Hearing this, Orion turned around immediately.
He saw Sakazuki, like a guardian deity blocking the gate, his body bubbling with scorching magma due to elemental transformation.
The oppressive aura unique to an Admiral of the Marine Headquarters made the officers in the prison feel suffocated, with some of the weaker ones trembling uncontrollably under Sakazuki powerful presence.
"Bringing me here, do you intend to trap me in this prison?"
After coldly scanning the officers present, Sakazuki took a step forward and said in a deep voice.
"A good idea, but it seems now that this place might become your burial ground!"
Without hesitation, Sakazuki raised his magma-armored arm.
"Inugami Guren."
In an instant, the magma-armored arm transformed into a massive, flaming dog head, which then extended and lunged forward with astonishing speed, carrying a terrifying energy wave appearing instantly in front of Orion.
Facing the roaring dog head, Orion did not dodge. His right hand quickly grasped the hilt of the sword at his waist and drew it with lightning speed.
Buzz—
The moment the sword was drawn, a low-frequency vibration appeared in the void before Orion. Immediately, visible flames wrapped around the blade, and an immense, invisible pressure burst forth from Orion, causing the void to vibrate again.
Boom—
With a deafening explosion, the roaring dog head collided fiercely with the sword.
Upon impact, a terrifying shockwave erupted, knocking all the surrounding officers to the ground. Even the powerful Vice Admirals Momonga, Bastille, and Strawberry were forced to retreat uncontrollably.
"Boom—"
Finally, under the collision of the two violent energies, the ground could no longer withstand the force, emitting a deafening roar.
Cracks spread rapidly from Orion feet, quickly extending in all directions like a giant spider web, ensnaring everyone present.
Before anyone could react, the prison collapsed in a violent tremor. The intertwined terrifying energy from the collision broke through the prison roof and shot into the night sky.
Never in his wildest dreams did Sakazuki expect Orion to withstand his attack head-on, let alone cause the entire prison to collapse.
With a look of sheer astonishment, Sakazuki stared at Orion who stood with a sword in one hand his aura reaching its peak. His clothes fluttered violently in the shockwave, embodying the image of a true conqueror.
It took Sakazuki several seconds to regain his composure before he exclaimed in disbelief.
"Conqueror's Haki!"
As he spoke, Sakazuki gaze was fixed on the sword in Orion hand.
Unlike an ordinary sword, the blade was now enveloped in a swirling cloud of flames, radiating terrifying energy.
As a Marine Admiral, Sakazuki was no stranger to such phenomena, but he found it hard to accept.
Not only had Orion awakened Conqueror's Haki, but he had also managed to infuse it into his sword. And as Orion direct superior, Sakazuki had been completely unaware of this!
What made it even more astonishing was that while there were countless strong individuals in the New World or the Grand Line who possessed Conqueror's Haki, only a rare few could master the technique of infusing it into their weapons.
Those who could were either legendary Emperors of the Sea or figures of myth. And most importantly, Orion had not only mastered this technique but had also managed to conceal it from everyone!
With such strength and cunning, it was no wonder Orion had been so confident in handling this rebellion.
Equally shocked were the officers who had been thrown to the ground, as well as Momonga, Bastille, and Strawberry.
Since Orion had become a Vice Admiral, they had grown closer to him due to various reasons, often receiving his assistance.
During their missions, despite having their own subordinates and ships, they always maintained communication.
In their free time, they would gather for drinks or spar at the training grounds.
They knew that Orion had not only mastered Armament Haki and Observation Haki to a level they could hardly reach but also possessed swordsmanship on par with Gion.
His mastery of the Six Powers was nothing short of perfection.
Originally, they thought this was all there was to Orion, but they never expected that he had already awakened the Conqueror's Haki.
"You ask if I have the strength to become a Fleet Admiral?" Releasing his Conqueror Haki and using Armament Haki to block 'Inugami Guren,' Orion took a step forward his gaze burning as he stared at Sakazuki, who was blocking the prison gate.
In a deep voice, he said.
"Sakazuki, you've underestimated me! I told you, becoming the Fleet Admiral is only part of the plan!"
As he spoke, Orion immediately stepped forward, raising the long sword in his hand.
"Lord Orion!" Seeing that Orion and Sakazuki were about to clash again, Momonga who had just snapped out of the shock of Orion possessing Conqueror Haki, quickly called out.
"Could you let me have a word with Admiral Sakazuki?"
"Hmm?" Orion turned his head to look at Momonga, as if he already knew what he was going to say, and replied in a deep voice.
"Momonga, now is not the time for this!"
"No, it has to be now!" Momonga stubbornly stepped forward, standing in front of Orion, then looked up directly at Sakazuki and shouted.
"Admiral Sakazuki, a portion of the funds that Lord Orion has moved over the years includes your share!"
"Momonga, stop spouting nonsense here!" Sakazuki slowly stepped forward, his voice low and stern.
"Look outside! Because of your rebellion, Marineford is in chaos! As an Admiral, I must prevent the situation from worsening further."
As if he hadn't heard him, Momonga continued, raising his voice.
"Admiral Sakazuki, your mother is still alive!"
Before Sakazuki could react, Momonga pulled out a document from his pocket and waved it.
"Three years ago, when Lord Orion was still a Rear Admiral, he encountered a pirate ship during a mission. After Lord Orion annihilated the pirates on that ship, he discovered many civilians who had been captured by the pirates. Although most of the civilians were sent back to their hometowns by Lord Orion, one old woman, who had gone completely mad and lost her memory, had been brought back to headquarters."
Hearing this, Sakazuki pupils slightly contracted.
However, his expression quickly darkened, and he sternly said.
"Momonga, my mother was killed by pirates when I was a child! I buried her with my own hands! That old woman could never be my mother!"
Without explaining further, Momonga tossed the document in front of Sakazuki.
"This is the result of the investigation Lord Orion ordered us to conduct."