"It's Hawk Eyes Dracule Mihawk!"

"A Great Pirate with a bounty of 369 million Belly!"

"They say he once single-handedly wiped out a massive pirate crew with over 1,000 men and a combined bounty exceeding 400 million!"

"No wonder his sword strikes are so terrifying!"

"But why does he, like Gecko Moria, only have one arm?"

"Is this... just a coincidence?"

...

The sudden arrival of the hawk-eyed youth sparked murmurs among the Marines present.

They looked warily at Doflamingo and Moria, who had pulled apart, then turned toward Mihawk, who leapt calmly from the black coffin boat. For a moment, no one knew what to do.

"Fufufufu... another one-armed guy, huh?"

Doflamingo floated smoothly to the ground, landing in a crouch on the barrel of a warship's main cannon. With an arrogant smirk, he glanced at the black-cloaked swordsman and sneered.

"What's the deal with you people?"

"One by one, you're all missing arms. You're making the Shichibukai look bad..."

Mihawk's dull golden hawk eyes swept over to Doflamingo.

"Unlike certain people, I gambled this arm on the new era of swordsmanship."

The new era... of swordsmanship?

What the hell does that even mean?

Doflamingo blinked, clearly not following the cryptic remark.

Before he could respond, Moria's pale face flushed a furious red. His teeth gnashed.

"Hawk Eyes, what the hell is that supposed to mean!?"

Mihawk glanced at him without emotion.

"You're not even qualified to speak to me."

"You bastard—!!"

Moria's rage finally boiled over. With a vicious sweep of his hand, a swarm of shadow bats burst forth, screeching like a deathly storm as they closed in on Mihawk.

"Brick Bat!"

What do you mean you're different!?

We both challenged that man and lost! We both lost an arm!

What are you pretending to be!?

A new era of swordsmanship? I staked my arm on the new era of the world!

...

Facing Moria's onslaught, Mihawk calmly stepped forward and drew the massive black blade on his back.

As he unsheathed it, his lips moved as if to utter the name of the technique—but he seemed to think better of it, suppressing the words.

No build-up. No flourish.

The future world's strongest black blade erupted with a storm of sword light that shot skyward like a cyclone, shredding the swarm of shadow bats to pieces.

As the gale howled—

Mihawk lunged like a black hawk, soaring forward to clash head-on with the enraged Moria.

The serrated sword wreathed in violet-black lightning met the plain but peerless black blade in a mid-air collision that blasted shockwaves across the port, whipping their cloaks in the wind.

"Fufufufu... now this is getting interesting."

Doflamingo grinned as he floated down from the cannon.

"Let's see if either of you actually deserves to stand as my equal."

He raised both hands and yanked free two sharp threads laced with Haki, slashing them down ruthlessly at Moria and Mihawk.

The three Shichibukai erupted into open battle—right in the heart of Marineford's port.

Before the stunned eyes of the countless Marines still arriving from all directions, they clashed without restraint.

"They're fighting again…"

"What's going on?"

"Why are the Shichibukai candidates attacking each other the moment they meet?"

"...Admiral Sengoku!?"

The Marines stood frozen in confusion at the chaotic scene before them—until they spotted Sengoku and Staff Officer Tsuru arriving on site. Immediately, their expressions stiffened, and they snapped into formal salutes.

Sengoku waved them off and narrowed his eyes, studying the three combatants locked in battle in the open port square.

"These Shichibukai really are monsters. Each one of them is freakishly powerful... Admiral Sengoku, should we step in?"

A glowing figure, tall and unusually shaped, formed beside Sengoku from countless golden particles. Borsalino stroked the stubble on his chin, speaking with interest.

"No. Let them go at it for now."

Sengoku pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

Turning to Tsuru, he said,

"Tsuru, issue the order. Have the Marines stationed at the port pull back. We don't want them caught in the crossfire."

Tsuru paused briefly, then quickly understood what Sengoku was planning. She nodded and turned to carry out the command.

"If we don't let this unruly bunch burn off some energy now, there's no way the investiture ceremony later will go smoothly."

As Sengoku watched the three clash, he was quietly awed by their raw strength.

All three were astonishingly young. The eldest, Gecko Moria, was barely in his early twenties. As for Doflamingo and Mihawk, they were barely fifteen or sixteen.

Yet their combat power already exceeded the level of elite Vice Admirals at Marine Headquarters.

Compared to them, Sengoku admitted even he hadn't been this strong at their age.

Rising stars, powerful and proud… every one of these Shichibukai candidates had a high opinion of themselves. None would ever settle for being beneath the others.

Even within the Shichibukai, fierce rivalry brewed.

So it was only natural for them to start fighting the moment they crossed paths.

If he were a candidate himself, Sengoku figured he'd be just as eager to test the others' strength.

After all, beneath the polished, "legal" title of Shichibukai, these were still pirates—rebellious, arrogant, ruthless, and lawless.

Why should you be my equal?

That thought alone was enough to set this group of wild dogs loose on each other.

Sengoku was content to sit back and watch.

In fact, it was the perfect opportunity to evaluate their true power.

As for how things would be resolved…

A knowing smile curved Sengoku's lips.

If they wanted to stir up trouble at Marine Headquarters, so be it. Let them fight. The more intense, the better—let them walk away with grudges so deep they'll never truly trust each other again.

That outcome would suit both the World Government and the Marines just fine.

And since not all the Shichibukai candidates had arrived yet, once they were all assembled, he'd step in—crushing them all with overwhelming force.

That would cement his authority over the Marines, the Shichibukai, and even the Government.

"Marine Headquarters Admiral Sengoku single-handedly subdues the Seven Shichibukai—The Marines are the true rulers of the sea!"

Sengoku couldn't help but mentally write tomorrow's headline for the press.

Next to him, Borsalino noticed the subtle upward curl at the corners of Sengoku's mouth. He seemed to guess what was on the Admiral's mind, smiling slyly as he squinted.

"Kuhahaha, you guys sure don't waste time starting a fight."

Just then, a hoarse, ominous laugh echoed from the sea.

Everyone paused.

Above the port of Marine Headquarters, fierce winds suddenly began to swirl.

Sand whipped across the ground, and golden dust began to gather.

"Someone else is coming!"

The Marine officers who had just arrived stiffened, their expressions turning grave.

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