《One Piece: Rising》Chapter 19: Akainu's Declaration of Allegiance!

Before the echo of his affirmation had faded, Sakazuki vanished in a blur of movement, reappearing directly before Maynard.

In a single fluid motion, his hand closed around Maynard's throat, lifting him effortlessly into the air.

Before anyone could process what was happening, Sakazuki's Logia-type Devil Fruit powers activated with deadly precision.

"AAAGHH!"

As Sakazuki's arm transformed into molten magma, Maynard released a blood-curdling scream that reverberated throughout the conference hall, his flesh sizzling against the volcanic heat.

"Sakazuki! What are you doing?!"

Stunned by this sudden brutality, Sengoku surged to his feet, his face contorted with shock and rage. "Release him immediately!"

Crack!

The sickening sound of vertebrae shattering echoed through the room as Maynard's neck gave way under Sakazuki's grip. Without ceremony, the Admiral discarded the body like refuse, letting it crumple to the floor in a smoldering heap.

Ignoring Sengoku's horrified expression, Sakazuki's piercing gaze swept across Yamakaji, Stiles, and the other loyalists. His voice, cold as steel yet burning with threat, cut through the stunned silence: "From this moment forward, anyone who shows disrespect to Xayuki will meet the same fate."

After a deliberate pause, Sakazuki turned his attention to Sengoku, his eyes reflecting the molten fury of his power. "This is my position, made clear. Fleet Admiral Sengoku, if you wish to prevent Marineford from becoming a sea of magma, sign the document before you."

"Sakazuki, you—!"

Sengoku's voice trembled with barely contained fury as his gaze flickered to Maynard's corpse—neck not merely broken but partially incinerated. His eyes bloodshot with rage, he thundered, "This action will plunge the Marines into an abyss from which we cannot return! When the Holy Land learns of this treachery, they will never recognize Xayuki's authority. Countless Marines will die in vain because of your betrayal!"

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, such considerations no longer hold any weight!"

Sakazuki's gaze burned into Sengoku with unwavering intensity. "The moment I beheld my mother's face again, all notions of right and wrong ceased to matter."

With those words hanging in the air, Sakazuki turned and strode back to Xayuki's side, his resolve visibly hardened beyond anything his colleagues had ever witnessed.

Throughout his career, Sakazuki's unwavering commitment to Absolute Justice had been fueled by the traumatic memory of watching his parents slaughtered by pirates. The seeds of hatred planted in his childhood had grown into an obsession with eradicating all who threatened the world's order.

But everything changed when he learned the impossible truth: his mother—whom he had believed dead for decades—was alive, and had been under Xayuki's personal care for three years.

His once-unshakable conviction began to fracture, not from disillusionment with the Marines or the World Government, but from the crushing weight of personal guilt.

The realization that he had buried his mother alive, only for her to somehow claw her way out of the earth, filled him with self-loathing that bordered on madness. He could not bear to imagine how she had survived after escaping her premature grave, nor what hardships she had endured during all the years he served the Marines, oblivious to her existence.

Most telling was that despite her advanced dementia, which had robbed her of even her son's name, she still remembered his childhood preference for plain white rice with chili peppers. This small detail convinced Sakazuki that she must have spent years searching for him after her miraculous survival, clinging to every memory of her son even as her mind deteriorated.

His gratitude toward Xayuki was boundless. It was Xayuki who had reunited him with his mother, who had given him a chance to atone for his near-fatal mistake. For three years, Xayuki had provided meticulous care for an elderly woman with progressive dementia—a woman who might forget him entirely from one day to the next.

Xayuki could have easily relegated her to a Marine retirement facility or hired a caretaker. Instead, according to Momonga, Xayuki's contingency plan for this coup had included detailed provisions for Sakazuki's mother should Xayuki himself perish in the attempt. He had prepared comprehensive reports to be delivered to Sakazuki, ensuring the elderly woman would never lack for care.

"It's truly over now..."

Watching Sakazuki stand with unflinching loyalty beside Xayuki, Sengoku felt a profound resignation settle over him. The conspicuous absence of Borsalino spoke volumes about where the third Admiral's allegiances lay. Now, with Sakazuki—once the most rigid enforcer of Marine doctrine—pledging himself to Xayuki's cause, Sengoku knew the tide could not be turned.

Though he still had potential allies in the legendary hero Garp and Admiral Kuzan, the reality was stark. Garp was likely in the East Blue on leave, and even if he returned immediately, his formidable strength alone could not overcome the combined forces of Sakazuki, Xayuki, and the numerous high-ranking officers who had defected.

