As Sebas plummeted from dozens of meters above and Magnus's icy blade slashed toward him, the Admiral was stunned.
How could he be brought to his knees by Magnus?
He was a Marine Admiral. A Mythical Zoan user with an elemental advantage over Magnus. He should be Magnus's natural enemy.
But Magnus's strength and speed now felt unfamiliar.
"Admiral Crimson Steed!"
Kong's furious shout jolted Sebas back. The strength of Zoan users lay in their durability and rapid regeneration—especially Mythical-class ones like him.
Magnus had nearly taken his head with one strike, but Sebas's instinct activated Busoushoku Haki (Armament Haki), and his natural scale armor had just barely held it back.
A faint red line now marked his neck. One more inch and it would've hit an artery.
Sebas unleashed an explosion of fire, desperate to throw Magnus off him.
But would Magnus back down?
Magnus knew he couldn't take on two Admirals at once. If it were Kong and Rona—both in their prime—he would've run.
Haki only grew through battle against powerful foes.
But charging blindly wasn't courage—it was suicide.
The Navy underestimated him. Instead of sending Kong and Rona, they sent Kong and this old has-been.
"Sebas, you couldn't catch me even at your peak! You're older than me now. What made you think you could solo me?!"
Magnus laughed as he surged through the Flame Burst. Frost exploded from his body as he took on full wolf form.
"Kanzai! (Cold Calamity!)"
The shockwave from the fire and frost clash expanded across several kilometers. Had their fight taken place in the harbor town, that one exchange would've razed it.
The sheer force made Kong pause. He wanted to assist Sebas, but Magnus had forced him into melee, and Sebas's flame blasts made it impossible—Kong would've been caught in them.
Sebas gritted his teeth, trying to focus. After a few hard hits from Magnus, his mind cleared.
He didn't know what had changed in Magnus, but he now had power on par with Sebas's prime.
"Puhahaha! Sebas, your body was hollowed out by women long ago! If you were twenty years younger, you wouldn't be this pathetic!"
The terms Admiral-level and Emperor-level were merely benchmarks. Within those ranks, strength still varied.
A strong Emperor could defeat a weak Admiral.
A strong Admiral could beat a weak Emperor.
Power lies in the person, not the title!
Sebas, once a fearsome veteran Admiral, had power that rookies like Kong couldn't yet match.
Just like Magnus a year ago, when even defeating a pirate with under 200 million bounty took everything he had. Sebas still held Admiral-level strength—but only barely.
Given time, his stamina decline would be exposed.
A shock like lightning jolted Magnus's skin. Now that Sebas stopped spamming fire, Kong finally had a chance to enter the battle.
From Kong's first strike, Magnus could tell—he had reached the same level. And at under forty, Kong still had more than a decade of growth ahead.
"Admiral Crimson Steed, are you alright?"
"Hmph. I may be old, but he won't take me down that easily!"
Sebas stood with effort, panting, eyes burning.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this humiliated. Since becoming an Admiral, pirates either fled at his name or wished they had extra legs.
Except Magnus. Even when weaker, he had never feared him.
But this sea breeds monsters.
Sebas always looked down on Magnus—for lacking talent. Even with grueling effort and a Mythical Zoan, he'd never reached Sebas's tier.
Sebas had become an Admiral at forty-two and had even once vied for the Fleet Admiral seat.
Why did Magnus, who didn't even possess Haōshoku Haki before, now wield it with natural flair?
Why did his face still have the striking handsomeness of a man in his prime?
This face—this was the real reason Sebas hated Magnus.
They were both men, both old. So how was Magnus still better looking!?
"Magnus... how did you do it?"
"Heh... you're not worthy to know."
Magnus scoffed at the question. He never once took Sebas seriously.
Maybe that's why the two of them always hated each other.
Kong and Sebas teaming up—that was the worst-case scenario.
But Magnus knew: if he proved he was stronger than either one of them alone, they would inevitably team up.
So earlier, he had done everything to weaken Sebas before that happened.
Now, the strength of Zoan fruits became obvious.
Just moments ago, Sebas had been in a sorry state.
Yet now, after just a few deep breaths, his ragged breathing began to stabilize.
He could not give Sebas even a second to recover!
As Magnus clashed with both Sebas and Kong, the surrounding Marine forces began to close in.
"All units ready—prepare to fire!"
"But... Vice Admiral Elliott, there are still civilians on this island—"
"Civilians? Where do you see civilians?"
The scar-faced Vice Admiral snorted.
"Sphinx is not a World Government member. It's a haven for pirates and scum. There's no one worth protecting here."
In this world, only nations that paid Heavenly Tribute and joined the World Government earned the Marines' protection.
To Elliott, only taxpayers were people.
As for the people living on Sphinx?
"They're nothing but beasts in human skin!"
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