Uwaaaaaah, this is so hard to follow! So fast! So annoying!
With dull clank-clank sounds, I blocked Kizaru's light-blade with my kicks—no, to be exact, I was already at my limit just trying to hold him off and buy time.
Idiot! I'm such an idiot! Why did I throw away my advantage when I could fight better in the air with limited footholds! Why did I do this to myself!!
It really had been pure luck.
In the air, the attacks from the Glint-Glint Fruit tend to be straight lines.
Kizaru had probably crushed everything with that up until now.
But because of that, compared to Shiki, he had more openings in aerial combat.
It was easier to read his attacks, and I could land counters on his light-speed kicks, using that speed against him to deal damage.
"Borsalino, how about joining our side instead!?" I shouted, ducking under a beam. "Your ability—no, your own skill—would fit a perfect position we still haven't filled!!"
"Ahh, I'm happy to hear that, but I'm a wage slave too, you know…" Kizaru drawled.
"I understand that more than you think! But if you let duty chain you too tightly, you'll lose yourself! And once that happens it's too late! You'll have mountains of nonsense responsibility dumped on you until you want to hang yourself!!"
"Oof… that's harsh. You're gonna make this old man cry."
The problem came right after that.
To reset the fight, Kizaru had pulled back to the battleship behind us, but he was clearly out of breath.
My counter must've hit a really good spot.
And the moment I noticed that, my thoughts were painted in one color.
Yes—
—Wide open!!!
His body was completely unguarded.
Wide open—really wide open.
It was basically begging me to kick it.
So of course I went in with everything I had.
Of course I threw my strongest kick straight at him.
But still!!
Idiot! Moron! You stupid clown! Why the stomach!? Kick his jaw and finish it already!!!
His skill with the sword is probably equal to Chris—maybe even above by a little.
He's very strong, but he hasn't removed the quirks from his sword swings, so reading him is easier.
The real problem is his devil fruit attacks—those sudden kicks and light beams. Those are way more dangerous than the sword itself!
It's like playing a bugged rhythm game where you die if you don't react instantly the moment the future feels like it shifts.
I knew fighting him straight on with footholds would be bad, but this is way worse!
Good job, past me. All your predictions were right.
The problem is present-me, who dove into danger with a half-baked reflex attack. Idiot.
…So this is my weakness.
To survive Mihawk and Rayleigh's "all-range twin attack"—that insane death net of slashes that recently stopped giving me openings—I needed to use tiny, sharp movements to slip through and land one hit that opened a gap.
That's why I trained my kicks.
That's why I trained my cat-like hand strikes.
That's why I trained Silent Step.
Because those two swing real swords—coated in Haki.
If I didn't read the distance perfectly, my head would fly off before I even realized it, then my body would get chopped into pieces. Stupid.
"You worked too hard. That's why the government big-shots got scared," Kizaru stated.
"Do you realize that same thing applies to the Navy too!?" I retorted.
"..."
"If the Marines keep fighting, wipe out the pirates, and hand the whole sea to the government, what do you think the government will do to the Navy next!?"
"…Harsh words, kid."
Sorry, Kizaru—fighting while thinking doesn't work for me, so I need to talk to stall you—
WHOAA—!?
A light-speed kick came the moment I let my guard down! Seriously!!
"In this attack and in the way the government handled the rebuilding! Where is the duty of a ruler!? Where is the justice of those who lead!?" I yelled.
"…I might have a fancy title, but I'm just a civil servant. I don't know much about politics," he replied coolly.
"You still know the current situation! There are countries that became 'non-member states' because they couldn't pay the Heavenly Tribute, and once they lost Marine protection, pirates tore them apart! There's no way an Admiral like you doesn't know that!!"
…
Hmm. Wait.
Now that I think about it—this is really strange, isn't it?
If the Holy Land is the top priority, even so, the member nations are basically their own land. Their kings act like governors…
Some pressure is understandable, but why destroy them so casually? Weakening their own territory helps no one.
A warning? No, not when times are already hard for everyone.
That would have no meaning.
You can't get money from people who don't have any.
Even if the Celestial Dragons are short-sighted, the Five Elders and others in power have some long-term thinking.
And yet—
No, no, that's not what I should think about now.
I glanced over. Hina and the others were fine. No more pursuers—their ships had all run aground.
Maybe no one tried to circle around, or maybe they got dragged into a current they couldn't cross. Either way, they're safe for now.
Now I just need to deal with the Admiral right in front of me!
At the very least, I have to reach a draw.
We will win in the West Blue.
The only problem is that the army needed to push forward wasn't ready yet, but we've prepared enough to win.
If that happens, Daz and the others will be the pirates who defeated the Admiral's fleet—and their reputation will skyrocket.
Even if I get captured and executed, we have more than enough support now.
We could expand fast and reach the strength needed to carry out our future plans.
But if I lose and get captured, their new reputation will be damaged.
So even if I can't beat an Admiral, I need proof that I fought him—and stood my ground.
"You—"
"Yes?"
"Do you think you can change things?" Kizaru asked suddenly.
"…No. I can't do anything alone."
"Thought so."
"To change things, the Celestial Dragons themselves would need to change. And the only way to make that happen is to interfere in some way with their culture of 'consumption' and reshape it."
So the whole plan—selling, trading, slowly making connections—was ruined.
Now the only option left was to fight.
I wanted to keep at least a single line of contact open until the last second, but—
Why did they really have to attack him!!
"I believe Fleet Admiral Sengoku and I want the same thing. But right now, we have to fight, even if my enemy is you," I said.
Acting on reflex isn't wrong.
Without that, I couldn't face Kizaru alone.
I had managed to stall him a bit, but he was still someone soldiers couldn't ignore.
The problem is that my thoughts don't keep up with my reflexes…
Against Kizaru, all I've been doing is playing by "standard moves."
Like moving a pawn forward just because the Knight was taken—without thinking about the pawn's other roles.
"…What a waste."
"..."
"Truly a waste."
Because my mind focuses on one thing, my reflex wipes out the rest instantly.
If that's the problem—
I see…
I should split my thoughts and use them separately, then merge them when needed.