, who were desperately trying to break through, seemed to understand and stopped, powerless.
The sea fell silent.
Everyone understood.
All eyes were on Sengoku, who lay in a pool of blood, struggling to stand.
Slowly, he straightened his bent back.
This was the last bit of dignity of the Navy Admiral.
"Shakky, he's yours," Kuke said, turning to Shakky.
The blood and life force of a Navy Admiral would greatly benefit the Vampire Fruit.
Kuke turned away.
Ignoring Sengoku.
Through his blood-drenched eyes, Sengoku saw the blurry figure of Kuke turning away.
How arrogant.
To accomplish the unprecedented feat of killing a Navy Admiral, yet not even deeming it worthy of a final glance.
"Kuke!"
Sengoku suddenly shouted Kuke's name. "Tell me, if I hadn't expelled you, would you have become a Marine?"
He was going to die.
Sengoku didn't want to die with regrets.
The more he hated Kuke, the more he regretted.
Over the past year, he constantly reflected—if he hadn't spoken out, would Kuke have remained in the training camp, destined to become a Marine?
If that were the case...
How glorious would the Navy's future have been?
"Maybe," Kuke replied, uncertain.
The system had given him a choice: establish the strongest female pirate crew, or establish the strongest female Marine force.
It was one or the other.
Everything else was the same.
But Kuke had been expelled.
Naturally, he would no longer choose the Navy.
"I see..." Sengoku understood.
He closed his eyes.
Then they were covered by a black cloth. Shakky stepped into the darkness. Seconds later, she emerged, a trace of blood at her lips.
Navy Admiral, Buddha Sengoku, dead.
It took fifty-eight minutes in total.
Buddha Sengoku became the first Admiral in history to die at the hands of pirates.
He also became the Admiral who held the position for the shortest time in history—only 459 days.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 154+ at patreon.com/Emik01.
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