A Slap in the Face

"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, are... are you all right?"

The soldiers in the square rushed over together. They stared in shock at Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, who had landed face-first, their hearts sinking.

Even the strongest man at Marine HQ, their Fleet Admiral, had been taken down in one move. Wouldn't anyone else who stepped up just be throwing their life away? How glorious the Marines had once been! They had been the very embodiment of justice. Countless powerful champions of justice had hunted criminals across the seas, earning the praise of civilians and standing as heroes in the eyes of the world. But now the Marines had fallen so far that a single Sea Emperor could storm Marine HQ without a care, stroll right in, and beat their Fleet Admiral senseless. Worse still, they couldn't even fight back!

Humiliation, anger, pain...

All those feelings churned inside the Marines, but no one dared resist. They could not survive another disaster.

"Bastard!" Sakazuki's eyes blazed with rage. Blackbeard had sent him flying with one move in front of so many people. Calling it embarrassing didn't begin to cover it. The man had ground the Fleet Admiral's dignity into the dirt!

Yet beneath his anger, Sakazuki was secretly shocked. How long had it been since their last fight? Blackbeard had grown stronger again! How was that possible?

For fighters at their level, improving their strength was almost impossible. Their talent had its limits, and they had already honed their abilities to an extraordinary degree. Advancing even a little further was no easy feat.

There were perhaps only two explanations: either Blackbeard had recently mastered another advanced technique, or his talent was so astounding that neither his abilities nor his strength had reached their peak. But he was already a Sea Emperor. If he grew