The chaos of the various battles around him were causing Sakazuki's head to spin like a top as he attempted to support all of his crew mates. The pressure of Rocks' blade clashing with Bogart's was causing small shockwaves across the bridge that was making it difficult for the young pirate to stay balanced, though he continued to throw out as many barriers as he could while he stumbled around.
The resounding force of the various massive sources of Haki clashing were shaking the very foundation of Water 7, and Sakazuki feared that the entire city would be sinking into the island if they stuck around for too much longer. The rain had gone from a light drizzle to a downpour, and the massive water droplets that were falling into his eyes made it difficult for him to coordinate his efforts. Kureha and Tom had already dragged Ganzui to another part of the town, though Saul's new form was causing so much chaos that Sakazuki found his barriers being used more for saving citizens from falling debris.
With the rest of the crew spread out and his injuries already slowing him down, Sakazuki conceded his efforts and began to quickly make his way toward The Fancy. Most of the platoons of navy soldiers that had come along were either blown into the water beneath the docks or caught in the crossfire of the intense battles, though a few stragglers were making their way toward the ship. With an injured Mayando as the only one on board, Sakazuki hastened his pace as the idea of the young navigator getting snuck up on did not seem too far-fetched.
However, before he was even able to make it halfway, a series of what appeared to be golden bullets shot down inches in front of him. Looking toward the source of the mysterious attack, he saw a man close to his age wearing a black and yellow suit. The coat of a navy captain hung off of his shoulders, and the swelling on his face along with the various stains on the suit indicated that he had received a recent injury.
"Now I don't know who you are, but I'm a little annoyed right now, and I need a pirate to take it out on," Borsalino said with his swollen lip slightly obscuring his speech.
Before Sakazuki could respond, his opponent's body disappeared in a flash of golden light, and the strange nature of the situation made him unable to even realize what was happening when a leg glowing with golden light cracked into his ribs. The force of the blow elicited both a wheeze and spurt of blood to erupt from Sakazuki's mouth, and the intensity of the pain caused him to drop to one knee.
"Thank god, you don't seem as difficult as that other guy," Borsalino said, landing next to the young pirate and whipping another kick toward his head.
Just before it could make contact though, a small blue barrier popped up next to Sakazuki's neck, the miniature wall not budging an inch against the captain's blow. Lunging forward, Sakazuki threw a furious cross with his right hand, hoping to return the favor as he aimed at Borsalino's rib cage.
His eyes widened in surprise however, as his fist simply sailed right through, and the following front snap kick to his face cracked his head into a nearby light pole. As the world became spotty around him and he slid down the cold, wet metal, he could see a glowing sword manifest in Borsalino's hand out of the corner of his eye. Without even waiting for the man to move, Sakazuki put both of his hands up, creating a box of barriers that he was completely contained in. The last barrier formed just in time to stop the blade of light from hitting him, and Sakazuki breathed a sigh of relief as he slumped back against the wall of his homemade fort.
Descending in front of him with a frown, Borsalino casually tossed the sword aside, though its immediate disintegration made the gesture seem unnecessary. The disappointment in his face was clear, and Sakazuki felt as if a brother was about to scold him.
"When I was told to come fight the Rock's Pirates, I thought you guys were all going to be these brave badasses that I developed a begrudging respect for," he said as he put his hands in his pockets, bending down to get as close as possible to the barrier that separated Sakazuki's face from his. "You seem like kind of a scaredy cat, though," he said with a tone that was completely serious, making the insult all the more cutting.
The heavy rainfall chorused around the city, preventing any consistent train of thought from entering Sakazuki's mind as he closed his eyes. While the inability to think on the battlefield was usually a disadvantage, he was glad that it was actually working in his favor in this circumstance. The lessons that Rocks had given him ever since he was brought onto the crew were difficult for him to grasp, but over the last month or so, he had been able to access this frustratingly difficult power more often than he ever had before. In the moment where he could feel his body start to fail him, he let out a deep breath, and he felt truly calm in the moment before his eyes shot open.
Borsalino couldn't help but show his surprised expression after the sudden glare from his opponent, and giving away his surprise was the last action that he would remember doing as Sakazuki's burst of Conqueror's Haki made the young navy captain crumple into an unconscious heap.