A chill crept into Kizaru's heart.
Every hair on his body stood on end.
At such close range—
There was no time to dodge.
That brat… set me up!
Yuuki's earlier defense against the light barrage had clearly been intentional—
A trap to draw him in.
Now—
Dodging was impossible.
Even elementalization—
Would be too late.
BOOM!!!
A terrifying golden beam erupted—
Striking Kizaru head-on.
Across the entire Sabaody Archipelago—
All eyes turned skyward.
A massive pillar of golden energy tore through the air—
From Area 2—
Blasting outward toward the island's edge.
The colossal mangrove branches—
Thick enough to support entire towns—
Were obliterated on contact.
"Damn it… I can't stop it!!"
Kizaru was swept away by the force—
His body trapped within the torrent of energy.
Unable to break free—
He could only concentrate Armament Haki over his chest.
Even so—
Blood spilled from his mouth.
In the end—
He was blasted all the way from Area 2—
To Area 35, where the Bubble Park stood.
The shockwave alone—
Reduced most of the district to ruins.
At the center—
A massive crater formed.
High above Area 2—
Yuuki watched calmly in the direction Kizaru had been sent flying.
In one hand—
He held the reclaimed communication magic box.
"That spell was stronger than expected."
He spoke lightly.
"As a Marine Admiral… you shouldn't be dead from that, right?"
Suddenly—
His gaze sharpened.
He looked up.
Above him—
A small, mirror-like shard of light hovered silently.
Its energy signature was faint—
So, faint that, amidst the overwhelming magic he had just released—
He hadn't noticed it.
SWISH!
In an instant—
Kizaru—
Still blood at the corner of his mouth—
Appeared above Yuuki.
His leg—
Glowing gold—
Crashed down.
BOOM!!
Yuuki was sent hurtling from the sky—
Slamming into the ground below with a thunderous impact.
"How terrifying…"
Kizaru hovered midair, his expression serious as he stared at the smoke below.
He knew—
That wasn't enough to defeat Yuuki.
That earlier attack—
Had nearly made him break into a cold sweat.
At the moment of impact—
He had created a Yata Mirror above Yuuki.
Using Armament Haki and partial elementalization—
He had reduced the damage—
Then used the mirror to instantly reposition—
Launching that counterattack.
Whoosh!
Suddenly—
From within the smoke—
A golden whip shot upward—
Wrapping tightly around Kizaru's ankle.
"What—?!"
Kizaru instinctively tried to disperse—
But—
Something interfered.
"...Haki?"
His expression flickered.
A powerful force yanked downward—
Dragging him out of the sky.
At the same time—
Yuuki burst out of the smoke.
Two streaks of gold—
Clashed again midair in an instant.
"You really are troublesome…"
Kizaru's voice turned sharp.
"But don't underestimate me, pirate!!"
His aura surged.
The lazy, careless demeanor—
Gone.
For the first time—
The true dominance of a Marine Admiral—
A top-tier powerhouse of the seas—
Was fully unleashed.
"Stay down!"
Kizaru's eyes widened—
A blade of light formed instantly in his hand—
Ama no Murakumo Sword!
He slashed—
Severing the whip around his leg—
Then—
The blade erupted with dazzling light.
Countless needle-like beams—
Poured forth like a storm.
"Looks like the warm-up is over."
Yuuki laughed, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
Since his clash with Aokiji—
This was the first fight—
That truly excited him.
Then let's have some real fun.
Light Creation Magic — Sword of Judgment!
Golden swords materialized around Yuuki—
Dozens—
Hundreds—
Then fired forward in a torrent.
The incoming light needles—
Were shattered effortlessly.
"Hmph!"
Kizaru snorted.
Facing the incoming blades—
Each as fast as lightning—
He swung his sword rapidly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A storm of metallic clashes rang out in the sky.
To ordinary eyes—
The swords were invisible.
But to Kizaru—
A master of light-speed combat—
They were manageable.
"Toys like these won't hurt me!"
Gripping his blade with both hands—
Kizaru unleashed a surging wave of power.
Then—
He slashed downward.
Dark-red, lightning-like energy burst forth—
Radiating from the blade.
BOOM!!
The attack tore through the incoming light swords—
Crushing the air itself—
Dimming even the surrounding light.
Armament Haki… combined with externalized force.
Yuuki's expression grew serious.
If that attack struck the ground—
It would obliterate all of Area 2.
Light Creation Magic — Fortress Sword!
He thrust both hands forward.
THUD!!
A massive radiant blade formed—
Blocking the attack head-on.
The collision—
Exploded like thunder.
"I don't have time to play with you any longer."
Kizaru's voice turned cold.
"So… try not to die."
"Yata Mirror — Full Release!"
His eyes gleamed.
At first—
He had doubted Aokiji's report.
Now—
He understood.
Yuuki—
Was no weaker than them.
Especially—
In his manipulation of light.
The only advantage—
Was that Yuuki lacked elementalization.
But even that—
Might not be enough.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
Blinding golden light erupted from Kizaru's body—
In an instant—
The entire area was engulfed.
Mirrors—
Dozens—
Then hundreds—
Formed in the sky.
Arranged in a spherical formation—
They surrounded Yuuki completely.
Then—
Kizaru turned into light—
And entered one of the mirrors.
The reflections connected—
One after another—
In the blink of an eye—
Yuuki stood at the center—
Of a glowing sphere of light.
Seeing this—
Yuuki's eyelid twitched.
Even he—
Felt danger.
In the original story—
Kizaru had always seemed lazy.
Almost never serious.
But that was because—
His opponents had never forced him to be.
Now—
Yuuki finally saw it.
The true power—
Of the most "laid-back" Admiral.
And it was anything but casual.
Next Bonus Chapter at 5500 powerstones.