Chapter 164: Kicking Kizaru
SWISH—
A golden laser flashed, and in just a few breaths, it had arrived above the docks.
The points of light converged and reformed, and Kizaru's figure appeared in mid-air.
"How fortunate. I made it just in time," he said, looking down at The Curtain Call, which was about to dive into the deep sea, and his gaze met Shane's at the bow of the ship.
"You guys go on ahead. I'll meet up with you later," Shane said to his crew, and then, with a Moonwalk, he also ascended into the sky.
"Hey, Yellow Monkey," he said, his hands in his pockets, a grin on his face. "It's been almost three months."
"It has been a long time, you little monster… you're a terrifying one. To have faked your death last time and even fooled me. The Fleet Admiral really gave me an earful for that,"
Kizaru said with a smile, raising a fingertip and gathering a blinding golden light. "And now, to cause such a commotion again. Do you really think you can just walk away from this?"
VWOOM!
A blinding laser instantly erupted and, the moment it left his fingertip, it split into a countless number of golden beams, which rained down on Shane!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The lasers slammed into Shane's body, and a shower of golden light and flames exploded, so bright that the viewers in front of the screen had to instinctively close their eyes.
And when they opened them again, the screen, which had been filled with golden light, had cleared.
The black-haired young man was still floating in the air, his hands in his pockets, as if nothing had happened. He hadn't moved an inch, and there wasn't a single scratch on him.
"That tickles,"
Shane said, glancing at his body and sneering. "A tickling move like that, I don't even have to use Haki. Don't embarrass yourself with it anymore, Yellow Monkey. Go all out and let me see, if you're not sneak-attacking me like last time, what are your chances of winning against me!"
He didn't lower his voice, and his words echoed below, clearly audible to everyone.
What an arrogant tone!
To be able to be so calm in the face of a Marine Admiral?
And what did he say… a sneak attack?
The World Government's announcement didn't mention anything about that. So the result of the last battle was achieved by a sneak attack from a Marine Admiral?
For a moment, both the people on the scene and the viewers in front of the screen held their breath, their eyes wide, afraid of missing even a single second of the action.
High in the sky.
"..."
Kizaru still had his lazy expression, but behind his sunglasses, his eyes were now a little dark and solemn.
On one hand, it was because of what Shane had said, which had damaged his reputation in front of so many people.
And on the other hand, it was because the physical strength that Shane was displaying was a little too shocking…
Without using Haki, and without having eaten any Devil Fruit, he can block my ordinary lasers with just his body?
And it can't even scratch his skin?
"Such a terrifying growth rate. It seems your strength has improved a lot in these three months,"
Kizaru said, clasping his hands together. When he separated them, a golden light dissipated, and a brilliant sword of light formed in his palm. It was his unique ultimate technique, the Ama no Murakumo Sword.
"Since my ordinary moves are ineffective against you…"
Kizaru's figure suddenly vanished, and in the next instant, he was in front of Shane, his light sword tearing through the air and slashing down!
"…then try this!"
"Just in time!"
Shane grinned, finally pulling out his right hand and clenching it into a fist. A dark, inky color wrapped around it, and it clashed with the incoming light sword.
BOOM!
A dull explosion echoed along the coast, and a violent shockwave erupted, sending the dozens of ships that were being coated rocking in the waves.
THUMP! High in the sky, the two of them were pushed back several meters, and then they quickly clashed again, fist after fist, sword after sword, violent and yet precise.
Even those who couldn't see their movements could feel the thick, murderous intent in the air, as if both of them had a fire burning within them.
In close combat, he's a complete match for me?
The more Kizaru fought, the uglier his expression became.
He could feel that his opponent was still slightly weaker than him overall, but the gap was no longer significant.
And in terms of both Haki strength and the physical techniques he displayed, this brat was now on the same level as him.
His initial thought of taking him down quickly had slowly faded, and had finally, like a soap bubble, popped, becoming a delusion.
A few months ago, after the failed operation on Thor Island, Akainu had met with him in private and had been adamant that the brat had used some strange technique to instantly recover his stamina. Otherwise, he would have been able to take him down in half an hour.
That had been the truth. Kizaru had worked with Akainu for many years and knew that he wouldn't lie about something like that just to save face.
But now…
With the strength this brat was displaying, how could he possibly be taken down in half an hour?!
In a one-on-one fight, it would have taken at least a day and a night to decide a winner!
And if he had chosen to escape, he could have left at any time. As a Devil Fruit user, he had no way to stop him.
Thank goodness.
