Whoosh—
Golden lasers flashed continuously, arriving above the dock in just a few breaths.
The light spots gathered and reformed, and Kizaru's figure condensed in mid-air.
"How lucky I am, I still caught up."
He looked down at The End just as it was about to dive into the deep sea and locked eyes with Shano standing at the bow.
"You guys go ahead. I'll meet you later," Shano ordered his crew before stepping into the air with Moonwalk and rising to the sky.
"Hey, Kizaru."
He grinned with his hands in his pockets and took the initiative to greet him. "It's been almost three months since we last met."
"It has indeed been a while, little monster… You're terrifying. Last time, you even faked your death and fooled me. I got scolded by the Marshal for that," Kizaru smiled lazily as golden light condensed at his fingertip. "Now you're making a scene again—do you still think you can leave swaggering like last time?"
Buzz!
A burst of golden light shot out instantly from his finger, splitting into countless beams that poured toward Shano like a golden rainstorm!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosions erupted one after another as golden blasts filled the sky. The viewers subconsciously closed their eyes from the brightness.
When they opened them again, the light had dispersed.
The black-haired youth was still floating in the air, hands in pockets, unscathed and unmoved.
"...Didn't even feel a thing."
Shano glanced down at himself and sneered. "This kind of tickling attack doesn't even need Haki. Stop embarrassing yourself, Kizaru. Use your full strength. Let me see what you've got when you're not relying on sneak attacks like last time!"
He didn't lower his voice—the challenge echoed clearly across the island and even reached the screens of the live broadcast.
An arrogant tone.
Someone standing calmly in front of a Navy Admiral?
And what did he say... sneak attack?
The official reports never mentioned that. Was the last 'victory' a sneak attack by an Admiral?
For a moment, whether on-site or watching through the broadcast, everyone held their breath, not daring to blink.
In the sky—
Kizaru maintained his lazy appearance, but behind his sunglasses, his gaze grew somber.
Not only had Shano's words publicly hurt his reputation—what really shocked him was Shano's physical toughness…
No Haki, no Devil Fruit.
Just his body alone could withstand the basic laser blast?
Not even a scratch?
"What a terrifying growth rate... Seems you've gotten a lot stronger in the past three months."
Kizaru clasped his palms together. When he pulled them apart, golden light formed a glowing blade—his signature technique, the Lightsaber.
"If ordinary attacks don't work..."
He suddenly vanished, appearing right in front of Shano. His glowing blade sliced down!
"Then try this!"
"Perfect timing!"
Shano grinned, finally pulling out his right hand. His fingers clenched tightly, coated in pitch-black Haki, and he met the blade head-on.
Boom!
A dull explosion echoed across the coastline, sending violent shockwaves that rocked dozens of ships in the harbor.
In midair, the two clashed again and again—one punch after another, one slash after the next. Violent, intense, but refined.
Even those who couldn't track their movements could feel the killing intent erupting like a storm.
"...Close combat? Not inferior to me?"
The more Kizaru fought, the darker his expression became.
The kid's overall strength was just slightly below his own—but not by much.
Whether it was Haki or physical skill, this boy was fighting on equal footing.
The thought of defeating him quickly faded like a fantasy.
He recalled what Akainu had told him after the Tor Island failure: "That kid has some kind of mysterious ability to instantly return to peak condition. If he didn't have that, he could've been taken down within half an hour."
It sounded honest, and Kizaru had no reason to doubt Akainu.
But now—
With how strong Shano had become, how could he possibly be taken down in half an hour?
A solo fight might last a whole day and night.
If Shano wanted to escape, as a Devil Fruit user, Kizaru had no way to stop him.
Fortunately…
This time was different. It was the Navy's last chance to take him out in Paradise, and the Sabaody Archipelago was close to HQ.
So another admiral had been dispatched—
"Huh?"
Shano seemed to notice something. He punched Kizaru back, then looked toward the distant sea.
A thin ice path barely visible to the naked eye stretched across the surface, and on it was a figure approaching rapidly—riding a bicycle.
"...Well, well."
Shano raised an eyebrow, sneering. "The Navy sure thinks highly of me. Anyone watching might think I'm one of the Four Emperors."
"You're not there yet—but close enough."
Kizaru replied faintly. "You're half the age of Red-Hair, and your potential is frightening. Hard to sleep at night thinking about it."
As he spoke, he slashed again.
Even if one admiral couldn't bring Shano down, he only needed to stall until Aokiji arrived and used Ice Age—
Even if Shano tried to dive into the sea immediately, it wouldn't be easy to escape.
Then, with a two-on-one siege, the outcome would be simple: death or capture.
But to his surprise...
Swish!
Instead of escaping, Shano shot upward, appearing right in Kizaru's face.
"Oi."
The black-haired boy grinned inches from him, his smile arrogant and wild:
"Have you... ever been kicked by Conqueror's Haki?"
BOOM!
Black and red lightning exploded in Kizaru's vision!
Shano had been charging up this move the whole time. All his remaining Haki, compressed and compressed again, was focused into his right leg!
The terrifying aura made the rain bend away, hanging upside down as if gravity reversed.
The storm-dark sky dimmed even further—
Not good!
