One Piece: Curse of Immortality

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Four chairs, four men. At this moment, every Marine's gaze was locked onto the front. The light in their eyes burned intensely. 

Everyone understood exactly what these four men represented. In the new era that belonged to the Marines, they would be the four brightest suns, suppressing the chaos of this age.

Those four chairs symbolized the rank of Admiral.

Arashi could feel the searing gazes from behind him. He quietly looked ahead, leaned back against his chair, found a comfortable position, and casually crossed one leg over the other.

"I didn't expect you to return to headquarters," a soft voice came from his side.

Arashi turned to his right—Kuzan was looking at him.

"I didn't expect it either," Arashi replied with a slight smile. "But it's obvious that Headquarters needs my strength."

"The wounds you left on me back then still ache from time to time," Kuzan said in a deep voice.

The moment those words left his mouth, Sakazuki, sitting to Arashi's left, darkened his expression even further. His cold voice rang out abruptly.

"Someone like you is unworthy of being a Marine."

Arashi chuckled lightly. "It's not for you to decide whether I am worthy, Sakazuki."

"Soon enough, I'll make something clear to you—" Arashi leaned slightly forward, his tone calm yet firm. "You are not as strong as you think you are."

Sakazuki's eyes narrowed. "We'll see about that."

Arashi smirked. "I look forward to seeing how much you've improved over the years."

Then, turning back to Kuzan, he said, "We've been friends for years. Was it just a spar, and you're still holding a grudge? You're a bit too petty, aren't you?"

Kuzan's face stiffened, and the coldness in his expression faded, replaced by a look of helplessness.

"You call that war a spar?"

"If no one died, then what else would you call it?" Arashi shrugged.

"You've gotten even more shameless," Kuzan scoffed.

But it was clear that, after a brief exchange, the bond between the two had already grown closer.

"From now on, we're all colleagues. Let's try to get along," Borsalino said with a lazy smile. 

"After all, there will be plenty of times we'll need to work together."

"Colleagues?" Sakazuki sneered. "Hmph, I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Arashi paid no attention to Sakazuki's attitude. The friction between them had existed since their first meeting, and he had always come out on top. 

A few words were hardly enough to unsettle him.

"You sound more official than usual, Borsalino," Arashi grinned.

"Heh, I don't have much of a choice," Borsalino sighed.

"Quiet now," Kuzan suddenly said. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku is here."

The four immediately fell silent and looked ahead.

Sengoku, now dressed in a formal Marine uniform, stepped onto the high platform with a thick stack of papers in hand. His expression was both solemn and serious.

Marineford's plaza fell into a dead silence.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

His heavy footsteps echoed in everyone's ears as he walked. Soon, he stood before the transponder snail, facing the entire Marineford force.

A broad justice cloak draped over his shoulders, his white Marine uniform adorned with numerous gleaming medals across his chest. 

His long, braided beard swayed slightly as he moved, and atop his Marine cap perched a seagull. Sweeping his gaze across the assembly, Sengoku slowly began to speak.

"This is a meeting addressing the entire Marine force. Of course, it is also closely tied to me personally."

His deep voice carried weight, spreading across the plaza and even causing ripples to form on the waters of the inner bay. Every Marine straightened their posture, listening intently.

"From today—no, from this very moment—I, Sengoku, will assume the position of Fleet Admiral!"

The words fell, and for a few seconds, Marineford remained silent. Then, cheers and applause erupted like a tidal wave, and the atmosphere became excited.

"To me, however, this is not something to celebrate, nor something to be happy about." Sengoku's voice rang out again.

As if someone had pressed the pause button, the cheers and applause stopped instantly, and silence returned. 

This was a testament to the discipline and excellence of the Marine forces.

"Because this means an even greater responsibility," Sengoku continued.

"It means we must work harder to uphold the justice we, as Marines, claim to stand for." Pausing briefly, he surveyed the crowd with a solemn expression.

"Of course, this is not something I can accomplish alone. Justice requires the effort of every Marine. It is something we must work together to realize."

"In the coming days, I hope each of you will reflect carefully on the true meaning of justice. Understand whose name you wield your weapons for. And more importantly, understand the beliefs you uphold."

His deep voice resonated through the plaza, reaching the heart of every Marine present.

After his brief speech, Sengoku turned his gaze toward the four men seated in the front row.

"Now, I will announce an important matter regarding the Marines. The appointment of the new Admirals."

Taking a deep breath, Sengoku fixed his eyes on Arashi.

"In this new era, we are fortunate to witness the Marines entering a period of unprecedented strength. This world will now have four pillars of absolute power."

"The first among them—"

His voice suddenly rose in volume.

"Vice Admiral Arashi!!"

