How could this be?
Kizaru was shocked—he hadn't noticed at all how Kaguya had appeared behind him!
No time to think, Kizaru spun around, fingertips gathering dazzling light, firing it at lightning speed toward Kaguya!
Boom—!
Debris flew, flames surged, and a cloud of dust filled the air!
Staring at the now-empty space, Kizaru's heart sank. She had vanished again. That laser had missed her!
"Relying too much on your Devil Fruit… won't make you a true powerhouse."
A familiar voice echoed in his ear. Kizaru turned to see Kaguya, standing not far away, eyes calm and voice laced with scorn.
"Things are getting troublesome," Kizaru's usual laziness vanished. His eyes locked onto Kaguya. "Looks like I need to get serious now." With that, he turned into photons—a dazzling streak of light—and in an instant appeared in front of her!
"Got you!"
Drawing a radiant light sword from his palm, Kizaru swung it with deceptive slowness and frightening speed!
"Ama-no-Murakumo!"
His movements were fluid and seamless—lightning-fast to others, nearly imperceptible. For most, it would have been unavoidable.
As the light blade was about to strike her pale neck, Kaguya suddenly looked up with a devilish smile.
"You're just too slow—it's painful to watch."
Kizaru's pupils shrank in disbelief.
How could she be faster than someone with the Glint-Glint Fruit? It was as if she vanished into thin air, and he hadn't even seen her move behind him.
Kaguya appeared behind him like a phantom, mocking him: "I already told you, Kizaru. You rely too much on your Devil Fruit. That's not how its power should be used."
"Don't get so full of yourself!" Kizaru snapped, irritation flashing across his face as he spun around and thrust his blade toward her.
A flash of light blazed through the air!
Boom—!
The sword beam sliced through a distant hill, splitting it in two with a thunderous explosion. Shattered rocks and flames filled the air!
"I truly wonder how you even made it to admiral. Seems the Navy's standards are slipping."
Her voice—like celestial music—once again rang in Kizaru's ear. His pupils shrank again. As he turned, Kaguya's hand was already pressed to his back.
Her eyes turned icy cold as she intoned: "Let me teach you properly."
"Sage Art: Super Great Spiraling Sphere!"
At the last possible moment, Kizaru twisted his body, raising Ama-no-Murakumo to block the attack. The pale-blue Rasengan slammed into the blade!
Boom—!
The high-speed Rasengan crashed into his sword, creating a cascade of sparks and a furious gust of wind that roared outward like a tsunami, whipping hair and clothes in every direction.
"Do you know why your speed can't match mine?" Kaguya asked playfully.
Kizaru narrowed his eyes, glaring at her. "I don't need a lecture from you."
Ignoring his words, Kaguya smiled and said, "You possess the speed of light—but not the perception to control it. That's your greatest weakness."
Though Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit allows him to transform into photons and use light-based attacks, he rarely displays true light-speed combat capabilities.
Is it by choice?
No—it's because he can't.
With such immense speed, one requires exceptional perception to control it precisely. Like driving a car—going slow is manageable, but at high speed, even a slight lapse in awareness can cause a crash.
Kizaru was now trapped in such a dilemma. His Observation Haki wasn't sharp enough to fully control his power. Most of the time, he could only move in straight lines. For curves, he relied on his Yata no Kagami technique.
This made him fundamentally different from Enel. As lightning, Enel could travel through matter and even enhance his Haki's precision with his element. Kizaru had no such advantage.
"Don't get ahead of yourself!" Kizaru's face darkened, a glint of resolve in his eyes. "You're a thousand years too early to teach me!"
With a leap, Kizaru rose into the air, transforming into a radiant form of light. Arms crossed, he swung violently—unleashing a storm of light bullets like a torrential rain!
Boom boom boom—!
Explosions rang out endlessly. Rocks shattered, flames burst, smoke billowed thickly!
As the dust settled, Kizaru descended from the sky, eyes narrowing. From within the swirling dust, a slender figure emerged.
Not a scratch on her. Her clothing was pristine. Her radiant face calm and stunning, and her mocking smile only added to her captivating presence.
Kaguya crossed her arms and gazed at him. "One more thing—do you know why you're still slower than me?"
Kizaru's face grew more serious, his earlier laziness completely gone.
"No matter how fast light is, it still takes time to travel. But there's one power that breaks the limits of distance," Kaguya said slowly.
Realization dawned on Kizaru. His face turned grim, eyes sharper.
"That's right—it's…" Kaguya stepped from the void, whispering beside his ear, "space."
Kizaru's pupils shrank. Before he could turn, Kaguya's delicate hand had already pressed against his back.
Her voice chilled to ice: "Shinra Tensei!"
Boom—!
A deafening crash rang out as a figure flew backward. He slammed into the ground with a heavy thud, the earth cracking and rubble scattering!
Glasses fell from the air and shattered with a crack.
