One Piece: The Strongest Trait System novel Chapter 156

Chapter 156: [156] : [BONUS] - Exposing Ace’s Lineage! The Summit War Countdown Begins!

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"Yo, Sakazuki. You look pretty pathetic right now," A lazy, infuriatingly casual voice drawled from above.

VMM!

A brilliant flash appeared, countless particles of light coalescing in the air to form a human figure.

"ADMIRAL KIZARU!" Momonga breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Borsalino..." Akainu’s eye twitched upon hearing Kizaru’s voice.

"HURRY UP AND PURSUE HIM! Sky Sovereign Rowen is at his limit too!" Akainu yelled, looking up at Kizaru, gasping for breath.

Akainu had also reached his absolute limit. Only by sheer willpower, fueled by excruciating pain and adrenaline, could he maintain a sliver of consciousness.

"On this vast ocean, which direction do you want me to chase??" Kizaru asked, even making a mock saluting gesture as he peered into the distance.

"It’s over, Sakazuki. No matter how you look at it—process or result—this war was, without a doubt, our complete and utter defeat," Kizaru stated, his usual lazy demeanor gone, his eyes unusually serious behind his sunglasses.

"Damn it..." Akainu’s vision began to blur.

With Kizaru’s arrival, his mind subconsciously relaxed.

The adrenaline and pain that had kept him conscious now faded, and his mind plunged into darkness. He slumped forward, unconscious...

"ADMIRAL AKAINU!" Momonga cried out in alarm.

"Don’t worry. He just passed out," Kizaru commented, shouldering Akainu’s unconscious form.

Distant warships approached.

"To beat Sakazuki into unconsciousness... How scary..." Kizaru murmured, looking out at the distant sea, his voice devoid of its usual teasing tone, replaced by deep gravity.

Kizaru knew Sakazuki’s strength all too well.

Even with his Glint-Glint Fruit, the fastest Devil Fruit, he was no match for Sakazuki.

Devil Fruit, physique, Haki—Sakazuki stood at the pinnacle of the seas.

Yet, in a direct confrontation, he was beaten by Sky Sovereign Rowen to the point of fleeing, and now lay unconscious!

A COMPLETE AND UTTER DEFEAT!

The Super Buster Call, led by Akainu, against the Straw Hat Pirates led by Sky Sovereign Rowen—Marine HQ had suffered a catastrophic loss!

Fortunately, Sakazuki’s powers hadn’t been stolen by Rowen. Otherwise, if Kizaru had to face Rowen now, he too would have to turn and run.

"Let’s go. Back to Marine Headquarters," Kizaru instructed.

"Medics. Treat Admiral Akainu immediately!"

"Remaining warships—continue towards the Enies Lobby sea region. If there are any survivors, conduct rescue operations!" Kizaru commanded, returning to the deck of his warship with Akainu.

"YES, ADMIRAL KIZARU!" The numerous Marines saluted, their faces filled with horror.

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The warships, carrying Akainu and the few surviving Marines, quickly arrived back at Marine HQ.

The surviving Marines rescued from the waters around Enies Lobby arrived shortly after.

Marine Headquarters was instantly thrown into turmoil.

Countless wounded soldiers were carried from the ships, rushed to emergency medical treatment.

And the most severely injured—was one of their Strongest Combatants, Marine HQ Admiral, Akainu!

The very Admiral who had set out so imposingly with a Buster Call to subjugate Rowen and the Straw Hats—had been beaten into unconsciousness by Rowen!

Of the five Vice Admirals, only Momonga returned relatively unscathed.

Ten Buster Call warships all destroyed!

Ten thousand elite Marines suffered heavy casualties!

The Buster Call, symbol of the World Government’s Absolute Justice, for the first time in history, had suffered such a crushing defeat!

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"How is Sakazuki’s condition?" Sengoku asked gravely, looking at Kizaru, who had returned to report.

"Still unconscious. It will take some time for him to wake up," Kizaru replied, for once not using his usual lazy tone, seeing Sengoku’s suppressed fury.

No matter how lazy or flippant he acted, he was still a Marine Admiral.

In fact, when it came to completing missions—aside from his handling of the Straw Hat crew—Kizaru was arguably the most reliable of the three Admirals.

A true mission machine.

Even against former teachers, friends, or favored juniors, Kizaru could bring himself to deliver the killing blow to complete a mission.

Marine HQ suffering such a heavy blow—even Kizaru’s heart felt heavy. They only had three Admirals. Aokiji was severely injured with a lost leg, and Sakazuki was now unconscious and severely injured.

Of the three, he was the only one left standing unharmed...

Combined with the loss of so many Vice Admirals and elite forces—Marine HQ had suffered an unprecedented blow at the hands of Sky Sovereign Rowen!

"BASTARD! SKY SOVEREIGN ROWEN!" Sengoku roared, slamming his fist on the desk.

Two Admirals severely wounded, so many elite Marines lost—this wasn’t just a loss of combat strength—it was a devastating blow to the very concept of Justice!

The Navy’s dominance on the seas was built not just on official authority, but on the Justice inherited and carried forward by generations of Marines!

Justice wasn’t just a simple slogan!

With Justice in their hearts, generations of new Marines could grow into the top-tier powerhouses of this sea.

Upholding Justice was a form of spiritual strength—in the One Piece power system, spiritual strength directly translated to Haki strength.

The more a Marine adhered to their sense of Justice, the greater their potential for growth. Akainu’s extreme iron-blooded justice, for instance, had forged his Armament Haki into arguably the strongest in the Navy—

And the representatives of Naval Justice—were undoubtedly the three Marine HQ Admirals, hailed as the World Government’s Strongest Combatants.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to call the Admirals the very soul of the Navy. Each was a crucial pillar supporting the entire organization.

But now—two of the three pillars had been defeated by Sky Sovereign Rowen!

The impact on the Navy’s prestige, on Justice itself—was devastating!

If the very foundation of Justice was shaken, how could the next generation of Marines rise?

The seas now, thanks to Rowen’s wanton actions, were already in complete turmoil. If the new generation of Marines couldn’t rise quickly, the Navy would face immense trouble...

In the Fleet Admiral’s office, Kizaru, Aokiji, and Tsuru were also silent.

Justice was the foundation of the Navy. If that foundation was shaken, the Navy’s future would be dire indeed.

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"Buru-buru-buru!"

Just then, a Transponder Snail in the corner of Sengoku’s office rang.

"Hm?" Sengoku frowned upon seeing the snail. The number was the one he had given to Laffitte of the Blackbeard Pirates during the Warlord meeting.

Back then, Laffitte had boasted their captain, Blackbeard Teach, would take Rowen’s head to secure a Warlord position.

Now that sounded like a complete joke!

Even Aokiji and Akainu had fallen to Rowen. Marine HQ had suffered an unprecedented defeat at the hands of Rowen and the Straw Hats!

Without a doubt, the Straw Hat Pirates, with Rowen at their helm, were now a fully-fledged Emperor crew. For an unknown pirate crew like Blackbeard’s to go after Rowen—was tantamount to suicide.

Click. Sengoku answered the call.

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