Hearing this, Arashi slowly stood up and faced the assembled Marines.

The next second, the plaza erupted into a frenzy. From the distance, Maynard, Momonga, Stainless, and others cheered wildly, some even whistling.

"The former Commander of the West Blue, who managed the West Blue bases for eleven years with dedication and was beloved by the people."

"The one who personally captured the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, who ignited the Great Pirate Era."

"The man who defeated the infamous Golden Lion, Shiki. Whether in merit or strength, Vice Admiral Arashi is beyond reproach!"

Sengoku's powerful voice pushed the already fervent crowd into an even greater frenzy.

"Vice Admiral Arashi! It's really Vice Admiral Arashi!!"

"Unbelievable!"

In the crowd, a Marine rear admiral flushed with excitement, his entire body trembling. 

It had been nearly a decade since he last saw Arashi—the very same man he had once briefly encountered while stationed in the South Blue's Baterilla Island. 

Now, he was a Marine Rear Admiral.

"As of today, Vice Admiral Arashi is promoted to Admiral!"

The cheers roared even louder. Sengoku tried to continue speaking, but his voice was drowned out by the Marines' overwhelming enthusiasm. 

Helplessly, he raised his hand and gestured downward, signalling for quiet. Only when the crowd settled did he continue.

"The second Admiral is Sakazuki, codename Akainu!"

More cheers erupted. Sakazuki stood up with a cold expression, facing the crowd.

"The third Admiral, codename Aokiji—Kuzan!"

Kuzan stood, casually smiling and waving to the crowd, maintaining his usual laid-back demeanour.

"The fourth Admiral, codename Kizaru—Borsalino!"

Borsalino stood, smiling as he greeted the crowd.

As each Admiral took their place, the cheers of support surged like crashing waves.

"These four Admirals represent the might of the Marines! With them, we now have the power to bring order to this chaotic era."

"And at last, true peace can be restored to the world!" Sengoku declared.

At that moment, Sakazuki, who had been standing calmly, suddenly narrowed his eyes and raised his right hand.

"Wait, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"

Sengoku's gaze sharpened as he looked at him. "Hmm?"

"I have doubts about Vice Admiral Arashi's qualifications and abilities to be promoted to Admiral," Sakazuki said coldly. 

"Furthermore, from what I know, a series of actions he has taken over the years in secrecy does not align with the responsibilities of an Admiral."

Hearing this, Sengoku fell silent, turning his gaze to Arashi. The latter maintained a faint smile, his expression unchanged.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Sengoku asked.

"I want to spar with Vice Admiral Arashi," Sakazuki declared in a chilling tone. "To see if he is truly qualified to become an Admiral!"

Sengoku frowned, sensing that something was off.

"A spar can happen anytime," he said.

Sakazuki shook his head. "Right now."

With that, he turned to Arashi once more.

"The result will be clear soon enough," he continued. "Or are you afraid to fight me, Vice Admiral Arashi?"

Arashi chuckled lightly and stood up. "You're right—the result will be clear soon enough."

A shadow of doubt crossed Sengoku's mind, but since the two had already made their decision, there was no way to stop them under so many watchful eyes.

"Come with me, Arashi!" Sakazuki declared as he turned and walked away. "Just the two of us—today, we'll have a real battle!"

Arashi's eyes flickered as he sensed something unusual. He stepped forward, following Sakazuki, a trace of doubt surfacing in his mind.

"I'd like to see what you're planning," he thought.

Kuzan and Borsalino watched the two leave. Their eyes met, and both sensed the weight of the situation.

Meanwhile, the Marines below were buzzing with excitement.

"Admiral Akainu is going to spar with Vice Admiral Arashi? A battle between two Admirals—that will be an incredible fight! Too bad we can't watch it!"

"Didn't you hear? It's a one-on-one duel. Outsiders probably won't be allowed to spectate."

…

Under the eyes of the onlookers, the two boarded separate Marine warships, slowly leaving the inner bay, passing through the Gate of Justice, and disappearing from sight.

"The headquarters isn't a suitable battlefield," Sakazuki stated coldly. "There's an uninhabited island southeast of here—it's perfect for our fight."

Arashi smiled faintly. "It doesn't matter where we fight—the outcome will be the same."

Sakazuki's expression remained unreadable. Inside his coat, a Den Den Mushi that had remained connected suddenly clicked off.

Back at Marineford, Sengoku slowly raised his head, looking toward the Gate of Justice. A strange unease washed over him, and his gaze grew heavy.

-Southeast of Marineford – A Remote Island-

Waves crashed along the shore as two warships docked, their hulls gently rising and falling with the ocean's rhythm.

Not far away, two figures stood face to face, over a hundred meters apart.

