Wealth, power, and fame.
No matter the world, they were dreams men spent their entire lives chasing.
And in this world of the great sea, strength was the foundation needed to obtain them all.
With strength, one could gain everything.
Only the victor could represent justice. That was the unchanging law of this world.
And on this chaotic sea, Admiral Sengoku, who represented the Marines' highest combat power, was undoubtedly one of the people standing at the very peak of the world.
In the legends of this era, the only ones capable of surpassing him were the three great pirates, Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki, as well as his colleague, Navy Hero Garp.
The weak were weak in different ways, but the strong all arrived at strength by similar paths.
A body powerful enough to be called a monster, a will so firm it could not be broken, and the power of a Devil Fruit worthy of being called divine.
This was the strength possessed by Sengoku the Buddha, the man known as one of the Marines' highest combat powers.
Under the shockwave unleashed at full strength by that giant golden Buddha, Yemu's proud Haki began to scatter rapidly like the ice and snow of Freezing Hell. The golden impact instantly swallowed Yemu whole.
What did Yemu feel at that moment?
Pain.
Terrible pain.
He felt as if every inch of his skin were being torn apart.
Under that overwhelming force, using all his strength just to hold his ground already seemed to be his limit.
Even more unbelievably, the powerful impact tore straight through the defenses of his body and rushed inside him.
In that instant, he could clearly feel the blood in his body surging up his throat, about to spill out.
But…
Amid the deafening roar, wrapped in the golden shockwave, Yemu looked impossibly small compared to that massive golden Buddha, as if he might be crushed at any moment.
Yet at that moment, excitement appeared on his face, and he struggled to speak.
"So this is the power of the Marines' highest combat power…"
"!!!"
Sengoku, transformed into the giant golden Buddha, suddenly widened his eyes.
"He actually withstood my full-power attack… What kind of joke is this? He's only a mere evil pirate…"
Driven by rage, Sengoku's power erupted once again.
The range of the shockwave visibly expanded, and the golden light grew even more brilliant.
But just then, Sengoku sensed something, and his previously composed face instantly filled with disbelief.
"Impossible…"
Sengoku's cry drew everyone's attention.
Then they saw an unbelievable sight.
Within the world engulfed by the golden shockwave, the Haki wrapped around Yemu, which had been steadily dispersed by Sengoku's attack, had actually stopped collapsing.
"How is that possible…"
At that moment, a pitch-black aura suddenly spread outward from Yemu's body, expanding through the golden world around him. Along with it came an extremely ominous feeling, as well as a sound like a heart beating, thump after thump.
Sengoku's pupils shrank sharply.
Because he could clearly feel that this power was far too familiar to him.
Not far away, Shiki also stopped his attack and stared excitedly at Yemu at the center of the battlefield.
"This feeling of Haki… There's no mistake… It's the same as that Conqueror's Haki from earlier… It feels like that bastard Rocks…"
Just then, Yemu, who had only been struggling to withstand Sengoku the Buddha's shockwave, suddenly swelled with power as the muscles across his body bulged. His voice rang out at the same time.
"You wanted to know what my relationship with Rocks is, didn't you, Admiral Sengoku!"
That question made Sengoku feel a clear sense of unease.
"Unfortunately, I can't give you an answer to that question. But…"
"I can let you experience Rocks's power again."
"What!"
Under Sengoku's shocked gaze, the pitch-black aura erupting from Yemu's body began spinning rapidly around him, gathering over his body.
With his powerful Observation Haki, Sengoku could clearly sense that this Haki was completely different from Yemu's own. Instead, just as Yemu had said, it was the power of the man he had once known, the most dangerous criminal in the world without question.
The power of a man named Rocks.
And with the appearance of that Haki, Yemu defended against Sengoku's shockwave and fully stabilized himself beneath the golden impact.
So…
"Now it's my turn to counterattack."
Sengoku's expression changed drastically.
"Don't be ridiculous… I won't give you that chance!"
As soon as he spoke, he swung out his other Buddha palm without the slightest hesitation. The golden shockwave instantly doubled in force as it surged toward Yemu.
Boom.
At that moment, all of Impel Down began to shake violently, as if it might collapse at any moment.
But at the very center of the attack, within the golden shockwave, a pitch-black shockwave appeared as well.
It came from Yemu, who had also raised both palms, forming a shockwave through the outward release of his Haki.
At first, that shockwave was small, barely enough to protect Yemu's body.
But as time passed, it grew larger and larger, until finally, it stood on equal footing with Sengoku's.
In the vast world of ice and snow, the dazzling golden shockwave and the pitch-black shockwave destroyed everything in their path, shooting straight into the sky and drawing everyone's gaze.
"Hey, hey, hey, this is way too scary."
Borsalino looked both flustered and astonished.
"How long has it been? And he can already fight Admiral Sengoku?"
Shiki, standing nearby, was also stunned. Then his expression turned serious.
At that moment, the power Yemu displayed had already reached a level where even Shiki himself might stumble if he was careless.
"A real monster, huh… Rocks D. Xebec, you really did leave this world one hell of a surprise…"
But the one who found this the hardest to accept was Sengoku, the other side of the battle.
"Impossible… What kind of monster is this guy…? He actually blocked my attack…"
Sengoku's shockwave was not an ordinary shockwave. It was an attack fused with his powerful Armament Haki.
And he had not held back at all. He had even unleashed power beyond his usual limits.
If Roger, Whitebeard, or Shiki had blocked that strike, he could have understood it. But now it had been blocked by Yemu, who was still so young.
That meant the future potential hidden within Yemu had already surpassed everyone on this sea.
"In that case, I definitely can't let you leave this place."
As Sengoku spoke, the golden palm of the Buddha clenched into a fist, wrapped in pitch-black Haki. Black lightning crackled across it.
This was the power of the truly strong who stood at the peak of this world, a power only a true emperor above all kings could use.
"Conqueror's Haki coating…"
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