"Oh my, oh my…"
Kizaru tilted his head, a faintly sleazy smile spreading across his face as he feigned surprise.
"What terrifying rookie pirates… this kind of presence… young people these days really are more monstrous than the last."
"If it weren't for those old men up top forcing me to come here—saying I had to deal with you troublesome 'elements'…"
"And retrieve those annoying Pluton blueprints while I'm at it… this old man really wouldn't want to risk his life fighting monsters like you."
Kizaru's arrival instantly froze the battlefield that had been boiling moments before.
"Admiral Kizaru…"
Dark red lightning crackled sharply along Ronan's spear.
He glanced at Luffy. Their eyes met—both burning with resolve and battle-hungry intensity.
"Oh my… this kind of pressure… and you're just rookies?"
Kizaru spoke lazily, that unreadable smirk still on his lips.
"I can even feel the air trembling… how scary~"
As his voice fell, the deafening roar of the waterfall seemed to vanish in an instant.
Ronan and Zoro stood side by side.
Two completely different, yet equally domineering auras surged skyward.
Ronan's spear trembled faintly in his grip. Under the pressure of an Admiral, the long-awaited system notification echoed once more—
The fivefold training multiplier had activated again.
Lightning condensed along the spear into near-liquid energy.
Beside him, Zoro drew all three swords.
Jet-black Armament Haki intertwined with razor-sharp sword intent, his aura exploding outward.
"So this is… an Admiral."
Ronan's voice was low as his Observation Haki reached its limit, tracking the photons drifting through the air.
"Zoro—don't blink. His attacks… are true light speed."
"Light, huh?"
Zoro grinned viciously.
"Then let's see if my blades can cut it."
"Well then…"
Kizaru's lazy voice echoed—
"Speed is weight. Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
Before the words even finished—
His body dissolved into blinding particles.
"Yata Mirror!"
A golden beam refracted instantly through the battlefield.
Not for movement—
But to calculate the perfect angle of attack.
Seven reflections.
Final target—
Ronan's blind spot.
To normal perception, it was a single flash.
But in Ronan's heightened awareness—
Time fractured.
He saw the light gathering.
Saw Kizaru's yellow shoe breaking through space.
"Left rear—thirty degrees!"
Ronan roared.
His body twisted violently, the air exploding around him.
Without even turning—
His spear swept backward in a crimson arc, driven by the torque of his entire body!
At the same instant—
Zoro appeared behind him like a phantom.
Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri crossed in an X, sealing that point in space.
"Three-Sword Style—Oni Giri!"
"Xingyi Thirteen Spear—Turning Split!"
BOOM—!!!
Golden light collided with lightning-wrapped steel and pitch-black blades.
The flash blinded the battlefield.
Then—
A shockwave powerful enough to overturn the entire courthouse exploded outward.
Marble tiles vaporized instantly.
Nearby soldiers didn't even have time to scream before being blasted away, coughing blood.
Kizaru was sent flying over ten meters before stabilizing midair.
For the first time—
The laziness in his eyes faded slightly.
"…You actually caught it?"
He murmured.
"That Observation Haki… is something else."
"But this level of power…"
Ronan stepped forward, spear erupting into a storm of thrusts.
"…isn't enough to take our lives!"
Each strike tore through the air with low-frequency sonic booms, lightning detonating with every motion.
Zoro followed close behind.
His three blades became a green tempest, each slash targeting the core of Kizaru's elemental form.
"Ama no Murakumo Sword."
Kizaru raised his hands.
A blade of pure light formed instantly.
Golden sword met black steel and gleaming edges—
Thousands of clashes erupted across the courthouse platform.
Each collision birthed miniature explosions.
Ronan fought with overwhelming force, using his indestructible body to tank Kizaru's laser shots, creating openings.
Zoro slipped through beams like a fish through water, his haki-infused strikes cutting into the intangible.
Their coordination—
Seamless.
For a brief moment—
They suppressed an Admiral.
The courthouse began collapsing under the strain.
Columns shattered.
Debris turned to dust before reaching the center of battle.
"S-so strong…"
Usopp collapsed to the ground, trembling.
All he could see was a streak of golden light clashing against two blurred figures.
Every impact made his heart feel like it would burst.
Nami gripped her staff tightly, ready at any moment.
She knew—
At this level, even the aftershocks could kill.
Robin stood in the shadows, her gaze locked onto the flashing figure of light.
The fear that once froze her heart—
Shattered completely.
Replaced by a blazing warmth.
"So this is… my crew."
Her eyes grew slightly moist.
"My, my… young people these days really aren't cute at all."
Kizaru reassembled from light particles atop the half-collapsed spire.
Behind his tinted glasses, his gaze turned cold.
"A body like this… can't simply be called 'tough.'"
"It's more like… a form of evolution."
He slowly raised his right leg.
It transformed into blinding gold.
"If I don't get a little serious… not only will I fail to retrieve the Pluton blueprints—"
"This old man's reputation will be left behind on this island as well."
Sunlight and mist formed a rainbow in the sky—
But Kizaru's radiance dyed it gold.
"Ronan… Zoro…"
From behind, Luffy's voice rang out—low and commanding.
"He's getting serious."
"…Now it's my turn."
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