Three figures plummeted from the sky in sequence: Gion, Shiki, and Finn, each striking the rain-soaked plaza with sickening impact.
The assembled Marines stared in stunned silence.
Admiral Sengoku is absolutely ruthless, they thought collectively. When he commits to a strike, there's no hesitation whatsoever.
And Rear Admiral Gion and Vice Admiral Finn? Just as merciless. One willing to stab through an ally to reach the enemy. The other refusing to release his death grip no matter the cost.
Today, all three had taught the Marines an invaluable lesson: at the critical moment, you had to be ruthless. Perhaps that quality was precisely what separated Admirals, Vice Admirals, and Rear Admirals from the rank and file.
Gion had only taken the overwhelming force of Sengoku's palm strike, with no other injuries. She hit the ground hard and coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, one or two ribs definitely cracked. The injury was painful but manageable. After all, the Admiral hadn't been targeting her, just unleashing force that happened to catch her in its radius. She struggled upright after a few moments, breathing carefully.
Shiki, by contrast, was in catastrophic condition. Already battered from the extended fight, he'd taken Gion's blade through his chest and lung, been locked in Finn's unbreakable grip, and absorbed Sengoku's full-power strike without any ability to defend himself.
He lay in the rubble now, rain drumming against his broken body. Blood leaked steadily from his mouth, mixed with foam that bubbled from his nose with each labored breath. The sword wound in his chest bled profusely. His entire ribcage had collapsed inward, bones shattered beyond counting.
Not far from Shiki lay Finn. Thanks to his Iron Will ability, as long as he remained conscious, Finn could endure almost anything. Pain simply didn't register the way it should. No matter how severe his injuries, his body kept functioning.
One hand pressed against the ground, his form covered in mud and blood, looking absolutely wretched under the relentless rain. But he pushed himself upright slowly, deliberately, and reached for Shiki sword still embedded in his waist.
Finn's hands closed around Kogarashi's hilt. He tensed his muscles and pulled with steady, inexorable force. The blade had been plugging the wound, keeping blood loss manageable.
The moment Finn extracted it, blood sprayed outward in a red arc, then settled into a steady flow that stained the wet stone beneath his feet.
Finn barely glanced at the injury. He tossed Kogarashi aside dismissively, clasped both hands before his chest, and whispered: " Rokushiki Ōgi: Life Return."
The gushing blood gradually slowed, then stopped. The hideous wounds on his chest and waist began squeezing together, flesh forcing itself to reconnect, stemming the hemorrhaging through pure muscular control. It wasn't healing, not truly, but it dramatically reduced the immediate danger.
Finn had mastered the Six Powers completely over the years, including advanced techniques like Life Return that went beyond the basic forms. His control was precise enough to manipulate his own physiology in ways that resembled medical intervention.
Despite stopping the bleeding, Finn looked noticeably weaker. His face had gone pale, and his movements carried a slight tremor.
Sengoku landed heavily nearby, the golden light of his Devil Fruit fading as he returned to normal form. He ignored both Finn and Gion initially, walking straight to Shiki's broken body instead.
The Admiral grabbed Shiki by the collar and hauled him upright with one hand.
Before Shiki could speak, Sengoku slammed him back down against the stone, then drove a follow-up punch directly into the pirate's face. CRACK. Shiki's nose shattered, blood exploding across his features.
"I'm too tired to waste words on you," Sengoku growled.
Through his daze, Shiki wanted to protest: I don't intend to waste words on you either, so why did you feel the need to punch me again?
Two Rear Admirals approached quickly, carrying sea-stone shackles. Sengoku nodded curtly. "Lock him up. Maximum security."
"Yes, Admiral!" Both officers moved with efficient precision, clamping the seastone shackles around Shiki's wrists and ankles.
Only then did Sengoku turn to check on his subordinates. "Are you two alright?"
Gion shook her head, wincing slightly. "I'm fine. Just a cracked rib or two, nothing some rest won't fix. Finn took it worse. He got stabbed by Shiki, then stabbed by me, then you hit him with that final palm strike, Admiral..."
