Chapter 136: The Death of a Marine
In the distance, the Marine flag officers engaged in a fierce battle saw the golden canopy that had occupied the sky rapidly retract, returning to the point where the terrifying fluctuations had originated. Then, the sky grew darker, and a golden spear, as if forged from brilliant light, rose, becoming the focal point of the battlefield.
The white-haired admiral, covered in blood, his muscles bulging, glanced at the four giants and the assassin he had knocked down multiple times, panting. He then looked into the distance, where the brilliant spear was rising, a hint of anxiety in his eyes.
In the end, he decisively gave up on the enemies before him and rushed into the distance, where his two juniors were. He was worried that the two of them would fight the enemy to the death.
In the dim world, Louis rapidly compressed the power of the Lance that Shines at the End, causing it to shrink rapidly and transform into a splendidly brilliant spear held in his palm.
Against Kizaru, who had superior mobility, an overly large spear or throwing it would be easier to miss. Holding it in his palm and blasting the opponent at close range was a more surefire way to hit.
The next moment, Louis launched a surprise attack with a fierce sonic boom, charging straight at the two men standing side-by-side.
Before the terrifying blow even landed, an extremely powerful wind pressure and Conqueror's Haki shockwave were already rushing toward Kizaru and Aokiji. At this moment, there was nothing else in their eyes; the golden light had completely occupied their vision.
"To think it's even more dazzling than me, the user of the Glint-Glint Fruit~" Two drops of cold sweat trickled down Kizaru's face, and a rare look of shock appeared.
Beside him, Aokiji's brow was tightly furrowed. He slowly exhaled a breath of cold air. "This move is no joke. If we're not careful, it's highly likely that not even our bones will be left."
Soon, under their watchful eyes, the golden figure, holding the spear that contained destructive power, came crashing down, instantly enveloping the two of them.
Kizaru dared not be careless. His body turned into a flash of light, taking Aokiji with him as they refracted back and forth in mid-air, looking for a chance to counter-attack while dodging the blow.
To this, Louis combined his eyes with his top-tier Observation Haki, precisely capturing Kizaru's movement trajectory. The flames erupted again, forming a brilliant golden fiery trail that propelled Louis to tear through the sky, arriving directly at Kizaru's next landing point.
The Lance that Shines at the End streaked across the long sky, and was instantly reflected in Kizaru's eyes, making his pupils constrict as he subconsciously reacted. He once again turned into a beam of golden light, preparing to refract away from the destructive blow that was already upon him. But at this moment, the brilliant Lance had already swept across, heading straight for their chests.
FWOOSH. A look of determination flashed in Aokiji's eyes. He abruptly raised his already half-crippled right arm, wrapped it in his remaining Armament Haki, and punched straight out.
BOOM—
Aokiji's punch landed squarely on the Lance, causing it to deviate slightly and slow for an instant, buying more time for Kizaru's refraction. But it was this punch that caused Aokiji's half-crippled arm to be completely annihilated by the energy dissipating from the Lance.
Louis's expression did not change. A punch from Aokiji in his current state was not enough to make his own attack miss completely. Louis vibrated the spear with one hand and swept it over even faster. Before Kizaru could get completely away, it instantly severed one of his legs, causing it to be annihilated inch by inch in the aftershock of the Lance.
After doing this, Louis did not delay for a second and continued to launch his assault. Maintaining the Lance that Shines at the End consumed his stamina, Haki, and the non-recoverable life force of the Fantasy Species within it every second. If it weren't for the fact that a single burst attack would be easier for Kizaru to dodge, Louis wouldn't have maintained it for so long.
Louis intended to leave more irreversible injuries on the two of them before Kizaru could escape with Aokiji. He held no hope of completely taking them down here. As long as they weren't stupid, they wouldn't fight him to the death in this situation. With Kizaru's speed, if he was determined to escape, even Louis could do nothing.
Soon, Kizaru, carrying Aokiji, flashed and reappeared several thousand meters away. After steadying himself on one leg, Kizaru instantly felt the power that was continuously eroding him from his knee upward, constantly stripping him of his life force. To this, Kizaru was very decisive. He used his Haki to block the process and, with a hand-chop, cut off the part of his limb that was about to be corroded.
Then, he looked at the golden figure holding the brilliant spear, spreading his flawless white wings as he charged at him from the distance.
"Is this really a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit? Why is it even stranger than some Paramecia users—" Even in the face of an unprecedented crisis, Kizaru, after using Life Return to stop the bleeding, was still analyzing Louis's abilities, searching for a weakness.
Just then, Amit folded his wings and landed to the side of Kizaru and the others, making no attempt to hide his bone-chilling killing intent. Kaido of the Beasts circled in the sky, sealing off their aerial escape route, looking down with great interest as if watching a good show.
At the same time, Aokiji reached out and grabbed Kizaru's shoulder, revealing a slightly battered and haggard face. "My condition is very bad. My last bit of Haki is also depleted. I can only create one chance for you."
Kizaru heard this and raised an eyebrow. He understood what Aokiji meant. For Aokiji to create a chance in his current state, there was only one price he could pay.
