Kizaru, gripping his light sword, pursued Rayleigh relentlessly, engaging him in a fierce duel of blades.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two exchanged heavy blows, their swords colliding with equal force, neither gaining the upper hand.
"Flash."
Kizaru’s body erupted in a blinding burst of light, flooding the surroundings with a golden radiance that swallowed all visibility.
Then—he vanished.
Rayleigh instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes, his vision swimming.
"Trying to ambush me?"
Like a phantom, Rayleigh darted away, using Geppo to maneuver midair while sensing Kizaru’s possible reappearance.
Kizaru flickered in and out of existence.
Suddenly, his figure materialized from the light, slashing toward Rayleigh with his luminous blade.
"Flash Slash!"
Kizaru followed up with rapid strikes, his face eerily blank.
"Hades’ Severance!"
Clang!
Their swords met, and the clash ignited a flurry of exchanges, the air ringing with the sound of steel.
After several rounds, neither emerged victorious. They separated, eyeing each other from a distance.
"Nee~ terrifying. As expected of Gol D. Roger’s right-hand man, Silvers Rayleigh."
"Borsalino, you’re no slouch either. Given time, you’ll undoubtedly rise to the top of the Marines."
Rayleigh meant it. Kizaru had no obvious weaknesses, was immune to most physical attacks, and even Rayleigh’s Conqueror’s Haki barely fazed him.
"Nee~ what a pain."
Kizaru tilted his head, dissolving his light sword.
"Borsalino, giving up already?"
"Nee~ Silvers Rayleigh, I acknowledge your strength. I can’t take you down. Tsk tsk tsk… You people are all monsters. Each one scarier than the last."
Kizaru raised his hands in mock surrender, his face slack and mouth twisted in exaggerated dismay.
"Weird guy."
Rayleigh grinned. In all his years at sea, he’d never met such an eccentric character.
Meanwhile, Sunbell—still suffering from Sengoku’s Buddha’s Radiance—was having a far worse time, relentlessly pursued by the Admiral.
"Sengoku! Cut it out! I didn’t even do anything to you—why keep chasing me?!"
"Hmph! You disgusting fish! You dare smear that filth on me? I’m dragging you back to Impel Down and making you lick toilets!"
Even Sengoku, a man of wisdom and power, was visibly furious. His Great Buddha form was sacred, majestic—and Sunbell had tarnished it with his vile sludge.
"Eugh! Sengoku, I never took you for the type to say something so gross!"
Sunbell grumbled, bolting toward Rayleigh without looking back.
"Rayleigh! Save me!"
"This old fool… But holding his own against Sengoku for so long means he’s gotten stronger."
Sunbell skidded to a halt behind Rayleigh, reverting to his original form and brandishing a harpoon. Given his massive size, hiding behind Rayleigh looked downright comical.
"Buddha’s Suppression!"
"Move!" Rayleigh yanked Sunbell aside just as Sengoku’s colossal fist cratered the ground where they’d stood.
The Admiral’s eyes burned with rage.
"Kizaru! What are you doing? Why aren’t you attacking?!"
Kizaru maintained his surrender pose, feigning innocence.
"Nee~ Admiral Sengoku, I did my best. I can’t beat Rayleigh. He’s a monster—too scary~"
"Kizaru! As a Marine, your justice must be absolute! With such half-hearted resolve, how do you expect to become an Admiral?!"
Sengoku’s words were merciless. First Kuzan left without orders, and now Kizaru was refusing to fight?
Kizaru’s expression remained unreadable, as if nothing could ever ruffle him.
"Nee~ Admiral Sengoku, say what you will. My justice won’t change. Besides, look at Dark King Rayleigh—and this monster next to him. So scary~"
His tone was dripping with sarcasm, his face annoyingly smug. It was the kind of face that made people want to punch him.
"Kizaru, as Marines, we follow orders unconditionally. Disobey me, and I’ll take you down too!"
Sengoku wasn’t joking. This was his ironclad principle—justice above all else.
"Hah! Sengoku, looks like your subordinate doesn’t listen. Priceless!"
Sunbell howled with laughter, finally getting some payback after being roasted and chased.
"Hm?" Kizaru’s gaze sharpened as he glanced at Sunbell.
"Nee~ Admiral Sengoku, how about we swap? I’ll handle this monster. You take Rayleigh."
"Borsalino, I’m your opponent."
Rayleigh’s Observation Haki had caught the subtle shift in Kizaru’s demeanor.
"Fine, Kizaru. But you’d better go all out."
"Nee~ don’t worry, Admiral. This terrifying monster is mine. He’s already crossed the line—"
"...my sense of Naval Justice."
Kizaru's eyes narrowed dangerously as he stared at Sunbell. Rayleigh, observing this, felt a flicker of confusion—since when did Kizaru take things seriously?
"Old man, be careful. Borsalino is a Logia user of the Glint-Glint Fruit. Normal physical attacks won’t work on him."
Rayleigh muttered the warning under his breath. Sunbell was weaker than him, and that fact tightened Rayleigh’s expression.
"Heh, relax, Rayleigh. At least he’s safer to deal with than Sengoku. My defenses are solid, and I’ve got Armament Haki—Tekkai. Handling a Logia won’t be a problem."
Sunbell rubbed his nose with overconfident bravado, gripping his harpoon as his usual swagger returned. But his words reeked of arrogance—Kizaru wasn’t just any Logia user. He was Admiral-level.
"Tsk tsk tsk... How scary. Let’s see if your strength matches that big mouth of yours."
Kizaru raised his hands, a mirror-like disc of light forming between them.
"Yata no Kagami."
A laser shot from the mirror, refracting wildly before streaking toward Sunbell.
Rayleigh’s blade flashed, intercepting the beam mid-air and slicing it apart.
Undeterred, Kizaru—