"I've been waiting for this fight for a long time," Sakazuki said with a hint of emotion. The coldness in his voice faded for a moment, replaced by something almost like nostalgia.

"I've heard you've been training relentlessly these past years," Arashi remarked.

"I didn't train just to defeat you," Sakazuki responded firmly. "I understand that in order to uphold my absolute justice, I must have absolute strength!"

With a sudden clench of his fist, molten magma surged from his hand, bubbling with searing heat.

Under the terrifying temperature, drops of magma dripped to the ground, instantly scorching deep, glowing-red holes into the earth.

Arashi's gaze sharpened slightly, showing a rare trace of seriousness.

Clearly, compared to the Sakazuki he had known in the past, his opponent had now pushed the Magma-Magma Fruit to an entirely new level. 

The sheer heat and destructive power were far beyond what they once were. His strength had truly reached the peak of an Admiral, standing at the pinnacle of his era.

"It seems we all have convictions we refuse to abandon," Arashi said with a soft sigh. "And because of that, we've gained the power we have today."

He slowly raised his right hand. A sharp crackle of electricity sounded as lightning wrapped around his fingers and palm.

"You've had a smooth path your entire life," Sakazuki suddenly said. 

"Your strength has skyrocketed, reaching the top without ever facing a true setback. Even someone like Golden Lion Shiki was defeated by you."

"You've never experienced a crushing failure, have you, Arashi?"

Arashi narrowed his eyes slightly, puzzled by the sudden change in Sakazuki's tone. 

He expanded his field of awareness, scanning the entire island, but sensed nothing unusual.

"Failure, huh?" he murmured. "That's a difficult question for me to answer."

Sakazuki sneered. "From today onward, you won't have to struggle with that question anymore!"

"It seems time has made you forget the past," he continued, "and has made you overconfident."

Arashi shook his head and smiled.

Suddenly, his five fingers spread open, and arcs of blue lightning surged outward, rapidly forming the shape of a massive dragon.

Every scale, horn, and whisker was vividly detailed, and a faint dragon's roar echoed in the air.

"Roar!"

The thunder dragon streaked forward at incredible speed, reaching Sakazuki in an instant.

At the same time, Arashi's voice rang out.

"200 Million Volts—Thunder Dragon."

In the blink of an eye, battle erupted! Sakazuki let out a fierce grin. His right fist, overflowing with magma, bubbled and churned as he swung it forward.

The clash of magma and lightning sent out a shockwave, their opposing elements colliding like solid matter.

The Thunder Dragon roared but quickly dissipated. Sakazuki bent his knees slightly, and in the next second, he vanished from sight.

"Life in the West Blue has been comfortable, hasn't it?" his voice echoed. "So comfortable that your body has started to stagnate!"

Heat surged. In an instant, the temperature spiked violently as if the very air had ignited.

Arashi looked up—Sakazuki's magma-coated fist was rushing toward him, surging, boiling, and expanding rapidly like a volcanic eruption.

In the blink of an eye, the magma punch grew over ten meters wide, stretching out into the shape of a snarling dog's head.

"Hellhound!"

With a deep growl, Sakazuki swung his magma-infused fist forward. Arashi's pupils contracted. He clenched his own fist and struck back.

Boom!

The moment their fists collided, the very air seemed to be sucked away, creating a near-vacuum in the surrounding space.

Stones on the ground lifted into the air from the sheer force of the impact.

Crackle! Bubble!

Lightning flashed, magma churned—then they clashed again, violently.

A brief second passed. Then, both figures moved again, their battle shifting through the sky.

Arashi raised his palm, lightning surging and condensing into a blinding pillar of light.

"Divine Punishment!"

The lightning pillar shot forward, but in that instant, Sakazuki vanished, as if predicting the attack.

In the blink of an eye, he reappeared at Arashi's side, his magma-covered fist rolling with heat.

Then—

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A rapid barrage of magma-infused punches crashed toward Arashi in an unrelenting assault.

Arashi crossed his arms in front of him, blocking the barrage of magma punches, but the sheer force of the attacks pushed him back continuously. 

After just a few breaths, black smoke rose from his arms, and his sleeves had been burned to ashes.

"It's been over ten years! and you still haven't mastered Observation Haki, Arashi?"

"I've heard that the Rumble-Rumble Fruit grants its user the ability to perceive their surroundings through their powers!"

"But clearly, that perception is far inferior to Observation Haki!"

Sakazuki sneered. His figure flickered again as he leapt into the air. 

His right arm suddenly swelled, transforming into a massive, burning magma fist. The fist then descended like a volcanic eruption, covering a vast area below.

Arashi's pupils contracted as he locked onto the incoming magma attack.

"Where did you get that information?"

He clenched his right fist, and with a sharp crackle, black and red lightning surged around it. 

