Because of the seawater shower, Sengoku's radiant golden Daibutsu body rapidly dimmed.
He knelt on one knee, gasping heavily.
Although he had tried his best to avoid it, the range of the seawater shower just now was just too large.
Not to mention that in his Daibutsu form, speed was already a disadvantage. The inherent weakness-causing effect of the seawater surged within him, preventing Sengoku from recovering his condition.
And as he knelt, the treasure chest that had been stuffed into his Marine uniform, along with the manual recording the training methods of the Rokushiki, slipped out from his loose lapel.
Clatter.
The chest and the manual fell to the ground together.
Everyone's eyes were drawn to those two items for a moment—
Then, something even more shocking happened.
Makoto's figure appeared before Sengoku without any warning.
No footsteps.
No sound of breaking wind.
Even Observation Haki didn't capture any trace of movement.
He just appeared out of thin air… the Mangekyo Sharingan in his left eye slowly spinning, the crimson iris reflecting the two items on the ground.
Makoto unhurriedly picked up the treasure chest and the manual.
"How can this be..." Tsuru's pupils contracted sharply.
She clearly remembered that just one second ago, Makoto was still standing over half a kilometer away in the rear, protected by that eerie giant.
'How, in the blink of an eye, did he appear here?'
'Teleportation?'
'Spatial movement?'
'Or some unknown Devil Fruit ability?'
"Pure speed?" Tsuru muttered to herself, but quickly dismissed the guess.
'No matter how fast, it couldn't be so fast that Observation Haki completely failed to track the trajectory.'
'The only explanation was—'
'Those eyes.'
Tsuru stared intently at Makoto's crimson eyes, a strange, indefinable chill welling up in her heart.
"Stop!" Sengoku, ignoring his body's weakness and the intense pain in his shoulder, suddenly reached out to try and stop Makoto.
His palm carried a golden glow, and although greatly weakened by the seawater, this palm was still enough to turn an ordinary person into mincemeat.
However,
Makoto merely raised his gaze.
The Eternal Mangekyo in both eyes met Sengoku's.
In that instant, Sengoku seemed to be paused.
His outstretched arm froze rigidly in mid-air, his five fingers spread, but could not advance another inch.
His eyes lost focus, his entire body like a puppet whose soul had been extracted, kneeling there motionless.
"Sengoku! What's wrong with you?!" Tsuru shouted in surprise.
Makoto ignored Tsuru's exclamation.
He opened the treasure chest with one hand and looked inside at the fruit that resembled the Flame-Flame Fruit but had a much deeper, bloodier color.
The Magma-Magma Fruit.
It emanated a scorching and violent aura.
"Mm," Makoto nodded. "It's authentic."
Devil Fruits give off a unique aura.
Bringing out a fake would be immediately seen through by anyone with Observation Haki.
This was probably also the reason why Doflamingo didn't try to deceive people with a fake Flame-Flame Fruit in the future… not because he didn't want to, but because he genuinely couldn't get away with it.
After confirming the fruit, Makoto flipped open the manual.
The Rokushiki Training Manual.
He casually flipped through a few pages.
Then, his face darkened.
Empty.
Not a single word.
This seemingly thick manual had every single page blank.
Makoto flipped through a few more pages.
Still blank.
"F**k." Makoto took a deep breath.
Although he had half-expected it, when he actually saw this 'Dragon Scroll', he couldn't help but lose it.
The Magma-Magma Fruit was real because a Devil Fruit's aura couldn't be faked.
But the Rokushiki manual… this thing didn't have a 'aura' to speak of. Anyone could just use a blank notebook to fool him, and who could tell on the spot?
Then, Makoto looked up.
The Mangekyo Sharingan in his right eye spun rapidly, the fused pattern of Itachi and Fugaku's Mangekyo rotating wildly in the iris.
Amaterasu.
Black flames concentrating deep within his pupil, aiming the kneeling Sengoku.
"Look out!" Kong's voice exploded like thunder across the battlefield.
His Observation Haki had caught the evil aura emanating from Makoto's right eye.
Kong didn't have time to think. He suddenly exerted force with his shoulder, slamming into Sengoku's shoulder.
Bang!
Sengoku, in his Daibutsu form, was sent flying like a bowling ball.
And in the very same instant he was sent flying—
The black flames shot through the spot where he had been kneeling.
If Kong had been even a tenth of a second slower, Sengoku himself would have been ignited by Amaterasu.
But Sengoku dodged.
The Marine soldiers standing behind him did not.
"Arrgghh—"
"Arrgghh—"
"Arrgghh—"
"Arrgghh—"
The black flames fell on dozens of Marines, instantly engulfing them.
The flames burned on their skin, spread through their flesh. No matter how they rolled, slapped, or even cut out the burning flesh with knives, they could not extinguish these inextinguishable black flames.