This time, because it was the last chance to nip him in the bud in Paradise, and because the Sabaody Archipelago was close enough to Headquarters, they had, with an unprecedented level of caution, sent another…
"Hmm?"
Just then, Shane seemed to notice something. He clashed with Kizaru and, in the moment they separated, he looked out at the distant horizon.
There, a thin, almost invisible path of ice was extending toward them.
And he could faintly see a blurry figure, pedaling a bicycle, rapidly approaching along the ice path, skimming the surface of the sea.
"What a surprise,"
Shane raised an eyebrow and sneered. "The Marines really think highly of me. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was one of the Four Emperors too."
"You're not there yet, but you're not far off,"
Kizaru said calmly. "And when I think of your age, half that of Red-Hair, that kind of potential is enough to send a chill down your spine and keep you up at night."
Before he could finish his sentence, he slashed out with his sword again.
So what if he couldn't take him down in a short time on his own? He just had to hold him off until Kuzan arrived and activated his Ice Age…
Then, even if his opponent immediately abandoned the fight and tried to escape into the sea, it wouldn't be so easy.
And then, in a two-on-one, his opponent's fate would be either to die on the spot or to be sent to Impel Down.
However, to Kizaru's surprise, Shane's figure, instead of fleeing downward, flashed and appeared high in the sky, almost face to face with him.
"Oi,"
the black-haired young man, just inches away, grinned, a reckless and arrogant smile on his face. "…have you ever been kicked by Conqueror's Haki?"
BOOM!
A massive, black and red bolt of lightning suddenly flashed in Kizaru's eyes!
Shane had, in the moment he had been thinking, already charged up his attack, compressing almost all of his remaining Conqueror's Haki into his right leg!
The terrifying, black-hole-like aura made the rain around them part and even shoot up into the sky!
The already-dark sky was, in that instant, plunged into complete darkness.
Not good!
Kizaru's pupils constricted. He instinctively tried to elementalize and dodge, but Shane's Conqueror's Haki had already locked on to his aura, and at such close range, it was even faintly suppressing his fruit's ability!
BOOM—!!!
With a kick, space itself seemed to tear. His right leg, like a battle-axe, was wrapped in a compressed, black and red Haki, and it roared out like a furious dragon, slamming into Kizaru's face!
CRACK!
The sunglasses he had worn for who knows how many years instantly shattered into a thousand pieces. The spinning shards of glass reflected Kizaru's wrinkled face, which was now twisted and deformed beyond recognition, and then—
BOOM!
Kizaru's body was sent flying like a golden meteor, so fast that it was almost as fast as when he had arrived. The air was torn with a piercing sonic boom, and the lingering aftershock of the Conqueror's Haki left a long, black and red trail in the sky.
"Gah!"
Kizaru coughed up a mouthful of blood. A golden light flashed on his body, but for a moment, he couldn't completely elementalize and had to take the full force of the kick.
And just as he was about to crash into the sea, a figure suddenly appeared beneath him—
Hmm?
Aokiji had just gotten off his bicycle and was about to use Moonwalk to get to the battlefield at full speed when a golden afterimage slammed into him.
He was so surprised he didn't even have time to react. Kizaru's body, like a cannonball, crashed into him.
At a time like this, the only thing he could do was to subconsciously activate his ability, and the ice path beneath his feet spread out in all directions, turning into an ice field, to keep them from falling into the sea.
BOOM!!!
The ice field shattered, and the two of them, along with the bicycle, were sent tumbling into the shore of Grove 24. The entire island trembled, and the mangrove trees shook violently, a cloud of dust and debris shooting into the sky.
"Cough, cough…"
They finally managed to separate. Kizaru clutched his face and stood up. He didn't even have time to brush the dust from his clothes. He immediately turned into a laser and shot into the sky, his face dark as he searched for Shane.
But the sea was empty. There was no trace of him.
"Has he already gone deep into the sea?"
Aokiji came to his side, scratching his messy hair with a troubled expression. "My apologies, Borsalino. It seems I was a little too late."
"It's not your fault. I underestimated him. I never would have thought that after seeing you, instead of running away, he would have the guts to attack me with all his might."
Kizaru gritted his teeth. He remembered Shane's final smile, and a wave of rage, of having been played, washed over him.
His defense and his durability were also at the top tier in the world.
Previously, on Enies Lobby, even when facing an enraged Kaido alone, he had only been at a slight disadvantage after a full day of fighting, and his injuries had healed after a short rest.
So, Shane's kick just now hadn't caused him any real damage, but…
…his pride had been shattered!
