During a gap in the fierce exchange, Luffy seized an opening and punched Kizaru back.
After a brief hover, he suddenly said:
"Hey, Kizaru. Aren't you relying on your Devil Fruit a bit too much?"
These words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
Kizaru, who never usually had any formality, showed a barely noticeable stiffness in his slightly decadent and lazy face.
Relying on one's fruit.
How familiar those words sounded.
Like a thorn, they precisely poked the tip of his heart and lungs.
Back in the Naval Academy, that purple-haired teacher whose catchphrase was "completely crush" had knocked him down countless times with a tone of hatred:
"Borsalino! Physical technique! Haki! Don't always rely on that lightspeed to be lazy. A Devil Fruit ability isn't everything!"
Later, after becoming an Admiral, he had also fought the man called the The world's strongest, Whitebeard.
The other man's earth-shattering vibration power, combined with his tempered domineering power, had also made Kizaru deeply understand that top-tier strongmen do not stand at the peak relying on just one ability.
As if Luffy had accidentally hit a corner that had been deliberately ignored in his heart—
He was a bit broken.
Kizaru's eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, narrowed. A flicker of barely noticeable sharpness passed through them.
"Oh? This old man is being looked down upon by a rookie. Don't talk so big, Straw Hat!"
The next moment, both of their speeds suddenly increased again!
SWISH!
BOOM!
This time, even the outlines of their brief appearances became blurry. Only the constantly exploding waves of air and scattered energy currents remained in the sky.
In the earlier part of the fight, one could still barely see blurry figures flickering. But now, even many capable Marine officers and Supernovas had completely lost track of the two!
All they could hear were the constant thunderous impacts in the air, along with shockwaves and laser fragments exploding everywhere.
The only one who could clearly capture every detail of their movements was Rayleigh, standing below with his arms crossed and a smile on his lips.
His Kenbunshoku Haki was like an invisible giant net, firmly locked onto the two figures in the sky who defied common sense.
Zoro gripped the hilt of Wado Ichimonji tightly, his eyes fixed on the sky. Fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
He could barely catch the moments when Luffy's and Kizaru's figures flickered into view. As for how they attacked or moved, he could not capture it at all.
"Damn it. I can't even clearly see them?"
He gritted his teeth. The desire for strength in his heart burned like a flame.
This was one of the absolute gaps between them and the Navy's top combatants!
Just this kind of desperate speed was enough to prevent most enemies from even having the thought of resistance.
He needed to be stronger!
He must become stronger!
THUD!
THUD!
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The dense crash exploded like firecrackers.
"Developing a Devil Fruit ability to its limits is itself a path to power, you know."
Kizaru's voice still carried that infuriating slowness, but his attacks grew increasingly fierce.
Their bodies flashed in various places above the auction house ruins. After more than a dozen more clashes, Kizaru seemed to realize that close-quarters combat was not to his advantage. His body suddenly transformed into a stream of light, shooting high into the sky, out of Luffy's attack range.
He crossed his hands in front of his chest, making an OK-like gesture, his fingertips aimed at Luffy below.
His fingertips shine with a heart-stopping light.
Yasakani no Magatama!
In an instant, countless dazzling light bullets, like rain of light shed by a deity from mythology, densely and overwhelmingly covered toward the area below where Luffy was, without discrimination!
Each light bullet contained enough terrifying energy to blow up a warship!
The vastness covered nearly half the sky.
"Luffy!"
Nami couldn't help but cry out.
Even trusting Luffy's strength, that devastating light rain still made people's hearts tremble.
Below, Luffy just grinned.
Nika!
He let out a low growl. His body shape suddenly changed. His skin and hair instantly turned pure white. Steam-like clouds of smoke surrounded him. His straw hat and clothes seemed to gain a life-like elasticity and freedom.
Gear Fifth: Nika Form!
He had instantly shifted from Gear Second Plus into Gear Fifth: Nika Form.
White, Gomu Gomu no Gatling Gun!
Luffy's arms The punches were so fast they were impossible to see with the naked eye. In an instant, it was as if thousands upon thousands of white arms filled the sky.
His arms swung at a speed beyond the limits of vision, so fast they seemed to disappear. In their place were countless shockwaves like white meteors, shooting up against the sky, precisely meeting the pouring rain of light!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A dense series of explosions echoed across the sky. Golden light bullets and white shockwaves collided in mid-air, shattering the clouds above.
