"They only sent a Vice Admiral?" Takero's excitement was practically spilling over. His golden eyes flickered with a blazing battle intent. "A man made of golden light… this is going to be a great sparring partner!"
Although he had heard the Marines call the newcomer a Vice Admiral, the immense "aura" pouring off the man was unlike anything he'd felt before. It far surpassed that of any ordinary person. This was no common officer.
"It seems Shanks wasn't lying to me," Takero mused to himself. "If a Vice Admiral has an aura this powerful, then a full Admiral must be even more incredible!"
His blood felt like it was boiling, and his fists were already itching for a fight. He knew that clashing with an opponent of this caliber would surely bring incredible rewards.
"A… super-powered individual?" Borsalino tilted his head, a rare look of genuine confusion flashing in his eyes from behind his sunglasses. In this day and age, who still referred to a Devil Fruit ability with such an old-fashioned term? Was this kid a little… strange?
"Young man," Borsalino began slowly, his voice drawn out as he tried to regain control of the situation, "do you have any idea what a heinous crime you've just committed?"
Takero completely ignored the question, instead breaking into a wide grin that showed off his stark white teeth. "My name is Takero! You better remember it!"
Borsalino simply stared. "…?"
Seeing the undisguised confusion on the Vice Admiral's face, Takero's smile became even more arrogant. "That's the name of the man who's about to beat you down! You can consider that a friendly heads-up. No need to thank me!"
Before his last word had even left his lips, Takero's figure had already vanished.
"Hraaaaah—!!!"
With a deafening roar, the ground beneath his feet instantly shattered and collapsed. He launched himself forward like a cannonball, moving so fast that he left a clear afterimage hanging in the air. His fist, wrapped in a violent and invisible aura, tore through the air with a piercing shriek as it headed straight for Borsalino's face.
"Oh?" Borsalino raised an eyebrow, seeming slightly surprised by the raw speed and power Takero had just unleashed.
However, just as the fist was about to make contact, the Vice Admiral's body dissolved into countless particles of brilliant golden light, dissipating into nothing.
Boom—!!!
Takero's fist slammed heavily into the spot where Borsalino had just been standing. The hard ground gave way like it was made of tofu, creating a massive crater in the earth.
"Speed is power, young man~" A playful voice sounded from right beside Takero as Borsalino's figure instantly re-formed from the light particles. "Have you… ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
As his last word fell, a golden flash, far too fast for the eye to track, shot out. It carried a destructive power that kicked Takero fiercely in the waist.
Bang—!
A dull, heart-stopping thud echoed through the ruins.
Takero's body bent into the shape of a shrimp as if he'd been hit head-on by a full-speed sea train. He flew backward as a blurred afterimage, crashing consecutively through several thick, ruined walls before finally being buried under a cloud of dust and rubble.
"Cough…" He coughed lightly as he climbed out of the ruins. But instead of showing any pain, his face was filled with a nearly frenzied excitement. "So fast! So strong! That was awesome! Let's go again!"
He casually pushed his messy hair back with his right hand, his eyes glowing like molten lava. Without a hint of fear, he charged at Borsalino once more.
Borsalino prepared to use his old trick, attempting to turn into light to dodge the attack again. However—
"Your 'aura' doesn't lie!" Takero sneered. His battle intuition had allowed him to precisely lock onto the position where the light particles were about to condense and reform. "You're right here!"
He aimed at what looked like empty air and unleashed an incredibly sharp spinning kick, sweeping out with a violent burst of energy.
Bang—!!!
This time, it was Borsalino's turn to be sent flying by an immense force. He transformed into a disheveled golden streak of light, following the same trajectory Takero had just taken, and slammed heavily into a distant pile of ruins, kicking up another cloud of dust.
Takero shook his leg, a provocative grin on his face. "Tit for tat."
Borsalino slowly rose from the rubble, dusting off his suit. Behind his sunglasses, his eyes were filled with surprise and uncertainty. He was sure he had turned his body into light in time. So why did he still get hit? There was no sign of Armament Haki on his opponent's attack. This completely defied all common sense.
"My, my~ this is really troublesome…" he muttered softly. He then turned to the terrified Marine soldiers who were still nearby. His tone returned to its usual laziness, but it carried an undeniable command. "You few, carry that 'distinguished' adult away from here. Everyone else, retreat. Stay far, far away."