Screams echoed through the entire Grove 66.
Those ignited Marines rolled on the ground, struggled, wailed, and eventually, one by one, turned into charred remains, lying motionless in pools of blood.
Kong watched this, the corner of his eye twitching.
But he had no time for grief.
Because an even greater threat had arrived.
"Roar—"
A roar like a primordial beast exploded across the battlefield.
Susanoo descended once more.
The grey-black energy giant grew legs and rose from the ground, taller, more solid, more ferocious than before. The giant chainsaw arms spun at high speed, emitting a piercing whine, and slashed down towards Kong.
Susanoo, Fourth Form!
"Bring it on!" Kong gritted his teeth, crossed his arms in front of him, coating them with Armament Haki, turning his two arms into pitch-black iron pillars.
Boom!!!
The chainsaw slashed into Kong's arms.
In that instant, Kong felt like a mountain was pressing down on him.
The huge impact transmitted through his arms to his entire body. His bones creaked, his muscles trembled on the verge of tearing.
His feet sank deep into the ground, his knees bent, his entire body being crushed downwards—
Bang!
Kong was smashed into the ground.
The ground caved into a huge crater, cracks spreading outwards. Kong lay at the bottom of the crater, coughing up a large mouthful of blood that stained his sparse beard and the uniform on his chest.
The chainsaw raised again.
Its teeth spun at high speed, reflecting a dazzling cold gleam in the sunlight.
This time, he was definitely sending him to the afterlife.
"Stop!"
"Protect Admiral Kong!"
"Everyone, attack together!"
Sengoku, Tsuru, and a group of Marine officers whose names Makoto didn't know, swarmed from all directions.
Golden light, flying slash, fist wind, bullets… countless attacks poured down on Susanoo like a rainstorm.
However-
"Hehehehe..."
A lewd, wet laugh sounded around Susanoo.
The four members of the Four Gay Bros had somehow already positioned themselves outside Susanoo.
They used their bodies to block the Marines' attacks.
Boom Boom Boom Boom—
Under the heavy impacts, the Four Gay Bros' bodies were blown to pieces of flesh and blood. Bones, muscles, organs exploded, scattering in the pools of blood.
But their faces still held that spine-chilling smile.
They didn't care at all.
They even seemed to enjoy it.
And Susanoo's chainsaw, under the cover of their 'sacrifice', fell once more.
"NO!!!" Sengoku watched helplessly as the chainsaw slashed towards Kong in the crater, unable to stop it.
His body hadn't fully recovered from the seawater's weakening, his speed far from normal.
Tsuru was also too late.
The others were even later.
"Pfft—"
Blood splattered.
Kong's body was cut in half at the waist by the chainsaw.
His upper and lower halves separated, organs and blood gushing from the section, staining the mud beneath him.
Kong's eyes were still open.
His lips moved a few times, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately, no sound came out.
His pupils dilated.
The battlefield fell silent in that instant.
Everyone froze.
The soldiers stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what had just happened.
Following the 'Desk Admiral' who was killed by Rocks ten years ago, another Marine Admiral had been killed by a pirate.
And this time, the one killed was the Marines' sole remaining Admiral.
"NO!!!!" Sengoku let out a heartbreaking roar.
Tsuru's face was as pale as paper, her lips trembling.
Countless Marine soldiers wept uncontrollably.
Kong was dead.
The current Marine Admiral, the future Marine Fleet Admiral, and the even more future Commander-in-Chief of the entire military, was cut in half by Makoto here in Grove 66 of the Sabaody Archipelago.
This would be a devastating blow to the Marines' influence worldwide.
"Kwahahaha! Big news! Big news!" Just then, an excited, distorted voice came from the air.
Everyone looked up—
A birdman wearing a reporter's outfit and a top hat was flapping his wings, hovering in mid-air, holding a camera and madly pressing the shutter.
Click! Click! Click!
The shutter sounds rose and fell, the flash going off continuously.
Morgans.
As an 'old acquaintance' who had worked deeply with Makoto on Malad Island, Morgans had already exchanged contact information with him.
Every so often, he would call to check in, subtly asking if Makoto had any 'big moves' planned.
And Makoto didn't dislike this birdman who thrived on chaos.
Back in Water 7, he had told Morgans… he was going to make a deal with the Marines.
Getting this news, Morgans had rushed from his newspaper office to the Sabaody Archipelago without stopping.
He had just arrived when he saw this explosive scene.
The Marines' sole remaining Admiral, solo-killed by a pirate.
"Kwahahaha! I can definitely become the world's number one reporter with this scoop!" Morgans was so excited his feathers trembled. His camera aimed at every corner of the battlefield… Kong's corpse, Sengoku's tears, Tsuru's pale face, the Roger Pirates locked in the prison cart, and that sky-obscuring grey-black giant.