Saint Ross's Name

Flames raged, turning the entire island into desolation.

This scene, akin to a natural disaster, was broadcast live across the world. A Den Den Mushi was still recording, awaiting further dissemination.

Ordinary people, witnessing Ohara turn into an inferno, stared blankly.

"Too terrifying..."

"Is this a Marine Admiral?"

"They say if you provoke a Celestial Dragon, the Marines will deploy an Admiral..."

"Hiss, is that a monster?"

"What a joke, how can such a terrifying person exist in this world?"

"Mom, I don't want to be a pirate anymore, I want to go home and become the King of Mountain Bandits."

"..."

It wasn't just ordinary people murmuring; pirates across the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line who happened to catch the live broadcast were all shocked by Sakazuki's might.

In their understanding, no living being could be this strong.

Yet, a mere Admiral candidate from the Marines possessed such power.

And remember, above Admiral candidates were active Admirals, and then the Fleet Admiral.

This meant there wasn't just one such monster within the Marines.

"Gurararara!"

On an island in the New World, the Whitebeard Pirates, while resting, happened to witness Sakazuki demonstrating his strength.

Before the screen, the tall and imposing Whitebeard let out a hearty laugh.

"Pops, why are you laughing?" Marco, the young man with the blonde punk hair beside Whitebeard, asked.

Sakazuki's power had even frightened him.

The Whitebeard Pirates internally benchmarked themselves against the Marines. Whitebeard was definitely on the same level as the Fleet Admiral. Therefore, they, the captains, had to be on par with the Marine Admirals.

He was currently the 4th Division Commander and ship doctor of the Whitebeard Pirates. The 2nd Division Commander had recently quit, leaving that position vacant. They didn't know Zephyr had retired and gone to CP0. Based on their understanding of the Marines, he should have been the one to be measured against Sakazuki.

Seeing Sakazuki's performance today, Marco's heart sank by half.

"The Marines' brats have all grown up. The future seas will be more interesting." Whitebeard said with a heroic smile.

He was still the peak powerhouse with long golden hair, far from his twilight years.

With Roger and the Golden Lion both captured, the Whitebeard Pirates were now the most powerful pirate crew on the seas. Even with Oden's departure, the crew still had two old comrades with Yonko-level strength, and Marco and the others were rapidly growing. The future was promising.

With such a strong foundation, and Whitebeard's sole desire to protect his comrades, why would he fear the might of the Marines?

"Pops is so awesome!" Marco, seeing Whitebeard's imposing demeanor, instinctively raised his head.

He was a captain of the Whitebeard Pirates! Even if he wasn't as strong as Sakazuki now, he might be able to defeat him in the future.

Similar conversations were happening in various corners of the New World.

The New World was currently in complete chaos due to the Golden Lion's capture and the dissolution of the Roger Pirates. Witnessing a Marine Admiral display their power only intensified their urgency.

If they didn't become a Pirate Emperor, they wouldn't even have the qualifications to clash with the Marines. If they didn't want to be constrained by the Marines, they had to carve out a path of blood and become legendary pirates before they could even think about such things.

BOOM!!!

The Tree of Knowledge was completely incinerated, and the entire island was shrouded in thick smoke.

Sakazuki slowly lowered his arm, floating in the air and panting lightly. The full-power assault had consumed more than half of his stamina, even burning off his justice cape. Maintaining the magma without damaging his clothes was his limit. The image of the Marines must not be tarnished.

Sakazuki descended from the sky, landing in front of Ross. Since Ross had given him face and honor, he would, in turn, give the man due respect.

Under the gaze of all viewers in the World Broadcast, Sakazuki landed and decisively knelt on one knee before Ross:

"Saint Ross, I have completed your orders."

"Good."

Ross smiled slightly. After this incident, as long as his stance remained unchanged, Sakazuki would be his steadfast ally in the future.

He took off his World Government cloak and walked in front of Sakazuki, hanging the cloak on the other man's shoulders:

"Get up, Admiral Sakazuki!"

"Yes!"

With Ross's help, Sakazuki slowly stood up.

Compared to the cloak of justice, Ross's World Government cloak was much more exquisite. Under the cloak, Sakazuki's tall and straight physique appeared even more imposing. The cloak swayed gently in the wind, yet it did not diminish the killing aura emanating from him; instead, it added a touch of inviolable might.

Meanwhile, the viewers from all over the world were now looking at Ross with completely changed eyes.

Before, they only knew that if a Celestial Dragon was injured, an Admiral would be dispatched. Apart from a few individuals, they didn't grasp the deeper meaning of this statement.

Now, they finally understood.

Provoking a Celestial Dragon was equivalent to dispatching Sakazuki, equivalent to the destruction of Ohara, equivalent to their certain death.

And in everyone's eyes, Saint Ross had become an extremely noble existence among the Celestial Dragons.

Ohara was destroyed, but the shock it left for the world was still spreading outwards.

One day later.

After the Buster Call ended, the five warships dispersed again.

Kuzan, Momonga, and Akainu would be stationed in the West Blue, using the might of Ohara's destruction to sweep through the pirates in the West Blue.

Since Sakazuki's reputation had already been established, it was time to deal a heavy blow to the pirates in the next wave.

Sakazuki, however, was summoned back to Marine Headquarters.

After this incident, Kong also understood the World Government's intentions and, seizing the opportunity, proposed to the Five Elders to promote Sakazuki to Admiral.

Given Sakazuki's performance this time, the Five Elders also agreed with Kong's decision and prepared to officially grant Sakazuki the position of Marine Admiral in one month, specifically responsible for guarding the New World.

The sharpest blade, of course, should be used for external display.

"Gion, you go to Sleep Ancient Town."

Inside the ship's cabin, Ross held Gion, his voice carrying a hint of laziness.

Since he had promised Gion, he would definitely keep his word.

Sleep Ancient Town was where Count Red found the Vampire Devil Fruit. Although it was in the New World, with Gion's current strength, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

The New World was filled with strong individuals, but it was also riddled with CP0's hidden agents. With the World Government's support, it was enough to operate in the New World.

After all, despite the abundance of strong individuals, there were truly very few who could reach the Shichibukai level.

In a remote place like Sleep Ancient Town, having a few individuals at Gion's level would be quite good.

"Understood!"

Excitement flashed in Gion's eyes, as she clearly understood the significance of the place Ross mentioned.

With this Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, it would be equivalent to obtaining a ticket to the Admiral level.

She would absolutely not miss this opportunity.