The new Marine Headquarters—
formerly the old G-1 Base—
stood directly facing the New World.
Under the command of the newly appointed Fleet Admiral Akainu, it had been transformed into a complete war fortress.
Cannons and warships surrounded the area from every direction.
The overwhelming firepower alone was enough to terrify any pirate fleet.
At this moment—
the headquarters plaza was packed with marines gathered to watch the excitement unfold.
These weren't ordinary soldiers.
Most were commissioned officers, including many elite Marine Vice Admirals from headquarters.
Even the retired former Fleet Admiral, now serving as Inspector General, Sengoku, stood nearby watching with widened eyes.
"Suru, who do you think will win?"
Sengoku asked the Great Staff Officer beside him, Tsuru.
During the Summit War, Tsuru had been sent by Sengoku to report directly to the Five Elders after learning that Impel Down had been destroyed.
She traveled there alongside:
ChatonMomousagiCP0 agents
Yet they had all been completely toyed with by Luo Xing using the Anywhere Door.
Later—
Tsuru also participated in the massive fifty-thousand-man conflict between the Marines, the World Government, and the Beasts Pirates over Sabaody Archipelago.
She personally witnessed Momousagi—whom she treated like a younger sister—being captured by Luo Xing.
And she personally watched Chaton, one of the Navy's younger generation, get cut down by Luo Xing's sword.
Though Tsuru herself was extremely powerful—
there had been nothing she could do on that battlefield.
She suffered serious injuries as well.
Now, although only partially recovered, she still remained firmly at her post as the Navy's chief strategist.
Unlike Garp's hatred toward Akainu—
or Sengoku's disapproval of Akainu's ideals—
Tsuru maintained a neutral stance.
She simply focused on doing her duty.
Hearing Sengoku's question, Tsuru calmly replied:
"You once praised Base Commander Vergo as someone possessing Admiral potential."
"He defeated Zephyr and apparently consumed the Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Vampire Form."
"His strength shouldn't be weaker than Fujitora's."
"Hahaha! That's exactly what I think too!"
Sengoku laughed loudly while munching on rice crackers.
He genuinely admired Vergo.
In his eyes, Vergo was a dependable marine willing to take responsibility and get things done.
Unlike that slacker Kizaru, who spent all day doing nothing but slacking off.
If Kizaru had fought seriously during the Sabaody conflict—
would the Navy have suffered such a disastrous defeat?
The Five Elders had been furious over that loss.
Absolutely enraged.
Fortunately—
Sengoku had already resigned by then and didn't have to listen to their furious scolding.
The CP0 chief, however, wasn't so lucky.
He was verbally torn apart.
What Sengoku didn't know—
was that the Five Elders themselves had also been ruthlessly reprimanded by the mysterious Imu.
They had nearly lost their heads over it.
That was why the Five Elders were now urgently conducting a worldwide military draft.
Why Kong had begun mobilizing the armed forces across sea, land, and air.
All of it stemmed from Imu's direct order.
At the same time—
they had also instructed Vegapunk to develop new weapons.
According to rumors—
those weapons would eventually possess enough power to replace the Seven Warlords entirely.
Sengoku continued:
"Still... I personally witnessed Fujitora's strength before."
"That man is a genuine monster."
"It's honestly hard to say who's stronger."
Under the watchful eyes of Sengoku, Tsuru, Akainu, Ryokugyu, and countless marines—
the battle between Vergo and Fujitora officially began.
Vergo stood expressionless, gripping his bamboo staff tightly.
Fujitora slowly lifted his pale blind eyes while resting a hand on his cane sword.
"Since I chose to join the Marines..."
"Then naturally, I also have ambitions of my own."
"I will not hand over the Admiral position willingly."
Vergo replied coldly:
"Enough talk."
"Let strength decide everything."
"Then excuse me."
Fujitora suddenly drew his blade.
Bzzzzzz—
Ripples of gravity surged upward into the heavens.
Straight into outer space.
Fujitora's Observation Haki possessed one of the widest detection ranges in the entire world.
The gravitational waves shot into the cosmos—
and moments later—
dragged down a gigantic flaming meteor.
Its size far exceeded even Akainu's Meteor Volcano technique by dozens of times.
As it descended—
its overwhelming pressure caused every marine below to pale in horror.
"A meteor?!"
"It's actually a meteor from outer space?!"
"Incredible!"
"As expected of the monster called Fujitora!"
"So this is the power of an Admiral-level fighter?!"
Fortunately—
the arena was surrounded by enormous walls made of Seastone.
Otherwise—
the observing marines would have fled for their lives already.
The massive meteor rapidly descended above Vergo's head.
The violent winds whipped his coat wildly.
Its blazing heat scorched his skin.
Yet Vergo remained expressionless.
Only when the meteor came within less than ten meters—
did Vergo finally raise his bamboo staff and smash upward violently.
His weapon instantly turned pitch black—
coated in advanced Armament Haki.
BOOM!
The bamboo staff collided directly with the meteor.
In the next instant—
an overwhelming force shattered the meteor from the inside.
BANG!
The gigantic meteor exploded apart.
Countless stone fragments slammed into the surrounding Seastone walls.
Fujitora was visibly shocked.
He hadn't expected Vergo to neutralize the meteor so easily.
"What terrifying Armament Haki..."
"And monstrous physical strength."
Fujitora couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Vergo, however, stomped heavily against the ground.
His body shot forward like a cannonball straight toward Fujitora.
Fujitora immediately raised his sword to defend.
Vergo's speed was unbelievably fast.
His figure flickered left and right, leaving afterimages throughout the battlefield.
There was nothing surprising about that.
After all—
Vergo had always specialized in physical combat.
His mastery of the Six Powers rivaled even CP0 agents.
And now—
after consuming Demon-level Monster Cells, Super Divine Water, and the Mythical Zoan Vampire Fruit—
every aspect of his physical body had been massively enhanced.
In terms of pure martial combat—
he could rival the head of CP0.
Still—
despite Vergo's incredible speed—
Fujitora calmly blocked every strike with his terrifying Observation Haki.
And then—
Fujitora suddenly seized an opening during Vergo's assault.
"Gravity Blade: Fierce Tiger!"
A terrifying horizontal gravitational force erupted instantly.
Even the surrounding Seastone walls were crushed inward into gigantic dents.
Caught off guard—
Vergo's body trembled slightly beneath the immense gravity.
But after the brief surprise—
a strange smile curled onto his lips.
Gravity?
Heh...
He had already adapted to that long ago inside the gravity chamber Luo Xing personally built for him.
This level of gravity—
he could completely withstand!
Vergo stabilized himself almost instantly.
Not only did he refuse to retreat—
he actually charged forward directly against the crushing gravity at shocking speed.
Fujitora's expression changed drastically.
"What?!"
"My gravity... is ineffective against him?!"
Swish!
Before Fujitora could fully process the shock—
Vergo had already appeared behind him.
The sharp claws granted by his Vampire Form slashed downward viciously.
Rip!
Blood splattered everywhere.
A deep claw wound tore open across Fujitora's back.
The monster-level Fujitora—
had been injured!
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