Garp knew exactly how strong Redfield was.
As a Marine hero who had battled the likes of Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki, he had personally captured Redfield in the past.
A one-man army, a relic of the old era—Redfield wasn't someone who could be taken lightly.
Sengoku crossed his arms, breaking the silence.
"I've heard about the situation at Fish-Man Island."
His sharp gaze swept across the room.
"You don't need to worry about it. The follow-up will be handled after King Neptune finishes negotiating with the higher-ups."
Carl nodded. He wasn't particularly interested in Fish-Man Island's affairs.
After all, it wasn't the Marines' responsibility to govern what happened there.
"Right~ Carl," Kizaru suddenly spoke, tilting his head lazily.
He pouted toward the back of the room.
"These two—Vice Admiral 'Momousagi' Gion and Vice Admiral 'Chabu' Tokikake—have been stationed in the New World for a while, so you haven't met them yet."
Carl turned his head.
One was a tall, beautiful woman, dressed in a pink Marine uniform with short shorts that accentuated her long, slender legs.
The other was a middle-aged man in a khaki suit, exuding a somewhat wretched demeanor.
Carl recognized both of them instantly.
After all, they were Admiral candidates—part of Marine HQ's elite forces.
"Yo~ Carl, first time meeting you."
The man, Tokikake (Chabu), grinned.
"You're Solomon Carl? I've heard you're quite the swordsman," Gion added, her gaze settling on the three katanas at Carl's waist.
Carl smiled.
"Both of you. It's a pleasure."
He casually patted the hilts of his swords.
"As for being a 'great swordsman'… well, I suppose that's true."
Although Carl never saw himself as just a swordsman, in terms of Kenjutsu, he had definitely reached the level of Great Swordsman (Dai-Kengō).
After exchanging a few more words, the room fell into a tense silence.
Or rather, it became oppressively dull.
Sitting opposite each other, Aokiji (Kuzan) and Akainu (Sakazuki) exuded an almost tangible pressure.
Even without speaking, their clashing ideologies filled the air.
One represented the Hawk Faction, the other the Dove Faction.
There was no room for reconciliation.
Sengoku finally let out a deep sigh.
"…So be it. The location is Punk Hazard."
With those words, the final battleground was decided.
This duel would determine the next Fleet Admiral.
It was also the compromise between Sengoku and the Five Elders.
"Haaah…"
After making the announcement, Sengoku leaned back, rubbing his temples.
He was tired.
Truly tired.
And now, he had done everything he could.
Carl raised an eyebrow, pulling a cigar from his coat and lighting it.
It seemed that the Punk Hazard battle was now inevitable.
This fight would directly decide Marine Headquarters' future direction.
—
The Next Day – New World, Punk Hazard
The once-secret government island had now become the arena for this monumental battle.
Situated as a gateway to the New World, Punk Hazard had once served as a prison facility for dangerous criminals.
Three years ago, M. Caesar Clown had returned here after escaping from a Marine prison ship, using the island's prisoners for his twisted experiments.
One of those experiments went horribly wrong, releasing a massive toxic gas leak that turned half the island into a wasteland.
Now, it stood deserted.
An appropriate place for a fight to the death.
—
A vast fleet of Marine warships surrounded the island.
Every vessel belonged to a Vice Admiral-class officer or higher.
On the decks of the leading ships, notable figures stood with grim expressions:
• Vice Admiral Smoker, arms crossed, his cigar burning fiercely.
• Vice Admiral Onigumo, eyes cold and calculating.
• Vice Admiral Bastille, gripping the hilt of his massive sword.
• Vice Admiral Doberman, his sharp gaze locked onto the battlefield.
• Vice Admiral Strawberry, standing in solemn silence.
• Vice Admiral Tsuru, the legendary tactician, observing from afar.
And on the largest ship in the center—
Sitting together were Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru, their faces heavy with unspoken thoughts.
None of them wanted this battle to happen, but the decision had already been made.
—
However, not everyone was drowning in the tension.
On the deck of a nearby ship, Kizaru lounged casually in a chair, leisurely picking his nails.
He shifted his gaze to Carl, who was reclining beside him with a cigar in hand.
"Carl~ Why don't you seem nervous at all?"
Kizaru smirked.
"This is the battle to decide the next Fleet Admiral, you know~"
Carl exhaled a lazy puff of smoke and rolled his eyes.
"You're one to talk, old man. You don't exactly look concerned either."
As true neutral figures, neither Carl nor Kizaru had a preference on who won.
Whether Sakazuki or Kuzan took the position—
It wouldn't change much for them.
At most, the general policies of the Marines would shift slightly.
But for Carl and Kizaru?
It wouldn't affect their day-to-day lives.
—
On the island itself, two figures stood face-to-face.
Sakazuki, clad in a blood-red Marine coat, radiated an aura of seething heat.
Kuzan, in his signature blue Marine shirt, exuded an aura of biting cold.
As their wills clashed, the very air around them began to shift.
The ground beneath their feet started to crack.
The temperature of the island plummeted and rose simultaneously—as ice and magma fought for dominance.
"…It's really scary~"
Kizaru tilted his head, his trademark mocking tone in place.
"These two monsters… Just looking at them makes me not want to get anywhere near them~"
Carl let out another puff of smoke, his gaze unreadable.
"Stop acting, old man."
He smirked.
"If you were really scared, you wouldn't be sitting here picking your nails."
Kizaru chuckled.
"Well~ Carl, which of the two do you think will win~?"