Kizaru was covered in injuries, blood flowing from his mouth and nose. One arm twisted at an unnatural angle, his chest caved in—it was unclear how many bones were broken. Crimson blood stained his clothes, and his face bore tiny cuts from shattered glass.
His face soaked in blood, it was hard to read his expression. He propped himself up with one hand, staggering to his feet, but before he could rise, a foot slammed into his side with a bang, sending him flying again. He crashed to the ground, rolled several times, and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Kaguya walked over slowly, gazing down at him with cold eyes. "How does it feel… to be trampled underfoot, Admiral Kizaru?"
Kizaru coughed violently, raised his head with effort, glanced at Kaguya, and forced a smirk. "It's nothing serious. If this is all you've got, I'm afraid I'll be disappointed."
Kaguya raised a brow. "Still pretending to be tough at this point?"
"Pretending?" Kizaru slowly stood up, trembling slightly. A smirk tugged at his lips. "You haven't seen the full extent of my power yet!" As he spoke, his form transformed into a glowing mass of photons, radiating blinding light—his figure barely visible within it.
Kaguya frowned slightly at the dazzling brightness, shielding her eyes with her hand. "So hot out, and you still insist on being a walking lightbulb? Doesn't it feel warm?"
Before she finished speaking, Kizaru suddenly vanished. When he reappeared, he was right in front of her, arm raised, palm open and aimed at her!
"The one getting carried away… is you, Kaguya!"
"Photon Cannon!"
With those words, a blinding beam of light burst from his palm, forming a massive light pillar that shot toward Kaguya like lightning!
Boom—!
The beam struck the pitch-black Truth-Seeking Ball with a thunderous explosion, sending sparks flying as a giant mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
Smoke and fire filled the air!
"Are you an Ultraman now? Pulling out transformations too?" Kaguya muttered, eyeing the glowing figure with disdain.
Kizaru's voice was low and steady. "If you surrender now, it's still not too late. Otherwise, I can't promise you'll come out of this in one piece."
Kaguya scoffed. "You're far too confident in yourself. There's a limit to arrogance, you know."
"So negotiations have failed?" Kizaru said. "Then face the judgment of justice!"
With that, his body exploded with radiant light—brighter than the sun itself. The intense glare baked the ground, cracking and warping it. Heat waves surged outward with suffocating intensity!
He pulled back both arms, then struck forward with all his strength. Two beams of light tore through the air and smashed into Kaguya's Truth-Seeking Ball!
Boom—!
Fire and smoke surged violently!
Within the orb, Kaguya sighed. "What a massive lightbulb."
Crack—!
Suddenly, with a crisp sound, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the surface of the Truth-Seeking Ball. Its exterior had already started to melt. It wouldn't take long before the scorching heat burned through it!
Outside, the ground had long since turned red from the intense heat. Some stones had even begun to melt. The scorching waves of heat had nearly evaporated all the moisture in the entire area.
Kizaru raised an eyebrow, a trace of satisfaction in his eyes. "Your time is up, Kaguya."
Kaguya blinked and asked, "Um… if I beg for mercy now, would you consider sparing me?"
Kizaru froze for a moment, then replied, "Sure." As he spoke, the blinding light around him dimmed significantly.
"Huh?" This time, it was Kaguya who was stunned.
This guy doesn't follow the script at all!
Sensing her confusion, Kizaru scratched his head and shrugged. "Since you surrendered, I guess I don't have a reason to kill you anymore. It's kind of troubling."
"Wait, wait—just like that you're stopping?" Kaguya twitched slightly. "Where's your pride? Your fighting spirit? What about your honor as an admiral?"
"Ah, you mean that…" Kizaru rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then looked up. "On second thought, I guess I can't let you go after all."
Now that's more like the proper script!
Kaguya exhaled in relief, then looked down at him with scorn. "Just a glorified lightbulb, and you dare to speak so arrogantly? Since you refuse to back down, I'll have to deal with you first!"
"Is that so?" Kizaru responded casually. "I'm stronger than you think."
"Not necessarily!"
As soon as she spoke, Kaguya raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Her dreamy nebula-like eyes glimmered with an unseen force.
"Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness!"
As her words fell, a black curtain instantly covered the sky. The once blue heavens were swallowed into darkness, vanishing little by little. Like ink spilled on a white canvas, the entire sky was dyed pitch black.
"What is this?!"
The bizarre phenomenon naturally caught Kizaru's attention. His pupils contracted sharply. Not only had the sky gone dark, but even the light radiating from his own body dimmed and faded!
"Welcome to my world."
A clear voice echoed through the darkness. Kizaru turned his head. Amid the surrounding shadows, Kaguya stood not far away, a mocking smile on her lips.
"Sorry, but the dorm supervisor said—lights out time is here."
Lights out?
Kizaru was briefly stunned. But before he could react, Kaguya stomped the ground and shot toward him like an arrow loosed from a bow!
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