Chapter 296: The Power of a God
At the edge of the Red Line, Marine Admiral Kizaru, transformed into a golden flash of light, refracted through the sky, moving rapidly toward Mary Geoise. He was so fast he was invisible to the naked eye, a mere golden-yellow streak arcing toward the Red Line's interior.
On the ground below, a slender figure looked up, tracking the golden flash. A torrent of data streamed across its cold, impassive eyes.
"Glint-Glint Fruit..."
"Target Confirmed: Marine Admiral Borsalino - Codename: Kizaru."
The robot, an Ex-Machina, transmitted the information.
The next second, Green Blood surged through the Ex-Machina's arm. A rift opened behind its back, and its small but heavy body floated backward, vanishing into the portal.
"..."
Hundreds of kilometers away, high above a river, a Haki-infused slash tore through the air, aimed at the golden light's path.
Just as the slash was about to connect, the golden flash abruptly stopped, reforming into Kizaru in his yellow-striped suit.
"The Slice-Slice Fruit..." Kizaru hovered, looking at the small, girlish, yet clearly mechanical figure. "If I recall, that's the ability of the famous assassin, Daz Bonez."
"Oh well... Mary Geoise is more important." After a fruitless moment of thought, Kizaru dissolved back into light particles and refracted away, instantly bypassing the robot.
However, a new portal opened directly in front of him, and the same familiar figure stepped out.
"The Space-Space Fruit..." Cold sweat trickled down Kizaru's forehead, his expression turning grim. "So the mysterious Space-Space Fruit user... is a robot? Then how can that guy use it?"
As Kizaru watched, the green device on the robot's arm bubbled, and its arms instantly morphed into gleaming, sharp blades.
The small but dangerous figure ignited its thrusters, rocketing toward Kizaru and unleashing a flurry of deadly slashes.
"It changed back to the Slice-Slice Fruit..." Kizaru dodged, his brow furrowing. Not only that, but the robot's high-speed movements... he even saw a shadow of Louis's flight style in them.
"What is the deal with this robot?"
Kizaru's eyes turned cold. He sidestepped a blade, his body dissolving into light particles and reappearing hundreds of meters away. He faced the robot's back, raised his arm, and, before it could turn, fired a terrifying laser.
"Swoosh—."
The golden beam instantly punched through the robot's chest, melting a large, glowing hole in its torso before striking the Red Line below, triggering a massive, semi-circular explosion.
The robot, its beautiful face serene, transmitted a final burst of data. Its eyes dimmed, and it fell from the sky. Its heavy body crashed onto the Red Line, kicking up a plume of dust.
"..."
At the same time, high above the Red Line, closer to Paradise...
Identical figures materialized in the sky. As the Marines who were en route to Mary Geoise watched in horror, the figures raised their palms and aimed.
Beep... Beep... Beep...
A golden light, like a dazzling cross, bloomed in each of their hands.
"Apocrypha: Laser."
The Marine officers' faces went pale, their limbs trembling. "How is that possible?! That's Admiral Kizaru's ability!"
Back at Kizaru's location, he looked down at the robot's wreckage, which was crackling with electricity and about to explode. His brow unfurrowed. He prepared to resume his journey.
But in the next instant, a lethal sense of crisis flared from behind him. A gleaming blade slashed at his neck.
"What?!"
Kizaru's face changed. He twisted, accelerating his elementalization. The blade cut through his skin, drawing a spray of red blood just before his neck turned to light, causing the blade to pass harmlessly through.
"That's..." He reappeared hundreds of meters away, looking back. A new robot, identical to the one he'd just destroyed, was holding a finishing pose. It looked up, revealing the same face.
Kizaru, using Life Return to close the bleeding wound on his neck, glanced at the sparking wreckage below.
"I see. They're the same series of robot."
His confusion cleared, replaced by understanding. Now that he knew... this would be simple.
But just as he prepared to destroy this new one, the sky changed again.
Dozens of irregular black cracks spread across the heavens. They all opened at once, revealing nearly two hundred identical, shimmering portals. From them, two hundred identical figures slowly floated out.
The sight of so many identical faces, identical bodies, surrounding him in the sky gave Kizaru a profound sense of unease.
"..."
The hundreds of figures surrounding him raised their arms. The Green Blood in their devices churned.
"Apocrypha: Spatial Distortion."
In an instant, an invisible wave of spatial power swept over him, trapping him. An unimaginable, twisting, crushing force descended, distorting his body, making it impossible to hold his human form. He was forced back into his elemental light-form.
"They... all... have this power?"
Kizaru, as scattered light, looked at the army of robots, his confusion returning. Why did they all have the Space-Space Fruit? And the Slice-Slice Fruit?
