The black blade of lightning tore across the sky.
"Kamisari."
The name alone seemed to split the heavens.
The slash did not roar like a cannon. It did not blaze like fire. It simply arrived—a streak of black lightning wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, cutting through air and sea alike.
On the Marine battleship Issho, Admiral Fujitora moved instantly.
"Gravity Blade: Raging Tiger!"
He drew his cane sword in a smooth arc. Violet gravity condensed along its edge, compressing space itself into a crushing horizontal wave.
The gravitational wall surged outward, bending the sea beneath it, forcing the air to groan under pressure.
The two forces collided.
For a heartbeat, it seemed as if gravity itself would swallow the slash.
Then the black lightning slipped through.
Not by brute force.
By dominance.
The Conqueror's Haki infusion did not behave like an ordinary attack. It did not simply meet resistance—it overwhelmed will.
The violet gravity shuddered.
And the slash passed through.
The Marine warship split.
Wood, steel, and deck planks shattered as though struck by divine judgment. The hull fractured along the line of impact, splintering apart in a violent cascade of debris.
Marines cried out as the ship lurched.
Fujitora gritted his teeth.
He slammed his sword downward, gravity flaring wildly. The falling fragments slowed midair, suspended by invisible force.
He redirected the broken hull pieces into floating platforms, holding the Marines aloft above the sea.
Even in destruction, he preserved life.
Across the world, screens trembled.
The News Coo struggled to maintain focus as shockwaves rippled through the air.
The image blurred.
The feed flickered—
And went dark.
Far away, agents of the World Government smashed into Morgan's broadcast facilities, destroying Den Den Mushi relays one after another.
But Morgan himself had already fled.
Ink-stained and exhilarated, he was personally overseeing the printing presses.
Tomorrow's newspapers would ignite the seas.
Marine Headquarters – Sengoku's Office
The screen went black.
Garp finished the last of his rice crackers and stood up.
"That was Roger's move," he said quietly. "Didn't expect that brat to learn it too."
Sengoku stared at the blank screen.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"To sea."
Garp cracked his knuckles, joints popping like distant gunfire.
"And while I'm at it… I'll find Edward Weevil."
His voice hardened.
"And I'll kill him."
Sengoku's eyes narrowed.
"You're a Vice Admiral of Headquarters. You cannot act without authorization."
Garp dug a finger into his ear.
"Let Sakazuki demote me, then. I never cared about rank."
Sengoku exhaled sharply and stood.
"I cannot allow you to rampage alone."
He stepped toward the door.
"Tsuru, inform Sakazuki. I must monitor this fool."
As they left, Sengoku's voice softened slightly.
"Another monster has appeared."
He paused.
"For a moment… I saw Roger."
Fleet Admiral's Office – Marine Headquarters
The office still resembled a volcanic crater from Sakazuki's earlier outburst.
Molten cracks glowed faintly in the floor.
A Silver Den Den Mushi crackled in his hand.
"Exterminate the Buggy Pirates," came the cold voice of a Five Elder. "Leave none alive. Lead the operation personally."
Before Sakazuki could answer, Tsuru stepped forward.
"Sengoku and Garp have both departed for the sea," she said evenly. "If the Fleet Admiral leaves as well, Headquarters will lack top-tier defense."
The Silver Den Den Mushi's expression shifted in irritation.
"Garp is a liability. But Sengoku as well?"
"You may ask them yourself," Tsuru replied without emotion.
The Elder cursed under his breath.
"Very well. Sakazuki, remain at Headquarters. Protect Mary Geoise. A Buster Call has already been authorized."
The line went dead.
Sakazuki crushed the snail's casing flat on his desk.
"A Buster Call," Tsuru murmured.
"The response was immediate."
"A Celestial Dragon died," Sakazuki replied. "They will respond like cornered beasts."
Yet his anger was not directed at Buggy.
It burned toward Garp.
"That old fool," he muttered. "Leaving without orders…"
"You could dismiss him," Tsuru said calmly.
Sakazuki shot her a look.
"Dismiss the Hero of the Marines?"
He scoffed.
"The world is unstable enough. Removing him would fracture morale."
Tsuru studied him carefully.
"And what of Clown Buggy?"
Sakazuki's gaze darkened.
"He is not like the others."
He folded his arms.
"Blackbeard seeks power for himself. He is aambitiouswithout restraint."
"Red Hair preserves balance."
"Straw Hat… is reckless."
He paused.
"But Buggy…"
He exhaled slowly.
"I believed him a fortunate fool."
A lucky clown who stumbled into influence.
"Until today."
The image of the black lightning slash replayed in his mind.
"A crew member of Roger. A man, Whitebeard treated differently. A clown for over twenty years."
He clenched his jaw.
"What kind of patience hides like that?"
Tsuru nodded slowly.
"Whitebeard once tried to recruit him," she recalled. "Perhaps he saw something we did not."
"If Buggy had stood beside Whitebeard at Marineford…" Sakazuki said quietly.
He did not finish the sentence.
The implication lingered.
The Marines might have been erased.
"Being elevated to Emperor may have forced his hand," Tsuru continued thoughtfully. "If not for that title, perhaps he would have remained hidden longer."
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed.
"He used the Warlord system to establish Buggy Dispatch. Legal. Profitable. Recruiting criminals and mercenaries under government sanction."
He shook his head.
"He deceived the world."
A bead of sweat traced down his temple.
"Clown Buggy."
His voice lowered.
"We were the clowns."
Tsuru's gaze sharpened.
"By executing a Celestial Dragon publicly, he has declared himself the World Government's enemy."
She paused.
"But he has also gained something."
Sakazuki understood.
"For a thousand years," Tsuru continued, "the Celestial Dragons have amassed hatred."
"Islands forced into tribute. Lives crushed. Resentment buried."
She folded her arms.
"Buggy ignited that resentment."
Countless unseen individuals would now view him not as a pirate—
But as a symbol.
"Men who hate the Celestial Dragons will flock to him," Tsuru said quietly. "He has purchased loyalty with a single stroke."
Sakazuki's expression hardened further.
"Was this calculated?"
Silence.
Both of them pictured the scene again.
The speech.
The timing.
The anniversary.
The execution.
Tsuru spoke softly.
"Clown Buggy…"
Her eyes were grave.
"Such horror."
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