Chapter 33: The Spark at the Gate
Life, Levi mused silently as he regarded the stunned faces on Sakazuki's ship, was a series of unpredictable collisions. Until the final moment, the outcome remained obscured. Here was a prime example: Portgas D. Ace, resigned to his fate as he approached the abyss of Impel Down, now faced the fresh horror of seeing his sworn brother, Monkey D. Luffy, in identical chains.
The two brothers stared at each other across the short stretch of choppy water, a silent, shocked dialogue passing between them. Their thoughts mirrored one another perfectly: How did you get caught?!
The tense silence was shattered by Marshall D. Teach's grating laughter. "Zehahahaha! Now this is a twist! Straw Hat boy, you punched a Celestial Dragon and brought the Admiral down on your head! And your big brother here ends up taking the fall for a whole different reason! What are the odds?!" He shook his head, his massive frame quivering with amusement. Even in his meticulous planning, he hadn't scripted this poignant, tragic coincidence.
Ace, his body bruised and spirit weary from days in Blackbeard's custody and the draining presence of seastone, stared at Luffy. "What happened?" he asked, his voice hoarse but steady.
Luffy, ever blunt, shouted back, "A Celestial Dragon was hurting my friend! I punched him! Then an Admiral came and… beat me." He finished, uncharacteristically sheepish, as if embarrassed to be seen in such a state by his idolized brother.
Ace closed his eyes for a second, absorbing it. Of course. It was the most Luffy-esque reason possible. "Celestial Dragons… an Admiral… figures. Never a quiet day with you around." There was no reproach in his tone, only a weary, fond acceptance.
Then, the guards on Levi's ship brought the final prisoner into view on the deck.
The air didn't just grow quiet this time; it froze solid.
Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King, stood calmly amidst the Supernovas. His wrists and ankles were burdened with the heaviest seastone shackles Impel Down had in reserve, yet his posture was that of a man observing an interesting tide, not a condemned prisoner. A faint, knowing smile played on his lips as he took in the scene.
Blackbeard's laughter died in his throat, choked off as if by an invisible hand. He had read the news, but seeing the legend in chains with his own eyes was a visceral shock. This was a man who had clashed with Whitebeard, who had sailed to the end of the Grand Line. A living monument to an age Teach sought to conquer, now captured like a common pirate. A cold trickle of uncertainty ran down his spine—the world was changing faster and more violently than even his ambitious plans had accounted for.
Sakazuki's stern expression, permanently etched in a scowl, hardened further. His obsidian eyes swept over Rayleigh, confirming the impossible truth of the reports. Then they shifted, locking onto the man responsible.
Admiral Levi, the "Black Crow," stood near the railing, seemingly indifferent to the monumental prisoners around him. His gaze was not on the legendary Rayleigh or the furious Ace, but met Sakazuki's own.
Sakazuki's body radiated a dry, oppressive heat. The air around him wavered slightly, the promise of magma simmering just beneath his skin. His stare was an interrogation, a demand for assessment. Strength alone, as reported from Sabaody, might grant the title of Admiral. But Sakazuki believed the position demanded more. It demanded a specific kind of justice, an unwavering ideological core. He needed to know what kind of man now stood as his equal. Were they allies in the harsh work of absolute justice? Or would they be obstacles to one another? Only a test would reveal the truth.
Levi felt the scorching pressure of that gaze. Internally, he sighed. Troublesome. He had no particular dislike for Sakazuki. Every organization needed its blunt instruments, its zealots to do the dirty work. But this… this pointed scrutiny from a supposed equal was an irritant he hadn't anticipated. His good mood, fueled by the prospect of a new sign-in location, began to evaporate.
Below, at the main entrance of Impel Down, Warden Magellan and Chief Guard Hannibal watched the two ships hover, confused. "Why have they stopped?" Magellan grumbled, his toxic body bubbling with impatience. "Are they under attack? What is happening out there?"
On Levi's ship, Gion watched the silent stand-off with growing unease. She knew Sakazuki's reputation—unyielding, extreme, but formidably effective. In these turbulent times, his brand of justice had its proponents. But facing off against another Admiral before they'd even disembarked? It was unprecedented.
"What is your problem with me?" Levi broke the silence, his voice flat and cutting through the tense atmosphere like a blade.
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed. "I wish to know if you possess the qualities of a true Marine," he stated, his voice a low rumble like shifting tectonic plates.
To the rank-and-file Marines on both ships, the statement was confusing. He was already an Admiral. What more was there to prove?
But Levi understood. So did Gion, Blackbeard, and Rayleigh. This was about ideology, about the "justice" that would guide Levi's terrifying power.
Levi's expression didn't change, but a cold, invisible pressure began to bleed from him, pushing against Sakazuki's volcanic heat. "My qualifications are none of your concern," Levi said, his tone dismissive. "That is for Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the World Government to judge. You and I are equals in rank, Sakazuki." He emphasized the name, stripping it of any title.
"I—" Sakazuki began, his frown deepening, but he was cut off.
A wave of pure spiritual force, invisible but denser than lead, slammed into him. It wasn't a physical attack, but a crushing weight on his very will. "What are you, my superior officer?" Levi's voice grew sharper, laced with a frosty contempt. "Let me ask you directly: do you have a personal objection to me? Well? Do you?!"
The verbal lashing was public, brutal, and utterly disrespectful of Sakazuki's standing and seniority.
"If you have objections," Levi continued, his voice dropping to a deadly calm that was more frightening than any shout, "then I will simply beat those objections out of you. It's the only language people like you seem to understand."
Sakazuki's face darkened to the shade of cooling magma. Damn this arrogant newcomer! He hadn't even finished stating his position!
There was no further warning. Levi moved.
He didn't draw a sword or assume a flashy stance. He simply raised a hand and pushed forward. The air in front of him rippled, condensing into a visible, roaring torrent of silver-gray spiritual energy—a Reiatsu Wave—that screamed across the gap between the ships, aimed directly at Sakazuki.
"Hmph!" Sakazuki's arms exploded into glowing, bubbling magma. "Great Eruption: Molten Shield!" He crossed his arms, and a wall of blistering-hot rock and fire erupted from them, meeting the spiritual torrent head-on.
BOOOOM!
The collision wasn't just loud; it was a fundamental clash of energies. The molten rock hissed and sputtered as the Reiatsu wave struck, not melting it, but eroding it, eating away at its substance and the will that shaped it. Shockwaves of heat and concussive force radiated outwards, rocking both massive warships violently. The sea below churned and steamed.
"HOLY—! They're really fighting!" Blackbeard blurted out, his jaw slack. He'd expected tension, maybe a verbal spar. Not an immediate, full-powered skirmish between two Admirals! This new guy was even more unhinged than Akainu!
Gion stared, a hand flying to her mouth. Magellan, watching from the prison entrance, looked apoplectic. "ADMIRALS! CEASE HOSTILITIES IMMEDIATELY! YOU ARE AT IMPEL DOWN!"
But on the deck, amidst the swirling energies, Levi's eyes were cold and clear. Talking was pointless with a man like Sakazuki. Only overwhelming, undeniable force could establish the necessary boundary. He would not be scrutinized, challenged, or harassed by a colleague. If this was how the "Red Dog" tested others, then Levi would answer the test in the most direct way possible: by shattering it.
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