Katakuri and Mousse were under immense pressure, but to be honest, the Navy was under just as much pressure. In fact, the unprecedented gulf between their former position of intimidating the entire world and their current predicament might have placed even greater pressure on the Navy's commanders.
Pressure could indeed be turned into motivation, but that depended on the circumstances. For example, if someone was already so old they were on the verge of death, too much pressure would only make them die faster.
The legendary Marine Hero Monkey D. Garp had not yet reached that point, but now that he was already in his fifties, it was difficult for him to defy the laws of birth, aging, sickness, and death. It was already no easy feat to maintain his peak condition without declining; there was no more potential left to be unearthed.
Thus, the Marine legend devoted all his time and energy to "educating" the Navy's next generation of key personnel. Even Sakazuki, whom he had always disliked for his extreme ideology and lack of compassion, was rarely given the chance to spar with him personally.
It was precisely through actual combat training with this top-tier powerhouse—indeed, one of the strongest among them—that Sakazuki, who had once believed himself already powerful, fully realized that he still possessed grave flaws that could prove fatal.
Ever since gaining the Magma-Magma Fruit ability, reputed to possess the greatest destructive power in the world, Sakazuki's fighting style had become increasingly fierce and savage.
Against ordinary pirates, or even somewhat famous ones, if Sakazuki could not finish them with one punch, he only needed to throw another.
Yet in his battles against Garp, Sakazuki's ferocious magma fists were repeatedly dodged by the nimble movements of this Marine senior, who had always been thought of