Kizaru reappeared across the clearing, a rare hint of genuine surprise on his face.
He truly hadn't expected Jozu to block his attack so effortlessly.
The display of power left everyone watching in stunned silence.
Was Jozu really this strong now?
Hmm? Kizaru thought, his mind racing.
Even if the kick didn't injure him, the sheer force should have sent him staggering back.
To not move an inch...
"Hahaha, Kizaru! Try taking this!"
Jozu planted his foot and twisted his torso with explosive force.
The kinetic energy from Kizaru's kick seemed to surge back into his grasp.
A powerful, translucent shockwave enveloped his entire body—the Tremor-Tremor Fruit activated.
"Tremor Impact!"
With a low roar, Jozu unleashed the attack.
The power was not just overwhelming; it carried an indescribable majesty, making the very air seem to bow in its presence.
Witnessing this, Kizaru's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Whaaa?!"
He could clearly see the shimmering white aura radiating from Jozu—the unmistakable power of the Gura Gura no Mi.
An ability that had once belonged solely to Whitebeard himself.
A terrifying thought, one he'd dismissed as impossible until this very second, slammed into him.
"Have you... also become a dual-Devil Fruit user?"
There was no time for an answer.
The unique shockwave of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit surged forth like an unstoppable tide.
With a resounding crack, it tore Kizaru's light-form into countless scattered particles that dispersed into the air before gradually reforming in the distance.
He stared at Jozu, his expression one of utter shock.
When Aokiji had reported the existence of dual-fruit users, Kizaru had scoffed, dismissing it as an excuse to cover his own defeat.
But the scene before him completely shattered his worldview.
It wasn't just Jozu.
It was possible that every single commander present now wielded such power.
A cold dread, entirely unfamiliar to him, crept into his heart.
If that were true, the enemies they now faced were far more formidable than anyone had ever imagined.
"Hahaha! How did that feel, Kizaru?" Jozu taunted. "That's the real power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!"
Kizaru's expression darkened.
He knew that rescuing Saint Charlos today would be nearly impossible.
Then again, Charlos was not that high in the ranking of celestial dragon, there wouldn't be too much blame for the failure.
More importantly, his primary mission was complete.
He had identified the source of the Whitebeard Pirates' sudden evolution: the young man named Ron.
Wait, Kizaru thought, a new ambition taking root in his mind.
What if I could capture him?
If he could seize the secret to granting dual-fruit abilities... he wouldn't just be a mere Admiral.
He would be untouchable.
"Don't think I don't know what you're plotting, Kizaru."
Ron's voice shattered the Admiral's daydream.
"Trying to save this pig? Impossible."
As he spoke, Ron formed a sword-hand and an invisible blade of razor-sharp Haki formed between his fingers.
It exuded a terrifying presence, as if it could slice through anything in existence.
A mere glance at it made one's eyes sting.
"Die." Ron's voice was cold.
He slashed his hand across Charlos's neck in a motion too fast to follow.
No blood sprayed.
There was no sound.
Then, under the stunned gazes of everyone, Saint Charlos's body stiffened and slowly collapsed.
He was dead.
Kizaru fell silent, his expression grim.
His mind raced to identify the technique Ron had just used.
"Are you also a Devil Fruit user?"
Before Ron could answer, Jozu burst into laughter. "Our vice-captain isn't a Devil Fruit user," he mocked.
"He's just an ordinary man. What's wrong, Kizaru? Surprised? The Celestial Dragon is dead. Aren't you going to leave?"
Kizaru's eyes flickered, weighing his options.
Could he forcibly take Ron? Or should he kill him on the spot?
Just then, Jozu gave Ron a subtle nod.
The preparations were complete.
Ron immediately spun around, a look of comical terror on his face.
"I'm done fighting! The Admiral's too scary! No more, no more!" he shouted, turning to flee with exaggerated panic.
