"These rookies these days are really bold."
Kizaru, having arrived at Sabaody Archipelago, surveyed his surroundings and remarked, "Daring to lay hands on a Celestial Dragon..."
"Scary~"
The actions of the Straw Hat Pirates had truly taken him by surprise.
To kill a Celestial Dragon without hesitation... How long had it been since something like this last happened?
"K-Kizaru?!"
Pirates in the distance caught sight of Kizaru standing in the street and immediately paled in terror.
Why was this terrifying figure already here?
Though Marine Headquarters was nearby, it shouldn't have taken less than half an hour for him to arrive!
Could it be... this monster had been lurking in the vicinity from the very beginning?
"Run!!"
The pirates let out panicked screams, fleeing madly into the distance.
But Kizaru paid them no mind—he didn't even spare them a glance.
Raising his arm, he flipped open the lid of the Black Transponder Snail on his wrist and spoke, "Moshi moshi~"
"Sentomaru, I'm here. Where are you?"
"And where are the Straw Hat Pirates?"
"Moshi moshi?"
"Sentomaru?"
"Hmm?"
"How strange..."
Receiving no response from the snail, a flicker of confusion crossed Kizaru's eyes. Why wasn't he answering?
"This is troublesome..."
Without someone to pinpoint the Straw Hat Pirates' location, tracking them down wouldn't be easy.
Meanwhile, behind a large boulder not far from him, two men crouched, their gazes locked onto Kizaru.
"Hey, is that guy really the legendary Marine Admiral, Kizaru?" the bearded man asked excitedly.
As he spoke, he raised his sniper rifle, taking aim at Kizaru's head, his eyes gradually filling with madness.
"What are you doing?!" the bald man beside him hissed in horror. "That's a Marine Admiral!"
"Hah, so what?"
"If I take him down, I'll be famous!"
If he could kill a monster of the Admiral's caliber, wouldn't his bounty skyrocket past a billion berries?!
The thought only fueled the bearded man's excitement.
"Idiot, don't—"
Bang!
Before the bald man could finish, the bearded man pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The bullet shot toward Kizaru's head in an instant—piercing straight through it.
"Huh?"
"Did I hit him?"
"No... wait, I didn't?"
The bearded man frowned. He was sure his shot had landed, so why did the Admiral seem completely unharmed?
Was it an illusion, or was this guy some kind of special Devil Fruit Ability user?
Determined, he raised his weapon again, ready to take another shot.
But at that moment, he realized the man standing in the open had vanished.
"Yo~"
"Were you looking for me?"
The voice came from behind them. Both men froze before slowly, disbelievingly, turning their heads.
"K-Kizaru!!"
"Oh~"
"So you do know who I am." Kizaru nodded. "Mind if I ask you—"
"RUN!!"
Without letting him finish, the two men bolted like madmen, their faces twisted in sheer terror.
"Honestly, I just wanted to ask you for some information. Is there really a need to be so afraid of me?" Kizaru said helplessly.
As his words fell, he slowly raised his foot and fired a laser attack straight ahead.
"BOOM!!"
An overwhelmingly terrifying force violently blasted apart the enormous numbered tree!!
"Eh?!!"
"Is that... Admiral Kizaru's attack?"
Inside the town, the Marines who witnessed the attack were utterly dumbfounded.
Why would their own Marine Admiral destroy the Giant Mangrove?!
"Ahaha, seems like I might have gone a bit overboard," Kizaru said, scratching his head.
He'd accidentally caused destruction on this scale—would Fleet Admiral Sengoku scold him for this? Well, he'd worry about that later.
"Monster..."
The bearded man stared at Kizaru in sheer terror, completely petrified.
Had he really just attacked such a terrifying being earlier?
"Now, will you answer my questions?"
"W-what questions?"
"I'm looking for a man named Sentomaru," Kizaru said. "Of course, if you have any information on the Straw Hat Pirates, that would be fine too."
If he could find the Straw Hat Pirates, he wouldn't need to meet up with Sentomaru—he could just execute everyone in the crew except the Blood-Eyed Ninja.
"Sorry, we don't know."
"Ah... I see."
"That's quite a headache," Kizaru muttered, rubbing his head. "Well, I'll just have to look for them myself."
