Seizing the brief opening in Kizaru's attack, Vincent Fox made his move without hesitation.
Opportunities like this were fleeting. Miss it, and who knew how long he'd have to wait for another?
Exploding forward with his full speed, Vincent appeared right in front of Kizaru in an instant.
"Old man Kizaru, time to take a break."
A confident smirk tugged at the corner of Vincent's lips as he swung the heavy Seastone jitte like it was a toy in his hands, slicing the air with howling force.
Kizaru's eyes sharpened. He had mastered Observation Haki he could hear the danger in every shift of the wind. A strike like that could be fatal.
But Kizaru had already anticipated this. With a slight shift of his torso, he narrowly dodged the jitte, the weapon grazing his coat by mere inches.
Observation Haki, huh?
Vincent understood immediately.
Kizaru's mastery of it was impressive he could predict danger through "hearing," always staying one step ahead.
Which meant unless Vincent's strength was completely overwhelming, Kizaru would remain untouchable.
Still, now that he'd closed the distance, Vincent wasn't going to waste it.
His fists launched in a barrage like a torrential storm, raining down on Kizaru from every angle, each punch carrying crushing force.
Kizaru, unable to transform into light in time, was forced to block passively.
His arms gleamed black with Armament Haki as he parried every blow, though each impact left his hands stinging and numb.
"Damn… This kid's strength is terrifying…"
Kizaru retaliated with flurries of light-augmented punches. They weren't as powerful as his light-speed kicks, but they came in overwhelming volume.
At the same time, he had to constantly watch the Seastone jitte in Vincent's hand. If that thing so much as touched him, it'd be game over.
The two clashed midair, each exchange echoing like thunder, shaking the entire battlefield.
"Who the hell is that? He's been fighting Admiral Kizaru for ages!"
"That's the same pirate from earlier… He's insanely strong. But he's clearly got the advantage with that Seastone weapon. Without it, Admiral Kizaru would've skewered him already."
"Relax. Admirals are invincible!"
Marines all around muttered, clinging to their faith in Kizaru's power.
Meanwhile, the battle raged on.
Vincent's punches kept flying, but each was either blocked or narrowly avoided. His Seastone jitte hadn't even touched Kizaru's coat.
And despite landing a few clean blows, Vincent's fists were beginning to go numb from the admiral's powerful Armament Haki.
"Blazing Flame!"
Suddenly, Vincent shifted from fists to an open palm, unleashing a jet of searing fire toward Kizaru.
"What?!"
Kizaru had sensed it coming with his Observation Haki, but the speed of the flames was incredible too fast to fully react.
"Armament Haki!"
A dark gleam spread over his body just in time.
Boom!
The explosion of flame engulfed Kizaru, lighting up the sky in brilliant orange like a sea of fire clouds.
But Vincent's eyes twitched.
Danger warning.
"Ame-no-Murakumo!"
Instinct took over as Vincent twisted his body.
From within the flames, a golden blade sliced through the air, missing him by a hair and only managing to tear his coat.
"Oh dear, missed again."
Kizaru emerged from the blaze, still calm and composed, his lean figure strolling out like he'd just finished a walk in the park.
Years of experience had forged his composure and sharpened his Observation Haki.
He ripped off his scorched coat and clenched his slightly trembling fists.
Kizaru's expression grew serious.
He suspected now that Vincent had Observation Haki as well perhaps a high-level form of it. No one should have been able to dodge all of his attacks so cleanly, from both near and far.
"Aiya, I'm getting tired…"
Scratching at his singed hair, Kizaru muttered lazily, "Kid, I'm done playing."
With that, he turned and retreated.
Vincent stood his ground, watching as Kizaru dissolved into a beam of light and zipped toward the rear of the Marine formation.
"Akainu, are you still just going to sit there?" he called out as he reappeared beside Sakazuki.
Dropping down heavily beside the admiral, Kizaru panted softly, his stamina nearly spent and his body marked with burns and bruises.
Akainu didn't even glance at him, legs crossed and eyes fixed ahead.
His gaze was intense but he made no move to help.
Just moments earlier, Fleet Admiral Sengoku had relayed a whispered message that changed everything.
The Red-Haired Pirates… were coming back.
After all, the man about to be executed was none other than Roger's son.
"You let yourself get pushed back by a rookie pirate. How disgraceful," Akainu said coldly, still staring at the frontlines.
"The Whitebeard Pirates… They're all monsters," Kizaru muttered, catching his breath, Vincent's image still burning in his mind.
"Don't be fooled by his appearance. That kid is dangerous."
"It's fine. It's not yet time for me to act. Besides… we haven't used our trump card," Akainu said with a glint in his eye, gaze drifting toward the Moby Dick.
Aboard the Moby Dick, Squard the Great Whirlpool Spider stood behind Whitebeard, head bowed, face contorted.
He hadn't expected this…
He hadn't expected the man he trusted like a father to be risking everything for Roger's son.
Just moments ago, Akainu's words still echoed in his mind seeds of doubt planted with chilling precision.
Now, one of those things had already proven true. If Whitebeard's next move also matched Akainu's prediction...
Squard gripped the dagger in his hand tightly, his expression darkening.
Back on the battlefield, Vincent rampaged forward with the Seastone jitte in hand, cutting through Marine ranks like a god of slaughter.
Other than the admirals and top vice admirals, no one could take even a single punch from him.
Occasionally, he ran into troublesome Devil Fruit users but the Seastone jitte made short work of them.
He was an unstoppable force, leaving ruin in his wake.
"That's the end of the mid-phase," Vincent muttered, calculating in his mind. "It's been over 170 minutes… about halfway through."
Looking up, he spotted a familiar figure.
Donquixote Doflamingo.
As one of the Seven Warlords, Doflamingo currently stood with the Marines.
He strolled leisurely through the air, a cruel smile playing on his lips. With a twitch of his fingers, several pirates were torn in half midair.
At the same time, others turned on their comrades, blades raised under his control.
They couldn't resist. They could only watch in horror as they killed their own brothers, screaming in grief and despair.
Doflamingo was enjoying the carnage.
Then he felt a sharp gaze fix on him.
He looked up and smiled even wider when he saw Vincent.
"Go."
With a flick of his fingers, the pirates under his control twisted around, rushing toward Vincent with tears in their eyes and sorrow carved on their faces.
"Pathetic tricks," Vincent muttered coldly.
He leapt over them in a single bound, flames erupting from his hands and igniting the parasitic strings binding them.
"Aaaahhhh!!"
The freed pirates dropped to their knees, clutching their heads and sobbing uncontrollably.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you, Doflamingo!"
They swung their weapons weakly, their eyes burning with rage as they stared at the man in the sky.
"If you've got that much strength left, use it to take down more Marines."
Vincent waved them off, then strode toward Doflamingo with calm, deliberate steps.
"You're pretty strong, kid," Doflamingo called down with a smirk. "You with the Whitebeard Pirates?"
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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