"It seems there are no other options~" Kizaru lowered his head slightly, and the tea-colored sunglasses glinted with a white light, making it impossible to see the look in his eyes.
Aokiji pressed down on his severed arm and, panting, said, "Instructor Zephyr should have told your class about it, right? The tactic that can only be used at the very last moment."
"Instructor Zephyr's teachings... how nostalgic~" Kizaru did not answer directly, but instead said something with a deep, unreadable meaning.
Aokiji heard him and slowly walked in front of Kizaru. Half of his body was dyed white, and a biting chill erupted from him. He calmly watched Louis, who had flown to within a hundred meters of them.
The next instant, Louis's figure was reflected in Aokiji's eyes, completely occupying his vision. A detached and a resolute gaze met in mid-air. The dangerous spear was thrust straight toward Aokiji's chest.
Aokiji's eyes showed no fear. After planting his feet firmly, he extended his remaining hand toward Louis. Behind him, Kizaru crossed his arms in front of his chest, and they began to shine with a light like the sun. This was the maximum release of the Glint-Glint Fruit's power.
"Hm?" In the sky, Kaido turned his head slightly, a strange look in his eyes. Not far away, Amit exhaled a turbid breath, leaped up, and flew rapidly toward Kizaru.
In a flash of lightning, Louis took in the expressions and positions of Aokiji and Kizaru. He instantly understood everything. "Are you betting that this one blow can seriously injure me?"
Since Kizaru and Aokiji intended to fight him to the death here, Louis certainly would not refuse. He vibrated the Lance that Shines at the End with one hand, mobilizing the endless power contained within it. His superhuman senses converged, focusing on the two in front, preparing to pierce through both of them right here.
The next moment, a frost washed over him. Aokiji unleashed his final power, preparing to buy a chance for Kizaru.
However, the next moment, something that no one expected happened. A figure with bulging muscles, wearing a Justice cape, flew past, directly knocking Aokiji aside.
"What?"
"What's going on?!"
In the shocked eyes of Aokiji and Kizaru, the old man who had guarded the G-1 branch for decades stood directly in front of Kizaru.
A sound of destructive energy entering flesh was heard, and along with it, a low, suppressed groan of pain.
"..."
The brilliant Lance that Shines at the End had pierced the old man's abdomen, the energy-forged spear tip protruding from his back.
Kizaru came back to his senses, preparing to launch his unfinished attack at Louis.
Under Louis's gaze, the old man held onto his hands tightly, preventing him from making any other movements. Even as blood continuously poured from his mouth and his abdomen was being annihilated by the destructive power, his expression remained firm, his hands erupting with unprecedented strength.
Louis saw this and frowned slightly. He controlled the golden spear to shoot out a beam of light combining the powers of Conqueror's Haki, lightning, fire, and hurricane, preparing to pierce through Kizaru as well.
SWOOSH. A brilliant beam of light shot out, tearing through the atmosphere and heading for Kizaru's chest.
To this, Kizaru turned into a golden beam of light and moved aside. After dodging the blow, he prepared to take the opportunity to launch his own long-charged attack at Louis.
However, the old man who was tightly holding onto Louis roared through mouthfuls of blood, "Borsalino, retreat with Kuzan! This is an order from that brat Sengoku! Look around you, cough, cough!"
"Senior..." Aokiji knelt on the ice field, looking at the senior who had taken a blow for him, momentarily dazed.
Kizaru's attacking motion froze. In a flash, he glanced at Kaido high in the sky, and the old Lunarian flying toward him, and his heart sank.
Louis ignored the tender moment being displayed by the Marine side. He lifted his leg, which was covered in leg armor and coated in the power of the Life-Life Fruit and Conqueror's Haki, and kicked heavily at the old man's body. At the same time, a golden light rose from his hands, rapidly absorbing the life force from the old man's hands.
BANG—
A dull thud sounded, carrying far on the hurricane. Under the heavy blow, the old Marine coughed up a large amount of blood and organ fragments. His eyes rolled back, and his few remaining bits of life force rapidly dissipated. At this moment, his hands, which had become almost like withered bones, could no longer restrain Louis's movements.
Louis, who had broken free in a very short time, casually lifted the Lance that Shines at the End, which still had more than half its energy, and threw it like a meteor at Aokiji, who had been knocked away. At the same time, Louis stepped past the gradually dying old man, drew the Seven Star Sword, and coated it in Conqueror's Haki, slashing at Kizaru.
Just then, the old man behind him, as if in a final burst of life, the angry look returned to his whitened eyes, and he roared loudly. "You two stinking brats! Have you both forgotten a Marine's most basic duty?! Execute your orders!!"
The old Marine's roar instantly reached Kizaru's ears. Kizaru looked silently at the old man's tragic back, a strange light in his eyes.
"Old man—"
In the end, Kizaru once again dispersed the Ama no Murakumo sword in his hand, gave up the idea of dueling with Louis, and instantly disappeared. When he reappeared, he had already grabbed Aokiji's shoulder. He gave Louis one last deep look and fled the battlefield at the speed of light.
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