Suddenly, he noticed the green, ring-like devices on their arms. "That thing... could it be... the 'Green Blood' that Sentomaru and Vegapunk mentioned? The synthetic Paramecia ability?"
"But... isn't that technology still under development by Vegapunk? How does someone else have it?"
Realizing the ability wasn't having much effect on his light-form, Kizaru broke free of the distorted space. He formed his Ama no Murakumo sword and slashed at one of the robots. After seeing their teleportation abilities, he temporarily gave up on reaching Mary Geoise.
He had to destroy these things first. For one, robots with spatial-movement abilities were extremely dangerous. If they reached the Holy Land, the consequences would be dire. For another, he sensed that with them here, he'd never make it to the battle anyway.
In the sky, the Ex-Machinas' eyes flooded with data. Their long-range spatial attacks were ineffective. A new plan formulated.
"Engage: [Life]."
"Requesting use of: [Feather]."
A golden light flared on one Ex-Machina and spread to all the others. As Kizaru's light-sword descended, the Light of Life was blooming on every unit.
Mechanical plates on their backs shifted, extending forward to envelop their arms, transforming them into gleaming lances. Golden light bloomed.
Deep within each Ex-Machina, a single, pale-golden feather began to crackle with black-red lightning, which then wreathed the lances.
"Apocrypha: Lance that Shines at the End—"
"This is—" Kizaru's eyes widened, a horrific memory surfacing. "This familiar... ability..."
"Louis's Conqueror's Haki... and... the legendary Haki storage technology!"
Hundreds of lances, all crackling with black-red lightning, blossomed in the sky, dimming the very heavens. Looking at the approaching danger, Kizaru felt his old wounds throb. The scene from years ago played out in his mind.
These lances were a pale imitation of the original. But there were hundreds of them, and they could teleport. Kizaru's vigilance was at its absolute maximum. Even if the attack was a tenth of Louis's, the Haki was real. If he got hit, it would be catastrophic.
The next second, the Ex-Machina vanished. They reappeared, swarming him from every possible angle, their data-linked hive-mind tracking his every move. Two hundred lances struck at his vital points.
Kizaru, his face dead serious, dissolved into light, refracting wildly, dodging the lances that screamed "death."
He knew about Haki storage. Vegapunk had mentioned it. Stored Haki was notoriously difficult to maintain and, once released, would dissipate quickly. All he had to do was hold out... just long enough for them to run out of charge.
Mary Geoise. Nearly twenty minutes after the fall of Impel Down.
The once-majestic Holy Land was a smoldering ruin. Fire, smoke, and the sounds of screaming and slaughter were everywhere.
In the hidden Flower Room, Imu looked at the massive cracks in the walls, at the dust settling on the flowers, and its crimson-ringed eyes narrowed.
"..."
"You trash. How long will it take you to eradicate the ants infesting the Holy Land?"
Imu's voice, filled with intense displeasure and impatience, echoed in the minds of the fighting Elders.
Their faces paled. They redoubled their attacks, replying respectfully, "Lord Imu, we are finishing them now!"
Saturn, in his Gyuki form, landed a fatal blow on a group of prisoners.
"I will finish this overconfident fool and support the others!" Nusjuro roared, his Shodai Kitetsu, wreathed in Haki and ice, mercilessly cutting bloody wounds into the Red Count.
Just then, Shamrock's voice cut in. "The Celestial Dragon residences are clear."
Shamrock, standing in a field of corpses, flicked the blood from his blade and turned to leave. His speed only made the Five Elders feel more pressured.
In the sky, Marcus Mars, circling Mary Geoise, was sweating. The others were at least killing intruders. His "easy" search mission had yielded nothing.
He knew what was coming.
Imu's voice echoed in his and Junko's minds. "Marcus. Junko. Have you found the masterminds?"
On the ground, Junko replied honestly, "Apologies, Lord Imu. I have found nothing."
Marcus Mars flapped his wings, his sharp eyes scanning everything, but he, too, had no trace. "I have found no sign of them—"
Imu's displeasure was palpable. "Worthless." The thought of executing them flashed through Imu's mind, but they were irreplaceable. "What use are you?"
"Lord Imu, please calm your anger—" the Elders pleaded, terrified of being "replaced."
"..."
In the Flower Room, Imu looked up, its gaze seeming to pierce the very stone of Pangea Castle. "All of you, leave the Holy Land. Scour the earth and find the masterminds!"
"But Lord Imu, the Holy Land..."
"Mu shall demonstrate... the power of a god!"
Imu's crimson eyes widened, and a terrifying, world-ending blast of Conqueror's Haki erupted from the throne
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