Sakazuki Bows Only to Marshal Akira!

The black-and-red Conqueror's Haki swept out without restraint. After engulfing the Five Elders and all the Knights of God led by Gringo, it did not stop. Instead, centered on Akira, it surged outward in every direction at an astonishing speed.

In an instant, the entire Pangu City was covered by Conqueror's Haki.

The young Marshal of Marine Headquarters stood at the center of that pure vortex of energy. His marshal's coat flapped violently amid the shockwaves, and an undisguised aura of dominance radiated naturally from him.

Powerful!

Overbearing!

Unmatched!

That was the visual impact Akira gave everyone present at that moment!

Standing behind Akira, Gion, Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan were all middle-aged men, yet when they saw the young commander before them, each of them seemed to have returned to the reckless days of their youth. Their long-dormant blood quietly began to boil and burn once more.

Sakazuki in particular had not expected Akira to clash head-on with the Five Elders and the Knights of God led by Gringo the moment they met, much less make such a domineering declaration as, "You are not qualified to negotiate with me based on strength or status."

Ever since becoming an Admiral, he had endured more than enough of the Five Elders' reprimands and accusations.

It would have been one thing if he had been punished or scolded for failing in his work, but every time he was reprimanded, it was never because he had made a mistake on the job. Yet no matter how unwilling he was to accept it, he could only suppress the fury in his heart. There was no helping it. In the eyes of the world, he was one of Marine Headquarters' Three Admirals, its highest combat power. But in the eyes of the Five Elders and the Celestial Dragons living in the Holy Land, he was no different from anyone else.

Many times, he had wanted to speak to the Five Elders as sharply as Akira was doing now.

Of course, the Five Elders were the World Government's highest authorities. They had the right to reprimand and punish him; their status and position gave them that authority. But even so, they should have shown him the most basic respect. After all, he was a Headquarters Admiral.

The truth was that he had never received any respect in the Holy Land over the years. Even a Celestial Dragon with snot running down his nose, a useless good-for-nothing, could point fingers at him and curse at him simply because he enjoyed every privilege imaginable!

However—

All that was in the past now.

He was now a Marine Headquarters Admiral under Marshal Akira's command!

He would take back every shred of dignity he had lost!

At that thought, unprecedented flames blazed in Sakazuki's eyes. He then stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Akira, taking his place at Akira's right.

As scorching energy rose up, his Magma-Magma Fruit ability suddenly activated.

Borsalino also stepped forward at that moment, standing beside Sakazuki as dazzling light bloomed around him.

"My, my, are we fighting first and negotiating afterward?"

Seeing Sakazuki and Borsalino step forward to stand beside Akira, Kuzan—whose once-lost burning justice had likewise been awakened by Akira's sudden forcefulness and dominance—refused to be left behind. He pushed up his glasses, then decisively stepped forward with Gion, taking his place at Akira's left.

The next second, his Ice-Ice Fruit ability quietly spread out. With a crisp crack, the ground beneath his feet instantly froze, then extended in every direction at a startling speed. In the blink of an eye, every building, plaza, flower, plant, and tree within a hundred zhang had been frozen solid.

As the ground froze, dark clouds suddenly rolled across the heavens. Countless sparks then flashed from within the billowing clouds, spreading across the entire Pangu City like a prairie fire.

Meteor Volcano gathered force in the sky, while Ice Age spread across the ground.

Ice and fire from Marine Headquarters had descended upon the Holy Land without warning.

Shamrock, Gunko, and the others responsible for receiving Akira's group all paled when they saw the Three Admirals release their respective Devil Fruit abilities without hesitation and stand beside Akira. They wanted to react, only to discover that under the suppression of Akira's Conqueror's Haki, even drawing their swords or taking up a fighting stance was extremely difficult.

Compared to Shamrock and Gunko, these two "newcomers," the five Knights of God behind them who had participated in the God Valley Incident appeared somewhat more at ease. Even so, they still did not dare make any rash moves.

Though they could still move, each of them felt as though an invisible pair of eyes was watching them. It gave them the inexplicable feeling that the slightest abnormal movement would make them the first to be killed.

Faced with Akira's overwhelming dominance and the Three Admirals' unprecedented unity against a common enemy, the Five Elders and Gringo naturally refused to be outdone. Gringo endured the pressure of Akira's Conqueror's Haki and took the first step forward. The sword at his waist was fiercely drawn, its blade pointed directly at Akira in the center as he said in a deep voice, "Akira, what are you trying to do? We came to welcome you, yet you have assumed a battle stance. Do you truly think we are afraid of you?"

"Welcome me?"

Akira sneered coldly. "You put on such a grand display for no reason other than to probe my capabilities and gain bargaining chips for the negotiations ahead. I am merely satisfying your desire to test me!"

After a brief pause, Akira looked to either side and said in a deep voice, "Well? Are you satisfied with our attitude?"

Before Gringo could react, Izambaron suddenly stepped forward. Holding a katana in his arms, he looked down on the Three Admirals and sternly rebuked them, "Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, are you truly going to follow Akira down this path to the very end?"

"Shut up!"

Sakazuki had not expected the Five Elders to maintain their lofty attitude even now. He abruptly raised his head, and all the resentment he had accumulated over the years erupted in that instant. "I know what you are thinking! With your outdated thinking and understanding, you believe it is impossible for us to follow Marshal Akira with unwavering loyalty!"

"To be frank, I have been deeply dissatisfied with the various orders and policies of you five for years. But because of your status and position, I could only endure it, because you are the World Government's highest authorities and my superiors. Obeying orders is a soldier's duty!"

"But all of that is in the past now!"

"From now on, you are not qualified to point fingers at me based on your status and position!"

"From this moment onward, Sakazuki bows only to Marshal Akira!"

--

Brothers, you're amazing—almost four hundred gifts already.

Although we haven't reached one thousand "Generate Power with Love" gifts, many brothers have sent urge-to-update tokens, blades, flowers, and likes.

So I can't let everyone's support go to waste. I'll post an extra chapter first.