Above the heavens, a massive, imposing skeleton appeared out of nowhere, so astonishing that Shu's jaw nearly dropped.
Susanoo!
To avoid revealing his true identity, and unable to suppress his fighting spirit, Damon had no choice but to close his eyes tightly, thus unleashing the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan!
The Mangekyo Sharingan required a high level of soul and mental strength. With Damon's current abilities, he could only summon the skeleton of Susanoo.
But it didn't matter!
Following Damon's will, the viscous sea of shadows clung to the grim white bones, condensing into a jet-black armor for Susanoo. It held a shadow sword in both hands and was covered with eyes and teeth. If a timid person saw this scene, they would probably have nightmares for several nights in a row.
On Susanoo's back, a pair of enormous wings formed from a viscous shadow, and with a flap of its wings, the ten-meter-tall body suddenly rose into the air.
Damon resided within Susanoo, and with his omnipresent eyes in the shadows, he was able to observe the battlefield from every angle.
Some of these eyes were obtained through the devouring of others by Shadow Alchemy, while others were created by Blood Demon Art eyeball clones attached to them.
Each of the eyeball clones shimmered with a deep blue light. With the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception operating at full power, the lines composed of countless things were clearly displayed before Damon.
Admiral Borsalino initially didn't take Damon seriously, but as Damon engaged in fierce battles with King, the previously fluctuating death lines on his body were finally exposed.
"Good chance!"
A glint of light burst forth from the pupil of the eyeball clone.
Damon had never been one to stand up for himself. Now that Admiral Borsalino had beaten him so badly, he was determined to get his revenge.
Moreover, leaving Admiral Borsalino with some injuries was an important part of Damon's plan.
In an instant, a terrifying aura surged from the black-armored skeleton.
"King's Haki?" Admiral Borsalino's eyes narrowed, and his killing intent surged.
First, Damon claimed to be the successor of the Will of Rocks, then King personally acknowledged his identity, and now he had shown the qualities of a king. This person's identity as the successor of the Will of Rocks was now completely confirmed!
As a Marine Admiral, he naturally had the responsibility to kill this man here!
However.
Just as Admiral Borsalino was affected by King's Haki and his body froze on the spot, a feeling of unease suddenly surged into his heart!
"Flash!"
The black-armored skeleton suddenly appeared in front of Admiral Borsalino, his shadow greatsword descending along the line of death without hesitation.
Even though Admiral Borsalino used his elemental transformation at the last second, turning his body into countless light spots to escape the scene, a splash of hot blood still splattered on the spot!
As the light spots from all directions converged into a solid form, Admiral Borsalino reappeared in another open space. A hideous wound ran down his forehead and nose, completely disfiguring this otherwise unremarkable Marine Headquarters admiral!
Damon had already dispelled Susanoo, just like a magician who, after performing in a circus, placed one hand on his abdomen and bowed slightly to the audience.
"What has been done will be done again; what has been done will be done again."
Upon hearing this, Admiral Borsalino's expression turned extremely ugly.
The wind was particularly noisy today, rustling the leaves of the mangrove trees and scattering colorful bubbles.
The Sabaody Archipelago seemed to have been put on pause, with only those present able to sense a terrifying aura rising from Admiral Borsalino.
Since joining the army, Admiral Borsalino had never suffered such a loss, having a deep, bone-revealing wound left on his face by an unknown nobody.
It was foreseeable that even if Admiral Borsalino recovered from his injuries, the scar on his face would accompany him for the rest of his life!
"You want to die!"
Admiral Borsalino pointed his index finger, and the light spot transformed into a laser beam that shot out, intending to wipe this despicable guy from the world.
The laser's speed far exceeded King's imagination.
Clearly, Admiral Borsalino, driven by hatred, showed no mercy and was determined to kill and silence the witnesses.
A shadowy wall rose from the ground, blocking Damon's way.
Unlike before, this shadowy wall now featured a vortex rotating clockwise, emanating a powerful attraction that even light might not be able to escape.
When the laser beam fell into the shadowy wall, to Admiral Borsalino's surprise, not even a ripple was made, as if it had disappeared into another dimension.
This was precisely the ability that Damon had just acquired.
"Ding!"
"Congratulations, host, for reciting a classic line from Super Beast Force. You have been awarded one chance to draw a prize. Would you like to start the prize wheel?"
A lottery wheel, invisible to ordinary people, slowly appeared, with only two categories of prizes: weapons and special moves.
Armaments: Phantom Scale Armaments, Phoenix Feather Armaments, Dragon Battle Armaments...
Ultimate moves: Fiery Cloud Technique, Illusory Heaven Technique, Frosty Shadow Technique...
[Mysterious Calamity]: Increases affinity with shadow elements, actively condenses shadow elements, and can create a black hole with strong attraction. The power level was limited by one's own ability, and its potential was infinite, up to the point of being able to swallow the world.
Black holes varied in size and strength.
Although the black hole Damon had created was not yet capable of swallowing a planet, it could still easily swallow a mere laser beam.
Of course, if Damon grew to his limit and wanted to devour this world, he would have to consider the existence of Mother Nature.
Damon once cultivated the Divine Power of the Myriad Realms - the Power of Wind and Thunder, using it to comprehend this world and thus meditate and communicate with nature. He had long since realized that Mother Nature truly existed and was omnipresent in this world.
