Admiral Assessment Concludes

"Ahahaha! Someone actually went and proposed to Hina. Not bad, not bad. He's got potential." Garp ate rice crackers, picked up the steaming tea on the table, and drained it in one gulp.

A marine who had come to report stood before the desk, back straight and expression solemn.

"Kuzan has clearly been too indulgent with his subordinates. They're causing this much trouble even at Marine Headquarters. Calling them back was indeed the right choice." Sengoku said calmly from the side, holding a white goat with a bell around its neck. Meanwhile, the goat in his arms was secretly chewing on the documents on the desk.

"Don't fuss over such little details. Young people ought to have this kind of youthful energy, hahaha." Garp laughed. "Just thinking about someone proposing to Hina makes me want to laugh."

"You're the one who spoils your subordinates the most, and Kuzan has clearly picked up your bad habits." Sengoku said helplessly.

"You may leave now. There's no need to worry about it. Rear Admiral Hina will handle it properly." Garp waved at the reporting marine.

"Yes, sir!" The marine saluted and shouted solemnly before slowly backing out of the room.

"Come to think of it, the new admirals should be back soon, right?"

"Soon."

A Marine warship slowly sailed across the sea. Sentomaru and the drenched Marine soldiers watched the two figures on the deck.

There were also Marines who had come to provide support, including Colonel T-Bone, a gaunt man who looked like a ghost that had just crawled out of a grave. He wore a "Justice" cape, a helmet, and carried a longsword on his back.

He stared in shock at the distant island. More accurately, it could no longer be called an island; the remaining peninsula was slowly sinking.

It vanished into the sea, destined to exist only on maps forever.

Was this the battle between two admirals? What terrifying strength.

"What an absurdly powerful monster." Kizaru glanced sideways at the man beside him, who had black curly hair and stood nearly three meters tall, then muttered softly.

No matter what, this should have been good news for Marine Headquarters. For him, however, that was another matter.

Elsewhere, Bastille and Momonga watched from afar as the island had become something like an abyssal hell.

As the ripples of battle on the island gradually subsided, the two exchanged a glance and saw the anticipation in each other's eyes.

The island was riddled with countless bottomless pits, while scorching magma covered the ground.

It slowly flowed into pits a hundred meters wide, several hundred meters wide, and of all other sizes, like cascading lava falls.

Even the Marines watching from far away could barely endure the heat rushing at them. They were drenched in sweat, their Marine uniforms already soaked through as they waited with difficulty.

Then they saw the two combatants heading toward the warships. The Marines erupted in cheers, while Bastille and Momonga immediately ordered the ships to sail toward the island to receive Sakazuki and Fujitora.

Zepa stood up and kicked away the table and chairs he had smashed in front of him, then lightly touched the spot Fullbody had struck with Haki.

"Hiss—" The pain made him bare his teeth. Looking at the smug, arrogant Fullbody, Zepa grew somewhat angry and slowly drew the twin swords from his back.

With a serious expression, he said, "You made me lose face in front of my goddess. Hmph. Since you want to fight me so badly, I accept your challenge." As he spoke, he shot Hina a flirtatious wink. "I'll also let my goddess see my even more handsome side."

Pfft—

Wuli could not help but laugh. Looking at Hina's devoted pursuer, he wondered how such a clown had been trained. This guy was practically a brilliantly blooming oddity among the Marines.

Thump!

"Ow! Rear Admiral Hina, why did you suddenly hit me?" Wuli looked at Hina with a wronged expression. Hina rolled her eyes at him without saying anything, shifting her gaze to the opposite side.

What was wrong with this world? Had she become unable to lift a sword or something? If her other colleagues found out about this, they would laugh themselves to death.

"So you still refuse to give up. Then I'll teach you a proper lesson and let you know that some people are beyond your wildest fantasies." Fullbody snorted coldly. His Haki-coated fist clenched as he moved, charging toward Zepa.

Bang!

This time, Zepa was not sent flying by Fullbody's punch. He crossed his two blades and steadily blocked Fullbody's Haki-infused Iron Fist.

Though the attack seemed ineffective, a flicker of surprise crossed Fullbody's eyes. He did not stop, instead launching a continuous barrage that forced Zepa back step by step.

Zepa interrupted Fullbody's assault and raised the sword in his right hand. A powerful aura burst from him, startling everyone present. None of them had expected this comical fellow to be so strong.

"One-Sword Style—" Zepa said in a low voice, his expression serious.

A dangerous aura emanated from the blade. He swung the sword in his right hand, releasing a crescent-shaped slash that shot toward Fullbody.

The wind stirred by the fierce sword energy made the spectators feel as though blades were scraping across their bodies.

Fullbody did not retreat. Instead, he once again met Zepa's sword energy head-on with his Iron Fist.

Bang!

To Fullbody's shock, Zepa's attack proved difficult to withstand for a moment. He gritted his teeth as cracks appeared in the Haki-coated iron rings around his fingers, but he still blocked Zepa's strike. The sword energy struck the ground, leaving behind a deep gash.

"You're much stronger than I imagined. Not bad, not bad. But I'm afraid my next attack won't be so easy for you to block." Zepa looked at Fullbody calmly, his eyes filled with disdain.

Fullbody was furious, but he had to admit that the man before him was strong.

"Two-Sword Style—"

Zepa raised both swords at once, and violent sword energy surged skyward within the restaurant. Compared to the earlier One-Sword Style, this attack was even more powerful.

Two streams of sword energy intertwined, sharper than before, as if they could destroy everything standing in their path.

Cold sweat beaded on Fullbody's forehead. He could feel that overwhelming aura; that pressure alone was enough to make him feel immense strain.

Watching the sword energy draw closer and closer, Fullbody forcibly suppressed the unease in his heart. With a furious roar, he unleashed his greatest strength and threw a punch.

Clearly, Fullbody intended to meet Zepa's attack head-on. Jango, standing nearby, looked worried.

"Be careful."