McGuy laughed heartily.
"Admiral Kizaru, why don't we slack off together? Just a light spar, no serious injuries—what do you say?"
As he spoke, the longsword in his hand began to hum violently, and a blinding platinum thunderlight burst into the sky.
It formed a thick lightning column in the air, then suddenly exploded—splitting into tens of thousands of agile electric serpents, all racing toward Kizaru.
Kizaru's wry smile twisted deeper into bitterness.
So this is "just a light spar"?
If he actually held back, he'd be fried to ash in an instant.
Quickly, he clapped his hands together, summoning an Eight-Foot Mirror to shield himself.
Then, with a spring of his legs, he lashed out with a light-speed kick aimed at McGuy's knee.
But McGuy only grinned slyly—"Gotcha."
At the same time, his lightning-channeling sword suddenly slashed downward.
Kizaru's kick, meant to strike, now looked like it was volunteering to be cleaved.
Even worse, the serpents of lightning—no longer guided by the sword—still surged with perfect precision.
They circled around Kizaru's Eight-Foot Mirror and struck from behind—right as he was retracting his kick and couldn't dodge.
In a flash, countless serpents of lightning invaded his back, sending volts through every cell of his body. His entire frame spasmed uncontrollably.
Finally, he collapsed.
After a long pause, he gasped out,
"Your Observation Haki… it's already developed to the point where you can predict my attacks?"
McGuy shrugged.
"Our master's strongest trait is his Observation Haki. If we, his subordinates, don't train like hell in that area, how could we ever stay at his side?"
Kizaru froze for a second—then let out a deep sigh and flopped onto the ground, completely relaxed.
"Let the others keep killing each other. Justice or not, it's all just someone else's slogan in the end."
Nearby, Aokiji, who had been quietly watching all this time, suddenly asked:
"You know what they're really doing here?"
Kizaru answered lazily, "Nope. Don't care to find out, either."
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's shady. Maybe this place just matters a little more than the rest. Otherwise, the old Commander-in-Chief wouldn't be this frantic."
Aokiji exhaled deeply, then looked at McGuy.
"Alright then… Could you give me a light tap too?"
McGuy rolled his eyes and lazily flicked his sword, sending a slow-moving arc of electricity toward Aokiji.
Aokiji returned the eye-roll, but waited. When the arc finally reached him, a dramatic explosion of frost shards erupted from his body.
To outsiders, it looked like he'd just taken a lethal blow, his elemental form nearly shredded apart.
He spun dramatically through the air and landed beside Kizaru.
Kizaru grimaced.
"Bro, the way you're faking this injury is way too convincing. You're making me look bad."
McGuy chuckled.
"What's the point of appearances? When this is all over, the one who gets to tell the story… is whoever makes it back alive."
Aokiji and Kizaru blinked—then exchanged wry smiles.
He was right. Given the current situation, Roya had no reason to let any of them leave.
So the two admirals stayed put, waiting for the endgame to unfold.
---
Elsewhere, Akainu and Squard were still exchanging blows—locked in a fierce stalemate.
Akainu had reduced his offensive power to reinforce his body, making him more resistant to bladed attacks.
Squard, meanwhile, was still unfamiliar with his new Thread Blade, and he had to be cautious—not wanting to harm Doflamingo, who was still imprisoned within the weapon.
As McGuy "defeated" two admirals in a row, Squard grew increasingly impatient.
He forced Akainu back with a sweeping slash, then resheathed his blade, dropping into his most powerful Iaido (quick-draw) stance.
Akainu sensed something was off, but didn't dare press the attack.
Little did he know, that hesitation was exactly what Squard needed.
Squard twisted his wrist—his thread blade began to morph with his will.
In an instant, the sword transformed into a spiked war hammer, bristling with vicious points.
Akainu's eyes widened—a trap.
Before he could react, the weapon came crashing down in a howling arc—straight for his skull.
This kind of spiked blunt weapon was the perfect counter to his current form. Even a glancing blow would shear away large portions of his magma body.
And every droplet of magma… represented his vitality.
If too much magma was scattered and not reclaimed, even Akainu wouldn't survive the loss.
In desperation, he instantly shifted his magma composition:
His exterior hardened into a crust of burning rock—to withstand the hammer's physical blow.
His interior liquefied even more—to absorb and dissipate the impact shock.
Thanks to his extreme mastery of his Devil Fruit, Akainu transformed in an instant.
The hammer was still over a meter away when he completed the change.
It seemed Squard's unfamiliarity with heavy weapons was slowing him down significantly.
For the first time, Akainu gained the upper hand, and relief surged through him.
"Why not press it further?"
He condensed more magma around his right fist—forming his own massive hammer—and swung it at Squard's weapon with full force.
But the moment his strike launched, Akainu noticed a mocking glint in Squard's eyes.
A sudden chill ran down his spine.
And then, he saw it:
Squard's weapon had transformed again—back into a blindingly sharp blade!
His current hardened form, optimized for withstanding blunt trauma, was completely vulnerable to cutting attacks.
Akainu panicked, trying to change form again—but it was far too late.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The light of the blade flickered violently. Akainu felt his body lighten.
Before he even realized how many times he'd been cut, a powerful kick to the chest sent him flying.
He crashed to the ground, dazed—only to look up and see, lying a dozen meters away at Squard's feet, four severed limbs.
With dread, Akainu turned to glance at his own arms and legs—
Only to find four clean, flat stumps.
His limbs had been sliced clean off.
From the moment Squard had sheathed his blade and assumed that Iaido stance, he had set the trap perfectly.
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