Whitebeard, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the Five Elders in danger—come quickly!
Just seconds ago, Kizaru had been leisurely sipping tea and trimming his nails at Marine Headquarters, completely unprepared for the urgent command from the Five Elders.
The content of the emergency order was simple—just those key phrases above.
A few scattered words pieced together a tense and thrilling scene.
Kizaru didn't dare delay.
The moment he received the Den Den Mushi call from the Five Elders, he immediately left Marine Headquarters beneath the Red Line and raced to the scene at top speed via the light-path formed by his Yata Mirror.
But what the Marine Admiral never expected was…
Even with the extreme speed granted by the Glint-Glint Fruit, he was still a step too late—
And the most critical step at that.
Behind his sunglasses, Kizaru's gaze flickered toward the headless bird corpse in his hand.
Given his rank as a Marine Admiral, Kizaru knew exactly what this "headless bird corpse" truly was—
One of the Five Elders, the Environmental War God, Saint Marcus Mars.
'Can this still be called an "emergency"?'
Kizaru glanced sideways at Itsumade's headless body, bitterness churning in his gut.
'Without a head… even a Five Elder is dead, right?!'
Within the World Government's hierarchy, Marine Admirals were direct subordinates of the Celestial Dragons.
And the Five Elders stood above all Celestial Dragons as the supreme authority.
In other words—
Saint Marcus Mars was Kizaru's boss's boss.
Now that his boss's boss was dead, Kizaru's heart was filled with nothing but misery.
He had just wanted to be an ordinary, overworked salaryman.
But with a Five Elder dead, was he going to be the one taking the fall for this?
"Marine Admiral, Kizaru."
Edward Teach—or rather, Storm inside the Edward Teach Construct—watched the sudden arrival of Kizaru, arcs of blue-white electricity crackling across his body.
"Seems like you care a lot about this 'big freak bird'!"
Edward Teach's tone was deeply displeased, as if he'd encountered something incredibly frustrating.
And that was exactly the case.
Edward Teach—or rather, Storm—had just gone all out, blasting Itsumade's head to pieces.
He had assumed this would be enough to defeat the Five Elder, or at least deal a crippling blow that would knock them out of the fight entirely.
But to his irritation, the symbolic Grand Prize Trophy had yet to appear.
Not even the blood-red Death Trophy—
Not even a regular trophy was in sight!
This meant Storm's attack hadn't truly threatened Saint Marcus Mars.
Even a "shattered skull" level of damage had no effect on the Five Elder.
Were the Five Elders truly "immortal"?
Storm had no time to dwell on that question.
Because Kizaru's attack was already upon him.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
With one hand gripping the headless corpse of Saint Marcus Mars, Kizaru instantly entered his Logia state. The power of the Glint-Glint Fruit transformed his entire body into a radiant, cross-shaped burst of light—a true "Glint-Man."
A vast, dazzling river of light bullets, resembling a galaxy of stars, erupted from the cross-shaped constellation that Kizaru had transformed into. In an instant, it formed an overwhelming torrent of photons, surging relentlessly toward Whitebeard III.
Unlike the legendary "Yasakani no Magatama" that often missed its mark,
the "Yasakani no Magatama" Kizaru unleashed this time seemed as though every light bullet was equipped with an auto-targeting system, striking Whitebeard III with pinpoint accuracy.
Faced with this endless, overwhelming barrage of light bullets, Whitebeard III's expression remained utterly unchanged.
BOOM—
With a deafening thunderclap,
Whitebeard III vanished from his original position in an instant.
He didn't choose to evade Kizaru's "Yasakani no Magatama." Instead, relying on the elemental intangibility granted by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he completely disregarded this seemingly devastating yet Haki-less bombardment of light.
BAM BAM BAM BAM—
The endless stream of light bullets from "Yasakani no Magatama" crashed one after another into Whitebeard III's towering frame, each striking him with perfect precision.
Yet, blue-white arcs of electricity flickered across his body. Though he stood there plainly, every light bullet that hit him passed straight through as if he were nothing more than an ethereal wisp of air.
Whitebeard III was "Lightning." Kizaru was "Light."
Both were Logia-type Devil Fruit users—attacks of this level naturally had no effect!
Some Logia abilities, like the Flame-Flame Fruit, the Flame-Flame Fruit, or even the Flame-Flame Fruit...
could still be countered by other Logia-type Devil Fruits.
