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That kick came down ruthlessly across Sakazuki's waist, instantly sending him flying several thousand meters away.
The very next second, another figure shot forward and swung a chain that pierced his back.
"Pfft!"
It was actually a Seastone chain with hooked clasps that pierced the surface of his body and locked onto his ribs.
Kojin's body trembled violently. Madness filled his face as he suddenly turned around.
"Bang!"
Black-and-red lightning exploded outward. He tilted his head back towards the sky before whipping it forward like a hammer and smashing it ruthlessly into Topman Warcury's forehead.
The latter groaned as his body was blasted away like a cannon shell; the bone in his forehead cracked with a 'ka-cha' sound.
Another figure swung a blade, slashing down at his head with ruthless force.
Kojin's eyes turned ice-cold as he raised his right leg.
"Boom!"
His leg, wrapped in black-and-red lightning, collided with Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's blade, sending out a massive shockwave.
Immediately afterwards, the ground beneath Kojin began to collapse layer by layer, with ripples spreading outwards like waves.
But the assault was far from over as yet another figure charged in.
Kojin raised his head and let out a beast-like roar.
"ROAR!"
At that moment, he had gone completely mad!
Even his severed forearm had become a weapon. Blood sprayed wildly from the stump as black-and-red lightning shook the void, colliding ruthlessly with the opponent's fist.
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter's pupils contracted. Feeling the hot blood splashing across his face, he froze momentarily in place.
He had never seen a man with such an overwhelming fighting spirit before.
"This monster!!!"
At that moment, the others were all shaken.
But only for an instant. Soon, the look in their eyes grew even colder.
If they failed to suppress this enemy completely here and now, he would undoubtedly become a mad beast capable of overturning everything in the future.
The world simply could not tolerate the continued existence of such a lunatic.
Even if they could not kill or seal him permanently, as long as they could buy ten, or even eight, years, they would be able to regain control of the situation.
"We absolutely cannot let him escape this time! Otherwise, there will never be another chance to capture him!" Saint Jaygarcia Saturn roared.
The Gorōsei themselves had also gone mad. They felt terrifying pressure from Kojin.
They had spent years tracing countless threads just to find Kojin's weakness and formulate the perfect plan against him.
Yet even after putting it into action, they still felt immense pressure and encountered endless difficulties.
The carefully trained Devil Fruit user they had prepared was rendered completely useless when Kojin blew their head off with a kick in the very first instant.
The frenzied battle had begun.
It was a battle utterly unequal in terms of both strength and numbers.
Kojin's legs were bound by Seastone shackles. Both his arms had been severed. Even his shoulder blades had been pierced and locked with Seastone chains.
Pain assailed his body at every moment.
Yet he still fought desperately, his eyes blood-red as he entered the fiercest battle of his life.
The Gorōsei launched attack after attack without pause, not daring to give him the slightest chance to catch his breath.
"If he dies and revives, then all our efforts in this battle will be wasted!"
"We cannot give him any time to recover!"
The five of them understood this clearly, their eyes icy cold.
Kojin alone fought against all five. Shockwaves erupted endlessly across the desolate island. Even the sky itself seemed to turn blood-red.
He used his legs and head as weapons, as well as his severed arms.
This was an unimaginably brutal battle for Kojin, forcing beast-like growls from his throat again and again.
Pain, madness, and fury were intertwined in his head.
The pace of combat was unbelievable.
Kojin's stamina was being consumed at a terrifying rate. Scalding white steam rose from his entire body, his flesh resembling red-hot steel being tempered and plunged into cold water thousands of times.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The six-man battle raged on, their figures flashing ceaselessly across the battlefield as craters collapsed, one after another, into the ground.
Kojin often had to face the combined attacks of three or four opponents simultaneously. Those he could not evade, he endured head-on.
"Be careful not to kill him!"
"Bind him with Seastone chains!"
"That's the best weapon against him!"
The five continued to communicate as they rapidly coordinated their movements.
Hundreds of exchanges were completed within mere minutes. Wounds began to appear all over Kojin's body, and his chest and back were repeatedly pierced by chains.
The enemies before him were incomparably cunning. None of them targeted fatal points; instead, every attack focused on areas that would most effectively hinder his mobility.
Moments later, Sakazuki rejoined the battle with his head covered in blood.
Trapped in a desperate fight to the death, Kojin fought alone against six people.
In such a situation, he would rather die. But clearly, his enemies would never allow him that chance.
If they succeeded, the fate awaiting him would be even more painful than death itself.
Perhaps it would be endless sealing and imprisonment.
The fierce battle raged on relentlessly. Even the sweat pouring from Kojin's body was instantly evaporated into white vapor by the tremendous heat generated from the combat.
One could easily imagine just how intense this battle truly was.
