Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 201: The End of Kuzan and Sakazuki.

Three days later, on the battlefield of Punk Hazard.

When Bane left last time, he had already leveled this place, and all traces of it had disappeared.

Now, Sakazuki and Kuzan have been locked in a fierce battle here for ten days, turning the entire island into a world of ice and fire, intertwined yet distinctly separate.

In a land of lava, Sakazuki's body slowly emerged from the lava pool, formed from molten lava.

His injuries were extremely severe. As a Logia-type Magma-Magma Fruit user, half of his body was corroded by freezing air, leaving indelible frostbite scars that spread from his waist and abdomen to the side of his neck.

Judging from his aura, his condition was very unstable. His body, which was eroded by frostbite, would occasionally collapse and turn into a pool of scalding lava. It seemed that he was struggling to dispel the frostbite within his body.

But in the end, he won.

Because at that moment, not far from Sakazuki, Kuzan was lying on the ground in a starfish position.

If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, people might have thought he was dead.

As a Logia-type Ice-Ice Fruit user, Kuzan's leg was now as black as charcoal, emitting a pungent burnt smell in the air.

A cold wind blew by, and you could even see the wound on his leg decomposing, with charred residue drifting in the wind.

It was obvious that the leg was completely charred from the inside out.

Sakazuki slowly walked up to Kuzan. He looked down and saw that Kuzan's eyes were closed, his face showed pain, his lips were purple, and he was unconscious.

If he wanted to, he could end Kuzan's life with a single blow.

Thinking of this, molten lava condensed on Sakazuki's fist again. He didn't know when it had started, but he and Kuzan had become irreconcilable enemies. Kuzan always opposed what he wanted to do, and the difference in their ideologies became more and more irreconcilable, to the point that it eventually came to this.

Sakazuki was naturally furious, but after a moment, the molten lava that had solidified on his fist gradually dissipated.

Many scenes from the past flashed through his mind.

There are scenes of him arguing fiercely with Kuzan, the two of them almost fighting each other at headquarters. At the same time, there are also memories of the two fighting side by side, shielding each other from danger on the battlefield.

How can one possibly explain the grudges and grievances accumulated over the decades?

He had forgotten how many knives he had taken for Kuzan when he was young, and he couldn't remember how many enemy attacks Kuzan had endured for him over the decades.

It seems that whenever they are on the battlefield, the two of them can always put aside their daily discord and disputes and fight together.

Just like last year, during the Marineford War, even though he already had irreconcilable conflicts with Kuzan, the two still showed great chemistry when they joined forces to fight Charlotte Linlin.

Over the years, their grievances have become entangled and impossible to untangle.

At this moment, even the ruthless Sakazuki couldn't help but feel a sense of bewilderment and complexity in his eyes when he saw Kuzan's unconscious state.

A moment later, Sakazuki crouched down, staggered, and carried Kuzan on his back, using the last of his strength to lead him toward the edge of the island.

In the end, he still couldn't bring himself to kill Kuzan.

Amidst the turbulence, Kuzan gradually regained consciousness and quickly realized the current situation.

"Did I lose?" Kuzan didn't struggle at all, his head drooping limply on Sakazuki's shoulder, and asked softly.

"You're as stupid as ever, asking such a question. Isn't the result already obvious?" Sakazuki sneered, but continued walking forward with Kuzan on his back.

"You are indeed stronger," Kuzan murmured.

Sakazuki's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but he quickly regained his indifferent demeanor. After taking a few steps, he said, "I've eaten six more years' worth of food than you, so naturally I'm stronger."

In terms of age, Kuzan is forty-eight this year, while Sakazuki is fifty-four.

"Even if I lose to you like this, I will never acknowledge you, Sakazuki," Kuzan suddenly said, changing his tone.

"Do you think I need your approval?" Sakazuki said dismissively. "I've never needed anyone's approval, not from the very beginning!"

After that, Kuzan stopped speaking, and Sakazuki carried him on his back, staggering over the mountains arched by lava and ice, until they saw the warships on the coast.

As the sea breeze ruffled their hair, Kuzan suddenly spoke again: "I can't defeat you, nor can I accept you, so I've decided to leave the Navy, Sakazuki."

Sakazuki showed no surprise, as if he had expected this situation all along.

However, a barely perceptible hint of regret flashed across his face, but it was only for a moment.

After a moment, he said, "That's good. That way, once I become marshal, there won't be anyone in my way. It's a good thing for both of us."

Before long, Kuzan and Sakazuki boarded the warship.

At the same moment, the result of the duel between the two admirals spread throughout the world.

In a sea area of ​​the New World, inside the cabin of a warship, Bane was sitting at the dining table, eating his meal. His appetite was still as large as ever, with empty plates and oddly shaped pieces of meat scattered on the table in front of him.