But what could possibly counter "Lightning" and "Light"?
Light had no effect on lightning.
Behind his sunglasses, Kizaru's pupils contracted slightly.
No way…
There's really a Whitebeard who ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?
The moment this thought flashed through Kizaru's mind—
Whitebeard III's lightning-wreathed figure had already closed the distance between them.
Current Drive · Lightning Fist!
Whitebeard III's fist, clad in both Haki and lightning, carried an overwhelming force as it smashed toward Kizaru.
The amber lenses of Kizaru's sunglasses were bleached white by the blinding radiance of the thunder.
Yet, as one of the Marine Headquarters' Admirals, Kizaru's reflexes were anything but slow.
Even while still clutching the "corpse" of Itsumade,
Kizaru swung his right hand forward, gathering countless photons into his palm. In an instant, a gleaming golden cross-shaped greatsword materialized.
"Ama no Murakumo!"
CLANG!
Whitebeard III's fist collided with Kizaru's sacred blade, producing a metallic ring as clear as a bell.
From the high-altitude point where the two stood, shockwaves erupted into a violent storm, sweeping outward in all directions.
Whitebeard III's strength was terrifying.
But Kizaru's power was no less formidable.
After all, Kizaru was still a Marine Admiral—his baseline physical abilities were more than adequate.
His "weak physicality" was only relative to others of his own tier.
In his normal state, Edward Teach (Whitebeard III) found himself completely outmatched in a contest of strength against Kizaru.
The two men locked in a fierce struggle.
"How terrifying~"
Kizaru gripped the Ama no Murakumo sword with one hand, his eyes behind the sunglasses fixed intently on the man before him—the so-called "Whitebeard"—while his lips curled into a mocking smirk.
"Whitebeard, who ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit…"
Before Edward Teach could respond—
A pitch-black, Armament Haki-coated beak suddenly shot toward him from the side, like an enormous battering ram, aiming to impale the "Whitebeard" at point-blank range.
The razor-sharp beak tore through the air with a shrill screech.
While Edward Teach and Kizaru were locked in combat—
Itsumade's head, which had been blown apart by Edward Teach's punch, had inexplicably reformed under some unknown power.
Seizing the opportunity while Edward Teach and Kizaru were engaged in their struggle, Saint Marcus Mars wasted no time—launching a sneak attack on Edward Teach!
Itsumade's Armament Haki-wrapped beak struck with blinding speed.
But Edward Teach's Rumble-Rumble Fruit made him even faster than this "monstrous bird"!
Just as the beak was about to pierce him, Edward Teach's body erupted with a surge of lightning, transforming into a bolt of electricity as he vanished from the spot.
Itsumade's ambush hit nothing but empty air.
"You're unharmed…"
Kizaru released his grip on the "corpse" of Itsumade, a flicker of deep shock flashing in his eyes—unnoticed by anyone.
The only reason he had been carrying this "bird carcass" earlier was out of obligation—after all, it was the body of one of the Five Elders.
Kizaru had failed to save Saint Marcus Mars from "Whitebeard's" hands.
But at the very least, he had managed to retrieve the saint's remains.
Even if it was just a "headless corpse," something was better than nothing.
Kizaru had thought that doing so would lessen his share of responsibility…
But who could have imagined that even without a head, this thing could still come back to life?
A thought crossed Kizaru's mind—
Just what… are the Five Elders?
Shaking off his distractions, Kizaru slipped back into his usual nonchalant tone.
"How wonderful~"
"Borsalino."
Saint Marcus Mars flapped his wings, hovering in the sky, his avian eyes still locked onto "Whitebeard."
"You take the lead. I'll support."
"This young Whitebeard's Rumble-Rumble Fruit is far too fast. Only your Glint-Glint Fruit can keep up with his movements."
"No problem~"
Kizaru gripped the Ama no Murakumo sword with both hands, his Observation Haki locking onto Edward Teach as he replied with calm composure.
"That guy over there may have the strength of Whitebeard in his prime, but he's still no match for the real thing."
The Marine Admiral and the Elder formed a coordinated offensive, standing united in attack and defense.
Edward Teach's expression remained unchanged.
Even the combined might of a Marine Admiral and a Five Elder posed little pressure to him.
Besides, he was in need of suitable sparring partners to hone his Haki and abilities!
"Divine Punishment!"