As for Kuzan, Sengoku harbored no illusions. Three days prior, the ice-wielding Admiral had pedaled off on his bicycle to some unknown destination. Based on Sengoku's long experience with Kuzan's habits, he wouldn't return for at least a week or two.

Even if Kuzan did somehow appear now, the current balance of power—with Sakazuki firmly in Xayuki's camp—meant that Xayuki's faction was virtually unassailable.

Of course, Sengoku wasn't yet ready to contemplate the ultimate worst-case scenario.

Once Xayuki consolidated control over the Marines, the Holy Land would likely be forced to compromise, perhaps even officially appointing Xayuki as the new Fleet Admiral. The timing was particularly precarious—a new Emperor had recently emerged in the New World, while the Revolutionary Army had grown increasingly powerful, posing a direct threat to the World Government's authority. Engaging in a civil war with Xayuki's Marines would be strategically disastrous for Mariejois.

Moreover, should the Revolutionary Army forge an alliance with Xayuki's Marines, the World Government would find itself caught in a devastating two-front war.

All of this, Sengoku realized, had almost certainly been calculated in Xayuki's grand strategy.

Whether Sengoku signed the document or refused was ultimately irrelevant to Xayuki's success. If Sengoku declined, Xayuki would simply eliminate all remaining unaligned officers and soldiers at Headquarters. With over half of the Marine forces already pledged to his cause, the outcome was inevitable.

After a weighted silence, Sengoku slowly raised his head to meet Xayuki's gaze. His expression was grave as he asked, "Xayuki, since you first joined our ranks, how have Garp, Zephyr, and I treated you?"

Xayuki nodded in acknowledgment. "You've all treated me with respect and fairness, especially Instructor Zephyr. During my time at the Officer Training Camp, he placed great expectations on me." A shadow crossed his face. "As for Garp, while he always intended me to follow in his footsteps, I could never fully embrace his philosophy. To be honest, I've never truly aligned with the concept of justice as defined by the Marines—from the highest echelons down to the newest recruit."

His voice hardened with conviction. "Because in my view, as long as the Celestial Dragons loom over the World Government like an immovable mountain, the Marines can never embody true justice. This is precisely why I've chosen to reshape the Marines in my own vision—to liberate justice from all constraints and shackles."

Sengoku shook his head wearily. "I'm not attempting to engage you in philosophical debate. I simply want to understand—if we treated you well, why did you conceal such critical information from us?"

Xayuki released a soft, humorless laugh. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I was orchestrating a military coup. Secrecy was essential."

"No," Sengoku interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. His gaze sharpened as he fixed Xayuki with an intense stare. "I'm referring specifically to what Gion revealed—this entity called Imu. If you discovered something of such magnitude—something unknown even to me—why share it with Gion rather than with me, Garp, or Zephyr?"

At this, Xayuki turned to Gion with genuine surprise. "You told them about Imu?"

Gion nodded once, her expression resolute.

Xayuki showed no signs of displeasure at this revelation. Instead, he returned his attention to Sengoku and asked pointedly, "Do you believe what Gion has shared? About the Room of Flowers? About Imu's existence?" His tone grew challenging. "I'm certain that even now, you dismiss it as fabrication—a convenient fiction I created to manipulate Gion and others into supporting my cause."

His eyes narrowed. "If you refuse to believe it now, with the evidence before you, why would you have believed it had I told you earlier?"

Sengoku's gaze remained locked on Xayuki, as if trying to penetrate the layers of strategy and deception to glimpse the truth beneath. "So you maintain that there truly exists a chamber called the Room of Flowers within Mariejois? And within it dwells this... Imu... who aspires to claim the Empty Throne?"

Xayuki made a dismissive gesture. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, rather than questioning me here, why not travel to Mariejois and confront the Five Elders directly? Better yet, see for yourself what lies hidden in the Holy Land's inner sanctum. While I know that Imu resides within the Room of Flowers, I cannot tell you whether they are male or female, nor their true appearance. Should you manage to meet them face-to-face and survive the encounter, I would be most interested to hear your account."

His expression hardened. "But before you embark on such a dangerous investigation, you must sign this document and make an immediate announcement to the Marines. Those officers and soldiers still harboring thoughts of resistance must be persuaded to abandon their futile efforts—before more blood is needlessly spilled."

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