You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.p*treon.com/darkshadow6395
Marineford, southeast direction, on a certain island.
Waves surged against the shore as two battleships remained anchored nearby, their hulls rising and falling gently with the sea.
Not far away, two figures stood facing one another from over a hundred meters apart.
"I've been waiting for this battle for a very long time."
There was a trace of emotion in Sakazuki's voice. The previous coldness had suddenly vanished, replaced instead by something resembling the sigh of meeting an old rival once more.
"I heard that all these years, you've been training desperately," Kojin said calmly.
"I didn't train in order to defeat you. I trained because I understand clearly that if I want to uphold the Absolute Justice within my heart, then I must possess absolute power!" Sakazuki clenched his fist fiercely as he spoke coldly.
Scorching magma gathered around his fist, bubbling with countless crimson blisters.
Under the terrifying heat, several drops of magma splashed onto the ground, instantly burning holes of glowing molten red into the earth.
Kojin's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a trace of seriousness.
Clearly, compared to the Sakazuki he had once known, the current Sakazuki had developed the Magu Magu no Mi to an entirely new level.
Whether it was the magma's temperature or destructive power, neither could be compared to before.
His strength had already reached the true Admiral level and was currently at the peak of his life.
"It seems every one of us carries convictions we insist on protecting, and because of that, we possess the strength we have today."
Kojin sighed softly.
His right hand slowly lifted as thunder crackled around it. Black-red Haoshoku Haki flowed into his five fingers and palm.
"You seem to have had a smooth road ever since you first rose to prominence. Your strength advanced rapidly until you eventually reached the summit. Even someone like Golden Lion Shiki ultimately lost to you. You've probably never experienced a truly painful defeat, have you… Kojin?" Sakazuki suddenly said.
Kojin found it strange. He even spread his sensory field outward, enveloping the entire island, yet still failed to detect anything unusual.
"Defeat?"
"That really is a difficult question for me."
Sakazuki sneered.
"From today onward, you won't have to struggle with that question anymore!"
"It seems time has made you forget the past and it's also made you a little overconfident."
Kojin shook his head, a smile appearing on his face.
His five fingers suddenly spread open. Blue arcs of lightning rapidly gathered together under the infusion of Haoshoku Haki, forming a long serpent-like body complete with scales, twin horns, and dragon whiskers, all vividly lifelike.
As it opened its mouth, a faint dragon's roar echoed out.
"ROAR!!"
The Thunder Dragon moved at astonishing speed, arriving before Sakazuki in the blink of an eye.
Only then did Kojin's voice sound out.
"200 Million Volt: Thunder Dragon."
The battle erupted instantly.
Sakazuki let out a savage grin. Molten magma boiled upon his right fist with bubbling sounds before he suddenly threw the punch forward.
Magma and lightning collided violently, sending a shockwave rippling outward. The clash of elements resembled the collision of physical entities.
Very quickly, the Thunder Dragon vanished amidst its roaring cries. Sakazuki bent his knees slightly, and in the next second disappeared from his original position.
"Life in West Blue has been comfortable, hasn't it?"
"So comfortable that even your body has grown dull!"
His voice came from directly ahead. Immediately afterward, the surrounding temperature skyrocketed, as though the very air had ignited.
Kojin raised his head.
A magma-covered fist surged forward, boiling and expanding continuously like a living volcano erupting with endless lava.
In merely the blink of an eye, that magma fist had grown to over ten meters in size, stretching rapidly into the shape of a giant hound's head.
"Meigo - Nether Hound!!"
A deep roar sounded as Sakazuki swung the magma fist downward.
Kojin's eyes contracted as he also clenched his fist and punched forward.
BOOM!!
The large and small fists collided. In the surrounding area where the two stood, oxygen was instantly stripped away, nearly turning the space into a vacuum.
Even the rocks on the ground floated upward at that moment.
Crackle!
Bubble!
The sounds of lightning exploding and magma surging rang out simultaneously before colliding once more without mercy.
Then, barely a second later… The two figures moved again, flashing through the empty air.
Kojin raised his palm. Lightning surged forth, transforming into a dazzling and blinding pillar of thunder.
"Divine Punishment!"
The pillar of lightning shot forward instantly, but Sakazuki, standing at point-blank range, seemed to have predicted it beforehand, disappearing in an instant.
Almost immediately, he appeared at Kojin's side.
Magma churned atop his fists before he unleashed a ruthless barrage.
Bang Bang Bang Bang!!
More than a dozen magma fists blasted toward Kojin's body. Kojin crossed both arms in front of himself and was forced backward continuously by the magma punches. After four or five breaths, black smoke rose from his arms, and his sleeves had already been burned into ashes.
"It's been more than ten years, and you still haven't mastered Kenbunshoku Haki, Kojin?!"
"I heard that Goro Goro no Mi users possess the ability to sense the surrounding space through their powers. But clearly, that kind of perception is far inferior to true Kenbunshoku Haki!"
Sakazuki sneered coldly.
His body flashed once more as he leaped into the sky. His right arm suddenly expanded into a massive molten fist. Then, like a volcanic eruption, countless blazing magma fists rained downward explosively, covering an enormous area.
Kojin's pupils shrank slightly as he stared at the incoming magma barrage.
"Where did you get that information from?!"