His sudden, uncharacteristic retreat disrupted Kizaru's thoughts, forcing him to act.
It was clearly a bait, but it was one he had to take.
"Run? Can you outrun light?!"
Kizaru's body dissolved into a streak of light, about to give chase—
But at that critical moment, the battlefield shifted.
Five more commanders burst from their positions, joining Marco and Jozu to form a seven-point cage around the Admiral, cutting off all escape routes.
In perfect unison, all seven of them slammed their fists forward.
Seven epicenters of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power activated at once, aimed at a single point.
The world seemed to warp.
Space itself cracked and splintered under the impossible pressure.
The air didn't just tremble; it buckled, folding in on the golden light trapped at its center.
"Cough—!"
Kizaru's light-form was violently torn apart, his physical body forcibly ejected from the spatial distortion.
His eyes were wide with shock and confusion as he stared at the seven commanders surrounding him.
"YOU...!"
"So many Tremor-Tremor Fruit users," Kizaru muttered, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and disbelief.
Two more mouthfuls of blood erupted from Kizaru's lips.
The coordinated assault had done more than just stagger him; it had inflicted critical damage.
His body flickered violently between golden light and solid flesh, a desperate, agonizing attempt to mitigate the onslaught of seismic power.
He had to escape.
"Yata no Kagami!" Kizaru extended his hand.
A mirror of pure light formed in his palm before shooting out a brilliant beam.
It ricocheted off the trees and rocks, creating an intricate web of light across the battlefield.
In an instant, Kizaru's body dissolved, harnessing the pathway to move at impossible speeds, attempting to break the encirclement in a series of blinding flashes.
But just as he began to move, a bone-chilling cold struck without warning, so intense it felt as if his very soul was freezing over.
Before he could escape, three more figures moved with blinding speed, sealing his new path.
"Ice Age!"
A unified roar, and a wave of absolute zero erupted from them.
The air, the ground, the very light Kizaru was made of—it all froze solid.
In a heartbeat, the clearing was transformed into a massive cube of ice, trapping the Admiral within its crystalline prison.
"This is... Kuzan's ability?!" Kizaru's mind screamed, his face a mask of utter disbelief.
He was frozen solid, a transparent statue.
Only his eyes could still move, betraying the rage and disbelief raging within him.
The pirates watching let out a collective sigh of relief, though their attention remained locked on the frozen Admiral, not daring to relax for a second.
"Hehehe! Who would've thought we'd actually capture an Admiral alive!" Jozu chuckled, immensely proud of an achievement worthy of stories across the seas.
"Jozu, enjoy the moment, but he could break free at any second," Marco warned, his tone sharp and cautious.
He knew that even frozen, Kizaru's strength was not to be underestimated.
"I know, I'm just talking big," Jozu replied, though his eyes grew firm.
He strode right up to the massive block of ice, grinning at the helpless figure within.
"If he's gonna break free sooner or later, we might as well help him out."
He slammed his hands together, and the transparent white aura of a tremor field formed between them.
The space around him seemed to distort as reality itself threatened to crack.
"Strike while he's down! Give it everything we've got, brothers!" Jozu roared, his voice brimming with fighting spirit.
The other tremor-users grinned, a shared bloodlust in their eyes.
The chance to deliver a finishing blow to a cornered Admiral was too good to pass up.
They gathered around the ice block, their faces alight with savage excitement as they clenched their fists, channeling their power.
At Jozu's command—"Attack!"—all seven of them unleashed their strongest techniques simultaneously.
Seven fists, each wreathed in the world-shattering aura of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, drew back as one before smashing into the block of ice.
The scene was spectacular.
In that bone-chilling attack, Kizaru could only helplessly watch.
His body was frozen, his formidable abilities nullified.
The tremor attack alone had pushed him to his limits; now, this combined assault was absolutely gonna crush him.
For the first time in decades, Admiral Kizaru felt a sensation he had long forgotten: true, helpless dread.
It's over!