He then pulled the 'Mokuba', a famous sword gripped by the Golden Lion, off his person, with no time to grab the two at his feet.
He kicked the Golden Lion's corpse away with a single foot, then, holding the head and Mokuba, plunged downwards at great speed.
At this moment, the island landmass, several times larger than the entirety of Loguetown,
after losing the Golden Lion's devil fruit abilities, was about to crash into the sea not far from Loguetown.
If it were not stopped... the consequences would be unimaginable.
A fiery red figure arrived before the massive landmass, landing at the port here, and tossed the head and Mokuba aside.
Sakazuki placed both hands on the port's ground, aiming forward:
"Magma Landform!"
From the ground beneath his hands, magma erupted furiously, spreading towards the sea, and then was imbued with black Armament Haki.
From a distance, it looked as if the port of Loguetown had extended a large, black plate, ready to catch the enormous island falling from the sky.
Watching the approaching island and the magma plate, Sakazuki solemnly intensified his output of Armament Haki.
Finally...
**BOOM—！！！！！**
A deafening roar, as if the sky and earth were being destroyed, the sound waves seemed visible, spreading out in layers.
**Crack—**
Then came a sharp crack.
The magma plate, imbued with a large amount of Armament Haki, after resisting most of the impact the moment it collided, shattered with a bang.
The part disconnected from Sakazuki slowly turned back into magma, pressed into the seabed by the massive island.
The instant the colossal island entered the sea, Sakazuki took a deep breath and once again unleashed his abilities.
On the side of the entire island, magma walls tens of meters high were erected, imbued with Armament Haki, to resist the incoming tidal waves.
The surging waves crashed against the magma walls, wave after wave.
Sweat poured from Sakazuki's brow.
After a while...
When the incoming waves could no longer cause significant damage to the island, Sakazuki withdrew his abilities and let out a sigh of relief. It was finally over.
To instantly expend most of his stamina to create a magma plate the size of several islands, all imbued with Armament Haki, and then erect magma walls tens of meters high and half an island long was indeed tiring.
If Kuzan had come, it might have been easier, as freezing the sea directly into ice would have consumed less energy than Sakazuki’s efforts.
But magma was different. It couldn't turn water into magma; it could only draw upon stamina to become magma and imbue it with Armament Haki for defense.
Even so, the magma plate imbued with Armament Haki was instantly shattered upon impact... a testament to its power.
However, looking into the distance, as it submerged into the sea,
several patches of land, still the size of Loguetown, remained above the water. It was not a complete loss.
At least some land was preserved. This island, several times the size of Loguetown, could be well managed in the future, making up for some losses in the New World.
Thinking of this, Sakazuki’s expression darkened again.
The two Navy garrison islands taken by the Golden Lion had many people on them when they were abducted.
But he had discovered during the battle that those islands only contained a group of maddened giant beasts. Besides the Golden Lion, there was no one else.
Clearly... they had all...
Sakazuki walked to the Golden Lion’s head and crushed it with his foot:
"Damn trash..."
He picked up Mokuba and inserted it directly into the center of the Golden Lion's head.
Then, carrying the severed head on the sword, he walked towards the town.
Half a day later.
A photograph, processed through government channels, was sent to news agencies worldwide.
The following day, the newspapers exploded.
On the front page, a large headline read:
"The End of an Era! The Age of the Navy is Bound to Arrive!!!"
Below it was a photograph that occupied an entire page of the newspaper.
It depicted the Marine Admiral—Sakazuki, renowned worldwide for his brutality, holding a long sword.
Impaled on the sword was a severed head with its eyes closed and long, disheveled hair trailing to the ground.
It was none other than the Great Pirate Golden Lion, once as famous as Roger and Whitebeard.
The pirate who had single-handedly shattered the myth of Impel Down's impregnable defenses, the pirate who had attempted to bring disaster upon the world single-handedly.
Yet he was slain by the new Marine Admiral, Sakazuki, with absolute power, his clothes barely ruffled.
The long sword in Sakazuki's hand was also recognized as the Golden Lion's personal sword, 'Mokuba'.
The world was in an uproar...
----
New World, Onigashima.
Kaido, seated in his hall, lifted his sake gourd and took a large gulp.
**Bang—**
He casually threw the gourd aside and looked at the newspaper in his hand:
"Heh..."
"Just fooling some fools."
"Killed an old man on his deathbed."
"They're practically deifying him."
King, standing beside him, said:
"Even so, Sakazuki's strength is probably..."
...more terrifying than it was years ago, King mused inwardly.
Kaido let out a grim laugh:
"We're not the same as we were either."
"Is everything ready?"
King nodded:
"It's ready. All personnel have been dispatched."
"We await only your command."
Kaido said with a sinister grin:
"Then let's begin."
"The Age of the Navy is bound to arrive?"
"Ridiculous."
"Let the world welcome a new Emperor."
"Rororororo!!!"
----
North Blue, "White Town" Frevans.
The once fairytale-like, pristine scenery was long gone.
Gloomy smoke obscured the sky, and the ruined town exuded an aura of despair, making one feel oppressed.
The outskirts of Frevans were surrounded by a net laid by several neighboring countries, preventing the people of Frevans from escaping.
Soldiers clad in hazmat suits, wearing gas masks, and armed with guns stood guard at the border, trembling with fear.
Any resident of Frevans seen approaching the wire mesh was shot on sight.
The cause of all this was a "contagious disease" that had swept through Frevans in a short period...
Of course, this was the truth known to the public... and an irrefutable excuse.
No one wanted to die from the terrifying epidemic.
But the people blockaded in Frevans also wanted to live.
Finally... when those who could no longer bear it took up arms to break out,
it provided the surrounding neighboring countries with the perfect pretext. Countless soldiers in hazmat suits and gas masks stormed in.
Their objective was to slaughter all residents of Frevans.
In the center of Frevans.
A young nun gathered a large number of children, tears welling up in her eyes, filled with emotion.
She saw Law, standing guard outside the hospital, and ran towards him:
"Law, you should go with everyone else."
"A kind soldier said they would spare the children."
Law, wearing a school uniform and a spotted hat, lowered his head and clenched his fist:
"Nun, my sister is about to die..."
"I can't leave..."