"A Vice Admiral is still a Vice Admiral after all." Rosen glanced at the sword wound on his shoulder, then at the unconscious Vice Admiral Worland who'd been beaten into submission, feeling a bit reflective.

When Rosen attacked the Buster Call warships, he'd prepared for the possibility of encountering a Vice Admiral. He knew only an overwhelming offensive could disrupt the Marines' coordination.

So when he ran into Vice Admiral Worland, Rosen went all out. He originally thought he could take down a Vice Admiral without injury and in a short time. However, Worland's swordsmanship was solid, and his reflexes were quick.

In the end, to secure a swift victory, Rosen had to trade injury for injury. Otherwise, with enough time, he could have won unscathed. But time wasn't a luxury he had—Kizaru or another Vice Admiral could arrive any moment, and a two-on-one would be far worse for him.

The injury didn't bother Rosen. As long as it wasn't a fatal blow, his body's regenerative capabilities would take care of it.

"Take the ship to Lantis Island. If you don't, I'll kill your Vice Admiral—then the rest of you." Rosen sat calmly atop the ship's cannon, threatening the wary Marines onboard.

Vice Admiral Worland lay at his feet, while many Marines lay unconscious nearby. Still, the ship wasn't empty. A Rear Admiral had taken command and, seeing Worland still unconscious, had no choice but to give in. He'd already ordered a Marine to follow Rosen's instruction—to falsely report the presence of a Celestial Dragon, even though none had appeared.

What they didn't know was that Rosen actually had one in his grasp.

"Do it. Reinforcements will arrive soon. He's sealing his fate," the Rear Admiral muttered to a few Marines. He wasn't sure what had driven Crocodile mad, but Vice Admiral Doberman had Admiral Kizaru by his side. And with the claim of a Celestial Dragon's involvement, Kizaru was almost guaranteed to come.

Since Rosen wanted to challenge an Admiral, they weren't in a hurry to resist. If they could stall him, all the better.

Once the Admiral arrived, no matter how strong Crocodile was, he'd be finished.

Originally, Rosen and Hathaway hadn't planned this. The idea had been for Hathaway to draw fire while Rosen helped the Lantis people escape. Once he gave the signal, they would both try their best to flee.

Rosen could escape easily, but Queen Hathaway had it harder—she had to deal with Admiral Kizaru.

Drawing Kizaru to this location was part of a new plan formed after meeting Sabo.

With Sabo tying down most of the Buster Call's forces, and Kizaru drawn here, Hathaway would only face a couple of high-ranking Vice Admirals. Rosen believed she could still escape in that case.

This way, they all had a shot at getting out unharmed. It was risky, but the Celestial Dragon gave Rosen a trump card—one that ensured his survival even if the plan failed.

Since his life wasn't on the line, Rosen wanted to test himself—was there still a gap between him and Admiral-level power?

This was a crucial question. The answer would shape every move he made next and give him insight into the true strength hierarchy of the world's top fighters.

"Well then... sweet dreams." As the ship docked, Rosen unleashed his Conqueror's Haki. With his power now even stronger, most Marines instantly collapsed. The rest were knocked out one by one.

He then used his sand to extinguish the fires along Lantis Island's coast.

Due to the surprise attack and orders being redirected, half the Buster Call ships had stopped their bombardment and were now responding to the ambush.

Rosen waited silently. He had no intention of revealing the Celestial Dragon just yet—that was a life-saving card.

He still needed to create problems for Admiral Kizaru. With the Admiral's Light-Light Fruit, he was fast—too fast. If he clung to them relentlessly, they might not be able to shake him.

Whoosh!

A cannonball flew overhead—it was from a Buster Call ship. Kizaru stood on it.

As the cannonball neared its target, Kizaru spotted the attacked warship near the shore and turned into a beam of light, shooting toward it.

He landed, instantly locating Crocodile with his Observation Haki. "Where's the Celestial Dragon?"

"It was just a false report," Rosen said, standing up. Only when facing Kizaru did he feel the immense pressure of his presence.

"False report?" Kizaru eyed Crocodile suspiciously. How could he know the Celestial Dragon's name?

He'd had brief encounters with Crocodile before—the man had been a Shichibukai for a while. He'd been summoned to Marine Headquarters more than once.

But the Crocodile he remembered hadn't carried such overwhelming presence and Haki. Now, not only did he look younger, his aura was far more intense.

"So you lured me here... what for? Are you so bloodthirsty you think you can kill me too?" Kizaru expanded his Observation Haki, searching for traps or ambushes—but found none.

"Why not?"

"Oh, it's possible, sure. But that's a terrifying idea. I'm flattered, really. After all, by any measure, my chances of winning are higher, aren't they? Yata no Kagami!"

Kizaru, now confident there was no ambush, casually launched a barrage of light bullets mid-sentence.

"Infernal Dragonstorm—Defend!" Rosen responded with blinding speed. Ten sand tornadoes rose, forming a shield around him.

The light bullets poured down, tearing through the sandstorm defenses and closing in on Rosen.

"So even this can't block it... Speed and power combined, the Light-Light Fruit is truly formidable. Black Prison Barrage!"

Rosen leapt back, firing 33 shots of Black Prison bullets—his current limit. This attack demonstrated how far his Devil Fruit mastery had advanced, nearing awakening.

Boom!

Light bullets and black bullets collided in midair. Still, many light blasts bypassed the clash and struck the ground, tearing it apart.

"Yata no Kagami!" As explosions rang out, Kizaru summoned a mirror of light. A beam reflected off the rising sand, instantly redirecting toward Rosen's back.

Like teleportation, Kizaru appeared behind him. "Speed is power. Light-speed kick!"

His glowing golden leg swept toward Rosen's waist, too fast to counter.

But Rosen had expected it. His right hand condensed into golden sand—"Golden Sand Armament: Grasp!"

The flowing grains solidified into a metallic gauntlet, glowing with Haki like a dragon's claw, gripping Kizaru's leg mid-strike.

He caught it—tight.

Kizaru hesitated. He was... predicted? No, this wasn't just Observation Haki. It was as if Crocodile already understood his powers and had planned ahead—but how?

The Marines kept such abilities secret to avoid exactly this sort of countermeasure. Even if rumors leaked, few would take them seriously.

Yet Crocodile seemed all too familiar with his powers.

(End of Chapter)