Vegapunk had been conducting in-depth research on Devil Fruits. Devil Fruits were unnatural evolutions born from human desires, which was why they were hated by Mother Nature. As a result, every Devil Fruit user was restrained by the sea and Seastone.
If Damon wanted to use a black hole to devour a planet, he should be prepared to be hated by Mother Nature. If he was not capable of swallowing the planet in one go, he would be hated by this world, adding the weakness of being restrained by the sea and sea stone.
In cultivation novels, the Mother Nature of this world could also be understood as the Heavenly Dao.
Following the flow would bring much help.
Going against the will of Heaven would lead to isolation and lack of support.
Damon glanced at Admiral Borsalino with a hint of apology in his eyes, but quickly suppressed it.
During his trip to the Sabaody Archipelago, Damon basically completed several important tasks.
He not only revealed his identity as the pirate Dragon Ash to the world and assumed the title of successor to the Will of Rocks, but also injured Admiral Borsalino, leaving a scar on his face.
As a dignified admiral of Marine Headquarters, being injured by an unknown person would inevitably cause Admiral Borsalino's reputation in Marine Headquarters to plummet. At the same time, the scar on his face would make him unsuitable to appear in front of the world as a public figure.
If no one in Marine Headquarters could replace Admiral Kizaru, that was fine.
However, if someone possessed the strength of a Marine Admiral and could replace Admiral Kizaru, then Admiral Kizaru might be affected by this and, like Chief Instructor Zephyr, step down from the front line and hand over the position of Marine Admiral to a better newcomer.
So, who would take over this position?
Damon naturally coveted this position. Once he became a naval admiral, he would not only have the power to place his trusted subordinates in fortresses and branches across the country, but also the power to deploy armed forces.
Rocks had shown those who came after him through his own experience how foolish it was to try to overthrow the World Government and kill Lord Im by gathering a group of powerful pirates.
Only by combining the strength of the navy, pirates, and the revolutionary army could this great undertaking be accomplished.
Based on Damon's understanding of Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Admiral Kizaru, after this incident, Admiral Kizaru Borsalino would most likely submit his resignation to Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku would spend some time trying to retain Admiral Borsalino, but ultimately he could not resist the latter's insistence on retiring early. However, Marine Headquarters did not currently have a new person who could convince the public to take over Admiral Borsalino's position, so it would inevitably take the opportunity to launch an internal competition for the position.
That would be Damon's opportunity!
It was a long story, but all of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Just as Admiral Kizaru and King were astonished that the black hole vortex had swallowed the laser, they saw Damon leap into the sea with a "plop" and disappear in an instant.
Damon left gracefully, leaving King alone, feeling like he was caught in the middle.
"Why did Young Master Dragon Ash leave?"
"Besides, isn't he a Devil Fruit user?"
King felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Seeing Admiral Borsalino's gaze fall upon him, King clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying:
"Excuse me!"
"Farewell!"
After saying that, King turned and ran.
Are you kidding me? The mission target had already escaped. Did he intend to stay in the Sabaody Archipelago and wait for the nearby Marine Headquarters to send a Marine Admiral to capture him alive?
Admiral Borsalino took a deep breath and did not pursue his opponent. Instead, he unleashed hundreds of beams of light onto the sea in a fit of rage.
This action served no purpose other than venting anger by frying fish.
Damon had already dived into the deep sea at top speed, unafraid of any attacks from Devil Fruit users.
As Damon expected, when Admiral Borsalino returned to Marine Headquarters on a warship, the entire Marine Headquarters was in an uproar.
The matter of finding a successor to Rocks' will was of paramount importance, as it concerned the safety of the World Government.
Therefore, the Fleet Admiral specially summoned back the naval vice admirals who had been dispatched to various places and held a special meeting to discuss this matter.
A world map hung on one wall, marked with the Red Line, the Grand Line, the four seas, and various countries.
The Fleet Admiral stood beneath a banner bearing the words "Justice," slamming his hands on the table. His gaze swept around the room, lingering specifically on the two men.
Vice Admiral Momonga, G-1 Branch Commander and Base Commander.
Vice Admiral Comil, commander of the G-2 branch of the Navy.
Most people only knew how formidable the naval marshals and admirals were, and how they were considered pillars of strength.
However, few people knew that in the navy, in addition to personal strength, one's position and the amount of troops one could command determined one's influence.
Vice Admiral Momonga and Vice Admiral Comil were not known for their combat prowess, but among the vice admirals of Marine Headquarters, they were ranked second and third, respectively.
As for the number one ranked vice admiral, it would naturally be Garp.
The Navy was now concentrating all its forces in Paradise, the first half of the Grand Line, to intercept any pirates attempting to enter the New World, thereby eliminating any nascent evil forces.
The Navy G-1 Branch and Navy G-2 Branch were not only the oldest established, but also had the most complete supporting facilities and a naval force of over 40,000 men with fierce fighting capabilities. Their locations, one near the Holy Land Mary Geoise and the other near Water 7, gave these two branches an extraordinary status and role.
In the original story, the Marineford War was caused by the large number of elite soldiers drawn from these two branches, resulting in heavy casualties and an inability to intercept pirates in Paradise. This forced the Navy to adjust its plans and shift its strategic focus to the New World.
"Momonga, during this period, it was imperative to strengthen patrols in the waters surrounding the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. Any disturbance must be reported to Marine Headquarters!"