"Gang!"
Only a few of Capone Bege's crew who hadn't entered the castle survived. However, witnessing their captain fall to an Admiral left these pirates utterly terrified.
It was a one-hit kill.
Kizaru had eliminated a Supernova with a bounty of 138 million berries in a single attack. Along with Bege, the Fire Tank Pirates were nearly wiped out.
"This kind of monster... I'm not fighting him!"
"No! Don't kill me!"
"Spare me! I'll quit being a pirate!"
...
In an instant, dozens of pirates panicked and scrambled to flee, ignoring their captains who hadn't yet given orders.
"Well, if I let you all run away, it'd be quite troublesome for me..."
Kizaru snapped his fingers.
A wave of invisible Conqueror's Haki spread out, precisely targeting the fleeing pirates.
Before they could escape the plaza, they suddenly collapsed mid-run. This bizarre sight terrified many pirates so much they wet themselves on the spot.
Unaware that those fleeing were only knocked unconscious by Conqueror's Haki, the remaining pirates assumed Kizaru had killed them all with just a snap of his fingers.
First, he heavily injured Kid with one strike. Then, he killed Capone Bege in a single blow. In the eyes of these pirates, Kizaru's menace had grown to demonic proportions.
"So scary, so scary, so scary..."
Usopp, Chopper, and Coby huddled together, trembling. To them, powerhouses like Kid and Bege, who were previously thought to be invincible, were completely outmatched by Kizaru.
And then there was that strange ability to down dozens of people with a snap of his fingers. It utterly crushed the trio's will to fight.
"Hey, Curly Brows, did you catch how that guy was moving just now?"
Zoro untied the bandana from his arm. Kizaru clearly intended to wipe them all out. If there was no chance to escape, then the only choice left was to fight to the death.
"No... That guy's way faster than the CP9 agents at Enies Lobby. I couldn't track his movements at all..."
Sanji, momentarily ignoring Zoro's irritating nickname, tried to light a cigarette but froze as he noticed his hands trembling slightly.
For a chef, such trembling was almost unforgivable. It was only then that Sanji realized the immense pressure Kizaru was putting on him.
"Admiral Kizaru is a Logia user who ate the Glint-Glint Fruit," Robin explained in a low voice. "In theory, his attack speed is the fastest in the world. You could think of him as a stronger version of that 'god' from Skypiea..."
Robin had gathered this intel earlier, listening in with her powers while the crowd talked. Large gatherings like this were perfect for her to collect information.
"Well, that's definitely trouble..."
Zoro gritted his teeth, vividly recalling the helplessness he felt against Enel.
If it hadn't been for Luffy's rubber powers countering the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the Straw Hats' journey might have ended on Skypiea.
But where could they find another "Rubber Fruit" now? Besides, Kizaru wasn't just relying on his Devil Fruit powers like Enel.
"Ah, ba-ba-ba, this is really bad, really bad. There's no way we can fight an Admiral~"
Apoo's eyes darted around as he seemed to calculate the odds of escaping.
But no matter how he imagined it, there was no way past Kizaru. After all, who could outrun light itself?
"Sir, what should we do now?"
The pirates of the On Air Pirates crew looked ready to cry. Not every crew followed the elite model like the Straw Hat Pirates. For them, with their weaker strength, even if Kizaru didn't pursue them seriously, they'd likely never escape the Sabaody Archipelago.
"What else can we do? Find your own opportunities to escape. If enough people scatter and run at the same time, even a Marine Admiral can't stop everyone instantly..."
Drake's heart pounded as he tried to analyze the situation. He was fairly certain Kizaru didn't recognize his identity.
This had its pros and cons. The upside was that Drake wouldn't have to worry about Kizaru's poor acting accidentally exposing him. The downside was that, in an all-out fight, he might be crushed by Kizaru without the Admiral even realizing it.
What Drake didn't know was that Kizaru had recognized his identity from the start—he just didn't bother to approach him.
As for why Kizaru didn't focus on Drake, it boiled down to his selective attention: Kizaru was only interested in beautiful women. If it were Tashigi undercover instead, Kizaru's gaze would have been fixed on them from start to finish.
Similar thoughts were running through many minds, though Drake's hesitation stemmed from not wanting to expose himself, while others were simply too scared to face Kizaru.
"Would you like to surrender? If you save me the trouble, I might consider sending you all to Impel Down. After all, there's no risk of you leaking information there..."
Kizaru spoke lazily, his words making countless pirates hesitate.
Being sent to Impel Down was better than dying meaninglessly. There was always the chance to plot an escape during transport.
"Will you really send us to Impel Down?"
Someone in the crowd dared to ask. The pirates' morale hit rock bottom.
"Ah, of course, it's true. I'll count to three. Drop your weapons, and you'll live. Otherwise, you'll die here... Three!"
Kizaru raised three fingers. The pirates collectively swallowed nervously, but none immediately surrendered.
Kizaru didn't rush. He simply lowered one finger and slowly counted down.
"Two!"
The sound of weapons clattering to the ground broke the tense silence. Soon, the noise of various weapons hitting the floor echoed throughout the area.
Some especially cowardly pirates had already dropped to their knees, terrified that hesitating even a second longer would make them targets.
"One!"
"Enough already!"
Kizaru and Luffy's voices overlapped as the latter's sharp yet resolute Haki burst forth, sweeping across the plaza.
Though this fledgling Conqueror's Haki wasn't strong enough to stun most people present, it was enough to jolt the frightened pirates out of their daze.
"I'm the man who will become Pirate King! There's no way I'll fall here! To become the Pirate King, you have to fight for it! If you abandon your dreams and can't keep moving forward, then what's the difference between that and dying?"
Luffy shouted at Kizaru with unwavering conviction. His fiery determination reignited the courage in the hearts of the pirates who had faltered under Kizaru's overwhelming presence.
°°°
A/N: It's a new week once again, pour out your powerstones for a bonus chapter tomorrow!
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