"To think he can run across the sea at that speed… he's mastered the Rokushiki to such an extent…"
Kizaru's adjutant could only stare in disbelief. He'd trained under the Vice Admiral for years and learned the Six Forms himself — but compared to what Brian just demonstrated, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd been practicing a fake version all this time.
Gulp.
Spandine swallowed hard, frozen in place.
A heartbeat later, Brian landed gracefully on the deserted island, flipping midair before touching down soundlessly on the sand.
He cracked his neck and smirked. "Monkey, same as always — our old rules."
Kizaru didn't even blink. He turned to his adjutant.
"Take the ship. Return here tomorrow morning."
"Yes, sir!"
Though every fiber of the adjutant's being screamed to stay and watch, orders were orders.
The flagship slowly turned and glided away, leaving the two men alone under the fading light.
As soon as the ship disappeared beyond the horizon, Brian began stretching his arms and legs, rolling his shoulders, loosening up every joint in his body until a sharp crack echoed through the still air.
"Monkey," he said lightly, "you'd better be careful this time. I'm going to kill you."
Kizaru's eyes glimmered behind his sunglasses.
"You always say that," he replied with his usual drawl. "I'd actually like to see you keep that promise for once."
They had known each other for a decade.
When they first met, Kizaru had been twenty-six — already monstrously powerful. Brian had been just thirteen — reckless, brilliant, and utterly fearless.
That first duel between them hadn't brought Brian victory, but it had brought him a title: the Super Genius.
From that moment, his name had begun to circulate through the Navy, catching even the Five Elders' attention.
Over the next three years of academy training, Brian had challenged Kizaru more than twenty times — and lost every single one.
But after Kizaru's official appointment, the two had never crossed fists again.
Tonight, both men would finally see how far the other had come.
"I'm going all out," Brian said, rolling his neck until the bones popped. His muscles tightened, coiling like drawn steel cables.
Kizaru's lazy grin didn't fade, but the glint in his eyes sharpened.
"Let's hope you haven't spent all your energy on women."
"Humph."
Brian exhaled slowly.
"Armament!"
A black sheen of Haki rippled across his forearms and legs, the ground beneath his feet cracking under the pressure.
Across from him, Kizaru raised his right hand — particles of light gathered in his palm, condensing into a blazing sword.
"Ame-no-Torifune!"
The Heavenly Cloud Sword shimmered with pure golden light.
"Shave!"
Swish!
Brian vanished from sight, his figure blurring into afterimages.
"Oh? Starting with Shave again?" Kizaru chuckled. "You still haven't changed. But my speed's a bit different these days."
Before Brian's strike could connect, Kizaru's body scattered into photons and disappeared.
Above!
Brian didn't even look up — his Observation Haki had already locked onto the target.
He stomped down, muscles coiling like springs, then launched himself skyward like a cannon shell.
But Kizaru was faster. In the blink of an eye, he'd shifted midair, letting Brian's attack slice through empty space.
"Tch… slippery bastard," Brian growled.
He knew better than anyone how infuriating Kizaru'sGlint-Glint Fruit was — catching his real body was almost impossible unless Kizaru chose to fight head-on.
"Laser Beam."
Kizaru extended two fingers, firing a dazzling beam straight toward the airborne Brian.
The shot could punch through steel — and it exploded on impact.
But in midair, Brian swung his arm in a blur, knocking the beam aside with a burst of Armament Haki. The redirected energy detonated behind him, propelling him downward even faster.
Kizaru's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Your reactions have improved."
Then he smirked.
"But tell me — ever been cut by light?"
His body shimmered, vanishing again.
A streak of gold flashed — and suddenly, Kizaru was right in front of Brian, his glowing sword slicing toward his neck.
Had that strike landed, Brian's head would've flown from his shoulders.
But the blade met his raised forearm instead — Haki against photons, sparks scattering like fireworks.
With a single push, Brian sent Kizaru skidding backward, his boots carving deep furrows into the sand.
Before Kizaru could stabilize, Brian's leg swept out.
"Tempest Kick — Meteor Barrage!"
The air erupted into a storm of vacuum blades, hundreds of slashing waves pounding into the beach.
Each impact left a crater, the explosions merging into a thunderous chain reaction until the landscape resembled the surface of the moon.
When the dust cleared, there was no blood — only the faint shimmer of light fading from the air.
"He dodged again," Brian muttered, irritation flickering in his eyes.
But his instincts screamed — behind you!
He spun, his heel flashing upward — CRACK!
The kick caught Kizaru square in the chest, sending him flying.
"Kh… cough…" Kizaru steadied himself, a smear of blood on his lip. He gave a crooked smile.
"You missed on purpose earlier, didn't you?"
Brian snorted.
"If I don't show a weak spot, how else do I get a coward like you to attack?"
"Heh… clever. But you're still not going to win."
For the first time, Kizaru's smile vanished. His stance shifted. The air itself seemed to vibrate.
"Rokushiki — Kami-e!"
"Light-Speed Kick!"
Light surged up his legs.
Then, in a single motion, he kicked — and a dozen laser bursts exploded outward at light speed, streaking straight for Brian's head.
Brian's pupils contracted. He blurred sideways, twisting with Kami-e to avoid the blasts.
But one struck the ground beside his foot—
BOOM!
The explosion hurled him backward, sand and fire erupting around him.
He landed hard, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Kizaru lowered his leg, smirking.
"I'd say we're even."
Brian wiped the blood away, grinning.
"Even? That's not good enough."
He vanished again.
"Finger Pistol — Machine Gun Strike!"
His right arm blurred into a storm of thrusts — five fingers jabbing faster than bullets, each aimed at Kizaru's eyes, throat, heart.
No hesitation. No mercy.
Kizaru's sword flashed, blocking the flurry at lightning speed.
Sparks rained as Haki and photons clashed again and again.
The duel raged for hours.
When it was over, the island was unrecognizable — trees torn apart, the ground carved into trenches, fires still burning in the craters left behind.
Neither man had gained a clear advantage.
But both were bleeding — and both were smiling.
They knew each other too well.
Each had been Zephyr's student once, had fought together, bled together.
And in battle, their instincts read one another perfectly.
Then, at the same instant—
"Opportunity!"
Their voices overlapped.
Brian's stance dropped — both fists drawn back, feet spreading wide. His Haki flared like black fire.
Kizaru's eyes narrowed. He knew that pose.
The ultimate Rokushiki technique — Rokuogan.
The air itself trembled, waiting to shatter.
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