Hearing Sakazuki's words and seeing the injuries on him, Momonga's eyes were filled with utter shock.
Rosinante is actually this powerful?
An admiral—one of the strongest fighting forces across the seas. And yet this young man already possesses the strength of an admiral? How is that even possible?
As a fellow Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters, Momonga clearly understood the level of strength Borsalino possessed. For someone like him to be defeated was already astonishing enough.
Later, the story went that Rosinante's Devil Fruit had the power to silence other fruits, and that Borsalino had been careless—only then did he fall in defeat.
At the time, Momonga accepted this explanation. After all, Devil Fruits in this vast sea came in all shapes and forms. A powerful fruit with an unpredictable effect could easily catch someone off guard. A mistake in judgment wasn't so hard to believe.
Then, Fleet Admiral Kong personally assigned Momonga the task of tracking down Rosinante. Since Momonga wasn't a Devil Fruit user, he was considered suitable for the job. He even traveled all the way to the North Blue—but unfortunately, came back empty-handed.
Later, word came that Rosinante had escaped from Vice Admiral Garp.
It was said that Rosinante had a desperate technique up his sleeve, along with a group of subordinates who were far from weak. Among them, there was even a Devil Fruit user who could open spatial wormholes. That's how they managed to escape Garp's encirclement.
According to Sakazuki, once Rosinante used that reckless technique, both he and his companions could multiply their combat strength by several times over.
This led the Navy to raise the threat level of Rosinante's group to the highest possible tier. A direct order was issued: any attempt to capture Rosinante must involve multiple Vice Admirals—or even Admirals themselves.
And yet, after almost two years of silence, the Rosinante who reappeared had already reached Admiral-level strength?
"The Buster Call probably won't have its intended effect anymore. We must take this brat down. If we don't, the Navy's reputation will be in ruins!" Sakazuki glared coldly at Rosinante, his voice like ice from the abyss.
At that moment, Sakazuki was like a savage beast suddenly awakened.
Hearing Sakazuki's declaration, Momonga nodded grimly and drew the blade at his waist, staring intently at Rosinante.
"Facing three Vice Admirals from Headquarters all at once, with two of them practically at Admiral level… Yeah, this might be a bit tough," Rosinante muttered. Then he turned toward the giant. "Hey, big guy—you're Saul, right? Mind helping me hold off the one with the sword?"
In the Navy, officers were divided between Headquarters and Branches.
Even among Vice Admirals, there was a huge gap in strength between the two. Those stationed at Headquarters were the ones capable of going head-to-head with the great pirates of the New World.
Not to mention Sakazuki and Kuzan, even Momonga was one of the elites among Headquarters Vice Admirals.
Taking on three top-tier Vice Admirals at once? Even Rosinante had to admit—it wasn't going to be easy.
"Momonga, huh? Alright. I'll do my best," Saul replied.
Among the Vice Admirals, Saul's strength was nothing to scoff at. Otherwise, Sengoku wouldn't have picked him as one of the five leaders of the Buster Call.
But now, Saul's injuries hadn't fully healed yet. It was uncertain whether he could actually hold off Momonga. Even at full strength, Momonga still had the edge.
"Saul, as a former Navy officer, are you really going to interfere with the Navy's Buster Call?" Kuzan asked, staring at him.
"The Buster Call is already inhumane as it is. To slaughter unarmed scholars? That's a betrayal of the justice I believe in," Saul retorted. "Back when I hunted pirates at sea, I took pride in my actions. But can you really be proud of what you're doing today, Kuzan?"
"I'm no longer a Marine," Saul declared. "Now, I just want to protect my friends. And for that, I'll stand against the whole world if I must."
"Well said. Just for that, I'm proud to call you my friend," Rosinante smiled.
"The state of the world has left us with no choice," Kuzan said. "The Pirate King triggered the Great Pirate Era, and the seas are now in constant turmoil. Ohara's research could pose a major threat to the World Government. If manipulated by pirates, revolutionaries, or power-hungry schemers, the world could descend into chaos. Stopping the study of the Poneglyphs is a necessary step."
"Isn't that strange, Kuzan?" Saul countered. "You're saying that in order to prevent a potential chaos, you're going to massacre scholars and erase an entire island—just to send a warning? Isn't that completely backwards?"
"Ohara's crimes are real," Kuzan insisted.
"All they did was study history. That doesn't warrant death—certainly not the extermination of an entire island. What you're doing is worse than what pirates do," Saul said bluntly.
"Seems I can't convince you," Kuzan replied. "Then let's fight for what we each believe in."
"Ice Time Capsule!" An invisible wave of cold air blasted toward Saul.
Suddenly, a figure darted in between Saul and Kuzan.
"Your opponent is me! Silence, chill of frost!" The figure—it was Rosinante—had blocked the attack.
"It didn't work…" Kuzan murmured as the freezing mist dissipated.
He had planned to eliminate Saul before the battle began, so they could gang up on Rosinante three-on-one. But clearly, that plan had failed.
"Not very gentlemanly to ambush people, you know!" Rosinante chuckled—and at that exact moment, his left hand lit up with Armament Haki to block a slash out of nowhere.
"You've got no right to talk. Don't forget—you were once known as the Silent Blade. When it comes to ambushes, even I can't compare," Momonga said coldly, his blade still pressed against Rosinante's Haki-covered arm.
Fleet Admiral Kong had once assigned Momonga to track Rosinante, so he was familiar with the man's past. Back then, Rosinante earned the moniker "Silent Blade" for the way he struck without a sound. He was a master of ambush.
"Silent Blade? Man, that was a long time ago. Look—I don't even carry a sword anymore!" Rosinante laughed.
Then, with a sudden twist of his arm, he flung Momonga backward like a ragdoll.
"But you're right about one thing. I am the king of sneak attacks. I sneak up on others—nobody sneaks up on me." With a flash, Rosinante vanished.
Seeing him disappear, Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Momonga instantly went on high alert.
"You're looking the wrong way." The voice came from Momonga's left side. He didn't even turn—just swung his blade reflexively.
At that moment, a tremendous force slammed into his right side. Momonga was kicked clean off his feet and sent flying.
"He's yours. Just hold him back for me," Rosinante said to Saul as he sheathed his weapon.
"No problem," Saul nodded.
He could tell Rosinante's kick had already injured Momonga. With both of them wounded and being around the same strength, Saul felt confident he could stall him.
Without another word, Saul leapt toward the direction where Momonga had crashed.
"And now…" Rosinante turned toward Kuzan and Sakazuki, his expression grave. "Looks like it's our turn. The famed three 'monstrous' Vice Admirals of the Navy—I've heard the legends. Didn't expect I'd face two of you at once. You guys sure hold me in high regard."
Though technically still Vice Admirals, both Kuzan and Sakazuki already wielded strength on par with Admirals.
The World Government was even considering promoting them to full Admirals, in order to cope with the ever-growing wave of chaos and piracy across the seas.
In fact, this Buster Call on Ohara was a trial—to test whether they were ready for such a promotion. After it was over, they would likely be raised to the Navy's highest combat echelon.
Rosinante, for his part, had trained tirelessly over the past two years. On Skypiea, he pushed his limits for over a year in the oxygen-thin air ten thousand meters above sea level, allowing his body to undergo dramatic improvements.
Then came six months of mastering Aikido in Ohara, which was just as effective as his intense sky training.
He now possessed strength that could rival an Admiral.
But even so—facing both Kuzan and Sakazuki at once—Rosinante couldn't help but feel the crushing pressure of two monsters bearing down on him….