Within the Navy ranks, if one were to ask who was closest to the current Admiral Borsalino (Kizaru), the answer wouldn't be his fellow North Blue native Sakazuki, but rather his younger brother-in-arms, Vice Admiral Tokikake.
Based purely on their... unique aesthetics and laid-back demeanors, the two men had plenty in common, and they were genuinely fantastic friends.
At this exact moment, Tokikake was incredibly thankful for that friendship. He was profoundly glad for the countless spars he had endured against Borsalino over the years. Although he had never once actually defeated the Glint-Glint Fruit user, those brutal training sessions had forced him to accumulate a massive amount of experience in tracking and fighting impossibly high-speed opponents.
Enel, the user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, was an absolutely infuriating opponent to fight. It wasn't just the sheer, catastrophic destructive power of his Devil Fruit; the Skypiean's physical Taijutsu and staff-wielding skills were genuinely top-tier. Most pressingly, Tokikake could vividly feel that Enel's Observation Haki—his Mantra—was actually operating on a higher level than his own.
Fortunately, when it came to Armament Haki, Tokikake completely eclipsed the Lightning God.
"Lightning Beast!" "Lightning Bird!" "Lightning Dragon!"
Enel floated in the air, relentlessly cycling through his devastating elemental arsenal. Massive constructs of high-voltage blue electricity roared across the ruins, bombarding Tokikake one after another.
In the past, these catastrophic attacks would have been ultimate finishers, but against a Vice Admiral of Tokikake's caliber, they were merely probing appetizers.
Tokikake moved like a phantom. His footwork was completely erratic and unpredictable, effortlessly weaving through the apocalyptic barrage of lightning.
Lightning was just as fast as Kizaru's lasers. For a combatant who hadn't mastered the advanced Haki technique of Future Sight, physically reacting to lightning after it was fired was impossible. The only way to successfully dodge was pure, instinctual anticipation.
Every single one of Enel's massive elemental attacks required a split-second wind-up or a specific physical gesture. Because Tokikake had trained his eyes to flawlessly read Kizaru's telegraphs, he could perfectly capture Enel's preparatory movements. As long as he anticipated the launch angle, long-range lightning attacks weren't a lethal threat to him.
Seeing the Vice Admiral casually dodging his strikes with room to spare, Enel quickly realized the reality of the situation. Continuing to spam massive elemental constructs from a distance was just a complete waste of stamina and time.
With a sharp crackle of static, Enel vanished from the sky, closing the distance instantly. Gripping his golden staff tightly, he engaged Tokikake in brutal close-quarters combat.
In a secluded, crumbling corner of the White City, the two men continuously clashed. The deafening sounds of heavy fists coated in dense Armament Haki violently colliding with solid gold echoed endlessly.
"Yahahahaha! This is incredibly thrilling!" Enel laughed maniacally, his eyes wide with combat high as he swung his staff. "For such a remarkably ugly Marine, you can really fight!"
Tokikake blocked the heavy golden staff with his blackened forearm, refusing to be outdone in banter. "Save the big talk, you damn long-earlobes!"
"Long earlobes?!" Enel's amused grin instantly vanished, replaced by a vein bulging on his forehead. "Die, you bastard Marine!"
Furious, Enel aggressively accelerated his attack speed, turning into a blur of gold and blue electricity.
"Bring it on, lightning brat!" Tokikake roared, instantly raising his own combat intensity to match.
While that battlefield was incredibly loud and flashy, the situation elsewhere was far more lethal.
The battlefield shared by Vice Admiral Gion and Daz Bonez was undoubtedly the most perilous and razor-sharp zone in Flevance.
The Dice-Dice Fruit was notoriously recognized across the world as the absolute bane of all swordsmen. Now that Daz Bonez had successfully integrated advanced orthodox swordsmanship into his Devil Fruit abilities, he had essentially become a terrifying, walking weapon—highly reminiscent of the lethal Seraphim clone, S-Hawk, that the World Government would develop in the future.
However, Gion's own swordsmanship was utterly terrifying. Judging purely on raw sword skill, there were barely a handful of individuals in the entire Navy who could claim to be superior to her.
As the two of them clashed, the surrounding architecture of the White City was treated like soft tofu.
The air was completely saturated with the sharp, ear-piercing shrieks of crossing blades. Devastating, crescent-shaped waves of compressed air and sword aura flew wildly in every direction, violently slicing through marble pillars, crumbling houses, and the very earth itself.
It was a profound blessing that they had consciously moved far away from the main vanguard. If these two had unleashed this level of chaotic, high-speed swordplay in the center of the plaza, the collateral damage and friendly fire would have been an absolute bloodbath.
CLANG!
The legendary Meito, Konpira, violently slammed against the thick, steel blade that had replaced Daz Bonez's arm. Sparks flew like a shower of fireworks before the immense recoil forced both fighters to temporarily break apart and slide backward.
"Your Devil Fruit ability and your swordsmanship are an absolutely flawless match," Gion praised, her chest heaving slightly as she stared at the pirate. "The sheer hardness and durability of your body isn't inferior to a genuine Meito."
"Your swordsmanship is also incredibly formidable," Daz Bonez replied coldly, his breathing steady, though several shallow nicks had appeared across his steel skin. "Your blade is even heavier and sharper than that Marine swordsman we fought back in the East Blue."
Gion's eyes flashed with recognition. She immediately knew he was referring to Bogard. She and Garp's right-hand man were both elite swordsmen within the Navy ranks and had frequently sparred together to hone their skills. For this pirate to confidently compare the two of them meant he truly understood the depths of the blade.
"Hmph. Consider that the end of the warmup," Gion's expression turned incredibly serious. "From this point forward, I won't hold back!"
Without another word, Gion ceased all banter. A deep, suffocating layer of advanced Armament Haki rapidly coated the length of Konpira, turning the legendary blade completely pitch-black. She closed her eyes for a microsecond, adjusting her breathing, seamlessly entering the ultimate state of a master swordsman: feeling the Breath of All Things.
"Come!"
Daz Bonez stood fearlessly, crossing his bladed arms in front of him. There was no terror in his cold eyes, only absolute, burning anticipation. His greatest desire was to continuously shatter his own limits by violently defeating the world's greatest swordsmen.
The battle instantly escalated to the next level!