All five Vice Admirals watched as the Buster Call they had been commanding just moments ago was completely destroyed before their eyes by the Blue released by Gojo. The sea still trembled from the aftermath, waves crashing violently against the remnants of shattered ships. They were furious—there was no denying that—but beneath that anger, a heavy frustration pressed down on them.
They had failed to protect their subordinates.
They didn't know how many Marines had survived. That number would only be known after they dealt with Gojo… and counted who remained. Not to mention, with the Gate of Justice closed, the ocean had turned wild and merciless, its waves surging higher and stronger. The chances of Marine soldiers drowning in those violent waters had increased drastically, each crashing wave swallowing debris—and possibly lives.
Damn it…
As for the Vice Admirals themselves, standing midair using Moonwalk, all five turned their gaze toward Gojo at the same time—the source of all this destruction. The one who had erased an entire Buster Call as if it were nothing.
Their eyes burned with anger.
Among them, Momonga's fury was the most intense. The others were no less enraged, but his presence carried a sharper edge, his killing intent almost tangible in the air. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, taking the lead.
Momonga unsheathed his sword in a single, swift motion—the metallic ring cutting through the chaos—and kicked off the air with Moonwalk, propelling himself forward. The distance between him and Gojo closed rapidly as he advanced, blade ready, his expression set with grim resolve.
Gojo, who was already running low on stamina, had expended a significant portion of it in that single move that wiped out the entire Buster Call. His chest rose and fell a little heavier now, a faint strain settling into his muscles. Still, as he looked up and saw Momonga charging straight at him through the air, there was no hesitation.
With a smooth motion, he unsheathed his sword.
Even though his body wasn't in the best condition, there was something else stirring within him—something sharper than fatigue. A craving.
Until now, he hadn't truly had a fight where he stood at the edge… where every move carried the weight of death. Every battle so far had tilted in his favor too easily.
But this—
This was different.
Finally… something worth pushing myself for.
That was exactly why he had destroyed the Buster Call in the first place and chosen to face the Vice Admirals head-on. He wanted this pressure. This danger. He wanted to grow stronger, and that wouldn't happen if he kept crushing opponents without resistance.
As Gojo brought his sword up, Momonga had already closed in.
The clash came in an instant.
Steel met steel with a sharp, ringing impact that echoed through the air. The force behind Momonga's strike was immense, heavy with both skill and fury. Gojo, not wanting to waste any more stamina than necessary, chose not to activate Limitless—his Devil Fruit power—to remain suspended in the sky.
Instead, he took the attack head-on.
The impact sent him flying backward, his body cutting through the air before crashing straight into the Tower of Justice. He landed hard on one of its exposed floors—the very same section he had torn open moments ago during his battle with Rob Lucci.
Back then, he had destroyed the wall of that floor… along with the floor above and the one below, leaving a wide, open vertical section carved into the tower.
And now, through that broken structure, Gojo slid across the fractured ground, coming to a stop amidst scattered debris, dust rising faintly around him as the echoes of the clash lingered in the air.
Momonga didn't give him a moment to breathe.
He followed through immediately, pressing the attack, and this time his sword was coated in Haki. The air around the blade seemed to tighten, grow heavier with intent. With his Observation Haki—and being a Haki user himself—Gojo sensed it instantly.
There was no mistaking it.
Haki…
Without delay, Gojo responded. His own Armament Haki surged over his blade, an invisible Haki around the steel as he raised it to meet the incoming strike.
The clash came again.
Two blades, both coated in Armament Haki, collided with a violent impact that sent a shockwave rippling outward. The already-damaged floor beneath them—fragile from Gojo's earlier battle with Rob Lucci—couldn't withstand the force. Cracks spread in an instant, and then the entire section gave way.
The ground collapsed beneath their feet.
Both Gojo and Momonga fell, debris and shattered stone dropping with them as they crashed down to the floor below. Dust and fragments rained through the open structure of the Tower of Justice, the air thick with the sound of breaking stone.