Kizaru's pupils shrank. He instinctively tried to dodge using his Logia form—but Shano's Haki had locked onto him and suppressed his ability to transform!
BOOOOM—!!!
The right leg, glowing like a demonic axe wrapped in pitch-black and crimson lightning, swung out like an angry dragon and slammed into Kizaru's face!
CRACK!
His iconic sunglasses shattered into countless shards.
Kizaru's face twisted grotesquely. Then—
BANG!
His body shot across the sea like a golden meteor. The speed nearly matched his own travel speed. The air split apart with sonic booms, and the Haki's aftershock left a long tail of red-black flame in the sky.
"Pfft!"
Kizaru coughed blood. A golden glow flickered on his body, but he couldn't fully elementize. The kick had landed.
Just as he was about to crash into the sea, a figure appeared—
Aokiji had just dismounted his bicycle and was about to launch himself forward with Moonwalk. Suddenly, a golden blur rushed toward him.
"Huh?"
He looked up, startled. Before he could react, Kizaru smashed into him like a cannonball.
All he could do was reflexively freeze the ocean surface with his Devil Fruit powers to form a landing zone.
BOOM!!!
The ice field exploded, and both Admirals—along with the bicycle—rolled all the way to the shore of Grove No. 24. The entire island shook, mangroves swayed, and dust billowed.
"Cough, cough..."
After rolling apart, Kizaru got up holding his face. He didn't even brush off the dust before turning into a laser and flying back into the sky.
But the sea was empty—Shano was gone.
"...Did he dive into the sea?"
Aokiji walked over and scratched his messy hair. "Sorry, Borsalino. Looks like I was a bit late."
"This isn't on you. I underestimated him," Kizaru gritted his teeth. "Didn't think he'd go all out on me after seeing you coming..."
That grin Shano gave him right before kicking... That was the face of someone who planned everything.
Even if the damage wasn't severe—his face was swollen. Back at HQ, people would see it.
Worse, the live broadcast Den Den Mushi caught everything. Who knows how many people saw it?
Back at the cliffside—
"Let's report to HQ," Aokiji sighed, looking at his mangled bicycle.
"That brat didn't die and even made this a statement, using Rayleigh as a stepping stone to announce his return. Now he's escaped right under our noses... Sengoku's going to be furious."
Kizaru said nothing for a while, then finally nodded gloomily:
"You make the call. I'll go to Grove No. 1 to meet up with Kaji. Shano's gone, but if we can catch another big name, it might save some face."
"Rayleigh? Got it."
…
Grove No. 13, Rip-off Bar.
A crude screen hung in the bar, still receiving the Shampoo broadcast feed.
Xia Qi helped Rayleigh sit down. The screen had frozen—likely due to the overwhelming surge of Conqueror's Haki knocking the Den Den Mushi unconscious.
The frame was frozen on a close-up of Shano kicking Kizaru's face, which was completely distorted.
"…"
Rayleigh's right arm was wrapped in bandages, with blood still seeping through. He stared at the screen and shook his head.
"...Of all moments to freeze. I wanted to see what happened next."
"What else could happen? That kid's arrogant, but not stupid. He wouldn't go toe-to-toe with two Admirals at once."
Xia Qi held a cigarette, glanced at the screen, and smirked:
"This is going to be fun. Kizaru's swollen face will be front page news tomorrow."
Rayleigh chuckled at her priorities but didn't argue. He could already imagine it clearly.
Xia Qi flicked her cigarette ash and added:
"That kid's probably on his way to the New World. No one can stop him now. Just like he said... Times are changing, Rayleigh."
"Why do you sound so excited about that?"
Rayleigh took a swig of his drink, glancing sideways at her.
"I used to be a pirate, sure, but more importantly I was the queen of the Kuja. I care about people. If more guys like that rise up, it's a win for the common folk. As for your 'Great Pirate Era'... I'm not Roger's crewmate, remember?"
Her gaze fell to Rayleigh's bandaged stump, and she sighed. "Still, I'm oddly curious... When you meet Shanks next time, how will that go? ...Wait, you didn't find your arm?"
"No," Rayleigh answered, a bit bitter.
He hadn't planned on reattaching it—just wanted to bury it to honor Hatchan's soul.
But even with peak Observation Haki, he couldn't find it.
It was like the arm had vanished into the storm…
"...Ghostly."
He took another swig of wine.
"What now?"
Xia Qi noticed his bad mood and changed the subject.
"I'll finish this bottle, then I'm gone. The Navy's probably searching for me. Can't stay here long. I'll go see Crocus at the lighthouse and drink with him for a few days."
"Got it." She wiped the counter. "Hurry and leave. I won't see you off."
"Cold woman."
Rayleigh laughed, tucked a few bottles under his cloak, and left.
"...A new generation, huh..."
Xia Qi watched him go, then turned her gaze back to the frozen screen. Kizaru's distorted face covered most of it.
But around the edges, black and red lightning still flickered, and in the center—Shano's wild, laughing face.
"Heh..."
She lit another cigarette and shrugged.
"That kind of stuff is too far removed from me. I'm almost sixty. Who knows if I'll live to see it? What I'm really curious about is—after stirring up this mess, how much will the Navy increase his bounty?"