"Yo yo yo... kids these days are really something else, huh? How did things end up like this?"
Admiral Kizaru of Marine Headquarters had arrived on the battlefield.
He surveyed the scene with narrowed eyes. The ground was scorched black, the air still thick with the scent of burnt flesh, and countless bodies were strewn across the charred earth like fallen leaves. What worried him most, though, was what his Observation Haki had just picked up someone had been killed moments before his arrival.
Could it be...
Kizaru frowned deeply, his gaze sweeping the area until it finally landed on the trembling, urine-soaked figure of Saint Charlos. Only then did he breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
"Phew... at least that idiot is still alive. Wait, oops... probably shouldn't have said that out loud."
Wayne stared at the sleazy-looking admiral floating in the sky, his expression tightening. In a flash of lightning, he launched himself straight toward the Celestial Dragon.
He had no intention of killing Charlos outright but he sure as hell was going to teach him a lesson before Kizaru could interfere.
Wayne was fast but someone was faster.
A flash of golden light tore through the sky. Kizaru reappeared in front of Wayne, intercepting the blow with his foot. The two locked eyes in midair, tension crackling between them like static.
"Young people these days... really have no respect for their elders."
"By the way... have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
Kizaru's voice dripped with nonchalance as his leg transformed into a beam of light and shot toward Wayne.
"So fast!"
Wayne's eyes flashed crimson. Activating his Observation Haki, he anticipated the attack and shifted into lightning form just in time to evade it.
Kizaru raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "Oh? A Logia-type Devil Fruit user, huh? Looks like HQ's intel on you was a bit outdated."
Wayne darted backward, creating distance. At this range, he couldn't rely on reflexes alone to keep dodging.
He assessed the situation quickly. Kizaru's speed clearly surpassed his own, even with the powers of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. And though Wayne had always been confident in his swordsmanship more so than in his recently acquired Devil Fruit powers this was one opponent who wouldn't go down easily.
Kizaru had once trained under Zephyr but had been scolded for neglecting his physical combat. Yet despite that, he'd secured his place as one of the Navy's three Admirals. That fact alone said everything about the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit.
In Wayne's eyes, it was perhaps the only Logia Fruit that could truly rival his own.
After all, anyone who understood relativity knew speed is power.
Wayne drew the Rasetsu blade from his waist. Compared to the fruit he'd only just begun to master, this sword had been his companion for far longer. In it, he trusted.
He inhaled slowly, then whispered under his breath, "Flying Heaven Sword Style Nine-Headed Dragon Flash!"
It was his signature technique an inescapable barrage of slashes designed to overwhelm and corner the opponent.
Nine blade strikes infused with Armament Haki carved through the air, each one aimed precisely at a different vital point on Kizaru's body.
"Let's see you dodge this one!"
Wayne's eyes gleamed with confidence. With his improved understanding of the technique and the enhanced power of Rasetsu, he was certain even Aokiji would've been injured by this move.
Kizaru's face finally turned serious. As a swordsman himself, he could feel the deadly precision of the attack.
"My, my... this is quite a headache. Are all the brats these days this strong?"
Though his tone remained as lazy as ever, Kizaru's body moved with deadly intent. His own Observation Haki flared to life, scanning for a weakness.
Did the Nine-Headed Dragon Flash have a flaw?
Of course it did. No technique is perfect.
But finding the flaw was one thing evading it in time was something else entirely. The sheer speed of Wayne's slashes meant even if you saw the gap, you might not be fast enough to exploit it.
But Kizaru was no ordinary man.
In the blink of an eye, he twisted and flickered through the air, weaving between the attacks. One slash grazed his shoulder, tearing through the sleeve of his yellow suit.
"My, my... that was close. Almost got me."
He dusted off the charred edge of his coat, still grinning like a sleazy salesman.
Wayne's expression darkened. His strongest technique had missed.
"You win this round, old man."
Kizaru puckered his lips and placed a finger thoughtfully at his mouth. "When I was your age, I wasn't nearly this scary."
"But I've got strict orders this time. The Celestial Dragon must be brought back alive. Looks like I'll have to get serious."
He raised both hands. A barrage of glowing orbs formed at his fingertips.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
The same technique he'd unleashed during the Paramount War. Though it lacked pinpoint power, its widespread range made it devastating in the right context.
Wayne vanished into a blur, dodging the rapid-fire blasts as best he could. The light bullets tore into the ground behind him, sending up a wall of smoke and debris.
As the dust settled, Wayne stepped forward from the cloud, untouched.
Ah, the old "no damage if smoke appears" rule.
"You're gonna have to do better than—"
Wayne suddenly stopped.
Something wasn't right.
Without hesitation, he activated his Armament Haki. The black sheen crawled across his arms, then over his chest, stomach, neck, and finally, his face where the jet black darkened into an ominous purple. A jagged lightning-shaped mark appeared across his cheek like a tattoo.
Full-body Armament Haki. His second form.
This was Wayne's trump card something he'd developed through intense experimentation with his fruit powers. Like Luffy's Gear Fourth in the post-timeskip era, it consumed enormous stamina and couldn't be maintained for long.
But the defense it offered? Worth every ounce of effort.
He'd only used it twice before. Once, to tank Enel's lightning. Now, to endure Kizaru's next attack.
"Light-Speed Kick!"
"Speed is power. Have you ever been kicked... at the speed of light?"
Kizaru's foot slammed into Wayne's side with enough force to send him skidding backward nearly ten meters before he dug his heels in and stopped.
Pain shot through his lower back.
Damn it. Got kicked in the kidney.
But it was bearable. He was still standing.
Kizaru blinked in surprise, looking Wayne up and down.
"Full-body Armament, huh? Scary stuff."
"Looks like Aokiji was right about you. Still just a kid, but already fighting at our level."
Wayne cracked a wicked grin.
"Not bad yourself, old man. Say, ever heard of Einstein?"
Kizaru blinked, puzzled.
"Huh?"
At that moment, a den den mushi began to ring.
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