"Gurararara! Sengoku, what do you think of our Seventh Division Captain's strength?"
"Now, let me be your opponent!"
Whitebeard laughed as he watched Sengoku being entangled by two swords.
"Hmph! Seventh Division Captain, huh? Today, neither of you are escaping! You're both going to Impel Down! The other division captains of the Rocks Pirates will be joining you soon!"
"Gurararara! Well then, let's see how strong you really are! Show me if you've made any progress!"
With that, Whitebeard initiated his attack. His blade, the Murakumogiri, was wrapped in Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki as he swung it toward Sengoku.
Sengoku, unfazed, also coated his hands with both types of Haki and clashed with Whitebeard.
As their attacks met in midair, lightning crackled between them, and the sky above them split apart!
"The sky... it split open!"
A nearby crew member, overwhelmed by the sight, spoke with a trembling voice.
Even though Lind had mentally prepared himself, witnessing such an awe-inspiring scene still left him shaken.
"They're unbelievably strong!"
Lind couldn't help but sigh in admiration, silently resolving to master advanced Conqueror's Haki as soon as possible.
In the end, Whitebeard gained the upper hand. Though Sengoku, still officially a Vice Admiral, might already possess Admiral-level strength, he was far from reaching the presence and dominance he would later wield as an Admiral and Fleet Admiral.
Meanwhile, Whitebeard—though not yet the "World's Strongest Man"—was already the Rocks Pirates' First Division Captain, making him effectively the second-in-command of the entire pirate group.
Realizing he was at a disadvantage in a Haki clash, Sengoku didn't dwell on it. After all, the Marines rarely focused on Conqueror's Haki.
Before long, the two landed on the island Lind had previously chosen, engaging in a brutal hand-to-hand battle.
Unlike his earlier fight with Lind, Sengoku was now unleashing even more of his strength. With each clash, shockwaves erupted, leaving the island riddled with craters.
"Earthquake Shockwave!"
"Great Buddha Impact!"
Their powerful attacks collided, tearing open a massive fissure down the middle of the island.
"If this continues, the island will be completely destroyed soon," Lind estimated.
"So, this is the power of an Admiral-level fighter? Truly terrifying!"
He watched their battle with awe.
"Now that I think about it, there shouldn't be any other high-ranking officers left on Sengoku's ship..."
"Should I...?"
A bold idea surfaced in Lind's mind.
"It may not be the most honorable move, but I'm a pirate now. The Marines are my enemies!"
"I just need to make sure it doesn't interfere with Whitebeard's fight."
After considering all possibilities, Lind made his decision.
Without hesitation, he flew toward Sengoku's warship.
There was no need for his sword—his sheer telekinetic power was enough to seize control of the entire warship and its crew.
The overwhelming difference in strength left the Marines on board completely powerless to resist!
"LIND!"
Sengoku, still locked in battle with Whitebeard, saw what was happening and roared in fury, his eyes turning red with rage.
"Gurararara! Well done, Lind!" Whitebeard laughed heartily. "Sengoku, you'd better prepare a ransom to get your men back!"
Unlike Sengoku, Whitebeard showed no particular reaction—after all, he was a pirate. Concepts like "fair play" and "honor in battle" meant little to him.
In fact, Lind hadn't even killed anyone—he had merely captured them. By pirate standards, this was almost merciful.
As Lind dragged the captured warship toward the pirate fleet, Sengoku grew increasingly anxious.
He needed to escape from Whitebeard and rescue his men.
More importantly, without a warship, he'd be stranded in the middle of the ocean—a dangerous situation for even a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user like him.
Determined, Sengoku gritted his teeth and took a direct hit from Whitebeard's attack, using the impact to propel himself away. Then, with a mighty Great Buddha Shockwave, he forcibly disengaged from battle and charged toward Lind.
Both Lind and Whitebeard had anticipated this. With perfect coordination, they launched a relentless assault on Sengoku.
At the same time, Lind multitasked—while assisting Whitebeard in the fight, he used his telekinesis to transfer all the captured Marines from the warship onto the pirate ship.
"Tie them up and knock them out! These guys are our future drinking money!"
Whitebeard's crew erupted in excitement—these weren't just any Marines; they were Sengoku's elite forces. The Rocks Pirates rarely got such a major victory against the Navy.
"Woohoo! Captain Lind is the best!"
" Captain Lind is invincible!"
Motivated by the prospect of a hefty ransom, the pirates cheered Lind on.
"Gurararara! Sengoku, looks like the Marines will have to cough up some cash this time!"
"Hahaha! Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, and Kong might not arrive anytime soon—if you're not careful, you might end up captured too!"
Whitebeard and Lind teased Sengoku as they fought.
"Hmph, pirates will always be pirates. Let's see who has the last laugh!"
Despite his darkened expression, Sengoku inwardly sighed in relief.
'At least they're not going all out to kill me. Whitebeard and Lind clearly don't want to make an enemy of the entire Marine force. Even if I lost my warship, at least I can still walk away from this.'
With both sides tacitly understanding each other's limits, the battle continued for another full day.
Since Lind no longer had to focus entirely on dodging, he managed to conserve his psychic energy.
Now, it was just a matter of who would be the first to suggest an end to the fight.
Neither Whitebeard nor Sengoku wanted to be the one to back down first. Sengoku couldn't threaten to go down fighting just to make them retreat—it wasn't his style. Whitebeard, on the other hand, would never offer Sengoku a way out by letting him take a ship and leave.
Finally, Lind broke the silence:
"Brother Newgate, we've been fighting for over a day now. The Marine reinforcements are probably close."
"We can't take Sengoku down quickly, so we should wrap this up. I'll hold him off while you lead the crew away. I can catch up with my telekinesis."
"Gurararara! Alright, Lind! The Marines sure took a beating this time!"
"Your bounty's definitely going up after this—probably from three billion to six billion at least!"
With that, Whitebeard delivered a Seaquake to push Sengoku back and retreated to the pirate ship.
"Gurararara! Let's go, boys!"
After Whitebeard left, Lind engaged Sengoku in another round of close combat.
By now, after a full day and night of intense fighting, Sengoku—even as a Mythical Zoan user—was exhausted.
Meanwhile, Lind had been conserving his stamina, relying on sneak attacks from his floating swords. He was still at full strength.
Taking advantage of this, Lind kept Sengoku occupied in melee combat.
Sengoku, however, was also looking for a way out. Instead of fighting seriously, he simply sparred with Lind.
And so, the two of them fake-fought for over an hour until Lind judged that enough time had passed.
"Hahahaha! Vice Admiral Sengoku, enjoy waiting for your rescue!"
"I'm taking your warship too. Oh, and make sure my bounty gets updated to 666,666,666!"
"Sengoku, I'm off! Don't miss me! Hahahahahaha!"
With that, Lind took off, flying the captured warship into the sky, his laughter echoing behind him.
Sengoku, watching helplessly as his own warship disappeared into the clouds, was absolutely livid.
But in the end, all he could do was stand alone on the ruined island, waiting for the Marines to come and get him.