Chapter 131 - 19

Chapter 221A dull thud exploded on the east side.After the initial loud collision, their bodies vanished as if teleporting, reappearing a second later in a corner hundreds of meters away, the explosive sound of their fists and feet clashing only arriving belatedly.Immediately after, a flash of light, and the two collided again. The battlefield switched frantically within the vast GR Area 1, making it difficult for ordinary people to even catch their afterimages.Luffy's Rubber fist slammed hard into Kizaru's golden glowing shin, the shockwave instantly clearing the rubble on the ground.Almost at the same instant, their figures vanished again, only to collide once more in mid-air on the west side, a hundred meters away, a second later!Bang, bang, bang!Dense collision sounds echoed like rapid drumbeats throughout the vast area, yet the trajectories of the combatants were almost invisible.Each collision only made them briefly visible before they transformed back into blurry light and shadow, and trails of red steam.Luffy's battle intuition was terrifying.Just from a brief contact, he had already grasped the general characteristics of Kizaru's abilities.Light-speed movement, indeed incredibly fast.However, as long as Kizaru wasn't allowed to pull away at will."Before you elementalize and fly away, if I hit you with a Haki-infused attack, I can stop you!"Luffy instantly formulated a battle strategy in his mind.Therefore, every time their figures solidified and appeared somewhere, Luffy was sure to use both hands and feet.Rubber fists and feet rained down like a storm, striking Kizaru from various tricky angles, aiming to prevent Kizaru from catching his breath or escaping the battle, firmly dragging him into close-quarters combat.The relentless attacks were ceaseless.Fists and feet imbued with Armament Haki struck like a furious storm, each time precisely targeting the moment Kizaru was about to elementalize into light and escape, forcing him to block or counter-attack."How troublesome~"Kizaru's characteristic slow drawl sounded somewhat distorted during his high-speed movement, but he consistently used only one leg for blocking and counter-attacking.His other hand occasionally lifted, firing dangerous lasers from his fingertips, which Luffy narrowly dodged with astonishing Observation Hakiforesight and the flexibility of his Rubber body.Kizaru's intention was also clear: he wanted to use his absolute speed advantage to first rescue the three troublesome Celestial Dragons, then free up his hands to slowly deal with this group of lawless pirates.However, Luffy clung to him like a persistent ailment, giving him no opportunity whatsoever.Luffy keenly sensed something unusual.No matter what attack he used.Gum-Gum Pistol, Gum-Gum Whip, Gum-Gum Rocket... Kizaru seemed to habitually use only one golden-glowing leg to block and counter-attack.This was completely different from Aokiji's fighting style, which perfectly integrated Ice-Ice Fruitabilities with exquisite martial arts.Aokiji effortlessly wielded Ice Spears, Ice Sabers, and Ice Age, his martial arts seamlessly coordinated.Kizaru, however, seemed overly reliant on his Glint-Glint Fruit's lasers and light-speed kicks, his martial arts, or rather his combat skills without Devil Fruit abilities, appearing somewhat lacking.Chapter 310 Whitebeard? Wasn't I fighting Straw Hat?During a fierce exchange, Luffy seized an opening and punched Kizaru back.After a brief suspension, he suddenly spoke:"Hey, Kizaru, are you too reliant on your Devil Fruit?"This sentence was like a stone thrown into a calm lake.Kizaru, who was usually carefree, had his somewhat listless and lazy face stiffen imperceptibly.Relying on his Devil Fruit.How familiar that phrase was.Like a thorn, it precisely pricked the tip of his heart and lungs.Back in the Marine academy, that purple-haired teacher whose catchphrase was 'utter destruction' had reprimanded him countless times with a tone of disappointment:"Borsalino! Martial arts! Haki! Don't always think about being lazy with that light-speed. Devil Fruitabilities aren't everything!"Later, when he became an Admiral, he had also clashed with Whitebeard, known as the strongest man in the world.The combination of Whitebeard's earth-shaking tremor power and his finely honed Haki made Kizaru deeply realize that top-tier powerhouses could not simply rely on one ability to stand at the pinnacle.It was as if Luffy had inadvertently touched a deliberately ignored corner of his heart.He was slightly caught off guard.Kizaru's eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, narrowed, and a subtle sharpness flashed through them."Oh? This old man is being underestimated by a rookie. Don't be so presumptuous, Straw Hat!"The next instant, their speed suddenly increased again!Whoosh!Boom!This time, even their silhouettes during brief appearances became blurred, leaving only continuously exploding air currents and overflowing energy turbulence in the air.In the previous fight, blurry figures could still barely be seen flashing, but now, even many capable Marine officers and Supernovas had completely lost track of the two!All that could be heard were the continuous dull thunder-like collision sounds in the air, as well as shockwaves and laser fragments exploding everywhere.The only one who could clearly capture every detail of their movements was Dark King Rayleigh, who stood below with his arms crossed and a smile on his lips.His Observation Haki was like an invisible giant net, firmly locking onto the two extraordinary figures in the air.Zoro gripped the hilt of his wado ichimonji tightly, his eyes fixed on the sky, fine beads of sweat seeping from his temples.He could only barely catch the fleeting moments when Luffy and Kizaru appeared, but how they attacked or moved was completely beyond his grasp."Damn it, I can't even see them clearly?"He gritted his teeth, his desire to become