Now.
On the battlefield in the sea area leading to the Sabaody Archipelago...
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
As Bai Ye lost all interest in playing with the "dead men" vying for the position of Marine Admiral, his "overwhelming" combat power was unleashed.
Every move, every swing of Ryūjin Jakka, and every use of Kidō resulted in chaos.
With each attack, someone was sent flying like a cannonball, vomiting blood as they fell.
For the unfortunate ones, it was even worse.
A single encounter with Bai Ye was enough to seal their fate.
One strike.
One kill.
Yes, they would be instantly slain by Bai Ye without hesitation.
Although the alternate Admirals were undoubtedly strong in this vast sea, their strength—while formidable—was nothing before Bai Ye.
In the eyes of many, they were among the pinnacle of strength, earning the title of "big pirate" for their might. But even among the strong, there are leagues of difference.
If an alternate Admiral's strength could be considered level 69, just shy of Admiral-level power, Bai Ye's current strength stood at a staggering level 100.
A truly despairing gap.
Overwhelming.
Utterly devastating.
These "dead men," whose strength mirrored that of Tea Dolphin and Momousagi, alternate Admirals of Naval Headquarters, were indeed powerful.
But even the strongest among them paled in comparison to Bai Ye.
This group of ten, led by the future Admiral Green Bull, who was already close to real Admiral-level power, couldn't hope to defeat him.
Their combined might was still insufficient.
The gap between them and Bai Ye was colossal—an insurmountable chasm.
Not only that, but Bai Ye's power continued to grow as the battle raged on. His strength surged with each passing moment.
At this point...
"What the hell is wrong with that guy?! Are the intelligence teams a bunch of useless fools?!"
Kong stood in the rear, fists clenched and brows furrowed.
He had a foreboding feeling about the battle.
The ten warriors recruited by the World Government were not weaklings.
Each of them, as alternate Admirals, represented a level of strength that few could rival.
Yet here they were, falling one after another.
Nearly half of them were gone in the blink of an eye.
Kong gritted his teeth in frustration.
To make matters worse, Bai Ye's abilities were unlike anything the intelligence reports described.
Swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, flames, lightning, and even golden shockwaves...
Kong's frustration mounted. He couldn't help but curse the intelligence officers for their incompetence.
"Monster... That man is a monster!"
"Ahhhh!"
Another agonized scream pierced the battlefield.
Another life extinguished by Bai Ye's hands.
The ten alternate Admirals, once so confident in their strength, had been reduced to just three barely standing.
But their survival wasn't due to their skill.
It simply wasn't their turn yet.
Kong's expression darkened.
At this rate, they would all fall to Bai Ye.
The sole exception might be Aramaki, the Logia Devil Fruit user known as "Green Bull," whose abilities granted him unparalleled vitality.
Still, even he wouldn't last long.
Kong gritted his teeth as he watched another body crash onto the deck.
A black-haired, tattooed man lay in a pool of blood, his body shattered.
Before Kong could even react, a cold voice echoed from the sea.
"Don't worry... you're next."
"What?!"
Kong turned toward Bai Ye's voice, his heart sinking.
The once chaotic battlefield was now eerily silent.
The sea boiled from the intense heat radiating from Bai Ye.
And on that battlefield, none of the ten warriors remained standing.
Only one figure stood tall amidst the carnage—Bai Ye, the sinner Kong had been tasked to eliminate.
"Damn it...!" Kong cursed under his breath, his face twisted in anger. "They all fell so quickly?! What a bunch of useless trash!"
At that moment, a voice emerged from behind Kong.
"Marshal Kong... you can't win. That monster is beyond anything 'ordinary humans' can defeat."
The speaker, badly injured but still alive, was Green Bull Aramaki.
His face was pale, and his body trembled as he gazed at the battlefield with lingering fear.
Aramaki continued, "I'm sorry, Marshal. I'm withdrawing. The position of Marine Admiral isn't worth my life. Good luck."
"You...!" Kong's eyes widened in rage.
Without hesitation, Green Bull turned to flee, vines sprouting from his body as he prepared to retreat.
But before he could take another step...
"Trash like you doesn't deserve to live!"
Kong's voice boomed with fury as he raised his fist, encased in deep black Armament Haki.
Before Green Bull could react, Kong's punch landed squarely on his back.
Crack!
The sound of shattering bones echoed as Green Bull spat out blood and fragments of internal organs.
His body flew like a cannonball, crashing into an island nearly a thousand meters away.
With Green Bull disposed of, Kong turned his attention to Bai Ye.
Removing the cape of the World Government's Generalissimo, he revealed his battle-hardened body, radiating an aura of immense power.
"Since those fools are useless, I'll kill you myself! You should feel honored, sinner. For over twenty years, I haven't had to lift a finger!"
With that, Kong leapt from the warship, shattering its deck with the sheer force of his movement.
His entire body was covered in 100% Armament Haki, a feat that had shocked the world countless times.
"Are you done with your nonsense?" Bai Ye's icy voice cut through the air.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes as Reiatsu poured from his body, engulfing the battlefield.
"The World Government and its lackeys are hypocrites. If those are your last words, I'll make sure to end this quickly."
Bai Ye raised Ryūjin Jakka, flames dancing around the blade.
Without hesitation, both combatants clashed, the force of their encounter shaking the very heavens.
Far off in the distance, Bai Ye's gaze flicked to the sky.
"Don't worry," he muttered coldly.
"After you die, the one hiding in the shadows will join you."