"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Kizaru rose into the air, unleashing a storm of dazzling light bullets toward Shirogai, who sat motionless with his eyes closed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hundreds of light bullets rained down. Yet, the instant they neared Shirogai, they curved away unnaturally—sliding aside as if repelled by an invisible barrier.
The ground, the rocks, even the grass around him remained untouched. Each projectile was refracted into the sky, splashed harmlessly into the sea, or ricocheted back toward Kizaru himself.
One even zipped straight through the Admiral's head before detonating far behind him.
Boom!
"Oh dear, oh dear… this is truly a headache," Kizaru muttered, brushing his head as photons reformed the missing portion. With a faintly amused tone, he added, "Shirogai San just stands there letting me attack, and I'm still helpless. How terrifying."
In truth, Kizaru wasn't displeased. His orders were to capture Shirogai alive, not kill him. If he intended otherwise, he would've used far deadlier methods from the start.
Up to now, he'd been holding back—no more than seventy percent of his full strength—while secretly contacting the Marine warship to bring Sea-Prism Stone restraints for a supposedly "worn down" Shirogai.
Still, the show had to look convincing. He kept firing, peppering the air with long-range photon attacks while maintaining the illusion of a desperate but futile assault.
Of the three Admirals, Kizaru's mind was perhaps the sharpest, yet his body the laziest. His sense of justice was… flexible, blurring the lines in every direction.
Unfortunately for him, Shirogai understood that mind all too well—and found it amusing.
"Kizaru… I'd guess the warship is already on its way, right?"
Shirogai's eyes opened, his smile sharp as he glanced at the Admiral, who stood ready with a glowing spear of light in hand.
"Up until now, I've been letting you hit me. Did that give you the illusion I've given up fighting back?"
"Oh dear, you've seen right through me? What should I do?" Kizaru replied with an exaggerated grin, lazily tossing the photon spear his way.
A black-purple light shimmered around Shirogai's frame.
"Don't waste your energy on small tricks," he said, vanishing just before the spear could strike.
In the same motion, his leg snapped out—Light Speed Kick—and the black-purple flash deflected the spear straight back toward its owner.
"Hm? Frightening tone, Shirogai San… you've already scared me," Kizaru quipped, tapping the spear with a finger to dismantle it into harmless fragments of light.
A whoosh split the air as Shirogai reappeared less than two meters from him, eyes glinting with the same black-purple light.
"An Admiral, scared? Don't lie, Kizaru." His grin widened. "It's been a while… let's see whose Glint-Glint Fruit mastery truly reigns."
Something about Shirogai had changed. Kizaru's brow furrowed.
"Oh?" His tone was drawn out, but curiosity sharpened his gaze. "Your light… it's different."
"You'll know once you try it."
Shirogai burst forward, his body transforming into a streak of black-purple brilliance.
[Glint-Glint Fruit · Modified Fourth Form: Extreme Speed Death Ray]
He had pushed his mastery of the Devil Fruit to seventy percent—the very limit—and forged it into something deadlier.
Kizaru didn't hesitate; he too became light, clashing at photon speed. The two crossed paths in a single instant, the air trembling in their wake.
"Oh dear, oh dear…" Kizaru's back was to him now, one hand pressed to his head. "Shirogai San, you're truly terrifying."
Shirogai turned, eyes dancing with amusement as he spotted the damage. "Ahahaha… this time your 'how terrifying' is genuine fear, isn't it?"
Kizaru sighed, his tone heavier now. "Your growth rate… it's frightening. In such a short time, you've become this strong."
At first glance, Kizaru looked fine. But as he turned fully, Shirogai saw it—half his body was missing.
Reddish-yellow photons flickered from the ragged edge where his right side should be.
"Such destructive power…" Kizaru murmured. "Your black-purple light… it can erase my elemental form?"
He reassembled himself, the photons knitting together skin, uniform, and form—yet his right hand bled openly. Four fingers were gone, only the thumb remaining, crimson dripping to the ground.
The surface of his expression didn't change. But inside, he was shaken.
That attack could have killed him. Only his lightning-fast decision to sever his own right side had saved his life. One moment slower, and the black-purple energy would have devoured his entire form beyond recovery.
The truth was worse than he'd expected: elementalization offered no protection.
"I didn't expect to lose four fingers over such a 'simple' mission," he said lightly, sealing the wound with light to stop the bleeding. "How terrifying."
Shirogai ran a hand through his hair, grin turning predatory. "Perhaps your life will be lost here as well, Kizaru."
The Admiral's mouth twitched, a sliver of killing intent flashing in his eyes. "Shirogai San is truly frightening… but now, I'm starting to get annoyed."
No more words. Reddish-yellow light clashed with black-purple once again, laser waves ripping through the air.
Boom!
Far from the island, the sky lit up with their clash.
And on the open sea, a lone bicycle crunched over the waves, leaving a trail of frost. Its tall rider stopped, gazing toward the distant explosions.
"Oh… so this is where you are," Kuzan muttered lazily. "Finally found it."
The bicycle moved again, cutting a frozen path toward the storm of light.