Then, he swung his fist forward. The violent force instantly blasted out, colliding head-on with the falling magma fist.

Boom!

The magma fist shattered into countless fiery fragments, raining down like shooting stars and leaving pools of molten rock where they landed.

"You can take a guess!"

Sakazuki's figure flickered again, appearing right in front of him in the blink of an eye.

"Dog Bite Crimson Lotus!"

A torrent of molten rock surged forward.

Arashi extended his right hand, instantly forming a spear of lightning in his grip. With a swift motion, he swung it.

Zzzt!

Lightning crackled violently, striking directly at the incoming magma attack. The collision sent shockwaves rippling outward, scorching the ground beneath them.

The next moment, lightning flickered in Arashi's eyes, and his figure vanished. Almost instantly, he reappeared in front of Sakazuki.

Buzz!

A violent burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted, surging toward the Marine admiral. Black and red lightning coiled around the lightning spear, causing it to hum and tremble.

"Regardless of where you got your intel...There's one thing you should be reminded of!"

The black and red lightning crackled even more intensely, radiating dazzling brilliance. Then, Arashi swung his spear down in a devastating arc.

The overwhelming force of the strike sent shockwaves crashing down. 

Sakazuki raised his fist to block, but in an instant, his expression changed—blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. 

His body rapidly transformed into magma, retreating in a split second.

Boom!

The ground beneath them collapsed, leaving a massive crater.

Arashi stood firm, his gaze locked on Sakazuki, whose molten body reformed into a humanoid shape. His voice was cold.

"You've gotten stronger...But that doesn't mean I've been standing still!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure shot forward once more, surrounded by crackling lightning. 

The lightning spear spun above him, and in an instant, it lunged straight for Sakazuki, who had only just reformed his body.

Sakazuki's expression changed drastically, and he instinctively shifted into magma.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

A series of piercing sounds rang out as Sakazuki gritted his teeth and retaliated with a barrage of magma punches.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Molten fists slammed into Arashi's face, chest, abdomen, and shoulders, each impact erupting into fiery bursts. 

The force sent shockwaves rippling through the air. Lightning crackled around Arashi's body as his injuries slowly regenerated, restoring his battered form.

Both fighters furrowed their brows, but their eyes quickly sharpened.

They continued exchanging relentless attacks. Any strike they could dodge, they did. 

Those they couldn't, they endured with their Logia abilities. And when even that wasn't an option, they simply took the hit head-on.

In mere moments, wounds began to appear on Sakazuki's body. 

The searing burns from Arashi's lightning had burned his clothes to ash, leaving a scorched mark on his neck. 

Meanwhile, Arashi had a burn wound on his shoulder.

"You really have gotten stronger!"

Arashi grinned.

"This is the kind of fight worth taking seriously!"

The next second, he leapt high into the air, hovering above the battlefield. 

Then, with a pull of his hands, half of the sky behind him roared with thunder as an enormous lightning tree took shape. 

Its sprawling branches crackled with electricity.

"1.2 billion volts...Discharge!"

A deep voice resonated. Then, a massive storm of lightning bolts rained down toward Sakazuki.

Thunder crashed like a torrential downpour. The entire island was engulfed in a lightning storm, with countless bolts striking the ground, setting it ablaze.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Flashes of electricity illuminated the sky as Sakazuki raised his arms, attempting to withstand the assault. 

The ground beneath him was charred black, and flames erupted everywhere.

He staggered backwards, letting out a deep growl. His body was covered in burns, his nerves numb from the electric shock. 

Even his consciousness wavered for a moment. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit truly lived up to its reputation as one of the most powerful offensive Devil Fruits. 

Its destructive power was no less terrifying than Sakazuki's Magma-Magma Fruit. 

In fact, Arashi's mastery over his abilities was even more terrifying—his finely controlled electric currents even interfered with Sakazuki's nervous system.

"RAAAAGHHH!"

Sakazuki roared in defiance. Under the immense pressure of the lightning storm, he suddenly raised both fists high.

Gurgle... Gurgle!

Molten rock surged, and his entire body seemed to transform into a volcanic eruption, unleashing his most devastating attack yet.

"Meteor Volcano!"

A barrage of magma fists shot toward the sky, resembling a fiery meteor shower in broad daylight. The sheer force of the attack was overwhelming.

In an instant, Arashi found himself under immense pressure. Unlike before, Sakazuki's attacks were now too dangerous to ignore. 

If he got hit, the damage would be severe. Both fighters were now trapped within each other's overwhelming attacks.

Suddenly, in the shadows, an eerie voice broke the tension.

"It's time to move. This is the perfect opportunity! Sakazuki's distraction has served its purpose... Now, we strike!"

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