Kizaru charged in with his Ama no Murakumo sword, clashing head-on with Chiyu's Shusui—a legendary blade now powered up with Armament Haki and electrified with thunder.
The moment their weapons collided, an overwhelming shockwave exploded outward in all directions.
The ground cracked open, the air screamed with pressure, and the entire Sabaody Archipelago shook as if it were about to fall apart.
Sabaody was never meant to endure a fight like this. It's not even solid ground—just a cluster of massive mangrove trees.
Against two powerhouses like this, it was barely holding together.
Kizaru, as an admiral, had it all—Haki, Devil Fruit mastery, hand-to-hand combat.
Even though it looked like a sword fight, he was fighting with everything he had, weaving it all together like second nature.
His body kept flashing into streaks of light, darting across the battlefield in every direction. It was nearly impossible to track his movements, let alone react in time.
But Chiyu wasn't just anyone.
With the Sharingan and Observation Haki working in tandem, his awareness was unmatched.
No matter how fast or unpredictable Kizaru moved, Chiyu could always see through him.
And with his own Rumble-Rumble Fruit powers, Chiyu's speed wasn't far behind.
Sure, Kizaru's fruit is "light speed" in theory—but in reality, it's not true light speed.
If it were, a single kick would've wiped out the planet.
That's the thing—Devil Fruit powers have limits. And at the end of the day, they're still used by human beings.
Lightning and light kept colliding violently—sometimes crashing into the ground, other times blasting into the sky, tearing open the clouds with every hit.
The entire archipelago was rattling from their clash.
Even Kizaru couldn't help but mutter,
"Damn… this guy's insane."
"Your Observation Haki isn't stronger than mine, but somehow you keep reading my moves—and even catching my weak spots..."
"It's those eyes, isn't it? But… I've never heard of a race with crimson demon eyes."
Even while fighting at full intensity, Kizaru still had questions.
Chiyu didn't answer.
He was too busy realizing what it really meant to fight a Marine Admiral.
Kizaru might come off as lazy and goofy, but when it's time to get serious?
He's a monster—perfectly balanced across the board.
Physical skills. Haki. Devil Fruit techniques.
Plus battlefield experience, mental fortitude, tactical instinct—there were no gaps in his game.
No one could fake being an admiral for decades.
It might've felt like their fight had just started, but they'd already exchanged hundreds, maybe over a thousand, strikes.
Kizaru's Observation Haki might've been better on paper, but Chiyu's Sharingan gave him an edge in overall perception.
In close combat, they were evenly matched. Chiyu might've even had a slight edge, since
Kizaru probably leaned more into developing his Devil Fruit powers from early on.
But in terms of Devil Fruit mastery and Armament Haki? Kizaru was leagues ahead.
And if this turned into a war of attrition, Kizaru would definitely take control.
Chiyu could already feel himself slipping behind.
Not surprising though—losing to a Marine Admiral wasn't exactly shameful.
And it's not like Kizaru was going to beat him easily either.
Just then, both fighters suddenly felt it—another massive battle kicking off somewhere nearby.
Whoever it was, their power was on par with theirs. Maybe even more intense.
"…Huh?"
Kizaru narrowed his eyes. "Those auras…"
Vice Admiral Garp. Strategist Tsuru.
And Admiral Zephyr—Kizaru's mentor.
Of course he recognized their presence instantly.
But why the hell were they fighting here?
When Kizaru had left, he hadn't heard a thing about Zephyr defecting. The confusion hit him hard.
Chiyu sensed it too, though he didn't know who the people were.
What he did know was that their power was terrifying—and unlike his fight with Kizaru, this was pure physical domination.
Like two giants smashing into each other.
"…Could that be Garp?"
Chiyu's heart skipped.
Garp was based at Marineford. It wasn't a stretch for him to make it to Sabaody this fast.
He didn't have any Devil Fruit powers—just insane Haki and raw strength.
That kind of explosive energy fit.
But who was he fighting?
Chiyu couldn't guess.
He had no idea Zephyr would show up—especially not because he had altered the timeline.
Chiyu hadn't held back, but even in the middle of a fight, his brain was spinning.
"So Kizaru's here. Now Garp too?"
"If all this firepower is just for me… that's overkill."
Chiyu knew his limits.
He could just barely hold off one admiral. If Garp joined the fray, there was no way he could win.
But clearly Garp's opponent wasn't him.
The first name that popped into Chiyu's head was:
Silvers Rayleigh.
He was nearby, and as a pirate, he was naturally at odds with the Marines.
But almost immediately, Chiyu shook his head.
He knew Rayleigh's style—and this wasn't it.
This was destruction. Explosions. Pure force.
Right then, Kizaru launched Yasakani no Magatama, forcing Chiyu back, then turned and looked toward the sky.
"…Zephyr-sensei?"
Chiyu's eyes widened.
"Zephyr? So it's him?!"
A fight between Garp—representing the Navy HQ—and his own mentor?
Even someone like Kizaru couldn't stay calm through that.
For all his flippant behavior, Kizaru still had a heart.
He still struggled with having to fight old friends.
He still cried when they died.
Sensing the fight between Zephyr and Garp had thrown him completely off.
"So it really is Zephyr-sensei…"
"This must be about the Seven Warlords, right?
He never could let that go…"
Chiyu nodded internally.
"The Warlord system… Whitebeard Jr.… Admiral Zephyr…"
"So my appearance made all this happen earlier than it should've?"
"And Zephyr showed up here too—was he… looking for me?"
He was right.
Zephyr, now a defector, was a marked man.
And so was Chiyu—for killing a Celestial Dragon.
They were both outlaws.
And Zephyr… wanted to team up.
Chiyu gave a small smirk.
"Even I didn't see this butterfly effect coming…"
Kizaru's shaken mind gave Chiyu the edge.
Armament and Observation Haki are tied to the user's willpower.
Lose focus, lose strength.
Just like Crocodile or Moria—after they took a beating, they couldn't even use Haki anymore.
Kizaru wasn't that far gone, but the distraction was messing with his rhythm.
Chiyu mocked, "Seriously? You still have room in your head to worry about someone else while fighting me?"
Kizaru had no reply.
Zephyr was his teacher, after all.
And then, in the blink of an eye—
Kizaru turned into light and vanished, breaking off the fight and flying straight toward the other battlefield.
Chiyu froze.
Kizaru just… ditched the mission?!
But then again, what could the World Government really do about it?
Truth be told, admirals in the original story rarely ever completed their missions.
Even so, Chiyu couldn't help but be stunned by how easily Kizaru pulled away.
Even rattled, he was still more powerful than Chiyu.
And Chiyu knew it.
With Kizaru gone, Chiyu didn't hesitate.
He immediately darted toward his ship, the Uchiha.
His first priority was the safety of Hinai, Nami, and the rest of the crew.
With Kizaru and Garp in play, the Navy definitely wasn't acting alone—there had to be more vice admirals and warships surrounding them.
Chiyu transformed into lightning and shot across the sky.
The fight with Kizaru had ended, for now.
Even before reaching the ship, Chiyu appeared high in the sky and looked down.
Ten battleships.
Surrounding the Uchiha on all sides.
Each one had a vice admiral standing at the bow, blocking every escape route.
It was basically a full-scale Buster Call.
Hinai, Nami, and Franky had grown fast—but not this fast.
They couldn't take on that kind of force.
And yet…
Chiyu's eyes caught sight of a single man standing between them and the fleet.
Just one man—
and the entire Navy war fleet didn't dare move.
Every sailor was frozen in place.
Chiyu's heart skipped.
"…That person…
Is that—Silvers Rayleigh?!"