Bzzzt!
As Kizaru's right hand extended, a gleaming golden energy sword appeared in his grasp.
This was one of his signature techniques — concentrating light photon energy in his hand to form a sword of light as a weapon.
This sword bore a resounding name: Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi (Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds).
In the original story, Kizaru had used this sword to directly engage with the "Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh, the "Right Hand of the Pirate King" and First Mate of the Roger Pirates.
Before anyone could react, in the blink of an eye, Hyaku's Ryūka collided with Kizaru's Ame no Murakumo.
Clang!
A piercing collision sound, loud enough to penetrate eardrums, suddenly rang out.
Bang!!
Immediately after, the energy and power contained in both weapons erupted completely. Countless sword winds and blade auras instantly raged outward.
It was as if the air itself shattered from this powerful collision.
Boom!
Energy shockwaves carved numerous trenches into the ground beneath the two combatants.
Eventually, the commotion gradually subsided. The first exchange between the two unexpectedly ended in a draw.
"Armament Haki... Observation Haki... You really are as the rumors say. So young, yet so skilled in using Haki." Gripping the Ame no Murakumo firmly and pressing hard against the opponent's katana, Kizaru spoke with rare seriousness.
Clearly, he had realized that Hyaku's ability to precisely dodge his light beams and land attacks on his physical form was entirely due to these two types of Haki.
This astonished him even more. Such mastery wasn't achieved through effort alone — it required exceptional natural talent.
"For someone like you, if we confirm you're not part of our Marines... it would be best to eliminate you early." Kizaru remarked with another sigh.
He finally understood why Garp had so strongly recommended Hyaku. With this young man's talent, given time, he would certainly become a brilliant asset to the Marines.
He might even... surpass their generation!
However, from what he could see now, Kizaru sensed that Hyaku was an enemy rather than a friend.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Hyaku continued to play dumb.
Hearing this, Kizaru merely shook his head without replying.
Clang!
The next moment, both men applied force with their hands almost simultaneously. Their weapons instantly produced a shocking spark.
Hyaku and Kizaru both retreated and separated.
Whoosh!
After withdrawing, Kizaru focused his mind. His body instantly transformed into elemental form, becoming countless points of light that soared toward the sky.
Then, the light points converged, reforming his figure in mid-air.
Bzzzt!
Still suspended above, Kizaru waved his hand to dispel the Ame no Murakumo. He then raised both hands, positioning them in front of him, crossing his arms right after.
Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt!
In an instant, a dazzling golden light rapidly concentrated in the X-shape of his arms.
✣ Pika Pika no Mi: Yasakani no Magatama ⭄ Comma Jewel of Eight Shaku! ✣
The next moment, Kizaru uttered softly.
Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh...!
In a flash, countless light bullets shot out from his fingertips.
The light bullets moved extremely fast, their number overwhelming, covering half the sky. They completely sealed off the large area where Hyaku stood.
This was one of Kizaru's Devil Fruit abilities — a massive area bombardment attack. Being directly hit by even a single light bullet could result in serious injury.
Whoosh—
Facing the unavoidable dense barrage, Hyaku tightly gripped the hilt of his Ryūka. The blue-green flames encircling the blade became increasingly solid.
He pushed his energy and sword intent to the extreme.
✣ Ryū no Ibuki Giri ⭄ Dragon's Breath Slash! ✣
Once enough energy had gathered on the blade, Hyaku exerted force with both hands, raising the sword and slashing upward.
Whoosh—Boom!
As Hyaku executed this upward slash, a massive sword energy attack separated from the blade.
The released slash, wrapped in blue-green flames, resembled a massive azure dragon soaring into the sky. It roared toward the heavens, colliding with the countless light bullets in a breathtaking display.
In the next second, the dragon and the light bullets crashed together.
Bang Bang Bang Bang…!!
All at once, countless light bullets collided with the dragon. Continuous explosions erupted across the dragon's surface, making one's scalp tingle. The bursts of energy illuminated the pitch-black night sky with extraordinary brightness.
Hyaku's slash excelled in strength, while Kizaru's light bullets excelled in quantity. The first exchange between the two attacks resulted in a surprising stalemate.
In the sky above, the intense collision and explosion continued.
Kizaru's light bullets numbered in the terrifying hundreds and thousands — far beyond just a few dozen. Those that didn't collide with the azure dragon fell randomly to the ground, each causing an astonishing energy blast upon impact.
This back-and-forth energy consumption didn't last long.
Bang!
Finally, with a loud boom, Kizaru's light bullets were all expended. Similarly, Hyaku's Dragon's Breath Slash gradually dimmed under the intense bombardment until it dissipated completely. Thick black smoke from the explosions filled the sky between them.
✣ Rokushiki: Kamisori ⭄ Razor! ✣
Just then, Hyaku's voice suddenly came from within the black smoke.
Whoosh!
Immediately after, his figure burst through the black smoke. His feet stepped continuously on the air, each step producing explosive sounds.
As Hyaku charged out, his entire body was wrapped in blue-green flames. These flames suddenly began to change as he moved.
The blue-green flames contracted continuously until they completely adhered to Hyaku's body surface, congealing into something resembling jade crystal.
✣ Seiryū Ougi: Tenjō Kudari ⭄ Azure Dragon Ultimate: Heaven's Descent! ✣
The next moment, having rushed to Kizaru's face, Hyaku shouted, gripping his sword with both hands and slashing straight down!
✣ Pika Pika no Mi: Ame no Murakumo ⭄ Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds! ✣
Feeling the terrifying power emanating from the katana, Kizaru's face showed surprise. He immediately summoned the Ame no Murakumo again.
With no time to think, he instinctively raised his sword to block. Almost simultaneously, Ryūka slashed downward.
CLANG!!
A deafening metallic collision echoed across the sky. The moment Ryūka struck Ame no Murakumo, an invisible air current spread outward like a shock wave.
Rumble Rumble…
In the blink of an eye, the surrounding trees were cut in half by the blast wave. One after another, the great trees fell.
The cut surfaces of those broken trees were as smooth as mirrors, as if sliced by a terrifying blade.
As devastating as this was to the surroundings, Kizaru, who had barely reacted in time to block, suffered even more. After Hyaku's sword came down, he felt a sharp pain in the web between his thumb and index finger.
An unimaginable force was frantically pressing against him.
✣✣✣
T/N: Favorite, comment and save to your library of best reads in the world, thank you for reading this far!
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