On the other side, the battle between Luffy and Kizaru had reached a fever pitch. The two had been fighting for a long time, and Luffy knew that Kizaru wasn't going to be easy to defeat. He just wanted to get rid of Kizaru and get to Ace, but Kizaru's speed was too great to escape.
Kizaru was also shocked by Luffy's growth. Compared to their fight in Logue Town, Kizaru noticed that Luffy's physique had become stronger and his Observation and Armament Haki had improved a lot.
Back in Logue Town, Luffy had to rely on Fourth Gear to fight him, but now he could last a long time in just Second and Third Gear. This showed how much Luffy's strength had grown, and Kizaru could only sigh in response. He's Garp's grandson, all right.
"Hey! Polusalino, stop bothering me! I need to save Ace!" Luffy yelled impatiently.
"I can't allow that! It's my duty as an Admiral to stop you, Straw Hat Luffy!" Kizaru replied with a helpless expression.
"You're only getting a few hundred berries a month, so why are you even working?!" Luffy said, repeating what he had heard from Carl and Sanji. But in his rush, he had misremembered the amount, and Kizaru almost coughed up blood.
My salary is so low that I don't even know it? he thought. Fortunately, Kizaru knew that Luffy, like Garp, sometimes had a screw loose, so he didn't take his words to heart.
"Yasakani Sacred Jewel!" Without any more nonsense, Kizaru unleashed a powerful attack. Luffy had no choice but to dodge with his Second Gear and Observation Haki. Though he wasn't hit, it was a waste of his time and energy. He had to find a way to get rid of Kizaru.
I have no choice but to use Fourth Gear! Luffy thought. He bit his Armament Haki-covered forearm and blew, instantly transforming into his Fourth Gear Bounce-Man form. "Gum-Gum King Kong Gun!" He pulled his rubber fist back into his body, then shot it out at high speed toward Kizaru.
Kizaru was wary of the power of the punch and instantly transformed into light particles to dodge. But the rubber fist suddenly changed direction mid-flight and continued to pursue him.
Kizaru kept dodging, and the King Kong Gun kept chasing. "Ooh, ooh, ooh, you can even track me with that. This old man is so tired," Kizaru said. Although he found Luffy's moves a bit comical, he had to admit they were effective. If he had been Akainu or Aokiji, he would have been hit already.
However, even though the punch was fast and had a tracking ability, it still couldn't catch Kizaru. Flash! Flash! Flash! After dodging multiple times, Luffy's King Kong Gun attack was exhausted and pulled back. Kizaru took the opportunity to appear in front of Luffy and kicked his face at the speed of light. It felt like he was kicking a rubber ball.
I was right about my first impression. Even with Armament Haki, it still has the properties of rubber. That's strange, Kizaru thought. He had felt it before during their fight in Logue Town, and now he was certain. Luffy's Haki and Devil Fruit were unique.
Luffy took the opportunity to grab Kizaru's foot, but before he could attack, Kizaru turned into light particles and escaped. Luffy felt helpless. Kizaru was a master of speed. He wasn't even fighting back; he was just dodging, and it was frustrating.
However, Luffy glanced at Ace on the execution platform, and his eyes lit up. He used Geppo, and his body shot forward like a jet engine, flying toward the platform.
"The old man won't let you..." Kizaru appeared next to Luffy and kicked him with his light-infused leg.
"Got you!" Luffy suddenly yelled, cutting Kizaru off. He turned and looked directly at Kizaru. He had predicted where Kizaru would appear and used his Ape King Gun attack. Kizaru's heart skipped a beat, and he gritted his teeth, crossing his arms in front of his face.
In the next second, a massive fist slammed into his forearms. The intense pain shot through his body, and he was sent flying. Boom! Kizaru crashed into the ground of the plaza, leaving a huge crater.
But in the next second, Kizaru reappeared on the ground with a bit of blood on his lips. His hands were trembling, clearly injured by Luffy's punch. "Admiral Kizaru..." The Marines' eyes went wide, filled with disbelief.
It was truly shocking. First, Carl hit Akainu, and now Luffy had hit Kizaru. The Straw Hats were terrifying! Luffy didn't even glance at the airborne Kizaru as he continued to Geppo toward the execution platform. There was no one left to block him.
"Oh no! Straw Hat Luffy is heading for the execution platform!" the Marines yelled in shock.
"Go! Ace's little brother!" the Whitebeard Pirates cheered.
"Go, Luffy! Rush up there and save Ace!" the Straw Hat Pirates shouted.
"Yeah! I have to save Ace! I have to!" Luffy responded loudly.
Seeing this, some members of the Marine Special Forces rushed to the execution platform, forming a human wall to stop Luffy. But Luffy just leveled them with a single punch, and they were all instantly knocked out of the way. In the next second, Luffy landed on the platform.
He looked at Ace and grinned, showing his white teeth. "Ace! I'm here to save you, haha!"
"Luffy, you idiot..." Ace didn't know what to say, but he couldn't help but smile. He was genuinely happy.
Luffy didn't waste any time. He grabbed Ace's seastone handcuffs, coating his hand in Armament Haki. He tried to break them, but he soon realized that he couldn't. "What's going on?! Is the seastone content too high?!"
Luffy quickly changed his plan. Instead of trying to break them himself, he shouted to the plaza below, "Mr. 3! Get up here now! Make me a key!"
Mr. 3 immediately understood that it was his time to shine. But he was still far away from the execution platform, and even if he used Geppo, it would take a long time, and he might get blocked. Just as he was pondering, he was suddenly lifted by Zoro and placed on Sanji's leg.
"No way!" Mr. 3 suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Oh, yes way," Sanji said with a slight smile. He then kicked Mr. 3 high into the sky with a powerful kick. Mr. 3 screamed throughout Marineford, and in the next second, he was caught by Luffy's stretched arm and pulled onto the execution platform.
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