"A1 Armory is down too? What about Kuzan? Didn't he go to support that front?" Sengoku suddenly looked up, a thought striking him.
"A1 Armory just reported back—Vice Admiral Kuzan never arrived. Right now, Vice Admiral Doberman is leading the Marines to hold off Jack of the Grey Dominion. But Jack is extremely difficult to deal with... the situation is dangerously unstable!" the officer reported.
"Find out immediately—what's going on with Kuzan!" Sengoku ordered.
"Yes, sir!" The officer saluted and ran off.
"Second Division! CHARGE! They've run out of shells! Take the fight straight to Marineford's main tower!" A voice rang out from the battlefield—it was Raelmann's.
Raelmann had known all along that the other divisions attacking the Marine armories were merely creating an opening—one he was now using for the main assault. And it was working.
"Outrageous... Are you all really going to let them run wild ? Or do you need an old man like me to handle things?" Kong growled, his face darkening.
"Boss Kong, there's no need for you to step in just yet—I'll take care of him!" said a grizzled old Vice Admiral as he stepped forward.
He took a few strides forward, then kicked off the ground—his body launching high above Marineford. As he rose, wings burst forth from his back. With a powerful flap, he shot toward Raelmann like a deadly arrow.
In the Age of Roger, the most famous pirates were Gol D. Roger, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and the Red Count. These four were legends.
After Roger's death and the capture of the Golden Lion and Red Count, Big Mom and Kaido rose to prominence and became the top contenders. Of course, another one—Red-Haired Shanks—would eventually make a name for himself, though he hadn't reached his peak yet.
But the seas were never ruled by just a few. In the New World, many other pirates rivaled Big Mom and Kaido. Otherwise, the throne of Pirate King would've long been decided.
These were pirates who had survived since Roger's era. While not quite at the level of Roger or the Four Emperors, they weren't any weaker than the Marine's top-tier Vice Admirals.
In response, the Navy of Kong, Garp, and Sengoku's era also had its monsters—Vice Admirals with power to match. Like the man charging at Raelmann now: known as the Hawk Vice Admiral, he was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user with the power of the Hawk-Hawk Fruit. His physical skills were monstrous, he could fly, and most importantly—he was an awakened Zoan user.
Raelmann, just as he was leading the Second Division's charge, suddenly sensed a swift attack coming from above. The speed was intense.
During his two years on Skypiea, Raelmann hadn't improved drastically in raw strength—he was past his prime. But one thing had grown tremendously: his Observation Haki.
The "Mind-Net" techniques developed by Katakuri had been widely spread by Rosinante throughout the Grey Dominion. Those who performed great service could earn access to Mind-Net 1.0, with higher merit unlocking higher versions.
The Bloodsworn Guard trained in Mind-Net 5.0, while Raelman and the various vice-captains could train in 7.0. Bins was personally granted Mind-Net 8.0.
Only Rosinante and Katakuri had access to Mind-Net 9.0.
After mastering Mind-Net 7.0, Raelmann's Observation Haki had reached a new level. The moment the Hawk Vice Admiral approached, Raelmann sensed it instantly—he turned and launched a punch just as the admiral's kick flew in.
"Not bad! You actually caught my kick!" the Hawk Vice Admiral sneered, about to boast—when a massive explosion detonated beneath him, blasting him backward through the air.
"Some people just don't learn. Especially when fighting a walking bomb like me. You really asked for this," Raelmann said coldly.
"Well, well, look who it is—Raelmann the Detonator. Didn't expect you to bow down to a greenhorn like Rosinante." The Hawk Vice Admiral narrowed his eyes coldly.
Despite being blasted, he had quickly protected himself using Armament Haki. He took some damage, but as an awakened Zoan, his injuries regenerated almost instantly.
"This is how the Navy fights now? You knew the Grey Dominion was coming, yet you didn't even bother to study us?" Raelmann said flatly.
The Hawk Vice Admiral's face twitched in embarrassment.
To be honest, he had never taken Rosinante seriously. Sure, he'd heard that Rosinante could hold his own against both Sakazuki and Kuzan—but in his eyes, a teenager couldn't possibly pose a real threat.
Naturally, he hadn't bothered to look at the files on the Grey Kingdom's key figures.
"Embarrassing," muttered Kayne with a smirk.
Though there was some distance between Raelmann's battle and Kayne's group, everyone here was a master of Observation Haki—they could clearly hear Raelmann's words.
The Hawk Vice Admiral's arrogant nature had always clashed with the bold, brash Kayne. So seeing him humiliated now, Kayne—and even Garp—chuckled with satisfaction.
Kong, however, shot Garp a withering glare. Even he was displeased with the Hawk's performance.
"I don't memorize dead men's files. If you dare attack Marineford—you're already corpses," the Hawk Vice Admiral said coldly, brushing off the awkwardness.
"Hawk Feather Barrage!" he shouted.
With a beat of his wings, sharp feathers infused with Armament Haki shot out like a hail of black arrows toward Raelmann.
The Hawk knew Raelmann was a Bomb-Bomb Fruit user—his entire body was explosive. So he wisely chose ranged suppression.
The black feathers flew fast and hard—each one infused with Haki, capable of piercing solid stone with ease.
But with his enhanced Observation Haki, Raelmann dodged effortlessly. Then, with a flick of his foot, an explosion erupted beneath him—propelling him at insane speed toward the Hawk Vice Admiral. In an instant, he was right in front of him, fist raised to strike.
Thanks to his control over explosions, enhanced by Mind-Net 7.0, Raelmann's Blast Step had become even faster and more precise.
"So fast! That technique didn't used to be this quick... Looks like your strength's improved," the Hawk Vice Admiral muttered, a hint of surprise in his voice.
He didn't panic though—he was confident in his flight. If he kept to the skies, Raelmann couldn't reach him. The Detonator's attacks were useless if they couldn't connect. In theory, his powers directly countered Raelmann's.
"Trinity Blast Fist!" Raelmann growled.
The sleeve on his arm tore open as he drove his fist forward.
"Not good!" The Hawk Vice Admiral's face fell as he realized the punch was too fast—his Observation Haki only caught a blur. His body couldn't react in time.
Raelmann's fist struck true.
A brutal series of detonations erupted across the Hawk Vice Admiral's body—explosions chaining together in a relentless inferno.
He had no chance to fight back.
Hawk Vice Admiral and Kayne are from this AU