'This is why I hate opponents who can use Observation Haki.' Cyrus tilted his head, looking at Kizaru, who had reformed his body again.
'Mastering a Logia-type ability and being proficient in Observation Haki makes one incredibly difficult to deal with, unless one masters a higher level of Observation Haki to make it impossible for the opponent to read your movements, or if your speed is simply fast enough.'
So thought Cyrus, whose fully unleashed Observation Haki covered more than a dozen groves of the Sabaody Archipelago.
Raising his hand, Cyrus swung his sword to send out several slashes, and the targets of these slashes were the piled-up Celestial Dragons.
Kizaru, who had just reformed his body, sensed Cyrus's move, and with a feeling of helplessness, the Admiral could only move to intercept.
Boom!
On the ground between Cyrus and the pile of Celestial Dragons, magma erupted as Akainu, whose lower body had completely turned to molten rock, threw a punch.
The giant magma fist, infused with Armament Haki, smashed toward the flying slashes.
Swish!
Just as Akainu threw his punch, Cyrus's figure appeared before him, raising the bright blade in his hand and slashing down fiercely.
Akainu's face was grim as he raised his arm, which was condensed from magma and infused with Armament Haki.
But with another swish, the thick arm wrapped in Haki was severed by a single slash.
The cut was smooth and bright, revealing the scorching magma within.
Even though his elemental arm was cut off, Akainu's expression barely changed as he swept his left arm, now a newly formed magma limb toward Cyrus.
Swish!
Another bright flash of the blade cut through the air, and the thick arm swinging at Cyrus was once again severed.
Cyrus flipped his blade, reversing the edge for an upward slash aimed at Akainu's chest, and if this strike landed, judging by its ability to sever an Armament-infused elemental limb, it would surely gut Akainu!
Boom!
A laser beam shot from behind, piercing straight through Akainu's body to strike Cyrus squarely in the chest.
The tip of the blade only grazed Akainu's chest as Cyrus was knocked back by the blow, creating distance between them.
"You really know how to pick your moments, Admiral Kizaru!"
After steadying himself, Cyrus didn't press the attack, instead looking at Kizaru, who stood a short distance behind Akainu.
Just now, Kizaru had blocked the slash Cyrus had sent out, then fired a beam that went right through Akainu's body.
Akainu now had a large hole in his chest, but magma was dripping from within the cavity, showing he was evidently unharmed by his comrade's attack.
In contrast, the tip of Cyrus's blade had left a conspicuous wound on Akainu, slicing open the Admiral's uniform suit to reveal a charred, bloody gash diagonally across his chest.
"Can't be helped. You're just too strong!" Kizaru squinted at Cyrus, still astonished by the attack the man had just unleashed.
Cyrus's strength had grown again, much more than when they first clashed, and moreover, the Admirals had to worry about the Celestial Dragons.
If it weren't for the nobles, the two wouldn't have to hold back and things might be much easier, or at the very least, they wouldn't be suppressed by Cyrus like they were now.
Especially that last slash.
Kizaru could tell that Akainu could have dodged it in advance, but he chose not to, because if he had dodged, it would have been very difficult to intercept the flying slash that would have shot from the blade toward the hostages.
He could see it, and naturally, so could Akainu.
Feeling the sharp pain and scorching heat in his chest, Akainu's expression remained unchanged with his eyes locked on Cyrus.
Ever since eating the Magma-Magma Fruit, he had forgotten what being burned felt like.
But that last slash, infused with Conqueror's Haki, carried a searing power that was eroding his body, and if he weren't a magma fruit user, just a slight touch from that blade would have likely carbonized most of his internal organs.
"Be careful. This guy's power is abnormal. He might have unlocked some kind of weird power, but it shouldn't last long," Akainu warned Kizaru without turning his head.
"I'm not letting my guard down even for a second."
The moment Kizaru finished speaking, his body suddenly split apart as a slash cut diagonally across his chest, and only after the blade's light flashed did Cyrus's body emerge from the flames right beside Kizaru.
"Hellhound!" Akainu roared, his magma-condensed arm shooting toward the revealed Cyrus to target not just him but the space around him as well.
"Yasakaninomagatama!" Kizaru, though split in two, formed "OK" signs with both hands to launch his attack, which usually looked more like a harmless light show, but this time, it was quite accurate.
Cyrus swung his sword to block the incoming magma fist and used his Elemental Transformation to evade the barrage of light bullets.
'Akainu is right about one thing: I can't maintain this state for long,' Cyrus thought.
That was what happened when you couldn't replenish your health quickly, so he avoided taking hits whenever possible, knowing that getting hit meant an extra deduction from his health pool.
...
The three figures became three afterimages within a small area as all sorts of attacks flew in every direction.
Some attacks headed toward the Celestial Dragons, forcing Kizaru and Akainu to block them.
And because of this, Cyrus was clearly suppressing the two Marine Admirals on the battlefield.
He forced them onto the defensive, even leaving them somewhat overwhelmed, a fact that was apparent not only to strong people like Rayleigh and Hawkeye watching the battle, but also to those watching the broadcast who could discern the details.
At Marine Headquarters, Sengoku stared at the projected screen with a grave expression and said nothing.
Cyrus's combat power was somewhat beyond his imagination, and although the Fleet Admiral had already considered Cyrus to be strong.
The man had fought Aokiji and Kizaru before without showing such overwhelming power.
But now, the power Cyrus displayed was in no way inferior to two Admirals.
"He's growing too fast," Vice Admiral Tsuru said, her face visibly serious.
"Indeed. I didn't expect this to happen with both Kizaru and Akainu there," Sengoku said with a frown, feeling a sense of regret in his heart.
If he had known, he would have forcibly brought Cyrus back to Marine Headquarters right after finding him.
Because at that time, according to Garp, although Cyrus's strength was decent, it was far from its current level.
"He has already mastered that Conqueror's Haki technique, making it very difficult to restrain him in the future. You need to make a decision now on whether to take him down at all costs," Tsuru reminded him as she turned to look at Sengoku.
Sengoku didn't speak upon hearing her words, as he didn't know if Cyrus would listen to what he had said when he contacted him.
The existence of the Celestial Dragons was special, and if they were truly injured or killed, then Cyrus would cross a point of no return.
"Tell those World Government agents to go in and get those guys out of there," Sengoku said in a deep voice after some thought.
Upon hearing this, the Marine messenger immediately saluted and hurried away, knowing that while few could intervene in the battlefield now.
Those CP agents were originally tasked with protecting the Celestial Dragons.
...
Spandine received Sengoku's message, but his eyes remained glued to the projected image in the distance.
He was afraid of death and didn't dare to get close, but he knew that his son's disappearance was related to Cyrus.
"Go. If you get a chance, kill him," Spandine ordered, knowing that as the current director of CP9, he had considerable forces at his disposal.
And the World Government's agent organizations were not without their own powerhouses.
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