Boom!
Sakazuki the Red Dog was slammed down by Souta Kiryuu with overwhelming force, crashing into the burning ruins of the island-ship's forest. Flames and molten debris exploded outward as his body struck the ground, gouging out a massive crater. Lava splattered in all directions, sizzling and hissing as it devoured the wreckage.
One after another, the Kiryuu Pirates' officers and crew arrived on the scene, gathering around their captain.
"Hyahahaha! That's a Marine Admiral right there! We've struck gold!"
Gecko Moria's eyes gleamed with greedy excitement as he stared at the downed Sakazuki. If he could turn this man into a zombie, his power would be on par with the undead Figarland Garling he'd created earlier.
"Hmph! The Five Elders dared to destroy Angel Island… even killing a Marine Admiral won't cool my rage!"
Jewelry Bonney's voice burned with fury. Not long ago, Dr. Vegapunk had transmitted the news of the Skypiea assault to Nico Robin and Lafitte. Since then, Bonney had been livid—her power surging as she fought, even managing to defeat a Marine Rear Admiral in direct combat.
"I'm actually looking forward to seeing if the Kiryuu Pirates will end up with their own 'Seraphim Sakazuki,'"
Capone Bege said with a smirk, cigar clenched between his teeth. Most of the captured Marine officers were already locked away inside his internal prison fortress. Excellent sources of blood and research material—valuable leverage for ransoms or trades.
If the World Government wanted their men back, they'd have to pay dearly. Though truthfully, Souta Kiryuu didn't care for money anymore. Only rare materials and Devil Fruits could pique his interest now.
After all, the Golden Emperor Tesoro had already declared his intent to abandon the World Government and join Kiryuu's forces. Once that happened, the crew would never lack money again.
Meanwhile, Barrett and Enel, unwilling to let Souta hog the fun, launched themselves forward the moment he stopped fighting—eager to face Sakazuki themselves.
The three of them—Barrett, Enel, and Akainu—clashed fiercely, their battle tearing through the already-ruined ship like a storm of destruction.
Waldo stood nearby, his expression dark as he looked at the wreckage of the Groseadi, the colossal island-ship he and his crew had spent decades constructing. The upper decks were burned to cinders, the lower hull melted through entirely—beyond repair.
He sighed bitterly before turning to search for his surviving crewmates. When he finally found Binjack and Naichen still alive—and even Sebastian clinging to life—he breathed a sigh of relief. As for Gailarum, the cube-user, he was perfectly fine. That man's survival instincts were unmatched.
The Kiryuu Pirates, however, had little interest in the battered Waldo crew. Their eyes were fixed entirely on the raging battle between Sakazuki, Barrett, and Enel.
The clash between those three titans shattered what little remained of the island-ship. Decks split apart, hull sections collapsed, molten steel splashed like rain.
Gailarum could only watch with despair. This ship—his greatest creation—was being utterly obliterated before his eyes.
"Forget it," Waldo muttered stiffly, forcing a grim smile despite his burns. "From now on, we'll use one of the Kiryuu Pirates' flying warships. There's only five of us left anyway."
The others nodded weakly. They'd survived, and that alone was a miracle.
"Fufufu… looking a little worse for wear, aren't you, Waldo?"
Lafitte chuckled lightly, tossing a few Blood Crystal Dandelions their way to heal their wounds.
"You're late," Waldo grunted, face sour. He knew deep down it wasn't their fault. He simply wasn't strong enough to hold off Akainu's fleet on his own.
"Please," Lafitte said, raising an eyebrow with a teasing smile. "If it weren't for our flying ships and the Devil Fruit boosts, we wouldn't have made it in time at all. You'd already be Marine scrap metal."
Only someone like Waldo—an old relic locked away for thirty years—would dare call the Kiryuu Pirates slow. The World Government had learned time and again just how terrifyingly fast this crew could move.
As time passed, Barrett and Enel's fight with Akainu raged on—two, three hours of relentless destruction. The Groseadi shuddered and cracked apart beneath them, barely holding together.
At Souta Kiryuu's order, Kuma, Boa Hancock, and Gecko Moria stepped forward to join the fray, eager to test themselves against the strength of a Marine Admiral.
Even newcomers like Law and Bonney, under Souta's watchful eye, attempted brief engagements to measure the vast gulf of power separating them from an Admiral.
Under the relentless wheel of the Kiryuu Pirates' combined assault, Sakazuki's stamina finally began to falter. Even his monstrous endurance couldn't withstand this onslaught forever.
With six Seraphim clones entering the fray for coordinated tactical attacks, the pressure only intensified. The lava man's fiery will began to waver.
Souta had originally planned to defeat Akainu personally—but Barrett, having recovered his strength mid-battle, demanded another one-on-one duel.
Their fight raged for another full day.
Barrett took several devastating blows—his body torn open by Akainu's molten fists—but his berserk fury never faded. Akainu, too, was left bloodied, his chest caved in by Barrett's Haki-infused punches.
In the end, as the two men teetered on the brink of death, Sakazuki attempted to drag Barrett into the lava with him—to die together.
But Souta Kiryuu intervened. With a single, crushing strike, he subdued Akainu before either could perish.
"I told you—I'm not letting you die."
Kiryuu said with a faint grin, lifting the broken and bloodied Admiral by the collar. His tone was calm—almost gentle—but his eyes glimmered with cold amusement.
"Chain him. Every inch of him."
Following his command, the crew fastened seastone shackles around Sakazuki's wrists, ankles, and throat—layer after layer until even his chest and limbs were bound. They even dislocated his jaw to prevent suicide.
Only after securing him completely did Souta feed him a Blood Crystal Dandelion, just enough to keep him alive.
"..."
Sakazuki's fury was wordless but burning. He thrashed violently, eyes filled with humiliation and hatred. To him—an unbending champion of absolute justice—capture was a fate worse than death.
"Don't worry," Souta murmured, leaning close with a faint smile. "We'll make sure to squeeze out every last drop of your worth."
And with that, Akainu was sealed away within Capone Bege's internal fortress prison. The Admiral Hunt was officially over.
"Waldo," Souta called calmly, glancing at the devastated island-ship. "This vessel's finished. Take one last look—I'm sending it back to the sea."
Waldo's face darkened. He knew there was no saving it. "At least take the main cannon with us," he muttered through gritted teeth. "It's the last piece of our thirty-year dream."
"Waldo, it's alright," Binjack said softly, tears glinting in his eyes. "As long as we're all alive, we can build another one."
As the five surviving members of the Waldo Pirates watched with heavy hearts, the Groseadi slowly sank into the ocean's depths. Only the massive central cannon remained—floating through the clouds alongside the Ark Maxim, following the Kiryuu Pirates as they left the area.
The fall of Marine Admiral Sakazuki sent shockwaves across the world.
The World Government and Marine Headquarters were in turmoil—while Morgans, the ever-hungry news tycoon, could barely contain his excitement.
"An Admiral captured by pirates?! Hahahaha! Now that's a headline worthy of the front page!"
The world's greatest story had just begun.