"Fallen Angel El—"
In an instant, Hammons William, the Navy Fleet Admiral, stared at the blood-soaked head rolling on the ground, his eyes burning red with rage. He surged forward at incredible speed, fury boiling over. "You damned brat, how dare you…"
'Hum—'
His biceps flexed, veins bulging, as his massive right fist gathered a visible aura of power. Without hesitation, he launched it straight at the towering figure of El. "Justice Impact!!"
'Crackle, crackle…'
Electricity surged around El, his horns and scales making him appear even more menacing. Grinning, baring his sharp fangs, he faced the enraged Navy leader without a trace of fear. "Hah! What wouldn't I dare…?"
El swung his massive Great Halberd, crackling with electric energy, meeting William's incoming attack head-on.
"Mighty Nation!!"
The atmosphere shattered as sword energy and the mighty shockwave collided violently.
'Boom!!!'
The deafening explosion reverberated across Island No. 2 and the neighboring islands, shaking the very ground beneath them.
'Boom… boom…'
The earth split apart as blinding light expanded, consuming everything. The two terrifying shockwaves clashed, compressing the air around them.
'Whirr…'
'Crackle… pop…'
With an immense burst of wind pressure, the two equally powerful waves of Conqueror's Haki erupted, black and red lightning violently intertwining and spreading across the sky, cloaking the entire island in darkness.
The skies, already heavy with thick, oppressive clouds, swirled in chaotic motions, drawn by the powerful auras emanating from both fighters. The sheer scale of it all was awe-inspiring.
'Thud… thud…'
Countless civilians, pirates, nobles, and merchants who were unfortunate enough to be nearby collapsed on the spot, their eyes rolling back, foaming at the mouth, unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure.
'Crash… crash…'
On the turbulent sea, giant waves surged, and the air seemed to split. Two massive forces, one blue and one black, were almost tangible, pushing against each other.
'Boom… boom…'
Centered on Island No. 2, debris, rocks, and trees were uprooted and flung into the air. It looked as though two enormous hemispheres had formed, covering the island as the two forces battled for dominance.
"Is that… a clash of Conqueror's Haki?"
Aboard a large Navy warship, a tall figure made of writhing insects stared at the astonishing scene unfolding on Sabaody, a hint of surprise crossing his face. "So, he's already arrived?"
Earlier, when the red signal flare was launched on Sabaody, Charlotte Linlin and the others knew exactly what it meant. The Shapeshifting Witch, Sally, responsible for gathering intel for the Fallen Angel Pirates, had sent the flare to warn that the Navy Fleet Admiral had likely left Marineford and was rushing to Sabaody.
Charlotte Linlin was unfazed. After all, it wasn't shocking for someone like the Fleet Admiral to possess such powerful Conqueror's Haki. Even Sengoku, whom she had fought earlier, was similarly gifted. It was only natural for the head of the Navy to have such strength.
'Boom—'
Suddenly, on Sabaody, the two clashing forces surged toward the sky and exploded. In an instant, calm returned, as though nothing had ever happened, except for the widespread devastation that remained, causing cold sweat to drip from onlookers' faces.
"The Fleet Admiral, huh?"
On the wrecked Island No. 2, two men stood facing each other. One was tall, the other shorter, but both exuded a deadly aura. Despite their obvious difference in size, their presence was equally terrifying, keeping others at bay.
"Paramecia-type Impact-Impact Fruit… it's a pretty decent ability."
El, now in his beastly hybrid form, towering at over ten meters, looked down at the broad-shouldered, black-haired, slightly graying Fleet Admiral, Hammons William. El smirked with derision. "But from the looks of it, you—despite being a Fleet Admiral—don't even know how to wield Conqueror's Haki infusion properly!"
"Is it because you lack the talent, and you've never grasped it?"
El wasn't surprised that the Fleet Admiral possessed Conqueror's Haki. It was expected for someone at the pinnacle of the Navy. But clearly, despite his furious onslaught just now, William had not used Conqueror's Haki infusion—not because he was holding back, but because he hadn't mastered it.
Though El himself had yet to fully grasp Conqueror's Haki infusion, he had made great strides through years of experimentation. With his natural talent and deep accumulation of strength, he was only a step away from mastering it. He knew it wouldn't be long before he unlocked this elite ability, reserved for only a few.
"Such a sharp tongue…"
Hammons William's eyes darkened as he stared down the Fallen Angel. His fists clenched, veins bulging in anger as he glanced at the bloodied, headless corpse in the distance—once the body of Admiral Hark, whose severed head had been lost amidst the earlier clash.
However, he didn't notice that in the shadows of the forest, an insect-like creature was quietly extracting the visible soul from Hark's decapitated head.
"I never expected the one who slipped through our grasp years ago would rise to such power, defeating even a Navy Admiral… We truly underestimated you."
The Fleet Admiral's face was livid with rage, but beneath that, there was a flicker of fear. He had thought he was already giving the Fallen Angel enough credit, but even he had miscalculated. He knew Hark's strength well—Hark may not have been the strongest of admirals, but he was certainly a formidable 'monster.' His abilities were far superior to those of someone like 'Pegasus,' the Admiral stationed at Mary Geoise through connections alone.
Yet, even Hark had been no match for El and had been defeated so swiftly that not even William, rushing to the scene at full speed, had arrived in time to save him.
"Fallen Angel El…"
Just as the Fleet Admiral prepared to speak again, a sharp sound pierced the air.
'Whoosh—'
A signal flare shot into the sky from an inconspicuous corner of Sabaody, and a yellow cloud spread across the sky, distinct from the previous red flare.
"Hmm?" William's eyes narrowed. "A signal flare?"
El's expression became amused. "It seems what I've been waiting for has finally shown up."
…
"A yellow signal flare, not any of the other colors…"
Meanwhile, aboard a massive Navy warship littered with corpses drained of blood, a 20-meter-tall female giant noticed the signal and her pupils shrank slightly.
"Is this the mysterious Holy Knights unit that Er mentioned?" she muttered to herself. It was only natural for the World Government to send their best, given the situation involving kidnapped and murdered Celestial Dragons.
Then, as if switching gears, her voice changed to Gerd's tone: "Linlin, let's not worry about that for now. We've gathered enough souls, and I'm reaching my storage limit. Let's finish off the rest of these guys and not drag this out."
"Ma ma ma ma~ Is that so?" Linlin, who was in control of the giant's body, raised her eyebrows. She glanced at the seven or eight remaining warships and smiled excitedly. "Just in time, Zeus and Hera are ready to go!"
"But I must say, the soul of an admiral is quite delicious!"