"Is that... Admiral Akainu?!"
The face of every pirate on the island turned grim.
Of all the Marines, Akainu was the one they dreaded facing the most.
He was unanimously considered the number one enemy of all pirates, known for being far more brutal and vicious than any other.
If he was here, were they already surrounded?
But as Kaido and Big Mom watched the "Meteor Volcano" attack rain down, they realized they didn't hear Akainu's voice.
Instead, they saw a Seraphim, even taller and more imposing than their own, standing before them.
Behind it were four more Admiral-class Seraphim.
"Huh? Seraphim?!" Kaido and the others were stunned.
How could it be a Seraphim?
And how could a Seraphim use a Devil Fruit ability? It defied all logic!
But as a wave of immense Haki washed over them, they were forced to admit the unbelievable truth: the attack had indeed been launched by the lead Seraphim.
"It actually possesses a Devil Fruit ability... and it's Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit," Kaido said, his voice laced with irritation.
"Its aura is incredibly powerful! Just from its presence alone, it's no weaker than Red-Hair or Whitebeard!"
"Its strength is definitely at the level of a Yonko!" Big Mom snarled, gritting her teeth in a mixture of shock and anger.
Hearing this, the faces of Judge, Queen, and Caesar turned even paler.
Just moments ago, they were celebrating, convinced their technology had finally surpassed the Marine's.
In the blink of an eye, Leon had unveiled this new, terrifying Seraphim—a model with enhanced abilities that could somehow wield the power of a Devil Fruit.
It was too ridiculous!
"We... we still haven't surpassed him," Judge said with a bitter, self-mocking smile.
"And we were just gloating before..."
Queen's face was ashen as he stared at the Imperial Angel in disbelief.
Although their own "Emperor No. 1" was strong, he could sense that this new Marine Seraphim was on another level entirely.
Caesar was dumbfounded, staring blankly at the scene.
His heart suffered an incredibly heavy blow.
Their three-way alliance had gathered lineage factors from Kaido, Big Mom and nearly every other top-tier powerhouse in the world.
They had a colossal innate advantage over Leon, who couldn't possibly acquire such samples.
And yet, the weapon they created was still inferior.
The genius he had been so determined to beat had crushed him completely, shattering his confidence.
*****
Meanwhile, in the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, and the three Admirals watched the scene unfold on a massive screen—a live broadcast from a video Den Den Mushi attached to one of the Admiral-class Seraphim.
"Great! I can't believe we actually found them!" Sengoku looked ecstatic.
"However, the enemy's strength is immense" Aokiji noted with a worried expression.
"There are two Emperors, their top commanders, and countless executives. Can we handle them with just one Imperial Angel and four Admiral-class Seraphim?"
He then looked at Sengoku.
"Should we have the Seraphim open a door so we can provide backup, Fleet Admiral?"
Before Sengoku could answer, Chief of Staff Tsuru shook her head.
"Not yet. Let's see how the Imeprial Angel performs first."
Sengoku tacitly agreed, and Aokiji could only nod as they all turned their attention back to the screen.
******
"Without the lineage factors from so many powerful fighters, how could he possibly create such a monstrous Seraphim on his own?" Judge muttered, completely frustrated.
He then gritted his teeth and turned to their creation.
"No! Without a battle, how can we be sure Emperor No. 1 is weaker? Emperor One! Go! Deal with him!"
Seeing this, Kaido and Big Mom didn't object it.
Although they sensed their creation was weaker, they also needed to see the gap between the two for themselves.
Emperor No. 1 obeyed.
Powerful Armament Haki instantly coated its entire body.
It drew its massive sword, and arcs of black and red lightning crackled around the blade as it infused it with Conqueror's Haki.
With a terrifying roar, it lunged towards the Imperial Angel, unleashing a sword slash that tore through the air with a deafening sonic boom.
On the video feed, the expressions of Sengoku and the others changed drastically.
"Such terrifying power! It can tear the air itself apart," Sengoku said, his expression solemn.
"Its Haki is incredibly strong," Kizaru noted, "and its swordsmanship is top-tier."
The high-ranking Marine officers were shocked.
They never imagined the pirates' technology had advanced to this level.
Can it withstand this? Sengoku and the others held their breath, their eyes glued to the screen.