Finn waved one hand dismissively. "I can handle it. I've had worse."
Internally, he was far less casual. That bastard Shiki forced me into such a desperate gambit by trying to flee. After fighting fiercely through most of the battle, staying relatively peripheral to the main combat, he'd finally committed everything at the end and taken only one wound from the actual enemy. Every other injury had come from his own allies.
Who the hell can I complain to about that?
But he'd chosen this path himself. No point in whining about the consequences.
Finn relaxed considerably when he saw the two Rear Admirals hauling Shiki away in sea-stone restraints, the legendary pirate looking like a broken puppet between them. He considered walking over to say something to the Golden Lion, maybe offer some final words.
But what would he say? Sorry for helping capture you? Better luck next time?
Forget it. Let him spend his remaining years in Impel Down in relative peace.
Before Sengoku could issue further orders, several Marine medical officers rushed over with umbrellas, quickly surrounding Finn and Gion to shield them from the rain while conducting rapid injury assessments.
Gion truly was fine, just bruised ribs that would heal quickly. Finn, however, was genuinely in rough condition.
Though perhaps because he'd suffered similar injuries repeatedly over the years, and his physical conditioning had improved dramatically since North Blue, he didn't simply collapse anymore. Back then, a single stab wound would have left him unconscious from blood loss. Now, even with multiple serious injuries, he remained mobile and relatively functional.
"You two need to go to the medical facility immediately and rest for several days," Sengoku said firmly. "I have to handle the situation here, but I'll—"
"No need, Admiral," Finn interrupted. "I plan to sail with Momonga's group to Loguetown."
"Absolutely not. Your injuries—" Sengoku's tone sharpened.
"I was the one who captured Roger," Finn said, meeting the Admiral's eyes with unwavering intensity. "If I don't witness his execution with my own eyes, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
Based on current circumstances, Sengoku should have departed for Loguetown in two days. Traveling through Mary Geoise would let him enter East Blue quickly, arriving just in time for the execution. But Shiki's attack on Marineford had changed everything. The Admiral probably needed to remain at headquarters to prevent additional incidents and handle the political aftermath of capturing another legendary pirate.
But Finn had no such obligations. He wanted to see Roger's final moments, witness the end of an era with his own eyes.
Missing that scene would haunt him forever.
Seeing the determination in Finn's expression, Sengoku wanted to argue further. Finally, he sighed heavily. "Fine. I can't convince you anyway. When you arrive, tell Tsuru she has full authority over operations there. With this incident at Marineford, I have to stay and manage the fallout."
"I'm going too!" Gion added quickly.
Since Sengoku had already given up on restraining Finn despite his serious injuries, and Gion's wounds were relatively minor, he simply nodded agreement. No point fighting both of them.
"You medical officers," Sengoku addressed the surrounding doctors. "Board the ship with them and provide continuous care for Vice Admiral Finn and Rear Admiral Gion. Understood?"
"Yes, Admiral!" came the unified response.
"The rain's getting heavier," Finn observed, glancing at the darkening sky. "No time to waste. I'll recuperate aboard ship. We should depart immediately."
"Very well. But be careful." Sengoku's expression grew more serious. "Roger's execution involves the Pirate King's life. It won't be simple. Shiki went mad and attacked Marineford. I wouldn't be surprised if other dangerous individuals appear in Loguetown. Stay alert."
Finn nodded thoughtfully. Normally, with Roger being publicly executed, his legendary crew members might attempt a rescue or attack the execution platform. That would make sense.
It was reasonable for Sengoku to consider such possibilities.
But Finn knew the truth: none of Roger's crew would come. Only Shanks and Buggy would be present, saying their private goodbyes. Apart from the chaos Roger himself would deliberately incite with his final words, Loguetown would be relatively safe.
A few future notorious pirates would be in attendance, certainly. But nothing truly dangerous would occur at the execution itself.