The dazzling light and deafening roar made the entire Sabaody Archipelago seem to tremble.
"Oh,"
Kizaru pursed his lips, drawing out his tone. The nonchalant expression on his face finally softened slightly. "So this is that special stance that Aokiji mentioned? How terrifying, Straw Hat."
When experts sparred, one exchange was enough.
The previous intelligence had only been paper reports, carrying some doubt. Now it seemed that Aokiji's report had not been exaggerated—it might have even been conservative!
This kid was a real tough kid!
Now, experiencing it himself, he truly realized how troublesome this rookie pirate was.
This was not at all like a newcomer just entering the second half of the Grand Line!
This level of strength, this level of ability usage—was already enough to stir up trouble in the new world.
The aerial exchange continued, but Kizaru's goal was clearly not to fight Luffy to the death.
In the instant when Yasakani no Magatama was fully blocked by Luffy and the smoke from the explosions had not yet completely cleared, his body suddenly elementally transformed into a stream of light, trying to bypass Luffy and dive straight toward the three Celestial Dragons being guarded by Zoro and Rayleigh.
"I was waiting for that!"
Zoro grinned ferociously. He pressed Wado Ichimonji slightly against Charlos's neck. A thin line of blood appeared. The sharp pain caused Charlos, who had been quiet due to fear, to let out another squeal like a pig being slaughtered.
And Rayleigh had quietly shifted a step without anyone noticing, exactly blocking the side-front of Kizaru's advance path. Though he did not attack, his calm momentum was already an invisible warning.
"Don't move, Kizaru." Rayleigh smiled.
The stream of light that Kizaru had transformed into abruptly stopped not far in front of Rayleigh, re-condensed into human form. He looked at the murderous Zoro, then at the completely at-ease Rayleigh, and finally at Luffy, who had somehow already positioned himself directly in front of him again. He helplessly spread his hands.
"Hey, hey, hey. Isn't that a bit too mean? Using hostages as leverage isn't the style of a strong person, you know."
"You think we don't know what you're thinking?"
Luffy shook his slightly heated arms from the high-speed attacks, white steam swirling around them. "Rescue the hostages, then you can let go to surround us, right?"
Even without Zoro and Rayleigh, Luffy would never let him succeed.
The moment Kizaru moved, Luffy had already anticipated his movement. The ultimate elasticity and speed granted by Nika Form allowed him to come first. His fist, wrapped with black and red arcs of electricity, again swung at Kizaru's face.
This time, the fist contained not only Busoshoku Haki but also a heart palpitating deterrent.
Haoshoku Haki Infusion!
Kizaru's pupils slightly shrank. The speed at which he could elementally transform and dissipate could not quite keep up with the speed of the incoming fist!
He hurriedly crossed his arms in front of him, brilliant golden light condensed.
BOOM!
The fist and the golden light collided, erupting with a stronger impact than before.
The golden light of Kizaru's form was partially scattered by the blow. Though his main body quickly reformed elsewhere, his figure showed a noticeable stagger, no longer as composed as before.
He brushed nonexistent dust off his suit and straightened up. When he looked at Luffy again, his expression had completely changed.
"Newcomers these days are way too terrifying. Truly frightening,"
He still had that slow drawl, but the joking tone had diminished considerably. "Using Haoshoku Infusion right off the bat?"
Kizaru was about to lose it.
He knew the intelligence about Straw Hat having kingly aptitude.
But it hadn't been updated to this extent.
To throw a Haoshoku Infusion punch right away—who could handle that?
How many people on this sea could use Haoshoku Infusion?
"I have your Navy to thank for that."
Luffy unceremoniously fucked another sword into his heart, grinning. "If I hadn't run into so many good teachers, I wouldn't have improved so fast."
Aokiji's ultimate freezing and pressure, Zephyr's fierce physical skills and Haki instruction, Garp's love-filled iron fists...
These top-tier Navy strongmen had, whether they intended to or not, become Luffy's best whetstones.
For Luffy to have reached the point where even an Admiral found him with a headache, these three, every single one of them, deserved credit.
Now, he truly possessed the strength to give even a Marine Admiral trouble.
He had earned an Admiral's respect.
Kizaru was silent for a moment, as if weighing the pros and cons.
If he continued fighting, he couldn't get the better of Straw Hat in a short time.
And there was Rayleigh, watching eagerly, along with a group of capable crew members.
