"Otherwise," the Marine sneered, "after you finish bragging, you might not have anything left to say once you get captured."
It was mockery.
And it was the kind of mockery that sounded polite but was deeply irritating.
Renji followed the voice with his eyes.
A Marine about one and a half meters tall stood there, looking at him with obvious disdain. A small mole, about the size of a fingernail, sat on his chin.
"As the saying goes, appearance reflects the heart," Renji said calmly. "Coming from someone like you, words like that are understandable."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
The mole-faced Marine raised an eyebrow and stared provocatively at Renji.
"Did I hit a nerve?"
Disgusting.
The way this man spoke was utterly unpleasant.
If someone was that unpleasant, there was a simple solution.
Get rid of him.
Renji thought about it for a moment.
Then he moved.
His speed exploded instantly.
In the blink of an eye he appeared in front of the mole-faced Marine.
A fist wrapped in Armament Haki smashed forward.
Thud.
The punch was blocked by a leg.
"You can come to me directly if you have a problem with my subordinate," said Kizaru.
With a glance from him, the mole-faced Marine and the surrounding soldiers scattered immediately. The man had almost wet himself from fear.
Kizaru nodded slightly in satisfaction.
At least the man's ability to provoke was impressive. In terms of taunting skill, he might even surpass Kizaru himself.
At the highest levels of combat, the difference between victory and defeat could be incredibly small.
If you could affect the opponent's emotions or judgment, it became an excellent tactic.
That was exactly why Kizaru often behaved in such an irritating way. It was something he had learned through years of experience.
"Or do you actually believe what you said?" Renji asked.
"Your personalities really do match."
Renji withdrew his fist and stepped back, putting several meters between himself and Kizaru.
He glanced sideways toward the direction where the mole-faced Marine had fled.
Regardless of how the battle with Kizaru ended today, Renji had already decided something.
That Marine would die.
"Let's talk about something more normal," Renji said.
"Do you really intend to capture me?"
"Of course."
Kizaru nodded.
Compared to the Straw Hat Pirates who had only offended the Celestial Dragons, what the Navy truly needed right now was leverage against the Whitebeard Pirates.
Capturing Portgas D. Ace would certainly draw Edward Newgate out of the New World.
But it still would not be enough to force Whitebeard to surrender or even make him hesitate.
"You are someone Whitebeard personally trains," Kizaru said.
"It would not be an exaggeration to call you his successor."
"If we captured you, that would be very interesting."
He stepped forward.
His arm turned golden as the Glint-Glint Fruit activated.
"Oh?"
"I am only a small vice captain on Whitebeard's ship," Renji replied.
"I didn't realize I was so valued."
His right arm was already fully coated in Armament Haki as he stepped forward.
Boom.
Their fists collided.
Energy rippled around their arms as the two blows met.
For a moment, neither side moved.
"Oh?"
Kizaru looked slightly surprised.
"You actually have some skill."
Renji smiled faintly.
At the same moment, he collected the attributes that had dropped.
[You picked up a Devil Fruit growth experience.]
[You picked up an Armament Haki insight.]
Feeling the increase in strength within his body, Renji frowned slightly.
In theory, when he personally fought someone, the attributes he gained should be stronger than those dropped by others during combat.
But the attributes he was getting from fighting Kizaru right now were clearly weaker than those he gained while watching Kizaru fight Silvers Rayleigh.
That meant one thing.
Kizaru was not taking this seriously.
If they kept testing each other like this, Renji would never gain significant strength.
He needed to push Kizaru harder.
Renji looked at him and sneered.
"So this is the power of a Navy Admiral?"
Kizaru was famous for using sarcasm and psychological tricks in battle.
Renji's provocation barely affected him.
Kizaru simply raised his finger.
A cross-shaped beam of golden light formed at the tip.
"You're right," Kizaru said calmly.
"Being an Admiral is nothing special."
Despite his words, the laser gathering in his hand clearly showed he was not ignoring Renji.
"Light Beam."
The moment he spoke, the laser shot forward toward Renji's head.
Renji shook his head slightly.
"You still don't want to get serious?"
"In that case, I'll show you a bit of my strength first."
His entire body turned dark purple as Armament Haki surged outward.
Invisible spirals of power formed around him.
Renji was using full-body Armament Haki combined with advanced Haki projection.
Pop.
A sound like a bubble bursting echoed in the air.
Because advanced Armament Haki could project power beyond the body, Kizaru's laser could not even come within one meter of Renji.
"What?!"
Everyone watching was stunned.
"How can someone have Armament Haki that strong?"
Full-body Armament Haki existed.
Advanced projection techniques existed.
Even long-range Haki attacks existed.
Kizaru had seen them all before.
But someone who could maintain projected Armament Haki extending a full meter from their body for a long time…
Renji was the first.
"That makes sense," Renji said calmly.
After all, he had absorbed the Armament Haki knowledge of the entire Whitebeard Pirates crew.
Later he had also gained experience from top fighters like Kaido, Kizaru, and Rayleigh.
If all of that combined knowledge could not reach this level, then the past three years of his life would have been meaningless.
"If you're afraid," Renji continued, "you can surrender now. I might spare your life."
"I am the instructor of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"There's no shame in losing to me."
"Keep dreaming," the mole-faced Marine shouted again from the side.
"You're nothing but—"
This time Renji did not let him finish.
His body transformed instantly.
Golden light burst outward.
Particles of light disappeared in front of Kizaru.
Kizaru froze for a moment.
"This is!!"
The ability was far too familiar.
"Not good."
"Everyone, watch out!"
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