After giving these instructions, Sengoku's expression suddenly shifted to something almost triumphant. "With Roger about to be executed and Shiki now captured, the three-way power balance in the New World has completely collapsed. Only Newgate remains, and he can't maintain control alone. I can already see our Marines sweeping across the New World, restoring true order..."
The Admiral's words weren't mere bravado. Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, while significant threats, weren't yet invincible. They were far from the unstoppable Emperors they'd become in future decades.
Roger was gone. Shiki was captured. In the New World, only Whitebeard could legitimately oppose the Marines at full strength.
The following twenty years would indeed be called the "Era of Whitebeard." He would suppress the New World single-handedly, maintaining a fragile balance through personal power alone.
Was it because the Marines lacked strength to deal with him during that period? Not exactly. In terms of pure military might, with Roger dead and Shiki imprisoned, pirate forces in the New World were relatively weak. If the Marines truly committed to capturing Newgate, it wasn't impossible.
Nobody could predict the Great Pirate Era would begin.
The entire world would suddenly descend into chaos. Thousands of ships competing, hundreds of crews vying for supremacy. The relatively stable maritime environment would vanish overnight. Everywhere you looked, across every ocean, pirates would multiply like a plague.
Even though most of these new pirates wouldn't be particularly powerful individually, they'd massively divide Marine attention and resources. The organization could no longer focus exclusively on the strategic objective of reclaiming the New World.
Marine priorities would shift from offensive operations to defensive stabilization: maintaining world order, preserving the balance of power, minimizing the Great Pirate Era's impact on the World Government and allied nations.
But that was future knowledge. Right now, Sengoku allowed himself a moment of satisfaction before turning back to his subordinates. "You've both performed admirably. Finn, the Admiral position isn't quite ready for you yet. But after Roger's execution is complete, I'll ensure you receive the title of Admiral Candidate."
During today's battle, Sengoku had thoroughly assessed Finn's capabilities. Compared to top-tier masters like Shiki, he was still slightly inferior in raw power. But he definitely possessed the ability to fight back, to compete at that level. More importantly, Finn had suppressed Shiki's greatest advantage, his mobility, almost from the battle's beginning to its end.
Even accounting for Sengoku's own presence drawing Shiki's attention, that achievement proved Finn's exceptional strength.
Granting him Admiral Candidate status was entirely appropriate.
Beyond that, techniques like Gravity Domain: Planetary Devastation and Starfall Impact demonstrated world-ending destructive potential. The deterrent value alone justified the promotion.
Assigning him as Admiral Candidate, then sending him to command a regional base to prove his leadership and administrative abilities... when he grew stronger in the future, promoting him to full Admiral would be a natural progression.
Hearing Sengoku's words, excitement surged through Finn's chest.
Not because of the Candidate title itself, but because it revealed Sengoku's genuine intentions. Before this moment, despite his confidence, Finn had harbored uncertainty about whether he could truly compete with Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino for the three Admiral positions.
But now Sengoku was explicitly grooming him for Admiral rank. That meant Finn had earned his ticket, his legitimate shot at one of those three seats.
He wasn't just a long-shot hoping for a miracle. He was a genuine contender.
"Yes, thank you, Admiral!" Finn couldn't suppress his grin.
Worth it. Every injury, every risk, absolutely worth it.
Regardless of how the Marines treated others, Finn had never faced unreasonable suppression since joining. His merit was recognized, his potential nurtured, his accomplishments rewarded. That aligned perfectly with his expectations when he'd committed to this organization years ago.
Gion, standing nearby, perked up with hopeful eyes. "Admiral, what about me? Finn's about to become an Admiral Candidate. Can I be promoted to Vice Admiral?"
"Take your time," Sengoku said evasively, though his expression remained amused. "Hahaha. These things can't be rushed."
Gion's face fell slightly, but she nodded acceptance. At least Finn's success proved the path was real, that exceptional performance truly led to advancement.
Their generation's future was bright indeed.
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