Just as Bane stuffed a roasted duck leg, which still seemed to be slightly electrified, into his mouth, Ain suddenly pushed open the cabin door and said excitedly and in shock, "Young Master, the result of the duel between Admiral Sakazuki and Admiral Kuzan is in! Admiral Sakazuki has won, and both of them have already boarded the returning warship."

"Really? Did Sakazuki win?" Bane picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and then said, "This farce is finally coming to an end. I suppose when we return to headquarters, it will be the day Sakazuki ascends to the position of Marshal."

Bann was not surprised by this result.

After a moment of excitement, Ain couldn't help but ask, "Will Admiral Kuzan really leave the Navy?"

"If the two sides were equals, it would be fine if they didn't interfere with each other and could coexist. But if Sakazuki becomes the Fleet Admiral, Kuzan will never be able to stay in the Navy again," Bane said without hesitation.

After a brief pause, Bane smiled again and said, "I suppose we'll hear good news from Professor Zephyr soon?"

Meanwhile, Punk Hazard's fleet also began its return voyage.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Kuzan was surrounded by military medics who were treating his injuries.

"General Aokiji, your leg..." the medic said with a somewhat fearful expression.

Kuzan seemed to be thinking about something, his expression somewhat dazed. After hearing the voice, he quickly came back to his senses and said in a gentle tone, "Ah, don't worry about that. Of course I know the situation myself. It's impossible to keep it. Don't worry about it."

After a slight pause, he chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "To spare my life is already a great act of mercy from that guy."

The medic didn't dare to answer and quickly began treating Kuzan's injuries again.

Seemingly remembering something, Kuzan turned to a naval captain beside him and asked, "Has anything major happened recently?"

"Yes, there is." The naval captain's expression immediately became excited. "It's still under wraps; only a select few with the necessary permissions know this information. While you were battling Admiral Akainu, Vice Admiral Bane launched a surprise attack on the Donquixote Family's headquarters in Dressrosa."

As Kuzan listened to the colonel's report, his expression grew increasingly surprised and shocked.

After a long silence, even though he had heard clearly, he still couldn't help but ask, "While killing Doflamingo, Bane also fought Kaido for two days and three nights to a standstill?"

"Yes, it ended with Kaido being forced to retreat from Dressrosa. I have to say, Vice Admiral Bane is really too strong. That's the Kaido who's known as the strongest!" the Marine Captain said excitedly. It was clear that he now admired Bane.

It took Kuzan a few minutes to process this fact, then a relaxed smile suddenly appeared on his face as he said, "Now I can finally rest easy."

"What do you mean?" the colonel asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It's nothing," Kuzan waved his hand, offering no further explanation.

He has made up his mind to leave the Navy, and with Sakazuki's promotion to Fleet Admiral, two of the original three Admirals will be vacant.

Although he hadn't asked, Kuzan was well aware that neither Kake nor Gion had any intention of being promoted to admiral, a point that was generally agreed upon within the Navy's high command.

Fortunately, besides those two, the Navy currently has two other admiral candidates: Bane and Issho.

Kuzan was quite relieved. He was strong, kind, humble, and had a strong sense of justice. Although the two hadn't interacted much, Kuzan could sense that the guy was very suitable to be an admiral. Perhaps because he had only been in the Navy for a short time, he had some other flaws, but compared to justice and strength, those flaws were tolerable.

As for Bane, Kuzan couldn't quite understand him, but he was always a little worried about whether he was strong enough to sit in the position of admiral.

After all, during the Marineford War last year, Bane's performance was decent, but only decent.

Unexpectedly, in less than a year, this guy has grown to this level. Everything can be faked, but real combat cannot be faked. With such achievements in real combat, no one can question his strength anymore.

If you want to question it, go kill two of the Seven Warlords of the Sea first, then fight Kaido for two days and three nights, survive, and then you can question it!

In this way, even if he left the Navy, there would be someone of sufficient stature to take his place, so that the Navy would not have any major problems. This made Kuzan feel much more relaxed and his guilt was also reduced.

"Speaking of which, Professor Zephyr has hinted to me several times before that I should go see him after I finish the formalities when I go back this time. I heard Bane say last time that he was doing very well. I wonder how he is doing lately?" Kuzan thought to himself.

At this moment, he felt somewhat lost.

He joined the navy at the age of nineteen and has served in the line of duty until he is forty-eight this year. It can be said that he has dedicated most of his life to the word "justice". Now that he is about to leave, he is really a bit lost. At this time, going to see his teacher and listening to his teachings might be a way.

There's an extra chapter today, making it four chapters in total! Please vote with your monthly tickets and support me, brothers!

(End of this chapter)