Most critically, the lives of three Celestial Dragons hung by a thread.
He didn't dare gamble.
"What exactly do you want by kidnapping the Celestial Dragons?"
Kizaru got straight to the point, abandoning the idea of continuing the storm. "Just tell this old man."
"This is a rare opportunity."
Luffy did not answer immediately. Instead, his eyes condensed. He looked at Kizaru's position and stomped his right foot hard on the ground. "Don't let it end so quickly."
Luffy first needed to thoroughly demonstrate that he had the strength and qualifications to easily kill a Celestial Dragon even under the nose of a Marine Admiral!
Otherwise, the so-called transaction success rate would likely be greatly diminished.
A strange thing happened.
The ground beneath Luffy's feet seemed to turn into rubber, violently undulating and stretching with his movement.
Then, a fist formed from the rubberized ground,
Like a lurking mole, suddenly emerge from the ground below Kizaru, swinging hard at his abdomen!
Gomu Gomu no: Mogura Gun!
"Hm?"
A flicker of surprise passed through Kizaru's eyes. This way of using fruit abilities was unheard of!
But this power to affect the terrain—was this a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit awakening?
He couldn't dodge completely in time and could only condense golden light again to block.
THUD!
The rubber fist landed solidly on him. Though most of its power was offset by the golden light, it still made him stagger. Taking advantage of this brief airborne moment and the impact, Kizaru's body shone with brilliant light. He instantly elementally transformed, becoming a beam of light that quickly shifted sideways into the air, trying to distance itself.
But Luffy's attacks followed like a shadow.
That rubber giant fist seemed to have a life of its own, turning nimbly in the air, pursuing relentlessly.
"This is endless."
Kizaru muttered. His right hand grasped the air. Dazzling light condensed and stretched in his hand, eventually forming a sword made entirely of light.
"Ama no Murakumo!"
He swung the light sword, slashing at the pursuing rubber giant fist.
At that moment, Luffy actively withdrew his fist. At the same time, he drew from his waist that seemingly unremarkable little black dagger.
Supreme Grade Blade: Magi!
The moment Magi left its sheath, its form suddenly changed at Luffy's will.
The black blade quickly extended and widened. In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a katana comparable in size to the Ama no Murakumo!
A dull luster flowed over the blade. Faint black-red lightning flickered on it.
CLANG!
Luffy leaped up and swung it.
Ama no Murakumo and Magi collided fiercely, producing a crisp mingling sound!
Light and dark, two kinds of energy, clashed violently at the intersection of blade and sword, bursting out with dazzling light.
Luffy gripped Magi, feeling the surging power from the blade. He grinned.
"Who would have thought? An Admiral is also a swordsman!"
He hadn't encountered many skilled swordsmen in the Navy.
He had fought so many Marines.
Garp relied on his fists. Aokiji relied on his ability. Zephyr relied on his mechanical arm and physical techniques.
There didn't seem to be many Navy swordsmen.
"I should be the surprised one, Straw Hat."
Kizaru looked at the Extraordinary Black Blade in Luffy's hand and said slowly, "So you really did obtain a Supreme Grade Blade. It seems the intelligence was true."
They clashed again. The gap was clear.
In terms of power, Luffy, with his Nika Form and Haoshoku Infusion, even had a slight advantage. And Magi's quality was clearly not inferior to Ama no Murakumo.
Kizaru quickly made a judgment in his mind.
Fight—couldn't be decided in a short time. He might even end up at a disadvantage because of the hostages.
Rescue—with Rayleigh and that green-haired swordsman there, the success rate was extremely low.
Delay—bad for the Navy. For every minute the Celestial Dragons suffered, his pressure increased.
That left only one option.
Kizaru actively retreated. Ama no Murakumo dissipated into particles of light.
He raised his hands, making a pause gesture.
"Alright, alright."
He resumed his lazy expression, but his tone was much more serious. "Speak, Straw Hat. You've earned the right. Let's talk terms."
There was no need to continue a meaningless fight.
Since they were waiting here, they clearly wanted something.
Since he couldn't overpower them, the only option was to negotiate.
He gave in.
He couldn't fight anymore.
The exchange just now had made him realize that in a short time, he could not take down this Straw Hat with his strange transformation.
His Haki was ridiculously strong. He also had a Supreme Grade Blade. Anyone would think he was fighting Whitebeard.
***
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