"This… this is impossible!!!"
Spandam stared at the explosive scene before him, his fingers clawing into his face as his mouth hung wide open. His eyes were filled with disbelief.
A Marine Admiral—one of the Navy's highest combat forces…
Had just been blown away by a completely unknown pirate!?
For someone like Spandam, who at least had some understanding of what a Marine Admiral represented, this sight was enough to utterly shatter his worldview.
But before he could even process the shock, a pitch-black, mysterious spatial wormhole suddenly appeared amidst the ruins of the Tower of Justice.
"Found you! That wasn't easy at all!"
Tap… tap…
A few light footsteps sounded behind Spandam, followed by a young man's teasing voice.
"Ah!"
The sudden sound made Spandam jolt violently, his legs clamping together reflexively.
Sensing something terribly wrong, he hurriedly turned around to see who had appeared behind him—
Only to find, in his narrow field of vision, a pair of merciless iron hands suddenly reaching straight for his throat.
"Ghk—! Y-you—who are you!?"
Spandam's feet left the ground as his body was lifted into the air.
At the same time, Franky's body let out a harsh metallic grinding sound.
His eyes burned with fury, yet he forcibly restrained himself, resisting the urge to immediately crush the throat of this bastard who had murdered his master.
Meanwhile, the soldiers accompanying Spandam reacted at once, raising their weapons and aiming them at Franky.
"Who are you!?"
"Release Director Spandam immediately, or we'll open fire!!!"
At this moment, the loyal soldiers demonstrated the value of their existence.
But in the very next second, they proved with their lives just how worthless a weak man's loyalty truly was.
"Twelve Blooming Petals—Guillotine!!!"
Whoosh—
Illusory petals devoid of any fragrance fluttered around the soldiers.
From both sides of their shoulders, slender, pale arms sprouted unnaturally.
Under the soldiers' stunned gazes, the arms clasped onto their heads—one above, one below.
And then—
Crack!!!
A chorus of bones snapping rang out in unison.
Those graceful, feminine hands unleashed a level of power and cruelty far beyond imagination.
With several dull thuds, the World Government soldiers dressed in black suits were stripped of their right to draw another breath.
Such ruthless efficiency made even the enraged Franky glance sideways in surprise.
Who would have thought that a woman who always appeared gentle and scholarly could kill so cleanly and decisively?
But soon, Franky's gaze returned to Spandam.
Looking at his face turning purple from suffocation, Franky broke into a wide grin.
Since his companions were all this brutal, there was no need for him to hold back anymore.
Facing the man who had killed Tom—someone like a father to him—Franky wanted nothing more than to tear him apart, flesh and blood alike.
They had plenty of time now.
Plenty of time to play.
…
…
"Gaaah—!!!"
On the other battlefield—
Luffy's massive fist rapidly retracted, returning him to the standard form of Gear Fourth.
Kizaru, who had been smashed into the massive Gates of Justice, spat out a mouthful of blood and slid miserably down the gate.
The orange-tinted sunglasses that looked practically fused to his face shattered instantly, and his body fell helplessly toward the sea below.
"Admiral Kizaru!!!"
Seeing him about to fall into the abyss that spelled doom for Devil Fruit users, the soldiers aboard nearby Marine warships cried out in panic.
Even Zephyr stepped onto the railing, ready to dive in at any moment to retrieve him.
Fortunately, Luffy's punch still wasn't that terrifying.
Even with Pokémon moves incorporated into his attacks, Gear Fourth was far from the overwhelming invincibility of Gear Fifth.
Moreover, Kizaru had defended himself in advance with Armament Haki, so the blow merely caught him off guard.
Amid the soldiers' cries, Kizaru's consciousness snapped back. His body transformed into a beam of light, landing near the edge of the Bridge of Hesitation.
But when he lifted his head again, his eyes were filled with pure shock.
"That was close~ I almost capsized in a ditch there~!"
Kizaru dropped his playful demeanor. For the first time, a seriousness visible to the naked eye appeared on his face.
A Dragon Swordsman with the strength of a great swordsman, a man with an almost undying body whose speed even he found astonishing, and a member of the D. clan whose power far exceeded Marine intelligence…
As a close confidant of the Five Elders, Kizaru didn't know the hidden secrets of history—but he knew very well what the World Government's upper echelon disliked.
And considering how much the Straw Hat Pirates had grown in just a single month…
"We can't treat them as ordinary pirates anymore~!"
A sharp glint flashed through Kizaru's eyes, utterly at odds with his usual demeanor.
But before he could prepare himself, a blazing figure suddenly appeared at his side.
"Your speed doesn't seem as fast as before, Admiral~!"
"What!?"
Kizaru froze in shock.
In the next instant, Sanji—pushing his stamina to the limit and activating the Speed-Speed Fruit—kicked out with a speed that surpassed thought itself.
"Extreme—Demonic Wind Leg: Teriyaki Monkey Brain!!!"
BOOM!!!
Unable to dodge in time, Kizaru was struck squarely in the head and sent flying once more as a streak of light.
"Damn it—what is going on now!?"
Midair, Kizaru clutched his head as disbelief and shock intertwined in his eyes.
This was the only thought he had left after facing the Straw Hat crew's three main combatants.
"There's no sign of that strange powerhouse… so how is he still unleashing speed like this!?"
As a Light-Light Fruit user, speed had always been his greatest weapon.
Yet the speed Sanji displayed just now completely surpassed Kizaru's understanding of speed itself.
Even his Observation Haki hadn't detected it at all.
He never imagined that one day, he'd be shocked by an enemy's speed.
Whoosh—
Kizaru's body elementalized midair, narrowly avoiding Zoro's razor-sharp slash from behind.
