In the Holy Land of the Celestial Dragons, Mary Geoise, late at night.
The hall where the Five Elders resided was still brightly lit. All five of them sat on the sofas, alert and spirited, waiting for news.
A CP organization member passed through layer after layer of security and entered the hall, reporting to the Five Elders.
"Lords Five Elders."
"A violent explosion occurred at Navy Headquarters. According to the intelligence sent from the scene, it was caused by a battle between Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Admiral Raleigh."
The Five Elders nodded slightly.
They had known from the moment they gave Raleigh that clear hint that a battle between the two sides was unavoidable.
They simply had not expected the battle to come so quickly.
The bald Elder asked,
"Aside from Sengoku and Raleigh, did anyone else participate in the battle? Did the Navy soldiers get involved?"
They hoped that this battle to decide the candidate for Fleet Admiral would preferably only involve the upper ranks.
It would be best if the lower-ranking soldiers did not participate, so as to avoid weakening the Navy's strength.
The CP member raised his head, seemingly surprised by the Five Elders' calmness, but he remembered his mission and continued reporting.
"Reporting to the Five Elders. The people fighting above Navy Headquarters are Fleet Admiral Sengoku against Admiral Raleigh, and former Vice Admiral Garp against Admiral Sakazuki."
"Admiral Borsalino and Navy Chief of Staff Kuzan did not participate in the battle. The clash between the vice admirals on both sides was stopped in time by Zephyr, who arrived at the scene and ordered them to go out and calm the soldiers' emotions."
The Five Elders nodded at the same time.
This kind of battle was still within an acceptable range for them.
After all, only two of the three admirals had taken action. And because of Zephyr's appearance, it was impossible for the Navy soldiers to cause any major unrest.
"Withdraw. Keep a close eye on the battle. Report to us immediately once the battle ends."
The Five Elders waved their hands. The CP member, who had been kneeling on one knee, quickly stood up and left.
The bright lights could not illuminate the darkness hidden deep within the Five Elders' eyes.
"Hehe. The show has begun."
No one knew which of the Five Elders said it.
Immediately afterward, a string of laughter followed.
...
Above Marineford, Navy Headquarters.
The night, which should have been dark, had now become brilliantly lit because of the full-force shockwaves unleashed by Sengoku.
One enormous palm print after another struck into the air.
Vaguely, one could see a figure wearing a Navy uniform and cloak flashing through the gaps between the shockwaves.
"Raleigh, do you only know how to dodge?"
Sengoku shouted in a voice like a great bell.
Boom!
A magnificent sword beam collided with Sengoku's shockwave. The air visibly distorted under the impact.
Raleigh's figure appeared not far behind the sword beam.
Then, in a flash, he disappeared into the darkness again.
"Damn it!"
Sengoku had now fully unleashed his strength.
His body had transformed into a golden giant Buddha more than a hundred meters tall.
Raleigh's small figure looked like a black dot in comparison.
But the aura between the two sides was equal.
In fact, in the clash of Conqueror's Haki, Raleigh held the upper hand.
When the conflict first broke out, both of them had wanted to kill the other at the earliest opportunity.
But as the battle began, both sides gradually regained their rationality and understood that they could not truly kill each other completely.
They could only decide victory or defeat.
Raleigh no longer blindly dodged.
He drew Mikazuki Munechika and stared sharply at the enormous golden Buddha before him.
In the next instant, Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki covered the blade at the same time.
With a flash of his body, Raleigh appeared before Sengoku and slashed toward Sengoku's face.
Sengoku's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then, a resolute expression appeared in his gaze.
He ignored Raleigh's incoming slash and instead brought both hands together, intending to clap Raleigh between his palms.
Zzzzt!
The sound of Conqueror's Haki colliding rang out. Black-red lightning continuously formed and vanished around their bodies.
The blade did not land on Sengoku's face.
Likewise, Sengoku's forcefully closing palms did not strike Raleigh.
The two sides separated almost immediately upon contact.
Only the collision of Conqueror's Haki remained.
Boom!
Another terrifying current of air erupted from Sengoku's clasped palms.
"Buddha Shockwave!"
"One-Sword Style: Star Shatter!"
Sengoku was worthy of being an experienced Fleet Admiral.
The moment he realized he could not clap Raleigh between his palms, he instantly aimed at the place where Raleigh was about to appear and launched his attack.
Raleigh's body had only just emerged in the air when a golden shockwave rushed straight toward him.
Mikazuki Munechika swung almost instantly, carrying Raleigh's Haki as it slashed into the shockwave.
The dazzling golden shockwave and Raleigh's golden sword beam collided.
In an instant, the entire sky above Marineford flashed brightly.
The sky seemed to become a battlefield split between golden light and blue-green radiance.
During this confrontation, Sengoku gave up his signature shockwave technique and turned to launch close-quarters combat against Raleigh.
His body also shrank from over a hundred meters tall to around ten meters.
Raleigh fought with his left fist and right-hand blade, repeatedly striking Sengoku's body, but the effect was not obvious.
After transforming into the golden Buddha, all of Sengoku's attributes had increased, including his defense.
Even a famous blade enhanced with Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki could only leave shallow wounds on Sengoku's body.
Likewise, Sengoku's speed could not keep up with Raleigh.
His attacks could only strike empty air.
The two sides constantly tested each other, searching for a method that could decide the battle in one strike.
Rumble!
...
At the rear mountain clearing of Marineford, flowing magma and shattered rocks were everywhere.
Sakazuki coldly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression gloomy as he looked at Garp across from him.
At this moment, several holes had already been burned into Garp's clothing by magma. There were even traces of blood on his face from Sakazuki's attacks.
Garp casually moved his fists.
Boom!
The two figures violently collided once again.
The powerful impact swept outward in all directions, blowing down trees so thick that three people would be needed to wrap their arms around them.
At this moment, Sakazuki's condition grew better the more he fought.
Even after taking two heavy punches from Garp and coughing up blood, he still believed he could win.
"Old bastard. You don't even have a position anymore, yet you still dare to point fingers at me."
Sakazuki's eyes were filled with terrifying coldness.
What he hated most was betrayal.
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