"Hmph!"
Kizaru scoffed, his body dissolving into a streak of yellow light.
He shot across the sky like a meteor, reforming high above a lone pirate ship bobbing on the waves.
His sharp gaze scanned every corner of the deck, but it was completely empty, deathly quiet except for the lazy lapping of water against the hull.
After confirming there was no one in sight, he landed lightly on the deck, a frown creasing his brow.
"Ooh, how strange," he drawled to himself, his voice laced with his usual lazy curiosity.
"It's clearly empty, so why does this creepy feeling just refuse to go away…?"
Just then, his sharp senses screamed at him.
Something was wrong.
As he tensed, ready to investigate, the corner of his eye caught an unusual glint of light.
"A diamond ring?"
He followed the sparkle and spotted it: a single, brilliant diamond ring lying among a messy pile of old barrels.
The sun broke through the clouds, hitting it at the perfect angle, causing it to erupt in a dazzling, spray of color that was completely out of place on the run-down ship.
"Am I overthinking things?" Kizaru murmured, his eyes fixed on the ring.
The whole thing made no sense.
Why would a priceless diamond ring be casually discarded on a ship like this?
The only logical explanation was that the pirates who owned this vessel were so unbelievably wealthy that a diamond ring was considered worthless junk.
Just as he bent over, lazily reaching out a hand to pick it up for a closer look, a fist exploded into his view.
"WHAT?!"
Before Kizaru could even process the thought, the fist, coated in the familiar black sheen of powerful Armament Haki, was already filling his vision, aimed right for the bridge of his nose.
BOOM!
With a sickening crunch, Kizaru went flying, sent tumbling across the deck by the sheer force of the punch.
"Ooh, my," he said, wiping a trickle of blood from his nose as he lazily got to his feet.
"Who likes a good sneak attack, I wonder?" He squinted at the massive figure that had suddenly appeared.
"You are... 'Diamond' Jozu, third division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Kizaru was completely thrown off guard.
What was going on?
Why in the world were the Whitebeard Pirates here at the Sabaody Archipelago?
Weren't they supposed to be on the other side of the Red Line at Fish-Man Island, heading for the New World?!
Jozu, for his part, had been just as surprised.
He'd stepped out of his ring to get his bearings, and the first thing he saw was an enormous face leaning right over his hiding spot.
It scared the hell out of him.
He did the only logical thing: he threw a punch first and asked questions later.
Even a ghost couldn't phase through a Haki-infused fist.
When his eyes finally focused, he realized who he'd just decked.
A wide, battle-hungry grin split his face.
"Hahahaha, well look what we have here—Admiral Kizaru."
He couldn't believe his luck.
He'd only stepped out of his Castle Ring for a quick scout and he'd literally stumbled into an Admiral.
Ever since becoming a triple-ability user, he had been dying for a chance to test his new strength against one of the Marine's top dogs.
And now, one had just fallen right into his lap.
He deftly slipped the diamond ring back onto his finger, tapping it and muttering something to alert the others.
Then he looked up at Kizaru, smirking.
"Well, well, the famous Admiral Kizaru. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit to our humble ship?"
"Hmph!" Kizaru wiped the blood from his nose and flicked it carelessly onto the deck.
Jozu winced internally.
What a waste of good blood.
"Pleasure?" Kizaru drawled. "You're a pirate. I'm a Marine. What do you think I'm here for?"
Hearing that, Jozu let out a booming laugh.
Perfect.
Ron had just been complaining during drinks that their stock of Glint-Glint blood was running low, and now a home delivery service shows up!
Back then, he'd always relied on Whitebeards.
It was time to be self-sufficient.
"Perfect timing! Just when we were running low," Jozu grinned.
"Enough talk. Let's do this!"
The instant he finished speaking, Jozu's entire body exploded in a flash of golden light, vanishing like a meteor.
Kizaru frowned, a flicker of genuine surprise in his eyes.
That blinding golden light… it was identical to the glow of his own Glint-Glint Fruit.
"Ooh, using my own power against me?" he scoffed, though his lazy posture was gone.
"How very… absurd."
In that split second, Jozu reappeared directly behind him.
His fist, coated in a thick, menacing layer of Armament Haki, shot towards Kizaru's back like a cannonball.
"It doesn't matter what you think," Jozu's voice was a low growl, brimming with confidence.
"I call this one… Two Pounds of Blood!"
Normally, Jozu was a tank, built for overwhelming power, not speed.
But now, with the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit, he was moving at damn near the speed of light, his attacks almost impossible to track.
Faced with the impossibly fast assault, Kizaru's expression finally shifted.
As a seasoned veteran, he reacted instantly.
His body elementalized, turning into a beam of light that shot forward, narrowly evading Jozu's devastating punch.
That was too close.
Being attacked by his own signature ability was not sitting well with Kizaru.
It was infuriating.
Just as he was processing the sheer audacity of it, Jozu materialized in front of him like a phantom and snapped a lightning-fast uppercut into his chin that cracked the very air.
A sly grin curled Jozu's lips.
"Heh. Ever been punched at the speed of light?"
Kizaru's head spun, and not just from the impact.
Why did that sound so familiar?
It felt… stolen.
Like someone had reached into his future, plucked out one of his own trademark taunts, and thrown it back in his face.
This bizarre déjà vu was unsettling.
"That line..." Kizaru muttered, rubbing his jaw. "I feel like that should be mine..."
Annoying! So very annoying!
He instantly put distance between them, his usual lazy eyes now sharp with an unprecedented level of focus and caution.
This was no time for messing around.
Taking a deep breath, a flash of intense light erupted from his palm.
The gleaming golden sword, Ama no Murakumo, materialized in his grip.
Finally, he was taking this seriously.
And yet…
Jozu just gave him a dismissive look and scoffed.
"That's it? Just a sword? Pathetic. Watch this."
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