Carl's fingers idly tapped against the hilt of his sword.
"…I don't know."
He glanced back at the island, where flames clashed with ice, and the very landscape itself was being reshaped.
One thing was certain—
By the time this battle ended, Punk Hazard would never be the same again.
"Sakazuki."
Carl took a long drag from his cigar before exhaling a slow stream of smoke.
Not because he knew the outcome based on the original timeline.
This wasn't some scripted world—this was reality.
And reality didn't always follow a predetermined course.
However, if he had to predict based on mentality alone…
Sakazuki would win.
It wasn't just about strength.
It was about conviction.
And in that regard, Akainu was an absolute fanatic.
Kuzan simply wasn't as extreme as he was.
"Really?"
Kizaru raised an eyebrow at Carl's confident answer.
"Well~ I think so too."
On the large warship beside them, Sengoku suddenly stood up.
He spoke in a deep, commanding voice.
"Enough talking! Let's begin!"
His sharp gaze swept across the assembled officers.
"No more delays!"
His words carried across the vast sea, reaching the two men on the island.
—
Sakazuki and Kuzan both heard it.
Neither man hesitated.
—
A faint tremor ran through the ground as Sakazuki's body began to emit an ominous, glowing red aura.
His burning gaze locked onto Kuzan.
"Kuzan."
His deep, gravelly voice carried across the battlefield.
"You never care about anything, so why are you standing so firmly against me now?"
His fingers curled into fists, and small droplets of magma began to fall from his knuckles, sizzling as they hit the scorched earth.
"Under my leadership, the Marines can finally bring an end to this so-called 'era of pirates.'"
His words carried the weight of absolute conviction.
Kuzan remained still, his hands buried deep in his coat pockets.
His expression was unreadable.
"Sakazuki…"
A faint chill rose around him.
"Your way of thinking is too radical for the Marines."
Sakazuki's face twisted into a scowl.
"Shouldn't all pirates be wiped out?"
His voice was cold. Unforgiving.
"Are you really suggesting we show them mercy?"
To Akainu, the mere existence of pirates was a plague that had to be eradicated.
And in the process of purging them—any means were justified.
Kuzan finally lifted his head.
His breath came out in a faint mist as the temperature plummeted around him.
"Pirates should be eliminated, sure."
His voice remained calm.
"But your methods are wrong."
The air itself began to crackle—
—before exploding into chaos.
—
BOOM!
The entire island shook violently as fire and ice collided!
Two overwhelming forces of nature burst forth—
—engulfing all of Punk Hazard in an elemental storm of destruction.
One half of the island was instantly consumed by freezing cold, turning into an icy wasteland.
The other half erupted into a scorching hellscape, magma bursting from the ground like volcanic geysers.
Even the surrounding sea wasn't spared.
On one side, the ocean froze solid, turning into an arctic field of icebergs.
On the other, the water boiled and evaporated, releasing thick clouds of steam into the air.
—
"Oh~"
Kizaru slowly stood up, watching the battlefield unfold.
"They're taking this awfully seriously, aren't they?"
Carl remained on his reclining chair, blinking at the spectacle before him.
"…That's a bit exaggerated, don't you think?"
He muttered under his breath.
This wasn't just a fight.
It was two monsters unleashing their full power.
Both men had mastered their Logia Devil Fruits to an absurd degree.
And in just an instant, their clash had already reshaped the entire island.
—
BOOM!
Above them, the once-clear sky darkened—
Thick storm clouds rolled in unnaturally fast.
An invisible pressure settled over the battlefield, suffocating.
Streaks of lightning twisted through the sky like venomous serpents.
Carl exhaled deeply, staring at the distant island.
"…Old man, I think you might've been right."
Kizaru turned his head slightly.
"Hmm~?"
"These two…"
Carl's voice carried awe.
"They're true monsters."
—
The sheer destructive power of Logia Devil Fruits was on full display.
With just a single clash, they had altered the environment itself.
At their feet, Punk Hazard trembled like a fragile piece of land that could be destroyed at any moment.
—
"Inugami Guren!" (Red Lotus Hellhound!)
"Ice Saber!"
—
A ferocious, winged ice construct shot through the air—
Colliding head-on with a massive, lava-formed beast.
—
Sizzle—BOOM!
Magma cooled into solid rock—
Ice melted into steaming water—
Neither side held a clear advantage.
At this level of power, there was no such thing as "elemental superiority."
It was no longer a battle of Devil Fruit abilities.
Now, it was a battle of pure strength, endurance, and willpower.
—
The fight had only just begun.
But it was already clear—
This wouldn't end quickly.
—
Carl let out another puff of smoke, watching the chaos unfold.
"Speaking of which," he mused, "Sakazuki was your classmate, right?"
Kizaru stood beside him, hands tucked lazily into his coat pockets.
"That's right~"
His tone was as indifferent as ever.
"Polusalino, Sakazuki, and Kuzan were all students of Zephyr's elite Marine training class."
However—
Sakazuki and Kizaru were actually several years older than Kuzan.
Still, all three had reached their peak.
Taijutsu. Haki. Devil Fruit Mastery. Stamina. Tactics.
They were absolute monsters in every aspect.
And because of that—
Determining a winner between Sakazuki and Kuzan would be nearly impossible.
—
KRAK—KRAK—KRAK!
Suddenly—
A new layer of ice spread rapidly across the sea, freezing over the waves beneath the warships.
Carl smirked.
"Guess they're just getting started."
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