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"Rumble—!"
The deafening crash of thunder weighed heavily on everyone in Marineford.
Above them, thick black clouds churned as lightning slithered through the sky like living dragons, turning the heavens bright and dark in rapid flashes.
"Splash—!"
Rain poured down in sheets, hammering the ground and bursting into countless splashes.
"So you're the one who captured Roger!"
Golden Lion Shiki floated in midair, glaring down at the young vice admiral who had blocked his slash, his voice deep and thunderous.
Twin swords rested in his hands, his presence overwhelming.
"Golden Lion Shiki!"
Kyle looked up, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
Even now, he couldn't forget the sheer visual shock from two years ago, when that massive fleet had appeared before him.
And this man standing here had been seared into his memory ever since.
Back then, Golden Lion had been in his prime, arrogant and unstoppable, declaring his intent to wipe out the Roger Pirates in one sweep, to subdue Roger himself and rule the seas.
"I don't believe it!!"
"No way a brat like you could ever capture Roger!"
Shiki roared, eyes wide, swinging his arm violently.
At his shout, even the curtain of rain seemed to freeze. A savage, domineering aura exploded outward, sweeping across all of Marineford.
Countless marines couldn't withstand the pressure and collapsed to the ground with dull thuds.
"Believe it or not," Kyle said calmly, "we'll find out once we fight."
He paused, then spoke coldly.
"Whatever your reason for coming here today, I'm afraid—"
"This is as far as you go."
As his words fell, his eyes narrowed. A fierce wave of Conqueror's Haki burst forth, surging straight toward the towering figure ahead.
"Buzz!"
The powerful Haki kicked up a violent wind, whipping Shiki's golden hair and making his pupils contract sharply.
That aura told him instantly that this kid was no ordinary opponent.
"Zehahahaha!"
"I've got no interest in fighting some greenhorn like you!"
"Where's Roger?"
"If he's going to die, it should be by my hand!"
"Not pathetically at the hands of you marines!"
Shiki laughed loudly, his gaze razor-sharp.
"I already told you," Kyle replied evenly.
"Whatever you came here for, it ends now."
"As for Roger…"
He paused, blue arcs of electricity crackling around his body.
"He'll be publicly executed in one week."
"In the East Blue."
"At Loguetown."
Shiki's body jolted. "What?!"
"A man like him is going to die in the East Blue, the weakest sea?"
"In his birthplace?"
"That's an insult to him!!!"
Kyle's expression remained calm, lightning flashing around him and bathing his entire body in blue light.
"You call the East Blue the weakest sea."
"I don't agree."
"Even if we stand on opposite sides, I acknowledge Roger's strength."
"And as for you—"
The blue lightning flared violently. Kyle vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already right in front of Shiki, emerging from the thunder itself. His right hand clenched tight, joints cracking.
Sea-prism stone gloves still covered his hand, with a thinner layer beneath to isolate it.
"Rumble—!"
Thunder roared as the sky above blazed white.
"Let me see just how strong you were at your peak."
The icy voice echoed in Shiki's ears, making him freeze for a split second before his pupils shrank.
Too fast.
Far too fast to track with the naked eye.
Like lightning—no, this kid was lightning.
"Fist of Iron!"
Kyle's fist tightened. Black-and-red lightning coiled around the sea-prism stone glove as Iron Body and Armament Haki layered themselves over his right arm.
Explosive power brewed in that instant. Stray arcs of electricity sparked around him, flickering along with the fluttering of his marine coat.
"Nuclear Burst!!!"
The clenched fist came crashing down.
"Rip—!"
Black-red lightning and blue arcs twisted together and detonated, blasting straight toward Golden Lion Shiki at point-blank range.
The violent shockwave froze the falling rain midair. Within a hundred meters, space itself seemed to lock in place.
Shiki suddenly grinned and burst out laughing.
"Zehahahaha!"
"Arrogant little punk!!"
His right-hand sword, Kogarashi, slashed out. The cutting force surged forward as his golden hair whipped wildly. His eyes burned, his face twisted with fury, like a raging lion.
"Buzz!"
The next instant, Kyle's fist collided with Shiki's blade. Space trembled.
"Boom!"
Thunder crashed down around them, bolts striking the ground and scorching it black.
Shiki's body shook violently, shock flashing across his face.
"Boom!"
He was blasted downward like a cannonball, smashing into the plaza of Marineford. The impact pulverized stone for nearly a kilometer in every direction, the ground collapsing inward.
Dust couldn't rise in the heavy rain, but shattered stone shot outward like bullets.
"Fall back!! Everyone, fall back!!"
"Vice Admiral Kyle stopped Golden Lion Shiki!"
"No wonder he captured the Pirate King!"
"That power is insane!"
The marines retreated in awe.
Kyle hovered in the air, looking down.
When he saw Shiki's condition, his eyes narrowed briefly before returning to calm.
At the center of the massive crater, Golden Lion hovered three feet above the ground. He hadn't actually struck it. Only a thin line of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
The pirate, one of the Three Great Legends, wiped away the blood and grinned.
"Zehahahaha!"
"Looks like I underestimated you."
"That punch of yours… it's got a bit of Garp's flavor!"
Kyle flashed and descended in a streak of lightning, landing on the ground.
"Using Conqueror's Haki like that," Shiki said grimly, gripping his twin swords, "and you're still just a youngster."
The initial contempt was gone. He was now facing Kyle as an equal.
That punch had shaken him to the core. For a moment, it felt like fighting Roger or Garp themselves.
"The Three Great Legends really live up to the name," Kyle said softly.
"To witness you at your absolute peak…"
"It's an honor."
With those words, his body vanished again. Thunder roared as his form reappeared.
He was already right in front of Shiki, his right hand outstretched, five fingers spread, aimed straight at Shiki's face.
The speed was terrifying. Ordinary people wouldn't even register what happened.
Even Shiki's eyes flared red as he activated Observation Haki.
"Two hundred million volts."
Kyle spoke calmly.
Blue lightning erupted from his palm, surging outward and swelling into a massive lightning pillar ten meters wide. The blinding blue light illuminated everything around them.
"Divine Punishment."
His voice was cold. Thunder boomed, as if a god itself were delivering judgment.
"Boom!"
The lightning pillar expanded again, roaring outward at twenty meters in diameter.
Shiki's pupils shrank. Twin swords in hand, his body was swallowed by the blinding light and vanished from sight.
"..."
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