Of all the battles Kojin had faced since arriving in this world, this was the most dangerous.
…
Marineford.
Sengoku, who had been in the middle of his inauguration speech, suddenly raised his head and looked toward the southeast.
"Whoooooosh!"
Violent winds swept across the area, forcing everyone in Marineford to shut their eyes.
An oppressive, solemn pressure filled the air, making people's hearts race and causing dizziness.
Sengoku could even see the Marines in the back rows below him swaying, clearly on the verge of collapse.
"Could Kojin and Sakazuki's battle really reach this level?"
Doubt rose in Sengoku's heart.
Very quickly, he saw the southeastern sky turn black and crimson with violent lightning flashing and interweaving across it.
Then, he sensed five other complex and indescribable presences.
"Strange… why are there other auras as well?" Sengoku froze for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, however, he saw Garp, who had been seated near the front of the crowd, suddenly stand up. His square face was already filled with gravity.
At almost the same moment, Sengoku's own expression changed drastically and his face became extremely ugly.
"The meeting ends here!"
Taking a deep breath, he shouted in a low voice.
The instant he finished speaking, he strode rapidly towards Garp.
"Something happened on Kojin's side!" The moment the two met, Garp spoke up immediately.
"We'll go take a look together!" Sengoku replied heavily.
Garp nodded, deep worry and anxiety flashing through his eyes.
"Hey, the appointment ceremony for the Fleet Admiral is such an important event, and you're ending it this carelessly?"
"Sengoku, you're actually joining Garp in this madness too?"
At this moment, another figure walked up behind them.
"Tsuru Chan! Now isn't the time for jokes." Garp said solemnly.
"I know that very well. That's exactly why I'm coming with you." Vice Admiral Tsuru replied in a deep voice.
Sengoku and Garp were both startled. After exchanging glances, faint smiles appeared amidst their otherwise serious expressions.
"And me too!" Another figure strode forward, a man with short purple hair.
It was former Admiral Zephyr.
"Don't forget, I'm that brat's teacher too!"
Seeing the looks in their eyes, Zephyr spoke in a deep voice.
After a brief exchange, the four quickened their pace and headed toward the harbor.
A short while later, they boarded a battleship, passed through the Gates of Justice, and sailed toward the southeast.
...
On the desolate island in the southeast… The battle was still continuing.
Kojin's stamina was clearly draining at terrifying speed, and even his skin had already turned red.
"The outcome has already been decided, Kojin!"
"Is failure truly that hard for you to accept?"
"You won't get another chance. After capturing you, we have plenty of methods to keep you immortal while also rendering you completely harmless."
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter said coldly.
Facing a monster that could not be killed, they had held countless discussions.
In the end, they reached two conclusions.
Either they would use overwhelming force to sever his limbs and seal his abilities with Seastone… preferably leaving him unable even to commit suicide… Or they would suppress him completely with absolute strength, defeat him once and for all, and then negotiate with him so that he would disappear from the world and never act again.
No matter how powerful a person was, there were limits.
Everyone had weaknesses and soft spots.
Though Kojin was called a monster, he was still human. He had subordinates, an enormous personal faction, and deeply bonded friends.
There were many ways to deal with him.
But the prerequisite for all of it was to truly defeat him at least once and that was clearly the hardest part.
"You can't kill me! So I will always have another chance! I can make countless mistakes, while all of you can only afford to fail once!" Kojin said coldly.
He was breathing violently now, his chest feeling as though it were about to explode.
The high-intensity battle was rapidly draining both his stamina and mental energy, while the severe injuries covering his body had become an enormous burden.
The Gorōsei frowned.
'What he said was correct.'
But at this point, they no longer had many choices left.
"Your actions have already crossed our absolute bottom line! Now tell us where Vegapunk is hiding, and where you concealed those Ohara scholars!" Topman Warcury said in a deep voice.
Vegapunk's importance to the World Government was self-evident.
As for the scholars of Ohara, they absolutely had to die.
"Ohara's scholars?"
"They already died beneath the cannon fire of the Buster Call. You of all people should know that best. Maybe if you search through Ohara's ruins, you'll still find their ashes. As for Vegapunk, I have no idea what you're talking about." Kojin sneered.
"Even now, you still insist on pretending?"
"Kojin!"
"Our people already investigated Ohara's original site. Those ruins no longer exist at all. And according to our information, Golden Lion Shiki also died at your hands."
"Combining that with everything that happened afterward, we arrived at a shocking conclusion. There's a very high possibility that you also possess the powers of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi!"
"Was this accomplished through Vegapunk's research?"
Topman Warcury said coldly.
Beside him, Sakazuki, his face covered in blood, stared at Kojin in utter shock, his heart filled with disbelief.
A dual Devil Fruit user?!
(End of Chapter)