Chapter 195: Someone Has to Die
"What a terrifying kid," Kizaru said, narrowing his eyes. He spat out a mouthful of blood and smacked his lips. "But..."
BOOM!
He'd barely gotten the word out before his face caved in.
Shane had appeared in front of him in an instant, his right fist crashing into Kizaru's smugly smiling face like a meteorite. The impact shattered his cheekbone and knocked his nose sideways.
Kizaru instinctively raised his light-saber to defend, but Shane brutally slapped it aside with his left hand, grabbed a fistful of Kizaru's hair with his right, and drove a knee straight into his face.
CRACK!
Kizaru's nose broke completely. Blood sprayed from his nostrils as the knee strike sent him flying backward. But before he could even stabilize himself, Shane's ghostly figure was on him again.
Appearing directly above him, Shane raised his right leg high like a battle-axe, black-and-red lightning crackling around it, and brought it down with devastating force.
BOOM!!!
The kick landed squarely on Kizaru's chest. The terrifying impact shot through his entire body. The ice plain beneath them shattered, spiderweb cracks spreading for hundreds of meters.
Kizaru coughed up a huge mouthful of blood, his body shot into the depths of the ice like a cannonball. Just as he was about to plunge into the sea, his body dissolved into countless motes of golden light. They seeped through the tiny fissures in the ice, too small even for an ant, and reformed on the surface.
He looked even more battered now, his presence noticeably weaker. But that was the extent of it.
Just as I thought.
Shane narrowed his eyes and snorted. He wasn't surprised. He'd lost track of how long they'd been fighting, but the sky had grown dark, so it had to have been at least six or seven hours. In that time, he'd seen this same scene play out over and over again.
This guy is unbelievably tough.
For a user of the Glint-Glint Fruit with such a lean build... you'd think he'd be a glass cannon focused on speed. But no. His durability, while not quite on the level of Kaido or Big Mom... wasn't far off. Were all three of the original Admirals like this? Even Kizaru, whom Z had criticized for "relying too much on his Devil Fruit," was monstrously strong in terms of his physical conditioning and hand-to-hand combat skills.
"You're a real pain in the ass, old monkey!" Shane laughed. "My hands are starting to go numb from hitting you, and you're still not down?"
A pain in the ass?
Kizaru took a deep breath, his already broken nose practically twitching with rage. If the guy's hands were just starting to go numb... then what did that make him, the one who'd been getting pummeled the entire time?
He had no idea how Shane was doing it. The kid's physical strength was on a completely different level than it had been at Enies Lobby, stronger by an order of magnitude. Add to that his incredibly potent Haki and that bizarre fist-fighting style that seemed to passively boost his defense—most of Kizaru's signature long-range attacks were like tickling him. They did no real damage.
He could occasionally use his speed advantage in close-quarters combat with his light-saber to find an opening and land a hit. The problem was... it wasn't a good trade. He was giving up some of the advantages of his fruit, only for the damage he inflicted to be... consumed.
Yes, consumed. The wounds he opened would seal themselves within a few breaths, the muscles writhing like living things until the injury was gone, as if it had never happened. It was as if a ravenous beast lived inside the boy's body, greedily devouring every attack.
That insane regenerative ability... and the fact that he rarely used his incredibly powerful swordsmanship, preferring to wear down his opponents with raw Haki and physicality... it all reminded him of someone else. A terrifying man he had fought before.
"Kaido..." Kizaru's voice was hoarse. "You know, kid, you're starting to feel a lot like that Kaido I ran into at Enies Lobby."
"Kaido?" Shane blinked, then clenched his fists with a savage grin. "Don't you dare compare me to that monster!"
He stomped, blasting himself off the ice. Just as he was about to charge, Kizaru let his light-saber dissolve, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Yata no Kagami: Amaterasu!"
VWOOM! VWOOM! VWOOM!
Countless golden mirrors of light materialized in the sky, densely packed in a thousand-meter radius. Each mirror began to shine with a blinding golden light, all of it focused on Shane. He instinctively shut his eyes.
ZHEW!
At that exact moment, the mirrors unleashed massive laser beams, as wide as the mirrors themselves, converging on Shane from all 360 degrees.
"Oh? Finally bringing out the big guns? Now things are getting interesting!" Shane's eyebrow twitched. He couldn't see, but his powerful Observation Haki cut through the interference, giving him a clear picture of the attack.
BOOM!
He laughed maniacally and threw a punch. A torrent of black-and-red Haki erupted, instantly shredding the first hundred or so lasers. The shockwave annihilated dozens of the golden mirrors. But more mirrors remained, and more lasers followed.
SZZT!
A golden laser finally broke through his Haki and seared a mark under his arm. Then another hit his leg, and another his back. Blood sprayed into the air. Kizaru's ultimate attack was having an unprecedented effect.
"So, what's the catch?" Shane, wreathed in smoke, was still laughing. He ignored his wounds and made no move to strengthen his defense. Instead, his right hand reached for the sword on his back.
Masamune, which hadn't been drawn since their initial greeting, was in his hand once more.
"Divine Departure—!"
A crimson slash tore through the storm of light like a blood moon rising, heading straight for one particular mirror, behind which Kizaru was hiding.
"Found you!" The catch, of course, was that while maintaining an attack even more powerful than Yasakani Sacred Jewel, Kizaru's body was completely immobile.
Kizaru's pupils contracted. He never imagined Shane's Observation Haki was strong enough to pinpoint his true location amidst such a dense barrage.
Crap...
The crimson slash was almost upon him. But even with only a fraction of a second to react, Kizaru instantly dispelled the Amaterasu and flashed to the right in a streak of light.
