"Jiang Lin… you'll pay for this!"
Though his body had been warped by Jiang Lin's Horm-Horm ability, Kizaru's fury remained unshaken. Crossing his arms before his chest, he gathered blinding motes of golden light that swelled outward until they filled the battlefield with brilliance.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
With a roar, a torrent of luminous bullets exploded, merging into a storm that rained mercilessly down on Jiang Lin.
"Seriously?! You're going all out now?"
Jiang Lin's expression darkened as the compressed barrage tore through the air. In an instant, he swapped out his Devil Fruit card, launching himself skyward.
"String-String Fruit—loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
The system's voice chimed in his mind as threads carried him aloft. But even in the open sky, he found no reprieve—the golden barrage curved upward like a dragon rising, chasing him without end.
Kizaru's hands flickered, spewing volley after volley, each beam aligning into a relentless chain of death that streaked toward Jiang Lin.
"He really is pissed."
Jiang Lin clicked his tongue, forcing a smirk, though his eyes sharpened with focus. This was the first time he'd faced an admiral unleashing his full strength—a test of his limits, and a chance to measure how far he had come.
"Bullet Thread!"
Extending his finger, he snapped a line of hardened string downward. The thread shot like a bullet, piercing through the swarm of light projectiles and lancing straight at Kizaru.
"Yata no Kagami—Light-Speed Kick!"
Kizaru's gaze narrowed. His body blurred into photons, reappearing above Jiang Lin in the blink of an eye. A dazzling leg of pure light swung downward, faster than thought, aimed at Jiang Lin's skull.
"So fast—!"
At full force, Kizaru's movements neared the very speed of light. Jiang Lin had no time to react before the kick connected, sending him hurtling like a cannonball.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He smashed into the plaza, his body skidding across the ground until he crashed brutally against the encircling barricade. The impact split the stone, billowing clouds of dust into the air.
Then, blue fire erupted from the haze.
The flames wrapped Jiang Lin's battered body, lifting him skyward once more. His breath came ragged and harsh; his chest bones were nearly pulverized, and his organs had been shaken to the brink of collapse.
If he hadn't triggered the Phoenix's healing ability at the last instant, that kick alone would have finished him.
"What terrifying strength… If I didn't have so many Devil Fruits, I'd never even stand a chance against you."
Blood fresh on his lips, Jiang Lin fixed his gaze on Kizaru across the battlefield, where rage smoldered in the admiral's narrowed eyes.
And then—
Fwoosh!
Kizaru vanished, his body scattering into photons once more.
But Jiang Lin had already learned his lesson.
"Glint-Glint Fruit—loaded. Enhanced by Split-Split Fruit, Tremor-Tremor Fruit, and Shine-Shine Fruit. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
Swapping out his String powers, Jiang Lin became light, disappearing an instant before the admiral's strike landed.
The two reappeared an instant later, their glowing legs colliding midair with a deafening crash. Golden brilliance flared outward as if the heavens themselves had split.
What followed was chaos: their figures blurred, splitting and weaving into countless streaks of light across the sky. Each clash exploded with thunderous force, rattling the heavens and earth alike.
"Get out of my way!"
After dozens of exchanges, Jiang Lin's form reappeared. His right leg crystallized with diamond-hard resilience, blazing with light as he swung it forward.
Boom!
The kick struck true. Kizaru's body fractured into scattered beams, dissolving into a storm of photons.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
The light twisted, regrouping, and Kizaru's body reformed once more.
At the same time, blue flames flared over Jiang Lin's battered form. Phoenix fire devoured his wounds, knitting shattered flesh and bone back together.
Meanwhile, as the clash blazed in the sky above, the Whitebeard Pirates advanced on the battlefield below.
Marco, cloaked in blue fire, spread his wings wide and shot toward the execution platform where Ace awaited his fate.
"Stop him! Shoot him down!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's order thundered across the plaza. Marines raised their rifles in unison, but every bullet that tore into Marco's body simply passed through, harmless against his regenerative flames.
"It's useless!"
Voices of frustration rang out as gunfire failed to halt the Phoenix.
Just as Marco neared the platform, a massive figure moved. Garp's eyes hardened. In a single leap, the legendary hero met Marco head-on and smashed him down with one devastating punch.
The Vice Admiral's cloak billowed, the word Justice emblazoned on his back whipping proudly in the wind.
"No one told you to move, Garp!"
Sengoku's irritated growl echoed from the execution platform. Since his own grotesque transformation, his temper had grown short, not unlike Kizaru's.
If not for having his severed arm recently reattached, he might have been even less restrained.
"Hero… Monkey D. Garp. The legendary Marine. Vice Admiral Garp!"
Gasps of awe spread through the pirates as Garp landed heavily beside the fallen Marco. Fear etched itself onto their faces.
Thud.
Planting firmly on the plaza, Garp lowered himself into a seated position—right atop the golden throne that had once been Akainu's.
"The Vice Admiral himself…!"
"The strongest Marine alive!"
Marines erupted with cheers, gazes burning with admiration as they looked upon the immovable titan seated upon the throne.
"Garp!"
Whitebeard's deep voice rumbled from below, his eyes narrowing as he shifted his gaze toward the throne.
"If you want to reach the platform, you'll have to get through me first! Come, brats!"
Garp's roar shook the square, echoing the unshakable will of the man they called a hero.