No one had ever said such things to Sengoku before.
When he was young, he had lived entirely within the Marines, spending every day on the road hunting down pirates.
After reaching middle age and rising to a high position, he had gradually become unable to change his stance and look at things from a pirate's perspective.
Especially after becoming an Admiral, the interests of the Marines and the World Government had come to matter more to him than anything else.
The reason was simple. In the world as he saw it, the order established by the Marines and the World Government was the ultimate reason this world had remained stable for so many years despite the rampages of pirates.
That was why he was willing to do whatever it took to preserve the order he believed to be right, even if it meant making certain sacrifices.
This was what he called the Justice of Dominating the World.
But at this moment, the justice he had always believed in and taken pride in had been torn to shreds by Yemu.
Why were there so many pirates in this world?
It was not as though Sengoku had never wondered about it.
The Marines had clearly worked so hard to crack down on pirates, so why were there still more and more of them, as if they could never be caught no matter what? Especially now, with the Great Pirate Era Roger had begun, waves of pirates set out to sea one after another, and the Marines were utterly powerless to stop them.
What was it all for?
Roger's treasure?
That seemed like a reason.
But it could not explain why pirates kept appearing endlessly.
Sengoku had vaguely guessed the answer, but he could not bring himself to believe it.
Because if that answer existed, it would overturn the order he had always believed in and the justice he had always upheld.
In the end, he could only decide that pirates were born from humanity's innate evil, an evil that could never be erased. All he could do was remove, as much as possible, the factors that might influence that evil in people.
People like Roger, Whitebeard, Shiki the Golden Lion, and Yemu standing before him now.
Perhaps, just as Yemu had said, this was his disguise.
But at this moment, Yemu had ripped that disguise apart.
In the world of ice and snow, the only sound breaking the silence was Shiki's cold voice.
"How pathetic, Sengoku…"
Indeed, Sengoku looked utterly wretched at that moment.
As an Admiral, a powerhouse representing the previous era, he was now being humiliated by a boy decades younger than him.
Not only had the justice he took pride in been reduced to nothing, even the existence of the Marines had been denied.
But…
"Don't underestimate me, Shiki…"
Beneath Sengoku's dark expression came a low voice, accompanied by the Buddha's hand he raised high, shining with golden light.
"Why there are so many pirates. Perhaps I cannot give you an answer to that question. But there is one thing I do know."
At that moment, Sengoku looked firmly at Yemu and roared in anger.
"No matter what arguments you make, I am a Marine, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with me arresting pirates."
"Pirate Yemu, today, you are staying here!"
Boom.
The golden palm swung out, and a massive shockwave came crashing down toward Yemu.
Looking at the incoming Buddha's shockwave, disappointment flashed in Yemu's eyes.
"You're still running away, Sengoku. Fine. Then let me see just how strong your justice really is!"
"Demon Bind: Nine Dragon Inferno Garment: Nine Dragons Possession!"
As Yemu raised his fist high, nine black-and-red fire dragons gathered toward it. Facing the incoming Buddha's shockwave, he threw his punch with all his might.
Boom.
In an instant, within the world of ice and snow, the black-and-red aura collided with the golden shockwave. The enormous force turned into ripples that surged outward in every direction, passing through Impel Down's thick, solid walls and spreading into the surrounding sea, drawing the attention of countless colossal Sea Kings.
Not far away, Shiki watched Yemu and Sengoku as their battle began.
The smile on his face gradually turned cruel as he looked at the people before him.
"Shihahaha! Normally, I have no interest in killing the weak. But since I'm in a very bad mood right now, I'll use you to collect a little interest from the Marines and the World Government."
As soon as he said that, the expressions of Borsalino, Magellan, and Shiryu all changed.
"How scary. Is he getting serious now?"
Borsalino knew that he alone could never hold off Shiki, so he turned his gaze to the other three.
"You must be Director Nicholas, Deputy Director Magellan, and Chief Warden Shiryu. From here on, the four of us will need to work together. Otherwise, against a monster like this, we really might die."
Shiryu was the first to step forward. With a hint of excitement, he swung his treasured sword, Thunderstorm.
"Leave the main attack to me. I've wanted to know what it feels like to cut off the head of a great pirate like this."
"Then I'll restrict his movements!"
Magellan fully unleashed the power of the Doku Doku no Mi, and the Venom Demon appeared once more.
Seeing this, Nicholas suddenly retreated sharply and said without any explanation, "Magellan, Shiryu, I'll leave this place to you!"
All three of them were stunned, especially Borsalino.
"A deserter already?"
Unfortunately…
"What a pity."
With speed almost like teleportation, Shiki appeared in Nicholas's path and swung a slash.
"I promised that brat I wouldn't let you leave my sight."
Nicholas's arm was severed in an instant, and thick green liquid flowed from the wound.
At the sight, everyone froze. Shiryu even thought to himself with a contemplative look, Is a Celestial Dragon's blood green?
But that no longer mattered.
Borsalino also seemed to realize something as he glanced at Nicholas's severed arm, then spoke in a strange tone.
"Looks like running won't work. In that case, leave the sky to me. I won't let him escape."
At this point, Borsalino looked toward Sengoku and Yemu, who were facing off not far away.
"I hope we live long enough to see that."
...
Woooo.
A sound like a steam whistle echoed throughout Impel Down.
It was the sound of friction produced by Sengoku, transformed into the Buddha, clashing against Yemu's Haki in his Nine Dragons Possession state.
"What is this…"
Sengoku stared at Yemu, who had actually blocked his Buddha's shockwave, his face full of disbelief.
"This boy has already grown to this extent? And this Haki technique…"
To the naked eye, streams of black Haki erupted from Yemu's body, flowing like liquid as they wound around him, covering his body before finally gathering around his fist.
The sight reminded Sengoku of the Haki technique unique to the country of Wano, known as Ryuo.
If that was all, it would be one thing. But what exactly was that red energy?
The power of the Mera Mera no Mi?
No, it did not look like that. This was not pure flame. It was more like heat.
Sure enough, this boy had far too many secrets.
And precisely because of that, no matter what, Sengoku could not let him leave this place again.
With that thought, Sengoku no longer hesitated and unleashed the full strength of his body.
In an instant, the golden shockwave bore down on Yemu with crushing force, swallowing him completely.
"It ends here, Yemu. Your journey as a pirate ends here."
***
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