The instant that devastating, world-shattering energy swelled in the air, Kizaru didn't hesitate—not even for a heartbeat.
His entire body dissolved into golden light and vanished from sight.
He didn't even bother trying to save the Marines behind him.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Lucian Vale's radiant blast tore through the heavens. The explosion didn't just shake the sea—it changed it.
The ocean didn't churn.
It boiled.
Gigantic waves surged upward like dragon heads rising from the abyss, devouring everything within sight.
The three Marine battleships were caught in the blast, swallowed whole.
They were obliterated—
crew, steel, and soul—
leaving not even ash behind.
Lucian floated above the devastation, golden light still flickering faintly around his hand.
"So this is the power I gained after fully merging with Aizen's inheritance?" he murmured, eyes reflecting the molten sea below.
He smiled faintly.
"No… this isn't even close to my limit."
"If I unleashed full power, this strike alone could erase an island."
He said it calmly, but his mind was a storm of thoughts.
If he had possessed this strength forty years ago…
He never would have fallen to Garp and Sengoku.
But as he floated there, the realization hit him—he almost felt grateful to them.
Had they not captured him, not sealed him away in silence for four decades, he would never have achieved perfect fusion with the Hōgyoku.
They had given him time—
and time had given him transcendence.
"I wonder…" Lucian muttered, his lips curving. "What kind of faces will they make when they learn what I've become?"
He almost laughed aloud at the thought.
FLASH—
Golden light flickered to life a short distance away.
Kizaru reappeared, coughing violently.
"Admiral, you don't look so good," Lucian said lightly.
"Cough—cough!"
Kizaru nearly spat blood. His immaculate yellow suit was scorched and torn, the Justice cloak hanging by a single thread. A dark stain spread across his chest.
Looking "not good" didn't begin to describe it.
"Lucian Vale," Kizaru rasped, wiping the blood from his lip. "I'll admit… your strength is terrifying."
He straightened, face suddenly devoid of his usual lazy grin. His tone was steel.
"But if you think you can just walk away from here… letting you go won't be that easy."
Lucian smirked.
"Interesting. You're right—if this is the level of today's Admirals, I'd be disappointed."
If Garp or Sengoku had appeared, perhaps he'd take it seriously. But Kizaru?
Not a chance.
"Hmph. Ama no Murakumo."
Kizaru summoned a blade of solid light, photons condensing into a gleaming katana.
"Oh? You're going all out?"
Lucian raised Kyōka Suigetsu, his grip relaxed, movements fluid as water.
CLANG!!!
Metal met light.
Sparks exploded across the sky.
They clashed again—
and again—
and again—
Each impact tore shockwaves through the air, the ocean below splitting open like a wound.
To the Marines watching from the distant fortress, the battle looked like two living stars colliding.
…
In the surveillance room of Impel Down, chaos erupted.
"Tell me this is fake!" one Marine shouted.
"That prisoner is fighting an Admiral!?" another screamed.
"No—no, impossible! Admirals are the strongest in the world! No pirate could—"
"Look! Look at the screen! The Admiral's bleeding!"
The chatter fell to horrified whispers.
On-screen, Kizaru's pristine uniform was now scorched, shredded, and bloodstained.
The reality sank in.
He was being pushed back.
Lucian's movements were too fast—too precise. Kizaru couldn't match his attack speed.
Only his Observation Haki kept him alive. Without it, he would've been cut to ribbons already.
"Huff…"
Kizaru retreated midair, creating distance, chest heaving.
If this continued, he wouldn't just lose—
he'd die.
"That's unusual for a Marine," Lucian said with a smirk. "Giving up already?"
"I can't beat you," Kizaru admitted, "and I can't stop you."
"But letting you leave without a fight… that would be irresponsible."
He turned into pure light again, streaking into the clouds.
From above, his voice rang out like thunder.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Endless golden orbs of light burst from his form, raining down in a storm of radiance.
Each beam split the sky like divine wrath.
Lucian looked up, unimpressed.
"A natural Logia ability really is like cheating," he mused.
"But if this is all you've got…"
His eyes turned cold.
"…you're insulting me."
He raised Kyōka Suigetsu.
A surge of blue energy burst from his body, gathering into an immense wave of spiritual pressure.
"Hōgyoku — Third Fusion State: Sword Pressure."
BOOOOOOM!!!
The azure slash cleaved upward, colliding head-on with the golden storm.
The world went white.
The explosion ripped through the sky, splitting clouds apart for miles.
The sea convulsed violently, birthing waves taller than the prison itself.
Sea Kings screamed and vanished into the deep.
Impel Down shuddered from the sheer force, every Marine on every level staring in stunned terror as the Den Den Mushi screens crackled and flickered.
"Ding! Congratulations, host—352 reputation points gained."
"Ding! Congratulations, host—278 reputation points gained."
"Ding! Congratulations—"
The mechanical voice echoed again and again as points surged like a volcanic eruption.
Within seconds—
five digits.
Lucian smiled faintly.
"Not bad. But once the world hears of this…"
He looked out across the broken horizon.
"That'll be the real wave."
FLASH—
Kizaru reappeared a short distance away, clutching his chest.
His body shook; his breathing came ragged.
"That slash…" he rasped. "If I'd reacted a second slower, I'd be… in pieces…"
He staggered, light flickering weakly around him.
"Admiral," Lucian said softly, "we'll meet again."
"Next time, if you keep slacking—"
His eyes gleamed with quiet amusement.
"—you'll die."
Then, behind him, wings of pure light unfurled.
He launched skyward, vanishing into the horizon in a flash of radiance.
Kizaru stood there, silent, the wind howling around him.
After a long pause, he sighed.
"Another day I wanted to clock out on time…"
"This old man's too tired for this…"
He rubbed his neck, staring into the fading light.
"Why do monsters like him keep showing up…?"
And with that, the Admiral turned toward Impel Down—
where the real chaos had only just begun.
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