Dodged it! To be able to avoid a Divine Departure at that range, unscathed... perhaps only he, a man made of light, could do it. A cold sweat dripped down Kizaru's temple. He breathed a sigh of relief, but then a sense of dread washed over him. In the distance, where the attack had come from, Shane was nowhere to be seen. There was no follow-up attack.
A feint? Then the real attack is...
"Up here!" Shane's savage laugh echoed from directly above. Before Kizaru could even look up, a knee wreathed in black-and-red lightning slammed into the back of his neck.
CRACK—!
His spine screamed in protest. Kizaru coughed up a huge mouthful of blood and fell from the sky like a broken kite, plummeting toward the ice below. He would have dissolved into light in the fissures between the ice and sea... but this time, Shane had already predicted his trajectory. He appeared there first, his muscles bulging like dragons as he caught the falling Admiral in an iron grip. Then... he unleashed an overwhelming, cataclysmic flood of Conqueror's Haki, completely enveloping Kizaru, forcing the light that was trying to escape back into his body.
Crap! Kizaru's escape had failed. He finally realized Shane's intent, and his face contorted in panic.
In the next instant!
BOOM!
Locked in Shane's embrace, they crashed through the ice together, sending up a hundred-meter-tall pillar of water as they plunged into the sea.
At the same time, in the southeast corner of the vast battlefield, a ball of azure lightning exploded on the ice, slowly coalescing into a humanoid shape. Or what was left of one.
Enel was on one knee, covered in wounds, his chest heaving. His golden trident was broken, and the thunder drums on his back had been completely destroyed. He stared at the tall figure emerging from the icy mist, a flicker of fear finally appearing in his eyes.
"Damn you, Blue Sea mortal! Damn you!" he hissed, his voice raspy. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?! This is blasphemy! Blasphemy against a god!"
Where the hell did the Marines find this guy to be a Warlord? Kuma was speechless. After a moment, he shook his head and said earnestly, "You should talk less. Your strength does not match your arrogance."
"Silence, mortal!" Enel roared, but when Kuma took another step forward, he flinched and began to crawl backward.
He glanced around. Kizaru and Shane were gone, the two swordswomen were still clashing, and the rest of the Marine forces, despite their overwhelming numbers, were on the verge of collapse...
I have to get out of here! He wasn't on the same side as these Marines. He wasn't about to die for a bunch of irrelevant mortals. The only reason he'd agreed to come was because Kizaru had promised to introduce him to the world's best shipwright.
With that thought, Enel didn't hesitate. He transformed into a bolt of lightning and shot into the sky.
He ran?
Kuma looked up at the rapidly receding streak of light and frowned. He hadn't expected that. Well, so be it. He didn't know much about this new Warlord and had never heard of him committing any great evils. He had no real desire to kill him. Since he was willing to retreat... Kuma turned and began to head toward the main battlefield to support the others.
Now that he was free, the already-faltering Marines would collapse that much faster.
As Enel streaked through the night sky, wiping the blood from his lips, the humiliation and rage burned in his chest. Just you wait, you big oaf. A god is not to be trifled with. One day...
Hm?
He noticed something and looked down to his right. There, on the rock wall of Dressrosa, a large crowd of people had gathered. Most of them were looking up at him.
It's because of these mortals that I was humiliated... Enel gritted his teeth. The whole reason for this war... and now they get to stand there and watch? Why should they be safe while I'm forced to flee? And they get to see me in this pathetic state?!
A vicious thought took root in his mind. He changed course, appearing high above Dressrosa. He spread his arms wide, and a massive thundercloud formed above his head, crackling with raw power.
"Still watching? Still watching?!"
"You lowly Blue Sea ants! Since you dare to profane a god with your filthy eyes, then you will feel a god's wrath!"
"Raigo!"
BOOM!!!
A terrifying pillar of lightning hundreds of meters in diameter descended from the heavens, aimed straight at Dressrosa!
But just as the lightning was about to strike—
"Bonney!"
Kuma's furious form appeared directly beneath the lightning bolt, his palms thrust upwards. A nearly transparent, paw-shaped shockwave erupted, meeting the lightning head-on.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The very sky seemed to tear apart. The shockwave and lightning clashed, creating a massive storm of energy that completely dispersed the thunderclouds above Dressrosa, allowing the moonlight to shine down once more. The remaining force of the blast slammed into Enel's chest.
With a dull thud, Enel, who had been laughing maniacally just a moment before, went limp, his eyes rolling back in his head as he fell from the sky.
A large hand caught him. Kuma's grip tightened around Enel's throat. His furious expression slowly calmed, replaced by an icy coldness.
He could have let Enel live. He had let him live. And in return, the man's malice had only grown, to the point where he would try to vent his anger on innocent civilians, including his own daughter. This... this had crossed a line. Just like the king of his homeland... this was unforgivable.
Thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump-thump!
In the depths of the sea, Shane let go of Kizaru and began to pummel him with both fists, a relentless storm of blows. His fists moved faster and faster, each one wreathed in black-and-red lightning that exploded in the dark water with blinding flashes.
The nearby fish, and even a few small Sea Kings, fled in terror. They could escape. Someone else could not.
As a Devil Fruit user, Kizaru was completely helpless in the deep sea. He was like a punching bag, his bones slowly beginning to crack under the relentless assault. Blood poured from his mouth and nose, staining the water crimson.
"Glub, glub..."
As they sank deeper and deeper, Kizaru let out a stream of bubbles. His eyes began to roll back. His consciousness... was fading...
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