"Get down!"
Seeing the scene unfold, Bonney suddenly realized something and shouted to the pirates charging at Kizaru.
But it's hard to persuade someone destined to die!
The pirates, eager to claim the head of a Marine Admiral, ignored Bonney's warning, too consumed by their greed to pay her any attention.
Only Zoro, pushed to the back of the crowd, seemed to sense the danger. He didn't rush forward with the others but instead followed Bonney's advice and dropped to the ground.
Though he got stepped on a few times after dropping down, it was nothing compared to what came next.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Even in his shrunken state, Kizaru's strength had hardly diminished. Perhaps it was because he'd grown too lazy to fully utilize his potential in recent years, or maybe the enhancements from his Devil Fruit powers remained intact even in his smaller form.
The moment an endless barrage of light beams erupted, even the most ferocious pirates were scared out of their wits.
"Wasn't he supposed to have turned into a child? Why is a child Marine Admiral still this terrifying?!"
Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!
Countless beams of light pierced through the bodies of the pirates. Many couldn't even scream before they collapsed like stalks of wheat swept down by the wind, falling in large swaths.
With just a single attack, hundreds of pirates were killed. A wide fan-shaped area in front of Kizaru was littered with corpses, and the blood flowing from them formed thin streams on the ground.
"Zoro! I'm going to send you flying!"
Luffy, unaware that Zoro had already taken cover, was overcome with rage, assuming Zoro was among the fallen pirates.
In his fury, Luffy charged at Kizaru recklessly, paying no mind to the fact that the Marine Admiral had just decimated a horde of pirates.
"Heh, the boy to whom Red-Haired Shanks entrusted his arm and hat—your journey ends here! Ama no Murakumo."
Triggered by his Observation Haki, the now-youthful Kizaru chuckled lightly as he drew a radiant sword of light from thin air with his right hand.
The next instant, the ground beneath Kizaru's feet shattered with a loud boom! as he transformed into a blur, hurtling toward Luffy.
Just as Kizaru's blade seemed poised to sever Luffy's head, a white-haired figure finally stepped out from the shadows, unable to hold back any longer.
*Clang!*
The sharp clash of sword against blade reverberated, and an explosive burst of sword pressure erupted from Kizaru and the newcomer.
The heavily paved plaza was reduced to rubble, leaving a massive crater dozens of meters wide.
Luffy himself was blown back over a hundred meters by the force of the clash. Fortunately, thanks to his rubber-like body and remarkable endurance, he emerged relatively unscathed. For an ordinary person, such a tumble would have resulted in shattered bones and torn muscles at best.
"Well, well... It's been a long time, hasn't it? The right hand of the Pirate King—Dark King Rayleigh."
The youthful Kizaru narrowed his eyes slightly. Even when facing a formidable opponent like Rayleigh, his right hand holding the radiant light sword remained steady as a rock.
"What?! Dark King Rayleigh?"
"The legendary right hand of the Pirate King!"
"This is great! With Rayleigh here, we might actually have a chance to escape…"
The surviving pirates couldn't help but cheer. They had been utterly terrified by Kizaru. In just a few short minutes since the battle began, nearly half of them had been wiped out by him.
Even among the Supernovas, one had died, and another was gravely injured. And to think that Akainu was supposed to be the most ruthless among the three admirals!
"Haha, I'm just an old man passing through. Admiral Kizaru, I'd appreciate it if you could show some mercy."
The white-haired man, wearing glasses, lifted his head and revealed a hearty smile.
"If you're retired, don't get involved in things like this. Honestly, I have a pretty good temper. If it were Sakazuki, he wouldn't let this slide."
Kizaru offered his 'earnest' advice.
Although he had deliberately lured Rayleigh out, his suggestion did carry some sincerity. If Akainu were Fleet Admiral instead of Sengoku, things wouldn't be so civil.
Unfortunately for Kizaru, Rayleigh wasn't the kind of man to heed such warnings. Instead, hearing Kizaru's words, he seemed even more intrigued, his gaze examining the youthful figure before him.
"Well, it seems Admiral Kizaru is getting younger as the years go by. Fascinating. If there's a secret to this, how about sharing it with me?"
Rayleigh chuckled as he spoke.
Though the two were exchanging words in a seemingly lighthearted manner, their blades remained locked in a fierce struggle.
The sheer pressure from their clashing weapons filled the air, forcing the ground beneath them to cave under the intensity.
"So strong!"
Zoro, crawling out from a pile of bodies, looked on with shining eyes at the duel between two of the world's top fighters.
If the situation weren't so dire, Zoro would have loved to jump into the fray—though whether he'd get thoroughly beaten afterward was another matter.
"Hey, what's going on now? Is Dark King Rayleigh here to help us?" Franky couldn't help scratching his head. In battles of this magnitude, the weaker ones—those without enough strength—were practically useless.
"The next part of this fight is beyond our reach. It's time to figure out how to retreat…" Robin spoke as she activated her powers, causing small mouths to grow on Luffy and Zoro's bodies, quietly urging them to fall back and prepare for an escape.
They had already proven their courage to fight for their dreams. There was no need to die here. That wouldn't be chasing their dreams—it would be suicide.
As the clash between Kizaru and Rayleigh intensified, countless streaks of black lightning exploded around them.
Even though Rayleigh had been retired for over a decade, his aura as a top-tier powerhouse remained undiminished. In fact, his Conqueror's Haki seemed even stronger than before, a testament to his indomitable spirit.
However, while Conqueror's Haki could grow stronger with a person's spirit, Rayleigh's physical strength had stagnated over the years and even begun to decline.
"Hmm? Looks like I've won."
Kizaru narrowed his eyes, a slight smirk forming on his lips. In a clash between top-tier fighters, even the slightest difference could be magnified infinitely—let alone the fact that Rayleigh was already past his prime.
"That's not certain yet." Rayleigh's smile didn't falter.
Recognizing his shortcomings, Rayleigh chose not to stubbornly continue their deadlock. With a sudden surge of strength, he forced Kizaru back. Not particularly eager to fight to the death, Kizaru didn't push the issue either.
In a flash, the two had exchanged hundreds of blows, their swords clashing repeatedly. However, for fighters of their caliber, such exchanges weren't even considered a warm-up.
"Heh, you're still the same as ever…"
From just a few exchanges, Rayleigh realized Kizaru was holding back again. Since that was the case, he saw no point in fighting to the bitter end either.
"Do the job you're paid for. Sengoku's never raised my salary, so I'm helpless here…"
Kizaru spoke in his usual laid-back tone.
After all, no one present could tell he was pulling punches. To the onlookers, the two top-tier fighters seemed locked in a life-or-death struggle, evenly matched.
°°°
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