This Takero was far more troublesome than he had expected. It looked like he had to get a little serious. If he, a Marine Vice Admiral, was actually defeated by this kid, it would be a massive joke. The Marine soldiers, feeling as if they had just been granted a pardon, hastily carried out the order. Takero stood with his arms crossed, watching with interest as they carried away Roswald Saint, making no move to stop them.
Soon, only he and Borsalino remained, facing each other on the vast, ruined battlefield.
"Little brother," Borsalino said, pushing up his sunglasses as he tried to probe for information. "Can you tell me? Who's the big shot pulling your strings? To dare order you to attack a Celestial Dragon, they must have quite some guts~"
"Order?" Takero scoffed as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. "I'm a Saiyan! I came out to sea to get stronger and find the scattered Dragon Balls. As for beating up that Celestial Dragon pig? That was just my way of luring an Admiral out to fight me. I didn't expect to get you instead, but it doesn't matter!" He spoke bluntly, holding nothing back.
"Saiyan? Dragon Balls?" For the first time, Borsalino felt like his decades of experience and knowledge were being severely challenged. What was all this nonsense? This kid must have escaped from some isolated asylum island.
However… there was that ridiculously strong physique, and that tail… Borsalino's gaze lingered for a moment on the brown tail swishing behind Takero. Was he a mutated Mink? Or some new species entirely?
"Less talking!" Takero's battle intent flared up again, impatiently interrupting Borsalino's thoughts. "Show me what you can really do! Those soft attacks from before weren't even good enough to tickle me!"
Before he finished speaking, he had once again transformed into a surging afterimage, pouncing forward.
Borsalino sighed helplessly. He gave up on trying to understand his opponent's chaotic logic, collected his thoughts, and prepared to face the battle once more.
Boom! Bang! Clang—!
Their figures collided, separated, and then collided again at unbelievable speeds above the ruins. They were moving so fast that the naked eye could only catch blurred afterimages and the shockwaves that exploded outward with every impact. The dull thuds of their fists and feet meeting sounded like heavy hammers striking war drums. Each collision stirred up violent air currents that leveled what little remained of the ravaged battlefield.
"Hahahaha! This is exhilarating! Just like this!" Takero roared with laughter in the middle of the fierce battle, his fists becoming a blur. "My fists are burning hot!"
For a time, the two seemed to be evenly matched, and the battle fell into a stalemate. Suddenly, Borsalino flickered, his body transforming into golden light as he shot into the sky, hovering high above the ground. He crossed his arms over his chest, and countless dazzling points of light began to frantically gather and compress around him, emitting a destructive energy that made one's heart palpitate.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!
In an instant, thousands of golden light bullets rained down from the sky like a tempest. They carried a terrifying power that seemed capable of purifying everything as they poured down toward Takero on the ground. The attack's coverage was so wide that there was nowhere to run.
Faced with this world-ending sight, Takero showed no fear. Instead, his eyes lit up with even more excitement. "A beam struggle? An energy blast exchange?! This is what I'm good at! This is just what I wanted!"
The next moment, he bent his knees slightly, lowered his center of gravity, and moved his hands in front of his chest so quickly they created streaks of afterimages. The violent "aura" within him was frantically mobilized and condensed.
"Prince's Battle Style!!!"
Boom boom boom boom—!!!
A storm of dark red, scorching energy blasts, just as dense as the rain of light, roared upwards from Takero's palms. They shot toward the sky like fiery meteors flowing against the current, fiercely colliding with the pouring golden light rain.
Rumble rumble rumble—!!!!
Dark red and golden yellow, two destructive torrents of energy, clashed violently in mid-air. Deafening explosions resounded continuously, as if the very sky was being torn apart. Violent shockwaves, like invisible giant hands, instantly leveled the few remaining buildings around the battlefield. A terrifying sandstorm surged into the sky, engulfing everything.
After a long while, the tremors subsided and the sky-high dust slowly began to disperse.
Borsalino floated in mid-air, the usual look of nonchalance and laziness on his face completely gone. His jaw was slightly agape as he stared intently at the figure vaguely appearing in the dust below. For the first time, his voice carried an obvious tone of shock and… absurdity.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa… Are you kidding me?! Did you… also eat a Glint-Glint Fruit?!"
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