Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
A suffocating silence hung over the battlefield.
Sengoku staggered, blood seeping through his uniform as he stared in disbelief at the blade buried in his chest. Admiral Kuzan stood before him, expression empty, eyes devoid of the warmth they once held.
"Why…"
Sengoku's voice trembled as he clutched his wound, crimson spilling from the corner of his mouth. He looked at the subordinate he had trusted most, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
"Don't bother asking him."
A cold, mocking voice drifted down from the sky.
High above Marineford, Tobirama sat casually upon his throne, one hand propping up his cheek. His Rinnegan glowed faintly, as though peering straight into the depths of the human heart.
"He cannot answer you," Tobirama said calmly.
"Because right now, he is nothing more than a puppet—ruled by hatred and despair."
He rose to his feet and looked down upon the shaken Marines below, his voice low and chilling.
"Sengoku, why do you think I spared him back in the East Blue?"
"Did you really believe it was just because he let Robin go?"
A faint, cruel smile curved his lips.
"The moment I stripped him of his Devil Fruit, I planted a seed of Kotoamatsukami deep within his mind."
"That seed had only one trigger."
Tobirama extended a finger, pointing directly at Kuzan's head.
"If you had continued to trust him."
"If you had given him dignity, warmth, and belief…"
"Then that seed would have remained dormant forever."
His voice suddenly turned icy.
"But if you abandoned him."
"If you treated him as a stain, as a disgrace, and left him to drown in doubt and isolation…"
"Then the seed would awaken."
"It would consume his reason, magnify his resentment, and turn him into a blade aimed at your own hearts."
The words struck like thunder.
Sengoku's pupils shrank violently, his body swaying. Garp, Zephyr, and the surrounding Vice Admirals turned pale as if all strength had been drained from them.
To destroy a person, one must first destroy their heart.
This was true psychological execution.
"So, Sengoku."
Tobirama spread his hands, as though admiring a masterpiece.
"The one who stabbed you wasn't me."
"It was you."
"Your so-called Absolute Justice."
"And the cold, merciless World Government behind you."
"They forced an Admiral who once fought for you into despair."
"You are the ones who killed him."
Sengoku's breath hitched.
"Pfft—!"
Overwhelmed by rage, grief, and crushing regret, he spat out a mouthful of blood. His mind reeled.
So it had all been planned from the very beginning.
It wasn't Tobirama who destroyed Kuzan.
It was them.
"It's not over yet."
Behind Sengoku, Kuzan's eyes darkened completely. The last trace of light vanished, replaced by pure killing intent. He pulled the blade free and stepped forward again.
"Die… let it all end…"
"Kuzan, stop!!"
Garp roared as he charged forward—but he was too far away.
Sengoku turned, meeting Kuzan's twisted, pained expression. For a brief moment, deep sorrow flashed through his eyes.
Then it hardened into resolve.
"I'm sorry, Kuzan," Sengoku said quietly.
"I am… the Fleet Admiral of the Navy."
Golden light erupted.
Sengoku's massive Buddha form manifested instantly, enveloping his body. He did not retreat. Instead, he raised a radiant palm, filled with grief and determination, and brought it down.
"Shockwave!"
A deafening impact echoed across Marineford.
Kuzan was hurled away, his body crashing into the shattered plaza. He lay still among the ruins, staring up at the sky.
For a fleeting instant, clarity returned to his eyes.
"…So this is how it ends," he murmured.
A great Admiral—Aokiji Kuzan—fell at the hands of the Fleet Admiral he respected most.
Silence engulfed the battlefield.
Many Marines trembled, tears welling in their eyes. Their morale plummeted to the brink of collapse.
An Admiral had betrayed them.
And the Fleet Admiral had been forced to end him himself.
How could they continue to fight?
"Everyone, lift your heads!!!"
Sengoku forced himself upright, blood still flowing as he roared with the ferocity of a wounded beast.
"What are you afraid of?!"
"This is war!!"
"Kuzan was deceived by a demon!"
"His death is the sin of that Uchiha Tobirama!"
"If we fall now, his sacrifice means nothing!"
"Justice does not perish because of betrayal—it collapses only because of weakness!"
He pointed toward the city behind them.
"Look! Countless civilians are praying for peace!"
"If we lose here, this world will fall into hell!"
"For Justice!"
"Tear that demon apart!!"
A thunderous roar answered him.
The Marines, driven by grief and fury, steadied themselves and raised their weapons once more.
"Avenge Admiral Kuzan!!"
"Kill!!"
Watching this, Tobirama yawned, utterly unimpressed.
"Another tedious speech."
Though Marine morale had recovered somewhat, the battlefield told another story. Under the relentless assault of Hancock and the others, the Marines continued to retreat. Ordinary soldiers simply couldn't withstand the power of multiple Logia users.
Tobirama glanced toward the massive Gate of Justice.
"Are you still hiding?"
Sengoku roared in that same direction as he continued commanding the battle.
"Five Elders!!"
"How much longer will you watch?!"
"The Navy has done everything it can! If you don't act now, Marineford will fall!!"
The moment his voice faded—
Rumble!!!
The clouds split apart.
A presence far colder and more oppressive than anything before descended upon Marineford, as though from an ancient abyss.
"Hmph."
"Sengoku, you have disappointed us."
An aged, arrogant voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Unable to deal with a mere enemy—and even losing an Admiral in the process."
"The Navy truly is nothing more than a pack of guard dogs."
Five figures fell from the sky like black meteors.
The ground cracked as they landed before the execution platform.
The Five Elders had arrived.
Behind them, space itself seemed to warp. One gate after another opened, and nine figures clad in divine armor stepped forward, their presence both noble and terrifying.
The Holy Knights.
At their head stood Saint Figarland Garling, longsword in hand, gaze sharp and merciless.
Moments later, several figures in white suits and masks appeared in flashes—CP0's strongest elites.
At the harbor's edge, strangely marked warships docked. Winged figures wielding advanced weapons poured out in formation.
The Seraphim units—fully deployed.
Finally, elite forces from the World Government's allied nations surged in from both sides of the Gate of Justice, flooding the plaza like a black tide.
This was no longer the Navy's war alone.
The World Government had revealed every last trump card.
Across the world, viewers watching the broadcast swallowed nervously.
This force…
It felt capable of erasing the world itself.
In the center of the battlefield, Saint Saturn stepped forward, leaning on his cane. His hollow eyes locked onto the silver-haired man standing at the ship's bow.
"Uchiha Tobirama," he said coldly.
"The game ends here."
Dark mist rose around him as his body began to change.
"You and your absurd empire…"
"Today, you will be erased from history."
Facing the overwhelming enemy force, Tobirama did not retreat.
He felt no fear.
Instead, he straightened, and a fanatical battle intent surged from his Rinnegan. His smile widened, ferocious and unrestrained.
"Hahahaha!!"
His laughter drowned out the battlefield.
"Now this is more like it!"
"This is the stage I've been waiting for!"
He drew the Kusanagi Sword, while his other hand formed a black shakujo. Chakra erupted from his body like a raging volcano, blasting straight into the heavens and scattering the dark clouds above.
"Come on!!"
"Five Elders! Holy Knights! Seraphim!"
"All of you—attack together!!"
"Today…"
"I will bury every last relic of the old era right here!!"