His face probably wouldn't stop swelling for a day or two, and the entire thing had been broadcast live by a video Transponder Snail! Who knew how many people had seen it!
The two of them landed back on the cliff.
"In any case, let's report to Headquarters first,"
Aokiji said, looking at his bicycle, which had been twisted into a pretzel, and sighed, a愁眉苦脸expression on his face. "This kid isn't dead, and he's caused such a huge commotion, using that Dark King, Rayleigh, as a stepping stone to announce his return to the world. And now he's successfully escaped right under our noses… Fleet Admiral Sengoku is probably going to blow his top."
Kizaru was silent for a moment, and then he finally nodded, his face grim. "You make the call. I'm going to Grove 1 to meet up with Gion and ask about the situation there. I may have let Shane get away, but if I can catch another big fish, I can at least salvage some face."
"Rayleigh? Ara, I understand."
...
Grove 13, Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
There was also a rather crude screen here, which was receiving the signal from the Sabaody newspaper.
Shakky was helping Rayleigh sit at the bar. The screen, probably because of the intense Conqueror's Haki fluctuations, had lost its signal and was now frozen.
And of all the frames it could have frozen on, it was a close-up of Kizaru's face being kicked by Shane, his features twisted and deformed.
"..."
Rayleigh's severed right arm had been simply bandaged, but blood was still seeping through. He stared at the screen and shook his head, speechless. "What's the deal? It froze at a time like this? I wanted to see what happened next."
"What else could have happened? That kid is arrogant, but he's not a fool. There's no way he would have taken on two Admirals at once,"
Shakky said, a slender cigarette between her lips. She looked at Kizaru's pathetic state on the screen, a small smile on her lips. "This is going to be a riot. Kizaru's face is probably going to be on the front page of tomorrow's paper, all over the world."
Women and their strange priorities. Rayleigh shook his head, but after imagining the scene for a moment, he couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
Shakky flicked the ash from her cigarette and added, "As for that kid, he's probably already on his way to the New World. No one can stop him now. It really is as he said, the era is about to change, Rayleigh…"
"Why do you sound so excited about it?"
Rayleigh said, taking a swig from a bottle of liquor and glancing at her.
"I was a pirate once, but for most of my life, I was the empress of Kuja. A part of me still cares about the people. If there are more people like him, it's a good thing for the civilians, isn't it? As for your Great Pirate Era… I'm not one of Roger's crew. I don't care."
Her gaze then fell on Rayleigh's severed arm, and she clicked her tongue. "Besides that, I'm strangely looking forward to the next time you meet that kid, Shanks… Hey, you really couldn't find your arm?"
"No."
At the mention of this, Rayleigh was a little depressed.
It wasn't that he wanted to reattach it.
There was no doctor in Sabaody with that level of skill.
He had just wanted to go to the cemetery and use it in place of Shane's finger to pay tribute to Hachi's soul. It would have been proof that he had tried to keep his promise, even though he had failed. It would have been a way to find closure.
And the result?
Even with his peak-level Observation Haki, he had searched the entire battlefield for a long time.
And he hadn't found it!
It was as if his arm had just dissolved in the rain…
It was so strange.
Rayleigh took another long, gloomy swig of liquor.
"Then let's not talk about the arm. What are you going to do now?"
Shakky said, exhaling a puff of smoke. Seeing that he was really down, she changed the subject.
"I'll have to leave after this bottle,"
Rayleigh said, shaking his head. "The Marines are probably already looking for me… in any case, I can't stay in Sabaody for a while. I'll have to lay low for a bit and come back later. I helped Crocus out last time, and after he said goodbye to Laboon, he went back to the lighthouse. I'll go and have a few drinks with him."
"Is that so…"
Shakky said with a nod. She casually extinguished her cigarette and began to wipe the table. "Then get going. I won't see you out."
"Such a cold woman,"
Rayleigh said with a grin. He didn't say anything more. He tucked a few bottles of liquor under his gray robe and pushed open the door and left.
"The new wave…?"
Shakky watched the all-too-familiar figure disappear into the distance, and then her gaze returned to the screen. Although most of the screen was taken up by Kizaru's large face, through the surrounding black and red glow, she could still faintly see the handsome, freely laughing face of the young man.
"Heh…"
Shakky lit another cigarette and shrugged. "That kind of thing is too far away for me. I'm almost sixty. I don't know if I'll even live to see that day. In comparison, I'm more curious…"
"...after all this commotion, how high will the enraged Marine Headquarters raise the bounties of you and your comrades?"
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