"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
Along the path from the harbor to the execution plaza, violent explosions erupted one after another, their terrifying force sending Pirates screaming in terror.
"Admiral Kizaru is here!"
"Run for your lives!"
"Damn Admiral Kizaru, invading Hachinosu Island while Pops is away—how despicable!"
The Pirates scattered in panic.
Behind them, Kizaru strolled forward leisurely, his right index finger continuously condensing points of light that he fired indiscriminately in all directions.
Biu! Biu! Biu!
His relaxed demeanor made it seem like he was on vacation, yet each light beam carried a destructive force ten—no, a hundred—times more terrifying than an ordinary cannonball!
A veritable human-shaped self-propelled gun!
"Not having to worry about harming civilians—what a wonderful place this is."
Kizaru advanced with a smirk.
In past battles, the sheer destructive power and range of his lasers often inadvertently caused severe collateral damage to civilians. But on Hachinosu Island, he had no such concerns.
Every Pirate here deserved nothing less than a death sentence.
Full firepower unleashed!
Pirate Plaza, execution platform.
"That damn Kizaru, turning this island into a warzone!"
Marco's veins bulged on his forehead as he watched the flames stretch to the far end of the island, blue flames igniting across his body.
Just as he was about to take flight, a thick arm blocked his path.
"Gurd?"
"Brother Marco."
Gurd looked at Marco with a serious expression. "Could you do me a favor and leave Kizaru to us Beasts? To be honest, I'm a bit embarrassed to say this, but I could really use a bounty boost right now."
"Uh..."
Marco hesitated.
He had no issue with Gurd stepping in—the problem was that their opponent was Admiral Kizaru, one of the Navy's three greatest combatants, a man capable of standing toe-to-toe with a Four Emperor!
Even if Marco fought personally, the best he could do was stall Kizaru. Actually defeating him was nearly impossible.
Of course, Kizaru would have just as much trouble taking him down.
Even against an Admiral, Marco was confident he could hold out for an entire day!
Marco forced a wry smile. "Brother Gurd, I don't doubt the strength of the Beasts, but... are you sure you can handle this alone?"
"Handle it?!"
Before Gurd could respond, Ulti and Page One immediately bristled, glaring at Marco in outrage.
"Who the hell do you think we are?!"
"Pineapple-head, don't underestimate us, moron!"
"Even if the Fleet Admiral himself showed up, the Beasts Pirates wouldn't back down an inch!"
"This fight is ours, damn it!"
Marco was dumbfounded.
Were all the Beasts' officers this reckless?
Damn it, there's no reasoning with these savages!
At least Gurd seemed more level-headed.
Before Marco could even turn back to Gurd, the man had already raised his massive sword and leaped off the execution platform.
"Men! Take down Kizaru!"
"Ooooh!!!"
Watching Gurd charge ahead with his crew, Marco weakly covered his face. He must have been out of his mind to expect anything from these brutes.
Every last one of them was a battle junkie!
Rumble!
The earth trembled, dust billowing into the air.
"Out of the way, trash!"
Gurd led the charge, flanked by two massive dinosaurs, plowing through the plaza like an unstoppable tide.
"Waaahhh!"
"It's the Beasts Pirates!"
"Get out of the way, don't block them!"
The Pirates scattered in panic, terrified of being trampled by the dinosaurs.
Soon, Kizaru came into view.
Gurd pointed his sword at Kizaru and roared, "That's the creepy-looking old man! Get him, boys!"
"Ooooh!"
Ulti and Page One were the fastest, attacking simultaneously from both sides—a headbutt and a vicious bite aimed at Kizaru.
"Officers of the Beasts Pirates, huh."
Kizaru stood leisurely in place, his gaze locking onto the siblings behind his glasses. Even as the attack seemed to land, he vanished in an instant.
CRACK!
The ground was shattered by the bite!
"Where'd he go?"
Page One lifted his head, his mouth full of rock debris, his bloodthirsty eyes scanning the surroundings.
"Page One, above you!"
"What?!"
Hearing his sister's shout, Page One looked up—only to see Kizaru standing on his head. His temper flared instantly.
"Bastard, get off me!"
Page One lowered his head and rammed into a nearby building.
BOOM!
The multi-story building collapsed into rubble.
A flash of golden light, and Kizaru reappeared dozens of meters away.
"My, my. That was dangerous."
His slow, drawling tone betrayed no sense of urgency—if anything, it sounded like he was toying with them.
"You damn Admiral, how dare you bully Page One!"
Ulti transformed into her Beast Form and leaped high into the air, her body arching like a drawn bow. Her hardened forehead gleamed black with a metallic clang.
"Ulti Headbutt Gun!"
"Too slow."
What seemed like a lightning-fast descending headbutt to others was painfully sluggish in Kizaru's eyes. Before Ulti could even descend, Kizaru appeared right in front of her.
His right leg turned into light.
"Speed is power."
Kizaru's glowing right foot hovered beside Ulti's head. "Tell me, Miss Dinosaur… have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
"...!"
Ulti's pupils shrank violently as she stared at the kick inches from her face. Before she could react, she was sent flying.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
Her body tore through over a dozen buildings like a cannonball.
"Sis!"
Page One bellowed in panic.
"No time to worry about others."
Fast as stopped time, Kizaru appeared beside Page One, stroking his stubble while his right leg swept horizontally into Page One's side.
CRASH!
Another row of buildings on the opposite side of the street collapsed.
In less than ten seconds, two of the Beasts Pirates' Flying Six had been wiped from the battlefield without a chance to fight back.
"This is an Admiral?!"
The Beasts Pirates were horrified.
Kizaru dusted himself off and turned to Gurd, who stood with his arms crossed. "How cruel," he drawled. "Not even caring about your subordinates' safety."
"They're young. They need tempering."
Gurd replied coolly.
Not caring? He hadn't even had time to react! One blink, and the siblings were already gone.
Damn it, what now?! This old man's speed was insane—his eyes couldn't keep up. Even with Observation Haki, catching him would be nearly impossible.
The fastest in the world!
Good thing his goal wasn't to win.
He was here to get beaten up.
Gurd lowered his arms, his body rapidly swelling and transforming. In an instant, a massive shadow loomed over Kizaru.
Groudon Form!
"Hmm?!"
Kizaru lifted his head, gazing up at the mountain-like red beast before him. His pupils contracted slightly behind his glasses.
An unknown creature he had never seen before!
Was it a Mythical Zoan?
"Honestly, these rookies nowadays are all like monsters."
Kizaru sighed.
"How terrifying!"
(End of Chapter)