"Alright, please—"
Before the bearded man could finish speaking, he felt an immense force slam into him, and then everything went black as he lost consciousness.
His companions met the same fate.
With that, Kizaru vanished from the spot, charging toward the town.
Meanwhile, at another entrance to the town, a Water Dragon hovered in midair, with Meiser's Shadow Clone standing atop its head.
"Destruction on this level..." Meiser muttered, frowning. "A Marine Admiral?"
To cut down such a massive tree in a single strike—just how strong was this guy?
After a moment's thought, Meiser dispelled the Ninjutsu, landing on the ground.
The other Shadow Clones posing as his companions also vanished at the same time.
Plenty of people had already seen him coming this way, so there was no need to maintain so many clones.
This would also prevent enemies from discovering his ability to use the Transformation Technique.
Lost in thought, Meiser walked into the town.
"Let's see which Marine Admiral showed up this time," Meiser murmured to himself.
After all, he was just a Shadow Clone—even if he got destroyed, it wouldn't matter.
"Found you, Blood-Eyed Ninja Meiser!!"
"Oh?"
"You found me so quickly~" Meiser chuckled, looking at the Marines blocking his path. "The Marines are quite efficient, aren't they?"
Seeing the relaxed smile on Meiser's face, the Marine snarled, "Are you mocking us?!"
What the hell was this bastard implying? He hadn't even tried to hide his presence!
Plenty of people had seen the Water Dragon along the way!
And now, he had the nerve to taunt them like this?
"Tch."
"I didn't say anything."
"Blood-Eyed Ninja, why aren't you with the other members of the Straw Hat Pirates?" The Marine captain stepped forward and asked, "Where are they?"
As he spoke, the Marine captain scanned the surroundings but couldn't find any trace of the others.
"You guess~"
"Damn it, get him!"
"Aye!"
Upon hearing the order, the Marines immediately charged toward Meiser, completely unaware of the vast difference in strength between them.
"If only I had Conqueror's Haki," Meiser rubbed his head and said, "Then I wouldn't have to deal with small fries like you."
"What did you say?"
Hearing Meiser call them small fries, the Marines flew into a rage and raised their flintlocks to fire.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Several bullets shot toward Meiser, but he effortlessly dodged every single one.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
The next moment, Meiser rushed into the crowd like a wolf among sheep, easily knocking out all the Marines.
To conserve Chakra, Meiser chose to beat them up with his fists.
Watching Meiser approach him, the Marine captain broke out in a cold sweat.
How long had it been? The dozens of men he brought were all taken down already?
"Tch."
Seeing the man's reaction, Meiser shook his head. Why did this guy seem even more cowardly than the other Marines?
"Tell me, which Marine Admiral is here this time?"
At the mention of "Marine Admiral," the Marine captain seemed to get a sudden burst of energy, his spirit instantly revived.
"That's right, we have an Admiral!" The Marine captain drew the sword at his waist and declared, "Admiral Kizaru is in town right now, just you wait—"
"Bam!!"
Having obtained useful information, Meiser didn't give him a chance to keep talking. With a single punch to the abdomen, he sent the captain flying!
"Whoosh~"
"Boom!!"
The Marine captain crashed through a building, his eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.
"Admiral Kizaru, huh..." Meiser mused, stroking his chin.
Pappag had mentioned that there were three Marine Admirals: Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru.
This time, it was Kizaru. The only question was what kind of Devil Fruit ability user he was.
But judging from that explosion earlier, his ability was likely something related to explosions.
And the power was terrifying, capable of long-range attacks as well.
Glancing at the destroyed tree in the distance, Meiser narrowed his eyes and said, "Let's go take a look."
At the very least... he needed to figure out what the Admiral's ability was.
With that thought, Meiser vanished from the spot.
After Meiser left, a Marine hiding in the shadows finally let out a sigh of relief. He then took out a Den Den Mushi to contact his superior.
"Commodore, we've spotted the Blood-Eyed Ninja! He's at Grove 29!"
"Grove 29?"
The commodore paused, then exclaimed excitedly, "Understood! I'll inform Admiral Kizaru right away."
Knowing the target's location made things easier. All that was left was to notify the Admiral.
After ending the call, the commodore immediately dialed Admiral Kizaru's Den Den Mushi, intending to relay the news about the Blood-Eyed Ninja's presence.