But the moment Gojo landed—
Another attack came.
Vice Admiral Strawberry was already there, moving in with precise timing. His massive, U-shaped head—large and imposing—was now coated in Armament Haki, reinforcing it like armor.
Without hesitation, he lunged forward and drove a headbutt straight at Gojo.
The timing was perfect.
Gojo reacted, attempting to bring up Limitless to defend himself, but his stamina was already drained. The technique activated—yet it lacked its usual overwhelming strength.
It wasn't enough.
Strawberry's Haki broke through.
The headbutt connected.
The impact sent Gojo flying backward, his body smashing through the wall behind him. Stone exploded outward as he crashed through, fragments scattering into the air.
But in that split second before impact, Gojo had managed to react.
Armament Haki hardened over his stomach—the point of contact.
Because of that last-moment defense, the damage was minimized. The hit was powerful, the force undeniable, but it didn't break him. As the debris settled around him, Gojo remained mostly unharmed, his body still holding steady despite the strain.
Just as Gojo stabilized himself from Strawberry's headbutt, another presence closed in.
Onigumo.
The Vice Admiral advanced without hesitation, his eight-sword style unfolding in full display. Blades extended outward, each one controlled through his hair, moving with eerie precision—like a living web of steel converging on a single target.
He attacked.
Gojo's Observation Haki flared, sharpening his awareness as the barrage came at him from multiple angles. His body moved almost instinctively. He stepped, twisted, shifted—each motion precise and efficient.
A blade slashed past his shoulder.
Another came from below—he deflected it.
Clang.
Sparks burst into the air as his sword met Onigumo's. The sound of steel rang sharply through the broken structure. Without pausing, Gojo used Shave, his form flickering as he vanished and reappeared just out of reach of another incoming strike.
He wasn't using Limitless.
No Blue acceleration.
Just pure speed—Shave, enhanced by his own skill and reaction time.
And it was enough.
Each incoming attack was either narrowly dodged or cleanly parried. Sparks flashed again and again with every clash, brief bursts of light in the dim, fractured interior of the Tower of Justice. The pressure of Onigumo's relentless assault tore through the surroundings—sword strikes that missed carved into walls and pillars, while clashes sent cracks racing across the ceiling.
Chunks of stone began to fall.
The structure itself was giving way under the intensity of their exchange.
…
On the other side, within Enies Lobby, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were running alongside the remaining Straw Hat members—Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Robin—as well as Franky and the Franky Family. The air was tense, filled with urgency as the threat of the Buster Call loomed closer with every passing second.
Then—
They stopped.
All three of them halted at the same moment.
For a brief second, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji looked at each other. No words were needed—they already understood.
Without hesitation, the three of them spoke in unison.
"You all go ahead, we'll join you later."
The words hit hard.
Nami immediately turned, anger flashing across her face, frustration clear in her voice. "What the hell are you three talking about?! The Buster Call is upon us! They've already entered the vicinity! At any moment, they'll surround Enies Lobby! We have to escape—we HAVE to leave right now! And you want to go somewhere else?!"
Her voice echoed with urgency, with fear barely concealed beneath it.
Luffy stepped forward.
For once, there was no trace of his usual carefree attitude. His expression had hardened, his eyes steady.
"We can't let him fight alone."
His voice was calm—but firm.
"We can't just leave while he's still there… fighting on his own."
There was no need to say the name.
Everyone knew.
Gojo.
He was still there, standing alone against the force of the Buster Call.
Zoro and Sanji nodded silently, their decision already made the moment they stopped.
Luffy continued, "You all keep moving forward. We'll come back… with Gojo."
For a moment, the air stilled.
Then, without waiting for a response, Luffy turned and ran back the way they had come, his footsteps sharp against the ground.
Zoro and Sanji followed immediately—one on each side—moving like his left and right arms, just as they always had.
And without another word, the three of them disappeared back into the chaos.
----
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