Even Kaido and Big Mom allowed a small smirk to form on their lips, impressed by their creation's power.
The devastating slash instantly closed the distance, about to strike the Imperial Angel... when the Marine Seraphim simply clasped its hands together.
In the next moment, magma, light, ice, and lightning converged from its body, forming a strange, elemental mace in its hands.
The Imperial Angel swung it forcefully.
"Inferno Lightning Eight Trigrams!!"
A shockwave of pure energy, even more powerful than the sword slash, erupted from the mace.
It met Emperor No. 1's attack head on and like fire melting snow, the Emperor 1 slash was annihilated instantly.
The shockwave continued on, striking Emperor 1 with terrifying force.
BOOM!
A violent impact rang out.
Kaido and Big Mom's ultimate weapon was blasted away like an inverted cannonball, shooting through the air and piercing straight through an entire mountain in the distance.
Everyone fell silent instantly.
Sengoku and the others stared, their pupils trembling uncontrollably.
Then, Garp threw his head back and let out a booming shout.
"AWESOME!!"
The entire Marine high command erupted in cheers, their usual dignity was forgotten.
Leon had done it again!
Their Imperial Angel was the best!
In sharp contrast, a dead silence fell over the island.
Every pirate who had witnessed the exchange wore an expression of pure dread.
Kaido gnashed his teeth, his eyes full of unwillingness.
The joint effort of three scientific minds still couldn't beat one kid.
It was a humiliating insult.
Big Mom's chest heaved violently, her face contorted with rage.
"It has... so many Devil Fruit abilities... hidden in a single body?" Judge, Caesar, and Queen muttered in disbelief.
"How... how is that possible?!"
They couldn't imagine how Leon had managed to integrate so many powers into one Seraphim.
The technological gap between them felt like an insurmountable chasm.
"I can hardly believe it," Kaido growled, looking at Big Mom.
They both understood what needed to be done.
"All members of the Beast Pirates, follow me into battle!"
"Big Mom Pirates, let's go!"
In a moment, under the leadership of the two Emperors, their entire forces sprang into action.
The Imperial Angel wisely directed the four Admiral-class Seraphim behind it to engage the enemy.
The battlefield erupted into chaos.
One Admiral-class Seraphim engaged King and Queen.
Another one faced Katakuri and the Sweet Commanders.
A third took on the combined might of the Beast Pirates' Flying Six and Big Mom's other children.
The fourth and newest Admiral-class Seraph, a look-alike of Sengoku himself, intercepted the heavily damaged Emperor 1, locking it in a fierce battle.
Almost all capable fighters on the island had entered the fray.
Doflamingo, however, had secretly hidden himself.
He didn't have the courage to openly be an enemy of the Marines right now.
BOOM! BOOM!
The four Admiral-class Seraphim fought brilliantly, using Haki, swordsmanship, Rokushiki, and lasers to their utmost limit, holding their own against the pirates' strongest commanders.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Angel was locked in a fierce battle with Kaido and Big Mom, single-handedly taking on two Emperors at once.
"Thunder Bagua!" Kaido, now in his hybrid form, swung his kanabo with incredible force.
"Elbaf Spear: Ikoku!" Big Mom, gripping Napoleon, unleashed a terrifying sword slash.
The two devastating attacks slammed directly into the Imperial Angel's chest.
The force was so immense it stirred up a fierce gale, yet to everyone's astonishment, the Seraphim didn't budge an inch.
"How is this possible?!" Kaido and Big Mom's pupils contracted in shock.
They then saw the deep dent in the Seraphim's chest and breathed a small sigh of relief.
At least it was injured.
But then, before their eyes, the dent in the Imperial Angel's chest began to rapidly heal and reform.
"Huh?!" Kaido and Big Mom's gazes froze, their expressions turning grim.
Their joint attack had caused damage, but the machine could simply recover.
"I don't believe this..." Kaido gritted his teeth and swung his kanabo again.
"Raging Thunder Eight Trigrams!"
At the same time, Big Mom summoned Zeus and charged forward, raising Napoleon high.
"Imperial Sword: Cognac!"
The giant sword, wreathed in scorching flames, came down with all of Big Mom's might.
There was no emotion in the Imperial Angel's eyes.
In its hand, a longsword condensed from pure energy appeared and it met the two Emperors' attacks with unparalleled force.
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