stronger burning like a flame in his heart.This was one of the absolute gaps between them and the Marine's top combat power!This despair-inducing speed alone was enough to prevent most enemies from even contemplating resistance.He needed to be stronger!He must become stronger!Bang!Bang!Bang, bang, bang!Dense collision sounds exploded like firecrackers."Developing a Devil Fruit ability to its extreme is itself a path to power, you know."Kizaru's voice still held that infuriatingly slow cadence, but his attacks grew even more ferocious.After their bodies flashed and collided a dozen more times across the ruins of the auction house, Kizaru seemed to realize that close-quarters combat was not to his advantage, and his figure suddenly transformed into a stream of light, instantly ascending high into the sky, escaping Luffy's attack range.He crossed his hands in front of his chest, forming an 'OK' gesture, his fingertips pointed at Luffybelow.A heart-pounding light shimmered at his fingertips.Yata no Kagami!In an instant, countless dazzling light bullets, like a rain of light scattered by a mythical deity, densely and overwhelmingly covered the area where Luffywas located below, indiscriminately!Each light bullet contained terrifying energy capable of destroying a warship!The range was so vast that it almost covered half the sky."Luffy!"Nami couldn't help but exclaim.Even believing in Luffy's strength, that destructive rain of light was still terrifying.Luffy below, however, grinned.Nika!He roared, his body instantly changing form, his skin and hair turning pure white, steam-like clouds swirling around him, and his Straw Hat and clothes seemingly imbued with life-like elasticity and freedom.Gear 5: Nika Form!He instantly entered Gear 5: Nika Form from Gear Second Plus.White, Gum-Gum Gatling!Luffy's arms struck out furiously at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. In an instant, thousands of white arm afterimages seemed to fill the sky.His arms swung frantically at a speed beyond the limits of human vision, so fast they seemed to vanish, replaced by countless white meteor-like shockwaves that flew upwards, precisely meeting the pouring rain of light!Boom, boom, boom!Dense explosions resounded through the sky, golden light bullets and white shockwaves collided in mid-air, shattering the clouds.The dazzling light and deafening roar made the entire Sabaody Archipelago tremble."Oh,"Kizaru pouted, drawing out his words, his playful expression finally receding a little. "Is this the special form Aokiji mentioned? How terrifying, Straw Hat."When experts clash, one test is enough to know.Previous intelligence was merely on paper, still carrying some doubt, but now it seemed Aokiji's report was not only accurate but perhaps even conservative!This kid was a real tough nut to crack!Now experiencing it firsthand, he truly realized how difficult this rookie pirate was.How could this be a rookie who had just entered the second half of the Grand Line?This level of strength, this application of abilities, was already enough to stir up trouble in the New World.The aerial bombardment continued, but Kizaru's goal was clearly not to fight Luffy to the death.The moment Yata no Kagami was completely blocked by Luffy, and before the smoke from the explosions had fully dispersed, his body suddenly elementalized, transforming into a stream of light, attempting to bypass Luffy and rush towards the three Celestial Dragons guarded by Zoro and Rayleigh."I was expecting that!"Zoro sneered, applying slight pressure with his wado ichimonji against Saint Charlos's neck. A line of blood immediately appeared, and the intense pain made Saint Charlos, who had been temporarily silenced by fear, scream like a pig again.And Dark King Rayleigh, at some unknown point, had subtly shifted a step, positioning himself directly in front of Kizaru's path. Although he hadn't attacked, his mountain-like steady aura was already an invisible warning."Don't move, Kizaru," Rayleigh said with a slight smile.The stream of light that was Kizaru abruptly halted not far in front of Rayleigh, re-forming into his human shape. He glanced at the murderous Zoro, then at the calm and composed Rayleigh, and finally his gaze fell on Luffy, who had, at some unknown moment, once again blocked his direct path. Kizaru helplessly spread his hands:"Whoa, whoa, whoa, isn't this a bit underhanded? Threatening with hostages isn't the style of a strong person, you know.""Do you think we don't know what you're thinking?"Luffy shook his arms, which were slightly hot from the high-speed attacks, white steam swirling around him. "Save the hostages, and then you can freely gang up on us, right?"Even without Zoro and Rayleigh, Luffy would never let him succeed.The instant Kizaru moved, Luffy had already predicted his actions. The extreme elasticity and speed granted by Nika Form allowed him to arrive first, his fist, wreathed in black and red lightning, once again slamming towards Kizaru's face.This time, the fist contained not just Armament Haki, but also a heart-pounding deterrent.Conquerors Haki Infusion!Kizaru's pupils contracted slightly; the speed of his elementalization couldn't quite keep up with the incoming fist!He hastily crossed his arms in front of him to block, brilliant golden light coalescing.Boom!Fist met golden light, erupting in an impact even stronger than before.A portion of Kizaru's golden light form was forcibly scattered. Although the main body quickly re-coalesced on the other side, his figure clearly stumbled, losing its previous composure.He patted non-existent dust from his suit, straightened up, and when he looked at Luffyagain, his gaze had completely changed."These rookies nowadays are truly terrifying, really scary,"He still spoke in his slow cadence, but the teasing tone was much diminished. "Is it Conquerors Haki Infusion right from the start?"Kizaru was close to losing his composure.