Thankfully, Sanji's attacks didn't maintain Armament Haki throughout like Luffy's.
Though that kick hurt, it wasn't enough to rob a Marine Admiral of his fighting ability.
Still, being injured again and again made Kizaru realize just how dangerous his opponents were.
Without noticing when it happened, he had already fallen into a disadvantage against Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.
"When I get back, I'll need the Five Elders to add a bonus to my pay~!"
"This time… I can't hold back anymore!"
Kizaru's gaze sharpened as he faced Luffy and Zoro charging in once more. Blinding light erupted from his body.
The light shot outward, forming one luminous clone after another in midair.
Each clone looked identical to Kizaru, their hands gathering mirror-like radiance.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
Countless beams of light fired toward the trio.
In response, Luffy and the others each pulled out a vial of specially prepared medicine and slammed it straight into their chests.
The real battle had only just begun!!!
A terrifying aura surged above the Bridge of Hesitation.
Blinding light, overwhelming Haki, razor-sharp slashes, scorching flames—
In the blink of an eye, the bridge became a forbidden domain where only monsters could tread.
Even Marine warships nearby retreated instinctively, fearing the aftermath of the clash.
…
…
"I never thought even Kizaru would be held back!"
Aboard a Marine warship, Zephyr watched his former student locked in fierce combat with Luffy's group, a complex mix of emotions stirring in his heart.
Though he had repeatedly warned Kizaru not to rely too heavily on his Devil Fruit—
There was no denying that Kizaru's strength was real.
Yet now, this pillar of Marine might was evenly matched against three young pirates.
If this were reported back to headquarters, countless jaws would hit the floor.
Fortunately, the Marines had anticipated that the force attacking Enies Lobby might be affiliated with a Yonko crew, so they had deployed their strength conservatively.
Despite suffering a major defeat not long ago, this fleet still contained twelve Vice Admirals.
Among them were elite figures such as Vice Admiral Onigumo.
And with himself—former Admiral Zephyr—present…
Even if the enemy could contend with an Admiral, they would ultimately be brought to justice.
At least, that was what Zephyr believed.
…
…
"All units! Avoid the combat zone and prepare to land toward the Tower of Justice!"
Naval artillery was useless against combatants of this level. Rather than waste time, it was better to get troops ashore and assess the situation on Enies Lobby.
But before the Marines could act, the buzzing swarm of insects in the sky suddenly became restless once more.
Like a black cloud blotting out the heavens, the swarm converged toward a single point in the air—then vanished.
In an instant—
The sky above Enies Lobby brightened.
High above, standing atop a stag beetle, Usopp scratched his head and turned to Red behind him.
"Red, I've recalled all the insects… but is this really okay!?"
"There are at least two or three thousand Marines on those ships… and tons of strong ones too…"
"Hey, hey, Usopp~!"
Red suddenly slapped a hand onto Usopp's shoulder and said teasingly,
"You were resisting with your whole body when I told you to attack Enies Lobby earlier…"
"So why are you suddenly so confident now?"
"Ah… hahaha…" Usopp froze, then scratched his head awkwardly.
After all, he had singlehandedly breached one of the World Government's most important strongholds in the first half of the Grand Line.
Even someone as perpetually insecure as Usopp couldn't help feeling a surge of pride.
Red gave his shoulder a couple more pats and smiled.
"Relax~"
"Just because I haven't taken everyone grinding lately doesn't mean your strength has stopped growing."
As if echoing his words, the moment Red finished speaking, a rotating mass of pitch-black clouds appeared at the junction between the Bridge of Hesitation and the Tower of Justice.
The vortex-like storm enveloped an entire large Marine warship with uncanny precision.
Sharp bolts of lightning flashed within the clouds, radiating danger.
No need to guess—
This was Nami's handiwork.
The orange-haired young woman floated midair like a student of a magic academy, sitting atop her Clima-Tact.
From within the storm-covered warship, a figure suddenly shot upward—
A Marine Vice Admiral using Moonwalk.
His trajectory pointed straight toward Nami.
Before he could reach her, the girl lifted her sandal-clad foot and laughed playfully.
"You're really hardworking, Mister Marine~"
"But just a friendly reminder—thunderstorms aren't great flying weather~!"
BOOOOM!!!
Immense lightning power erupted from Nami's hands.
The Clima-Tact channeled her Thunder attack in full into the storm clouds below.
The already unstable clouds exploded, releasing a massive pillar of lightning that slammed straight into the warship.
The Vice Admiral attempting to attack Nami was engulfed by the thunder.
"AAAAH—!!!"
His scream was instantly drowned out by the roar of lightning.
The blinding flash illuminated the world, even briefly dampening the intensity of Luffy and Kizaru's battle.
A powerful sense of déjà vu surged through Kizaru's mind.
It reminded him of Skypiea—when he could only watch from afar as dazzling lightning crushed Marine officers one after another.
The scene was identical.
"Just where did these pirates come from!?"
Overwhelmed by the Straw Hats' assault, Kizaru abandoned his thoughts and focused solely on the fight.
Under the effects of Facade, all three of them experienced a terrifying boost in power.
Sanji, especially, was a nightmare.
Speed-Speed Fruit + Pokémon moves + Germa technology + his own relentless training—
All these factors merged, allowing Sanji to unleash power in short bursts that even troubled Kizaru more than Luffy.
Though his base strength limited him to fleeting explosions of power—
Germa technology granted him recovery capabilities even more terrifying than Luffy's Regenerator ability.
So while Sanji burned out fast and couldn't last long…
He made up for it with frequency.
If duration wasn't enough, quantity would do!
As long as he seized the right moment, he could still deliver a shocking amount of satisfaction to Kizaru!
(End of Chapter)