Biu!
The laser beam pierced Ace's chest, exploding in the distance. But Ace didn't react at all. He just looked down at the new hole and muttered, "I think something just poked me?"
"Nani?!" Kizaru's pupils shrunk in disbelief. What's wrong with this guy? I didn't hold back. Is this... a 'syndrome'? Am I subconsciously pulling my punches?
"Looks like I have to be more serious!" Kizaru shook his head, his body turning into a stream of light. He reappeared next to Ace in an instant. "Speed is power, Fire Fist brother. Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
He raised his shining right foot, aiming a kick at Ace's head.
"Stop!" Garp's roar came from behind him, and his fist, ignoring Kizaru's elementalization, struck the Admiral.
At the same time, Ace moved, as if he had eyes in the back of his head. His Haki-wrapped fist smashed behind him.
Boom! Boom!
Two iron fists hit Kizaru at the same time, sending his body flying backward. He crashed into the crowd at the far end of the square.
"Vice Admiral Garp... he attacked Admiral Kizaru?!" The Marines stared, mouths agape. They couldn't believe it. If they hadn't seen Garp still fighting Ace, they would have thought he had betrayed them.
A group of soldiers rushed to check on Kizaru, who was lying on the ground, his face a mask of confusion.
"Who am I?" "Where am I?" "What just happened?" "I think I was hit?" "And the person who hit me seems to be Vice Admiral Garp..."
Kizaru rubbed his dazed head, looking at the fierce battle between Garp and Ace, and fell into a stupor. Did I just hallucinate? Did I get amnesia from being hit? He shook his head and decided to leave this dangerous task to "that idiot Sakazuki." A cool Admiral isn't suited for this kind of battle with an excessive danger index.
"Admiral Kizaru, Marshal Sengoku is under siege by the Blackbeard Pirates! Please, hurry and support him!" a Marine yelled, pointing to the wall of fire.
"Hmm?" Kizaru was surprised. Blackbeard? Attacking Marshal Sengoku? Does he have a death wish?Marshal Sengoku is as famous as Garp. They call him 'Buddha Sengoku.'
But… this could be another opportunity for a cool Admiral like me! Kizaru's figure turned into a stream of light, rushing toward the raging wall of fire.
"Mr. Sengoku, I'm here to save you!"
"Railgun!" Adrian's voice echoed from below as Kizaru approached the fire wall. A Haki-wrapped gold coin shot from Adrian's fingertips, traversing the sky at many times the speed of sound.
Woosh!
It was in front of Kizaru in the blink of an eye.
"That attack speed is amazing. If I hadn't elementalized, you might have killed me," Kizaru said with an exaggerated expression, pointing to the hole in his chest that was already healing. "Adrian, your actions are a death sentence."
"Sorry, I can't let you disturb the battle over there just yet," Adrian said with a half-smile.
"Oh? So you're allied with Blackbeard?" Kizaru squeezed his chin. "Pirates are so unreliable. It seems Mr. Sengoku might make a mistake this time."
Kizaru had no idea how serious the situation was. He, like most of the Marines, believed that Blackbeard's crew was no match for Sengoku. They didn't know the terrifying power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, which could suppress any Devil Fruit user. Blackbeard was like a waiting lion, hiding his fangs until he could strike for the kill.
He was a master of sneak attacks and ruthless tactics.
Kizaru couldn't imagine what was happening on the other side of the fire wall. Marshal Sengoku, who had been fighting alone, had collapsed powerlessly to the ground, blood pouring from his wounds and staining the dirt.
"You... bastards..." Sengoku's eyes were wide, filled with unwillingness. He struggled to stand but failed every time.
"Xiehahaha! Marshal Sengoku, you are truly too strong!" Blackbeard gasped, his eyes filled with both awe and joy. He hadn't expected Sengoku to be so difficult to deal with. Even with the absolute suppression of the Dark-Dark Fruit, Sengoku's superb martial arts and Haki had allowed him to kill Laffitte and Vasco Shot. Blackbeard and his remaining crew were all injured.
These old guys are all freaking monsters, Blackbeard thought. If I hadn't recruited pirates from LV6, I would have been hammered to death by Sengoku today.
"Hahaha, Captain Teach, you'd better start quickly!" Catalina yelled impatiently. "If you fail again, I'll kill you mercilessly!"
"Don't worry, I won't miss this time," Blackbeard said, a greedy look on his face as he walked toward Sengoku. As he passed Shiryu of the Rain, he asked with displeasure, "Shiryu, why didn't you help me? Laffitte and the other wouldn't have had to die."
Shiryu was the strongest of the crew besides Blackbeard. But he hadn't helped during the siege, instead, he stood smoking a cigar, watching the fight.
"Blackbeard, don't get the wrong idea," Shiryu said rebelliously. "You haven't fulfilled your promise yet, so I'm not your crew member, and I don't need to obey your orders."
Shiryu's attitude had changed dramatically after Adrian had "stolen" the Shock-Shock Fruit. He believed that the only person he could submit to was someone stronger than him, and Adrian was clearly superior to Blackbeard, both in strength and intelligence. He was already thinking of changing bosses.
"You..." A gloomy expression flashed across Blackbeard's face, but he quickly turned back to Sengoku. He wouldn't give him a chance to speak. Blackbeard raised his hand and snapped Sengoku's neck.
And so, "Buddha" Sengoku, a Marine Fleet Admiral who had risen to fame in the Great Pirate Era, who had fought against Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and others, ended his legendary life.
The Summit War should have been Sengoku's greatest moment—defeating the world's strongest pirate crew, killing Ace, and killing Whitebeard. These heroic feats would have cemented his place in history. But because of Adrian, this war had slipped from his grasp. In the end, it claimed his life.
"Weihahaha, Captain, we've finally waited for this moment!" Burgess yelled in excitement. Blackbeard's face was a wild grin as black energy rose from his body. He plunged his arm into Sengoku's chest and laughed maniacally.
"Little ones, our time has come!"