At Marine Headquarters, Marineford
All officers ranked Rear Admiral and above, along with Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the Marine hero Monkey D. Garp, were gathered anxiously in the war room. Through Big News Morgans' exclusive broadcast, they watched the entire life-and-death battle between Admiral Sakazuki and Buggy.
"Why hasn't the Den Den Mushi signal been cut yet? The whole world is watching the Marines make fools of themselves!"
The Marines were the most powerful military force on the seas, yet in intelligence they still relied heavily on the World Government. They had countless expendable soldiers, but true specialists were extremely rare.
Take Morgans' broadcast, for example—despite the chaos of such a dangerous battlefield, the signal remained uninterrupted. The footage was crystal clear across the entire world. Meanwhile, the Marines couldn't even achieve the same with their own surveillance Den Den Mushi. It was downright humiliating.
"No one expected that brat Akainu would struggle this much…"
Even in such a serious setting, Garp had no mood for jokes. Watching one of their Admirals locked in a dead-even battle with a pirate—he didn't even feel like eating his beloved rice crackers anymore.
"Borsalino is the fastest in the Marines. I've already sent him to reinforce Sakazuki. Who would've thought a pirate from the East Blue would require two Admirals from headquarters?"
Since the God Valley Incident, the Marines had dominated pirates across the world—especially outside the New World. Could that balance really collapse under Sengoku's watch?
The East Blue had long been called the weakest sea. Much of that was thanks to Garp, who would return to his hometown of Foosha Village every year and casually sweep through the region's pirates. Later, Smoker's presence in Loguetown made entering the Grand Line even harder for East Blue crews.
And yet, ironically, it was in this very sea that a pirate capable of fighting an Admiral had emerged.
Buggy hadn't just humiliated Smoker—he had also slapped the face of the Marine hero himself. Decades of effort, undone in a single broadcast.
"Sengoku, let me go back to the East Blue. I'll end this mess personally."
Garp wanted to handle two things: eliminate Buggy—and bring his grandson Monkey D. Luffy back. Before the mysterious "sky screen" appeared, things might've still been manageable. But now, the world was slipping into chaos.
Garp could feel it—a storm was coming. Too many things were spiraling out of control. If Luffy wasn't kept close, he might not be able to protect him.
"Vice Admiral Garp, headquarters needs you here. We've just received intelligence—Red-Haired Shanks is meeting with Whitebeard. A potential alliance between two Emperors cannot be ignored."
Sengoku couldn't let his old friend act on impulse this time. They had to protect not only Marineford, but also nearby key locations like Enies Lobby.
"Not good—Admiral Akainu is in danger!"
"That's impossible. Sakazuki cannot lose!"
Amid the heated discussion, all eyes returned to the live broadcast.
At the Loguetown Marine base—
The entire battlefield was now covered in magma. For anyone else, there wouldn't even be a place to stand—but Buggy remained completely unharmed.
The Chop-Chop Fruit's decomposition ability constantly surrounded his body. Even the magma beneath his feet was split apart, unable to harm him in the slightest—though maintaining it steadily drained his stamina.
In contrast, Sakazuki moved like a fish in water. He swam through the sea of magma, constantly engaging Buggy in close combat, searching for openings in his Devil Fruit ability. With an Admiral's endurance, he could keep fighting for days.
The elite Marines had already retreated to warships. The surviving members of Buggy's crew had fled into Loguetown for safety. Both sides could only watch helplessly from afar.
"Maybe we should just call you the 'Strongest Creature.' You've taken so many of my Divine Split punches and still managed to stand."
Even when forced to tank attacks coated in Conqueror's Haki, Sakazuki endured every blow. Though his internal injuries were severe, he continued fighting—a true monster.
"Your splitting ability isn't without limits. Every time you unleash a powerful move, there's a delay. That gap is getting longer… and your stamina is running out. The moment you can't use that power anymore—that's when you die."
Sakazuki's combat instinct was terrifying. He had already identified the weakness of Buggy's ability. Though it seemed invincible, it consumed massive stamina—making it a fatal flaw.
"I didn't expect you to figure that out. As expected of a Marine Admiral… looks like I'll have to get serious."
The power of the Chop-Chop Fruit surged through Buggy's body. He would now show Sakazuki the true strength of an awakened Devil Fruit.
"Let's see how many moves you've got left—Great Eruption!"
A crude but overwhelming attack—like a volcanic explosion—spewed massive amounts of magma, aiming to exhaust Buggy.
"Devil Fruit Awakening—True Chop!"
In an instant, the terrifying attack split the magma apart.
Sakazuki coated his entire body in advanced Armament Haki, trying to resist the splitting force—
"Not good… that's impossible!"
For the first time, his defense failed completely.
Even Haki itself… was split apart.
Stripped of his protection, Sakazuki turned his body into magma to resist—but what came next was a massive, blackened fist.
"Divine Split!"
With his height advantage, Buggy's right fist smashed into Sakazuki's head—coated in top-tier Conqueror's Haki and advanced Armament. With Sakazuki's defenses broken, the blow drove him straight into the ground.
The punch shattered the Marine base—sending the Logia Admiral crashing into the sea.
Let him struggle with the ocean now.
If this had been Marineford, Sakazuki might've used magma to tunnel back. But the ground here was thin—he had no chance to recover.
"Looks like… I win! Hahaha!"
Standing victorious, Buggy laughed wildly.
Through Morgans' broadcast, the scene spread across the entire world.
A Marine Admiral… had been defeated by a pirate.
A world-shaking event.
-----------------------◇ Bonus Chapter Rewards◇--------------------------
◇ Every 10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ You can read 60 chapters ahead on Patreon if you're interested:
patreon.com/Sanam123
Your support helps the story grow and motivates faster updates.