His right fist suddenly clenched tightly as black-red lightning infused with Haoshoku Haki crackled around it.
Then he swung his fist forward.
Violent force burst through the air instantly, smashing ruthlessly into the molten magma fist overhead.
BOOM!
The magma fist shattered apart, transforming into countless meteor-like fragments that rained downward, burning countless molten craters into the surrounding ground.
"You can try guessing!"
Sakazuki's figure shifted again, appearing before Kojin in the blink of an eye.
"Inugami Guren - Dog-Biting Crimson Lotus!"
Scorching magma surged forward once again.
Kojin extended his right hand as a lightning spear intertwined into existence, tightly gripped within his palm. Then, with a sudden swing of his arm, he slashed the spear outward.
Crackle!
Lightning exploded forth, striking the incoming magma attack head-on.
Lightning and magma collided violently, creating a terrifying spectacle that scorched the surrounding ground into charred wastelands.
In the next instant, thunder flashed within Kojin's eyes as his figure suddenly vanished, appearing before Sakazuki almost instantly.
BUZZ!!
Violent Haoshoku Haki burst outward, crashing toward the man ahead.
Black-red lightning infused itself around the lightning spear, causing the weapon to emit a fierce humming vibration.
"No matter where you got that information from… There's one thing I need to remind you of!"
Black-red lightning exploded wildly across the spear, becoming dazzlingly bright as halo-like radiance spread around it.
Then Kojin brought the spear crashing downward in a sweeping strike.
The black-red lightning descended with horrifying force.
Below him, Sakazuki raised his fist to meet the attack, but in merely an instant, his expression changed drastically. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth as his body rapidly transformed into magma, retreating backward.
BUZZ!!
The ground collapsed at that moment, sinking into a massive crater.
Kojin landed heavily with both feet and stared ahead at Sakazuki, whose humanoid form was reforming from the magma.
Coldly, he spoke.
"The fact that you've grown stronger… Doesn't mean I've been standing still as well!"
As his words fell, his figure shot forward again, black-red Haoshoku lightning crackling around him.
After spinning several times above his head, the lightning spear ruthlessly thrust toward the newly reformed Sakazuki in an instant.
Sakazuki's expression changed dramatically as he elementalized in advance.
Puchi! Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!
A series of piercing sounds rang out. Sakazuki gritted his teeth fiercely as his magma-coated fists simultaneously smashed toward Kojin without mercy.
Bang bang bang bang bang!!
The magma fists exploded against Kojin's face, chest, abdomen, and shoulders, blooming like crimson flowers while waves of impact rippled outward.
Amid flickering lightning, the damaged and sunken portions of Kojin's body slowly regenerated.
Both men frowned, but soon their eyes sharpened once more.
Neither changed tactics nor did they intentionally evade.
Their attacks continuously crashed toward one another. Those that could be dodged were avoided. Those that could not be avoided were countered with elementalization.
And for attacks that even elementalization couldn't keep up with, they simply chose to endure them head-on.
In mere moments, wounds had already appeared on Sakazuki's body.
The scorching lightning had burned his clothes into ashes, leaving a charred black mark across his neck.
Meanwhile, Kojin's shoulder bore severe burn injuries.
"You really have become much stronger!" Kojin bared his teeth in laughter. "Only someone like this is worthy of me getting serious!"
In the next second, his figure leapt high into the air, floating above the battlefield.
Then he pulled both hands apart.
With a thunderous rumble, half the sky behind him became covered in vast quantities of lightning.
A gigantic tree formed entirely of blazing thunder emerged, countless branches spreading outward from it.
"1.2 Billion Volt…"
"Discharge!"
A low voice echoed out.
Immediately afterward, dense torrents of lightning blasted downward toward Sakazuki below.
Lightning poured down like rain. The entire island resembled a raging thunderstorm as countless bolts targeted Sakazuki.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Bolt after bolt struck the figure below, who had raised both arms defensively, turning the ground pitch-black and igniting clusters of fire.
Sakazuki was forced backward continuously amidst the thunderstorm, roaring furiously as electric burns constantly appeared across his body.
The electricity even numbed his entire body and caused his consciousness to waver.
The Goro Goro no Mi truly deserved its title as one of the fruits with the strongest offensive power. Its destructive force was in no way inferior to his Magu Magu no Mi.
In fact, the man before him had developed it to an even more terrifying degree.
The fine electric currents were even affecting the transmission of signals within the human nervous system.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
Sakazuki roared loudly.
Facing the overwhelming pressure of the lightning storm, he suddenly raised both fists.
Gurgle! Gurgle!
Magma surged wildly as his entire body seemed to incarnate into a volcano, unleashing its hottest and most destructive eruption.
"Ryusei Kazan - Meteor Volcano!!"
An enormous number of molten magma fists roared toward Kojin in the sky, resembling a daytime meteor shower of terrifying scale.
In an instant, Kojin also came under immense pressure. Unlike before, the current Sakazuki's attacks could no longer be ignored. Any direct hit would leave genuine wounds.
The two of them had practically become engulfed in each other's attacks.
Suddenly, from the shadows, a voice abruptly sounded.
"It's time to make our move, isn't it?"
"This is the perfect opportunity!"
"Sakazuki's restraint has been extremely effective. He's created the ideal chance for us!"
(End of Chapter)