The island was swept by strong winds, and its inhabitants paid no heed to the chaotic night.
They all retreated indoors, closing all doors and windows, waiting for the storm to pass.
Sakazuki stepped on the two people beneath his feet, steadying their windblown bodies:
"Afraid to show yourselves, huh?"
BOOM——！！！！
The violent Conqueror's Haki surged out unrestrained, sweeping across the land.
All living creatures on the island fell unconscious.....
And the howling winds seemed to stop, rapidly receding.
From a distance, from the sky's perspective, when Gagao Island was just a tiny black dot.
Sakazuki's Conqueror's Haki could not reach here, and the receding winds coalesced into a figure.
Dragon appeared in mid-air, his brow furrowed:
"The range is too vast....."
Powerful Haki could nullify Devil Fruit abilities.
This was why Dragon dared not engage directly; he had met Sakazuki more than once.
Exposed under the impact of Haki, it would be easy to discover who he was.
But to retreat this far and still not perceive Sakazuki's Conqueror's Haki, this range..... troublesome.
It was not yet time for an open declaration of war......
Dragon took a deep breath, and his figure vanished with a roar.
A colossal tornado appeared on the sea.
It continuously sucked in seawater..... forming a sky-piercing water column.
At the apex of the extremely high waterspout, Dragon, half-merged with the air, increased his output.
Until, under the momentum of the waterspout, he could barely control it himself.
He abruptly pushed it towards Gagao Island.
The endless waterspout, which one could not see the end of, rapidly charged towards Gagao Island.
The roaring sound blared unhindered across the sea.
Even Sakazuki, whose Haki could not reach here, could faintly sense the threat.
Dragon transformed into a fierce wind, encircling the waterspout. Success or failure depended on this strike.....
--------
Sakazuki's Observation Haki sensed the rapidly approaching waterspout:
"What a grand gesture."
Such a thing, if it were to fall and strike the island..... its power could split the island in half.
Of course..... more likely, the island would sink directly......
"Trying to save them, are we."
As the words fell, his body rapidly expanded, and in an instant, a lava giant over thirty meters tall appeared.
He clasped his hands together and pulled outwards, creating a lava spear imbued with Armament Haki, its darkness-blackening. He continuously infused it with power.
Under the relentless compression, even with Armament Haki, it faintly emitted a red glow.
Using Observation Haki to pinpoint the waterspout's center, he thrust the spear with his right hand.
WHOOSH——
The sound of air being torn echoed, like a fiery red meteor.
In the blink of an eye, it reached the waterspout.
BOOM！！！！
The extreme Armament Haki violently shattered the surrounding winds and water walls.
It burst into the calm center of the vortex.
It exploded with a roar.
Expanding outwards like bubbles, it was continuously absorbed into the waterspout.
Dragon could control the wind, but he could not control the water, which far surpassed his control.
After the magma entered, the waterspout's rotation gradually slowed.
The magma within the waterspout spun along, but its volume continuously increased, reaching towards the seabed.
After advancing nearly a thousand meters, the waterspout finally stopped......
At this moment, a sky-piercing lava column stood erect on the sea.
All the water had long since evaporated, squeezed out by the magma.
Dragon, transformed into wind and guiding the waterspout, completely abandoned the idea of rescue.....
There was no choice. If this attack had landed, he might have been able to try.
But before it even reached, it was resolved.
The surface of the magma slowly solidified, turning black, appearing to have cooled.
Dragon sighed inwardly, preparing to retreat and think of another plan.
At this moment, cracks continuously appeared on the surface of the lava column.....
BOOM——！！！！！138 Reading Net
It directly exploded, and a ring of shockwaves expanded outwards.
Countless fragments of magma were hurled outwards by the impact of the explosion.
Dragon, also caught by the raging airflow and his Devil Fruit ability's transformed wind, was uncontrollably tossed about and disappeared.....
--------
After being carried an unknown distance, Dragon reformed his body:
"What immense power."
He took out his Log Pose but found only a weak reaction. He shook his head.
He could only follow that faint reaction, searching forward, looking for an island to ascertain his current location......
--------
Gagao Island, dawn was breaking.
Six black dots appeared on the horizon, constantly growing larger.
They were warships that had been traveling day and night.
Soon.
From the warships docked ashore, the first to disembark were a group of people in black suits.
CP members in black suits approached Sakazuki respectfully, saying:
"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki."
Sakazuki nodded:
"Mm."
He stood up, nudged the two people at his feet with his foot, and said to the CP personnel:
"Find someone to treat them quickly."
"Don't let them die."
The CP member replied respectfully:
"Yes."
After speaking, he waved, and several people behind him quickly carried away the two captives on the ground.
Sakazuki also walked towards the warship.
He suddenly remembered something, and sent a surge of Conqueror's Haki towards the island behind him, it flashed past.
Ignoring the somewhat puzzled crowd, he went into the lounge.
------
Gagao Island, inland.
Having been cleansed by the violent Conqueror's Haki, the residents had long since transitioned from unconsciousness to sleep.
And under the controlled burst of Conqueror's Haki from Sakazuki,
All the sleeping residents on the island were stimulated awake.
"What is this....."
"What's going on, why am I on the ground?"
"Huh? Huh? What happened?"
"Was last night a dream?"
"Hey!!!"
"Look at that big mountain in the distance!!!"
The massive mountain covered in magma proved that..... last night was not a dream.
Instead, something unknown had occurred.....
For a time, panic spread among the islanders, and many began packing their belongings, preparing to leave.
Until the afternoon.
After communication between the kingdom and the government, they learned of the perilous events of last night.
The terrified royals and nobles praised the government profusely, and simultaneously sent a large sum of money to the Marines.....
Money could be earned again..... but without the Marines, their lives would have been lost last night......
--------
Several days later.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
As Sakazuki entered the port, he sensed something different:
"So much energy."
There were several times more people than usual.
In a few more days, it would be Sengoku's promotion to Fleet Admiral.
Everything was developing in a positive direction.
The soldiers were eagerly preparing everything with high spirits......