"Cough... You madman!"
As the smoke from the explosion cleared, the Redfield emerged from the lava pool, his composure shattered. His clothes hung in tatters, burned away, leaving scorch marks riddling his body. The wounds weren't as dire as Sakazuki's, but that reckless assault had left him battered.
"Overturn the Seas!"
Before the Redfield could recover, his Observation Haki picked up the roar of an oncoming tsunami at his back.
Boom!
He whipped around, sword raised in haste, coating it just in time with Armament Haki. Ross, channeling his power from on high, brought Poseidon's Trident crashing down like the weight of an endless ocean.
Clang!
The weapons collided, shockwaves rippling outward. The Redfield, caught off guard, couldn't hold against the prepared strike. The force buckled his knees, forcing a spray of blood from his mouth as he dropped to the ground.
Damn it...
Rage flickered in the Redfield's eyes. If not for that lunatic Sakazuki trading blows like a berserker, he wouldn't be in this mess. At least he could've stalled until reinforcements arrived.
Fine then... let's end this.
Madness ignited in his gaze. As Ross raised the trident for another swing, the Redfield abandoned defense. He cloaked his body in a thin layer of Armament Haki and hefted his staff-sword, now wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, aiming straight for Ross's torso.
Come on!
"Trading wounds again? Or a desperate lunge to buy time?" Ross saw the ploy but pressed on undeterred. He skipped Armament Haki entirely and drove the trident down with full force.
Slash! Slash!
Blood erupted in twin arcs from their chests. The staff-sword carved deep into Ross's abdomen. Poseidon's Trident ripped a jagged gash from the Redfield's shoulder to his gut.
"You've got spine! Hahaha! A freak among Celestial Dragons, that's what you are."
The Redfield laughed through the agony, ignoring his own pain. He'd banked on Ross either matching the trade or pulling back to defend. Either way, he'd adapt. Deep down, though, he'd expected retreat from such a pampered noble.
Wrong call. This "rich kid" Celestial Dragon was all in, spilling his blood for the Redfield's. An honor, in a twisted way—for the pirate.
Boom!
Conqueror's Haki burst from the Redfield again, a reminder this was war. But he'd lost it, teetering on the edge of frenzy.
"Meigo!"
Sakazuki, shaking off his wounds, barreled in from behind. The Redfield ignored the threat, doubling down on Ross. He'd take Celestial Dragon blood over a Marine Admiral's any day.
"Hahaha, Saint Jaygarcia Ross! Join me in the underworld!"
"It'd be an honor to cross blades with you, Patrick Redfield. But the afterlife? Can't swing that." Ross grinned, his Devil Fruit mending his flesh as he gripped the trident tighter and lunged.
Celestial Dragons might prefer thrones, but on the battlefield, Ross craved the thrill of mortal stakes. True highs demanded real risks. Clashing with legends like this? It was everything he'd dreamed.
Slash!
The Redfield went all-out, no holds barred. He thrust his left arm into the trident's path, sacrificing it to clear the way. The blade sheared clean, his limb thudding to the earth. But it worked—his right hand's staff-sword followed through, lopping off Ross's left arm and stabbing into his right chest.
At that instant, Sakazuki's Magma Fist hammered home, punching a gaping hole through the Redfield's heart.
"What a shame! But costing you an arm? That's my victory, Saint Ross! Hahaha!"
The Redfield's head snapped back in wild laughter, his last Conqueror's Haki exploding outward: "Saint Ross, etch this in stone! I, Patrick Redfield, Red the Aloof, crippled your shot at the top!"
Losing an arm? It'd derail any Celestial Dragon's climb to power. For the Redfield, that sealed his legacy.
"That right? Then I'll claim your life in trade."
Ross, facing the spent pirate, swung Poseidon's Trident with gentle precision. Armament Haki flared, severing the Redfield's neck and snuffing out his spark.
[S-rank kill confirmed!]
[Strength +5 million]
[Special reward: Advanced Conqueror's Haki]
Even titans like the Redfield could cling to life with a ruined heart—but not forever. His corpse slumped amid the lava flows, burns charring his skin, chest caved in, left arm gone, throat laid open. Till the end, he'd schemed to drag Ross down.
"Redfield... You're wrong on one count."
Ross chuckled, waving his right hand. Seawater swirled, carrying his severed arm back to reconnect seamlessly with his body. A broken limb was child's play for him; a short breather, and he'd be whole.
Still, the Redfield's tenacity—pushing them this far, choosing death over surrender—earned respect. A true powerhouse.
"Sakazuki, you were brilliant out there. Back home, I'll push the Five Elders to name you Fleet Admiral."
Ross turned to the admiral with genuine praise. Sakazuki's credit was huge in ending this fast. His savage trades had goaded the Redfield into suicidal fury. Without that, they'd have waited for Zephyr's backup—safer, sure, but missing the raw rush of the fight.
"Pirates die by my hand. That's all."
Sakazuki's voice rasped as he patched his wounds, but his eyes burned with thrill. First legend felled, and he wasn't superhuman—just determined. With enough Marines like him and Ross, pirates were done.
His face hardened. He dropped to one knee before the grinning Ross, voice gravelly: "Saint Ross, give me the power to eradicate them all."
As an Admiral, Sakazuki knew the real barrier: politics. Only Ross fought beside him, shared his fire. Only Ross could make it happen.
"The power to end pirates?"
Ross's smile widened as he clapped Sakazuki's shoulder. "Sakazuki... from here on, there are none left to end."
—