A massive bolt of lightning, thick as a water pillar, descended from the sky without warning, striking Itsumade with pinpoint accuracy.
Even with Makas Maz Saint's colossal size, the entire thunderous column engulfed him completely. Every feather shaft of Itsumade was thoroughly electrified by the lightning summoned by "Divine Punishment."
"Screech—"
Makas Maz Saint let out another pained cry.
Seizing the opportunity,
Whitebeard III transformed into lightning and swiftly charged toward Kizaru, using the Marine Headquarters admiral as a "whetstone" to hone his various abilities.
As the battle dragged on minute by minute,
even with Kizaru and Makas Maz Saint joining forces,
they still couldn't manage to subdue Whitebeard III.
On the contrary, as time passed,
Whitebeard III gradually mastered the combined use of the [Rumble-Rumble Fruit] and the [More-More Fruit].
He continuously wielded the power of the [Thunderclap Ring] and the [More-More Ring] in battle.
Because the [More-More Fruit]'s enhancement of "strength" and "speed" was too subtle,
even Kizaru and Makas Maz Saint failed to notice that the "Whitebeard" before them was actually a wielder of multiple Devil Fruits!
Kizaru and Makas Maz Saint only felt that this Whitebeard was incredibly troublesome.
The movement speed granted by the [Rumble-Rumble Fruit] was so fast it left no time to react.
What was even more infuriating was
that this Whitebeard would occasionally "explode" with sudden bursts of power, delivering punches and kicks that rivaled the real Whitebeard's strength.
During one instance where Whitebeard III used the [More-More Fruit] to amplify his explosive force,
an unprepared Kizaru suffered a minor setback because of it.
But the majority of the damage was still absorbed by the Five Elders…
Kizaru couldn't tell whether this young Whitebeard had some grudge against the Five Elders.
His lightning-based attacks seemed to require no stamina at all as they rained down relentlessly on Makas Maz Saint.
In the blink of an eye,
several days passed.
During another clash, Makas Maz Saint had one of his bird claws shattered by Whitebeard III.
Over the past few days,
Makas Maz Saint had endured a level of brutal beating he hadn't experienced in centuries.
His bird head, wings, serpentine body, claws…
not a single part was spared from "Whitebeard's" relentless assault.
Though Kizaru's presence as a roving combatant alleviated some of the pressure on Makas Maz Saint,
Whitebeard III remained fixated on him alone, ensuring the Five Elder couldn't escape the beating.
However, the most severe injury Makas Maz Saint suffered was still the "Fist of the Thunder God" from days prior—his entire bird head had been blown apart…
In the battles that followed over the next few days,
though Makas Maz Saint sustained injuries, they were at most "piercing to the bone," with his bird head remaining intact.
This time,
Makas Maz Saint had another of his bird claws broken by Whitebeard III.
Seizing the moment, Kizaru lunged forward, raising his right leg clad in [Armament Haki] and delivering a fierce kick toward Whitebeard III, whose momentum had waned.
Whitebeard III lifted his right arm, blocking the path of Kizaru's "Light Speed Kick."
With a dull thud,
Whitebeard III firmly parried the admiral's strike.
"Kizaru, do you bleed?"
"What?"
Kizaru was startled.
Whitebeard III's left hand instantly shot downward, his five fingers clamping onto Kizaru's calf like iron shackles.
His Armament Haki-wrapped palm prevented Kizaru from escaping through his Logia-type intangibility.
[More-More Fruit·Tenfold Power]!
With a forceful tug of his left hand, Whitebeard III yanked Kizaru forward—so abruptly that the admiral couldn't resist—exposing his undefended torso.
In the blink of an eye,
Whitebeard III simultaneously raised his right arm, bending it to expose his elbow, now sheathed in pitch-black Armament Haki.
"Electro Fist·Heavy Impact!"
Elbow strike—
Whitebeard III's iron-hard elbow smashed directly into Kizaru's ribs.
Kizaru's eyes widened as excruciating pain erupted from his ribcage.
'My ribs...'
Crack—
A faint fracturing sound followed.
Kizaru's entire body transformed into a flash of light and hurtled toward the nearby Red Line, crashing with a thunderous boom that carved out a massive crater.
Having temporarily forced Kizaru back, Whitebeard III turned his gaze toward Saint Marcus Mars before vanishing in a streak of lightning.
A single phrase drifted down from the sky:
"Big Birdie, I'll be back!"