Hanging up the phone, Sengoku frowned as he looked at the documents in his hand.
These were all the government's collected data on the Revolutionary Army, a thick stack that was impossible to go through.
The little mountain goat next to him was chewing them page by page, and Sengoku didn't pay it any mind.
His gaze was fixed on the side-profile photo of the Revolutionary Army's leader, Dragon.
The photo was exceptionally blurry, and the half of his face visible was tattooed.
Yet, no matter how Sengoku looked at it, he felt a sense of familiarity...
And his name was Dragon.
"Is it really you... Dragon..."
Even though their appearances were different, as someone he had watched grow up...
---------
The Grand Line, a desolate island.
On the island, all the large mountains had been leveled.
Large, pitted holes covered the entire island.
Two figures, radiating red and blue auras, had been fighting for four days and three nights.
Sakazuki had entered his Red Lotus mode, his body flowing with crimson magma, billowing black smoke rising from his back, his golden eyes fixed on Barrett.
Barrett had entered his Oni-ki mode, his three types of Haki fused into his spiritual energy, forming a special blue Haki that covered his entire body. His arms had tripled in size, resembling a giant ape.
The island was already in a semi-submerged state. Sakazuki spoke,
"Do you have any other moves?"
Barrett, who had entered the Kyūraku Ō Asura Ō mode, had a face like a demon and a voice like thunder:
"One more move. Be careful, Admiral Sakazuki."
As he finished speaking, his tripled arms suddenly retracted, his entire body's muscles wriggled and adjusted, and his thigh muscles expanded slightly.
The blue Haki covering his body remained unchanged, but his form had drastically altered.
If the previous Barrett was a giant ape with tough skin and immense strength, then the current Barrett was a ferocious tiger with a perfectly coordinated body.
Barrett's eyes glowed red:
"Oni-ki. Asura. Dai Asura Ō."
Sakazuki nodded and made a beckoning gesture.
Barrett grinned sinisterly, his dense, almost tangible blue Haki flowing and swirling around his arms.
Faint, flowing phantom demons appeared on his fists as he swung them at Sakazuki.
Several blue phantom images rushed towards Sakazuki erratically, and with a stomp of his foot, he charged at Sakazuki several times faster than before.
Sakazuki chuckled and unleashed a Meigo, which exploded in mid-air.
It split into several magma dog heads, each exploding in response to the blue phantom images.
Bang bang bang—
A continuous series of explosions erupted, forming a curtain of magma rain between them.
Swish—
Barrett's figure did not pause at all, tearing through the airflow generated by the explosions with his hands and charging at Sakazuki.
His fists, imbued with phantom demons, slammed into Sakazuki.
Sakazuki raised his fist to meet the blow, but the moment they connected, he realized something was wrong:
"Huh?"
The hurricane generated by their collision swept outwards, shattering the ground.
Barrett opposite him grinned, and the phantom demon on his fist, after colliding with Sakazuki's, actually flowed onto Sakazuki's arm.
Sakazuki felt a slight stiffness in the muscles through which the spiritual energy had passed.
Although it was repelled by the immense amount of Armament Haki in an instant, it was in that fleeting moment that Barrett increased his output of power.
He pushed Sakazuki back several steps. Sakazuki chuckled,
"Interesting."
His robust Armament Haki compressed and condensed, covering his body as if it were inexhaustible.
A massive impact force erupted from his right shoulder and elbow, carrying his right fist and smashing towards Barrett.
Barrett raised his left fist to block, but this time the phantom demon did not surge towards Sakazuki.
Under Sakazuki's vast, compressed Armament Haki, it was halted at the point of contact between their fists.
A hint of helplessness appeared on Barrett's demonic face:
"What a scoundrel..."
Such an immense amount of Haki...
Sakazuki chuckled, and his right shoulder exploded with immense force.
His jet-black arm, incredibly hard, combined with the explosive strength.
Barrett felt an irresistible pushing force, sending him flying backward.
Boom—!!!!!!!!!!
He crashed into the island with his arms, creating a mushroom cloud nearly a hundred meters high.
A violent tremor shook the island, which was already semi-submerged, cracking further and splitting in half.
Under the fierce airflow, Barrett plunged his hands into the ground.
Azure Haki continuously surged out. When he felt it was enough,
He dug his feet firmly into the ground and with a heave of his arms!
"Ahhhhhhh!!!!"
Boom—
A colossal chunk of earth, large enough to blot out the sky, was flung high into the air by Barrett.
It was like a small mountain, except this mountain... was intensely azure.
Barrett leaped from the ground, instantly appearing above this spiritual energy-infused small mountain.
Aiming towards Sakazuki's direction, his right arm moved in a blur, striking the small mountain.
The small mountain trembled violently and shot towards Sakazuki.
As the small mountain bore down on him, the ground behind Sakazuki turned into lava over a large area.
A magma fist surged from behind him, imbued with Haki, elongating infinitely from bottom to top, charging towards the small mountain.
A loud crash.
The island shook, and the sea churned.
The surface of the giant fist was smashed, but the remaining part held back the descending small mountain.
Suddenly.
On the surface of the small mountain, a colossal phantom demon appeared.
Barrett had appeared above the small mountain at some unknown time, pressing down with his endless spiritual energy.
The phantom demon's form instantly broke through the Haki on the magma arm, crushed the giant magma arm, and accelerated towards Sakazuki.
Sakazuki tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing.
Gazing at the colossal phantom image, he took a step back with his right leg, bringing his right fist behind him to charge power.
The colossal phantom demon, carrying the impact force of the small mountain's dive, descended upon Sakazuki.
Just as the small mountain was less than half a meter away and about to strike, Sakazuki leaned forward and slammed his right arm forward.
Boom!!!
A blazing Meigo phantom instantly pierced through the phantom demon, passed through the small mountain, and struck Barrett's jaw.
And Sakazuki, who was pinned beneath the phantom demon, along with the ground for a thousand meters around him, sank halfway to his knees.
Bang bang bang—
The immense impact force erupted from Sakazuki beneath the small mountain, splitting him in two.
However, Barrett above had vanished.
Without turning his head, Sakazuki flung his left arm backward:
"Behind!"
Bang!
A loud bang.
Sakazuki's fist directly collided with Barrett's fist. Barrett himself, along with the violent airflow, was sent tumbling away.
But he adjusted his posture within a hundred meters, and the moment his feet touched the ground, he vanished!
His speed was so extreme that the naked eye couldn't react, but Observation Haki could...
Bang!
Before the afterimage of this place had even dissipated, Barrett charged from behind.
For a time, it was like a blue storm swirling around Sakazuki at the center, with Barrett repeatedly emerging from the storm to attack Sakazuki.
Encircled at the center, Sakazuki's expression was grim, his arms a blur of motion as he parried the constant blows.
Suddenly, he spun around and unleashed a punch!