"Buro buro buro~"
"Buro buro buro~"
"Buro buro buro~"
"Click~"
"Admiral Kizaru, I've discovered traces of the Blood-Eyed Ninja!"
"Admiral Kizaru isn't here."
Marine Commodore: ???
Wait, what do you mean Admiral Kizaru isn't here?
The adjutant sighed. "Admiral Kizaru handed me his Den Den Mushi before going to the Holy Land to meet the Five Elders. After receiving the news, he headed straight to Sabaody Archipelago without taking it back."
At the time, Kizaru had given him the Den Den Mushi in case someone needed to contact him, but... he forgot to take it back!
How awkward.
Marine Commodore:
If we can't reach the Admiral, what do we do?
"What about Admiral Akainu?" the Marine Commodore asked. "Where is Admiral Akainu?"
"You can't reach him either. Someone already called me about that," the adjutant replied.
"Why?!"
The Marine Commodore was dumbfounded. Why don't these Marine Admirals ever carry their Den Den Mushis?!
"Admiral Akainu is different from Admiral Kizaru," the adjutant explained. "When he fights, his body turns into magma. A Den Den Mushi can't survive that, so it's usually kept with his adjutant."
"Then where's his adjutant?"
"Chasing pirates."
Marine Commodore: ???
What the... What kind of situation is this?
They finally find traces of the Blood-Eyed Ninja, but neither Admiral can be contacted?
Are they messing with him?
"Just tell me where the Blood-Eyed Ninja is," the adjutant said.
"He was spotted near Grove 29."
"Then it's fine," the adjutant chuckled. "Admiral Kizaru is already there."
Hearing this, the Marine Commodore immediately relaxed. As long as an Admiral was present, things would be fine.
"Go hunt pirates."
"Yes, sir!"
"What a mess..."
Kachi, one of Hawkins' crewmates, asked, "Captain Hawkins, aren't we running?"
The Straw Hat Pirates killed a Celestial Dragon—it was only a matter of time before an Admiral showed up. Why weren't they fleeing now?
"No need to rush," Hawkins said calmly. "I haven't seen any signs of death today."
He had complete confidence in his abilities.
If he said he wouldn't die, then he wouldn't.
"This..."
Kachi gave his captain a helpless look. Sure, his predictions were usually accurate, but this time they might be facing a Marine Admiral!
But if the captain insisted, he had no choice but to wait.
"Oh~"
"Hello there~"
Kizaru, who had appeared out of nowhere, grinned at Hawkins. "I'd like to ask you something."
"K-Kizaru?!"
Kachi paled in terror. Why was an Admiral standing right in front of them?!
Shouldn't he be chasing the Straw Hat Pirates?!
"Dammit...!"
"Captain Hawkins, we'll hold him off! You run!"
"I told you, I haven't seen any signs of death today," Hawkins replied flatly.
Even in the face of a Marine Admiral, Hawkins remained unshaken.
"I'm looking for a man named Sentomaru," Kizaru said. "Have you seen him?"
"Or any news about the Straw Hat Pirates?"
Hawkins ignored Kizaru, calmly pulling out a deck of cards to calculate his survival and escape probabilities.
"Hey~"
"Could you answer my question?"
"I haven't seen them," Hawkins said calmly. "Why don't you ask someone else?"
"Ah~"
"That won't do. If I can't find them, it'll be quite troublesome for me." Kizaru scratched his head, glancing around before lowering his gaze back to Hawkins. "In that case, I'll just have to arrest you first."
"Basil Hawkins, with a bounty of 249 million Berries~"
"Speed is weight. Have you... ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
"Whoosh~"
"BOOM!!"
In the blink of an eye, Hawkins was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing straight through a building!
"Captain?!"
Kachi was stunned. Their captain couldn't even block a single attack from him?
"Oh?"
"Unharmed?"
Kizaru tilted his head curiously, eyeing the hole in the building before raising his hand and firing another laser blast.
"BOOM!!"
The sheer force of the attack toppled the entire building!
Yet, unfortunately, Hawkins still wasn't dead.
"How strange," Kizaru murmured, tilting his head slightly.
His Observation Haki precisely detected the man's condition—somehow, he hadn't taken a single injury?
