"Such a scary little brat."
Kizaru squinted his eyes, spat out a mouthful of blood, and smacked his lips, "But..."
Boom!
Before he could finish his sentence, his face suddenly caved in and became misshapen.
Shano had somehow appeared right in front of him, his right fist crashing down like a meteor, pounding viciously on Kizaru's face, which had just lit up with a frivolous smile, smashing his cheekbones inward and bending his nose askew in an instant.
Kizaru instinctively raised the Ama no Murakumo for defense, yet it was rudely swatted aside by Shano's left hand, and his right hand seized Kizaru's hair while his knee came up like a strike!
Snap!
Kizaru's nasal bone completely shattered, spraying blood all around, and with that knee strike, his whole body was sent flying diagonally backward.
However, before he could regain his balance, Shano's figure had already ghosted back upon him!
In the sky, directly above Kizaru, his right leg raised like a war axe, entwined with black and red lightning, and hacked down fiercely!
Boom!!!
This kick landed squarely on Kizaru's chest!
The horrifying impact instantly pierced through his body, causing the icy ground to collapse at the point of impact, spiderweb-like cracks extending out for hundreds of meters.
Kizaru spewed blood from his mouth, his entire body embedding deep into the ice layer like a cannonball.
Just as he was about to plunge into the ocean, his body suddenly transformed into countless golden specks of light, diffusing away.
Along the densely packed cracks, too narrow even for ants to pass, they converged on the ice and reformed into Kizaru's likeness.
His appearance was more disheveled, his aura slightly waned by a small margin.
But, that was all.
As expected?
Shano squinted his eyes, snorted, and was not surprised, having anticipated this.
He wasn't sure how long he had been battling with Kizaru by now, but the sky had already darkened, implying it had been at least six to seven hours.
During this time.
He had seen this kind of scenario countless times.
"Remarkably tough!"
As a Glint-Glint Fruit Ability User, combined with that slender frame...
By all accounts, he should be an agile glass cannon.
But the reality?
The displayed physical toughness, though not yet matching Granny Kaido, was not far off either!
Are Chicken, Dog, and Monkey, those old Three Great Admirals, all like this?
Even this Kizaru in front of him, who Zephyr had criticized as "too reliant on the Fruit Ability," had absurd physical strength and body techniques!
"Such a troublesome old monkey!"
Shano burst into laughter, "I've punched my fists numb, yet I still can't take you down?"
This kind of trickery?
Kizaru took a deep breath, anger flaring to the point it could dislocate his nose...although his nose was already dislocated.
If his opponent was merely making his hands feel numb...
Then what did that make him, who was on the receiving end all along?
Who knew how it was done!
This brat's physical strength could not be compared to when they clashed at Judicial Island, having amplified several fold!
And coupled with that high-quality, thick, and robust Haki, and that bizarre Fist Technique which seemed to enhance defense out of thin air—
Most of his best long-range attacks felt like they were merely tickling the opponent, causing hardly any effective damage.
Using Ama no Murakumo for prolonged close combat allowed him to occasionally exploit his speed advantage, finding openings and leaving marks on his opponent.
But the thing is...
It was a bad trade!
Any results gained from giving up some Fruit Ability traits could easily be... devoured and digested by his opponent!
Yes, devoured and digested!
The tears in his flesh would be completely repaired in just a few breaths, as if nothing ever happened, with muscle fibers writhing like living creations.
...as if a never-satiated beast resided within this young man's body, fulfilling its ravenous hunger with the assaults of its foes!
Such tremendous regenerative capabilities...
And having such potent Sword Skills, yet rarely using them, opting instead to rely on Haki and physical prowess to constantly oppress and wear down the enemy's spirit and breath.
This combat style...he could seemingly see a familiar figure.
Someone he once tussled with, a terrifying adversary.
"Kaido, huh..."
Kizaru's voice was hoarse, "This brat, the feeling you give me now, isn't far from when I ran into Kaido at Judicial Island."
"Kaido?"
Shano was momentarily stunned, then clenched his fists tightly, revealing a sinister grin, "Don't lump me in with that guy!"
He launched himself from the ice with a burst of Qi, about to charge Kizaru, who abandoned maintaining the Ama no Murakumo form, crossing his arms over his chest, murmuring:
"Yata no Kagami - Amaterasu!"
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Countless golden light mirrors appeared densely packed within a radius of a kilometer in the sky, each one emitting a dazzling golden glow toward Shano.
Shano instinctively closed his eyes.
Whoosh!
And the mirrors, in an instant, unleashed colossal lasers, as thick as the mirrors themselves, attacking Shano from all angles, leaving no room to dodge!
"Oh? Finally, couldn't resist bringing out the trump card, huh? Things are starting to get interesting now!"
Shano raised his eyebrows slightly, although his vision was obscured, his powerful Observation pierced through the interference, vividly sensing the changes outside.
Boom!
He laughed wildly, swinging a punch that manifested Supreme King Haki into a tangible black-red torrent, tearing through with overwhelming force, shredding all approaching massive lasers into fragments within an instant.