"!!!"
Even Kizaru, known for his aloof and unflappable demeanor, couldn't hide the shock on his face after Yemu's question—his expression froze in disbelief.
Enel, however, didn't seem to care. He looked toward Kizaru in the distance and commented casually,
"He sure loves causing a scene… but I'll give him this — a guy with power like that definitely deserves a spot in the Sky Pirates."
Kizaru, now back to his senses, grew noticeably serious.
"What a shame... I couldn't care less about being a pirate... but capturing the two of you? Now that, I'm very interested in."
As he spoke, golden light shimmered in his hand—Ama no Murakumo reappeared.
"Too bad..."
Yemu twirled Shishimaru lightly, then turned to Enel.
"This time's mine."
Enel looked mildly annoyed, but he knew full well—if he went one-on-one with the Marine in front of them, he'd lose. The earlier power clash had already proven that much.
Yemu, though... maybe.
"Fine, but next time, it's my turn."
"No problem. Just stay alert—make sure no one interferes with my fight."
"You got it."
The moment the words left his mouth, Enel's figure vanished, flashing out of the battlefield.
Kizaru watched him leave with a trace of dissatisfaction and muttered under his breath,
"Oh? A 1v1... So they're underestimating me now..."
Yemu clearly heard him. He raised Shishimaru before him, narrowed his eyes, and his aura surged upward. Smiling, he replied,
"No... not underestimation—this is respect."
"Oh?"
Kizaru's eyes narrowed as he felt the mounting pressure from Yemu's presence. His expression grew serious.
"In that case... I'll return the respect."
As he finished speaking, his body vanished in a flash of golden light—disappearing from view.
Almost simultaneously, Yemu caught a glint in his peripheral vision and glanced up. Kizaru had already appeared above him, sword raised high, swinging Ama no Murakumo down.
Yemu met the strike head-on.
"Incredible speed... but that won't hit me."
"Clang!"
Black steel met light. Shishimaru and Ama no Murakumo collided with a violent crash, sending flames and golden sparks flying. The deck beneath them erupted with holes, and the already battered warship crumbled even further.
"Oh... frightening indeed... So young, yet you managed to withstand my strike."
"You sure like to downplay things... Marine, your strength is nothing less than mine."
To be precise, Yemu could feel it—Kizaru's power was currently above his.
But that was only natural. Not only was Kizaru nearly a decade older, but he also had far more combat experience and strength built up over time. If Yemu could surpass him this easily, then the Marines' future Admirals would be a joke.
Still, the gap wasn't so great that Kizaru could overwhelm him just through brute force.
After that initial exchange, neither backed down. Both gripped their swords in both hands, launching strike after strike.
In an instant, the deck blazed with red fire and golden light. Each clash shook the air itself, sending shockwaves that tore the warship apart and churned the surrounding sea into towering waves.
Kizaru could afford to waste time clashing blade for blade—but Yemu couldn't.
His goal in this fight wasn't to win.
It was to test his current strength—figure out where he truly stood in the hierarchy of this world.
So he abruptly abandoned the sword duel. Seizing the brief moment they broke apart, Yemu swung both hands wide—
—and a massive wall of flames burst into view before him.
"Yasaka no Magatama..."
As Yemu spoke, the flames rapidly condensed into a fiery chain, each link bearing a massive crimson magatama. Like a meteor hammer, it whirled through the air, crashing toward Kizaru.
This was one of Yemu's favorite techniques, learned from the world of Naruto. Not only could he control it freely, but the chain-like formation could bind his enemies. The real power, however, lay in the burning red magatama—flame-forged and deadly.
Kizaru didn't dare take it lightly. He could feel the intense heat radiating from the magatama, and if they exploded, even elemental transformation wouldn't spare him the damage.
He leapt into the air to evade the attack—but the magatama followed.
"Interesting..."
In an instant, he clasped his hands together. Blinding golden light burst from his body and scattered into countless particles.
"Yata no Kagami!"
A barrage of radiant light bullets rained down on the flaming magatama without pause.
"Boom..."
The explosion thundered across the sky, sending violent gales sweeping outward.
Golden beams tore through the dense smoke, streaking straight toward Yemu on the deck.
This wasn't the sloppy fire seen in the Marineford war—Kizaru's shots now were frighteningly precise. Each glowing sphere locked on Yemu, not one veering off course or striking the unconscious Marines.
"And they say there's nothing shady going on here..."
Yemu muttered to himself, but his movements didn't falter.
Whether it was Enel's Goro Goro no Mi or Kizaru's Pika Pika no Mi, both possessed terrifying penetrating power.
And that kind of raw force couldn't be taken head-on—not even with Armament Haki coating his entire body.
All Yemu could do was continuously dodge and reposition, his hands staying busy.
The Mera Mera no Mi had two main traits: combustion and explosion.
Combustion generated heat, while explosion delivered impact.
Against sluggish opponents, fire worked well—but for someone like Kizaru, fast and elusive, only explosive force could land a blow.
And with attacks this piercing, mere heat was no defense. Explosion was the only answer.
Amplifying explosive power was simple in principle—absorb enough heat.
As Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama clashed with Yemu's offense, both dodged and countered relentlessly. At this level of combat, it wasn't about reflexes anymore—it was a contest of Observation Haki.
Kizaru, though still young and not yet the Admiral who would one day face two Yonkō at once, was already a Vice Admiral with combat power bordering Admiral level. His mastery of Observation Haki was refined to near perfection.
Yet now, his Haki couldn't even track the pirate in front of him.
Which meant—this pirate's Observation Haki was at least on par with his own.
"...He's mastered it too... and with such finesse... Are all the rookies monsters these days...?"
At this point, Kizaru had abandoned any hope of capturing Yemu or Enel.
Logia users were already rare—and this crew had two. Not just any two, but the wielders of the Goro Goro no Mi and the Mera Mera no Mi, two of the most powerful Logia.
And now—on top of that—advanced Observation Haki.
Then, Kizaru's Haki pulsed with a warning.
Something wasn't right.
He turned in the direction of the threat—only to see Yemu flying straight at him, weaving through the storm of light bullets with the power of the Mera Mera no Mi.
In Yemu's hand spun a fireball, seething like molten lava, its color a deep, glowing red-black.
"Take this... Great Flame Rasengan!"