Wait, what was that emerging from his arm?
"As expected of a Marine Admiral," Hawkins said, stepping out from the rubble with two shattered straw dolls protruding from his arm.
Tossing the dolls aside, he looked at Kizaru and remarked, "You took out two of my substitutes so quickly."
Ever since arriving on the island, he had used his Devil Fruit ability to turn ten pirates into his substitute puppets.
He thought that would be enough, but... this time, his opponent was a Marine Admiral. What a headache.
Still, today's divination showed no signs of death, so escaping shouldn't be a problem.
Just then, a massive figure came crashing down from the distance, slamming hard into the ground.
"BOOM!!"
"Damn it..." Urouge wiped the blood from his face and growled, "How is this Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea so strong?!"
Gritting his teeth, Urouge forced himself up and immediately noticed Hawkins approaching.
"Huh?"
"You're... Hawkins?"
"And there's a Marine Admiral too."
Urouge:
Glancing back at Kizaru standing not far away, Urouge felt his entire body go numb.
Having one Royal Seven Warlord chasing him was bad enough, but now he had to deal with an Admiral too?
Just how unlucky was he today?!
"Damn it... is this the end?"
"Relax. Your divination shows no signs of death today," Hawkins said flatly.
"Ahahaha, well, I'll take your word for it."
Urouge's expression hardened as he continued, "But... no matter what, I won't just sit around waiting to die!"
"Karma Power!"
"Hum~"
In the next instant, Urouge's body began to tremble violently before visibly expanding in size.
Within just a few breaths, he had grown several meters tall!
"Go to hell!!"
The enlarged Urouge swung his fist furiously at the pursuing Pacifista, sending it flying back with sheer brute force!
"Ahaha, finally some results!"
"What's going on with this guy?" Drake, who was passing by, frowned at the sight. "I remember he wasn't this big before... What kind of Devil Fruit Ability User is this?"
"Oh~"
"Rear Admiral Drake~"
"K-Kizaru?!"
Seeing Kizaru's 'friendly' gaze fixed on him, Drake's face turned pale. He was just passing through—why did he have to run into a Marine Admiral?
"Whoosh~"
Suddenly, a laser shot from the distance, piercing straight through Urouge's arm and leaving a bloody hole!
"Ah!"
Urouge screamed in pain, clutching his arm as he collapsed to his knees, beads of cold sweat immediately breaking out on his face.
"Hot!"
Glancing at the Pacifista that had returned, Urouge felt numb. Even after unleashing such immense power, he still couldn't defeat it?
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stand and said, "If you two want to survive, you'd better fight with everything you've got!"
As he spoke, he activated his Devil Fruit's power again, making his body grow even larger.
After exchanging a glance, Drake and Hawkins also activated their Devil Fruit Abilities. Clearly, staying out of this fight wasn't an option now.
Whoever dared to run first... would become the Marine Admiral's first target!
As for whether they could survive... that would depend on their own skills!
Watching the three rapidly growing giants, Kizaru remarked, "You bounty hunters worth over a hundred million... you're all like monsters..."
"Scary~"
The moment he finished speaking, Kizaru appeared beside Urouge and kicked him square in the abdomen, sending him flying.
"Whoosh!"
"BOOM!!"
With just one kick, Urouge was nearly knocked unconscious!
"ROAR!!"
"Kizaru!!"
"Hmm?"
Glancing at Drake and Hawkins, who were roaring at him, Kizaru chuckled. "Scary~"
"Bam!"
"Bam!"
Two more kicks sent the two giants flying, smashing through several buildings again.
In that moment, Kizaru displayed overwhelming power!
"What kind of...?" Meiser, standing atop a building, watched Kizaru below and muttered, "He says 'scary,' then kicks Supernovas around like it's nothing?"
His words and actions didn't match at all.
So this... was Admiral Kizaru?
"Oh~"
"If it isn't the Blood-Eyed Ninja, Meiser~"
Hearing the voice, Kizaru looked up and grinned. "What a... coincidence~"
Who would've thought that after killing a Celestial Dragon, this Blood-Eyed Ninja would dare to seek him out? Truly... scary!
Meeting Kizaru's cheerful gaze, Meiser grinned back. "What a coincidence indeed~"
"Marine Admiral... Kizaru!"
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