"You bastards have some skills, huh!"
Just as Jiang Lin and Luffy exchanged smiles, two dark figures leapt down from the tall trees above and landed in front of Jiang Lin.
"You kicked PX-4 onto a warship—now that's impressive."
The speaker was holding what looked like the "corpse" of the Pacifista Jiang Lin had just kicked off the island. Standing beside him was another fully intact Pacifista.
"Pacifistas? Didn't expect to meet two at once."
Jiang Lin shook his head in mild annoyance. As soon as he saw their faces, he knew who they were.
The man was Sentomaru, the leader of the Marine Science Unit—also the one Kizaru had been searching for earlier.
"Who are you?" Luffy asked curiously, staring at the newcomer.
"Sentomaru. A tough opponent," Jiang Lin answered for him.
"Let's get started, PX-1!"
Sentomaru's expression turned serious as he stared at Jiang Lin. He had already contacted Kizaru and learned all about Jiang Lin from him, which was why he cut to the chase and ordered the Pacifista to attack immediately upon arrival.
"Light Speed Kick!"
As soon as the Pacifista received the command, its entire body began to glow, readying for combat. But Jiang Lin's speed surpassed everyone present. A flash of blinding yellow light burst forth—and before the Pacifista could react, it was kicked clean off the Sabaody Archipelago.
"You—!"
Sentomaru was stunned. As he watched the Pacifista get instantly defeated, he raised the giant axe resting on his shoulder, ready to strike. But before he could make a move, Jiang Lin's devilish grin appeared right in front of him.
"Free ride home for you!"
A brilliant flash of yellow light followed—and, unsurprisingly, Sentomaru was sent flying off the archipelago too.
"SUGOI~!" (Amazing!)
Jiang Lin's constant displays of overwhelming strength had Luffy gazing at him not just with stars in his eyes—but practically with little hearts as well.
"He's so strong!" Nami looked at Jiang Lin in confusion. With power like his, he could easily dominate the entire Straw Hat crew. So why did he choose to join them?
"Could it be...?" Robin watched Jiang Lin's movements with a thoughtful expression. She, too, was shaken by his strength.
"So strange… Didn't Sentomaru tell me he was coming here? Oh—you're here too! Have you seen Sentomaru?"
As the Straw Hat crew members each processed Jiang Lin's unbelievable abilities, Admiral Kizaru appeared, casually shaking his head and walking out after having injured Nami with a laser beam from his finger.
"NAMI-CHAN!"
"NAMI!"
"..."
The cries of the Straw Hats paled in comparison to the raging fury surging within Jiang Lin.
"You… deserve to die."
Seeing Nami injured ignited Jiang Lin's wrath. In his previous life, he had watched helplessly as Ace died. Now that he had reincarnated into the world of One Piece, he would never again allow any of his favorite characters to be hurt or die before his eyes.
"Yata no Kagami!"
A dazzling light burst out beside Jiang Lin. His body traveled with the light and appeared right above Kizaru's head.
"Oh? You're starting to piss me off now…"
Kizaru squinted his eyes, then pointed four fingers forward. Four piercing beams of yellow light shot toward Jiang Lin.
"Whoosh!"
Using Yata no Kagami, Jiang Lin dodged the beams and raised his left leg high—then delivered a powerful kick toward Kizaru.
"Yata no Kagami!"
But a flash of yellow light shimmered, and Kizaru used the same technique to evade before the kick landed.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Jiang Lin crossed his arms in front of his chest. A flash of golden light erupted, and a torrent of glowing energy bullets rained down toward Kizaru like a storm.
"So strong!"
"His strength is on a completely different level!"
"He's holding his own against a Marine Admiral… and forcing him to go all-out!"
Chopper, Robin, and Sanji were utterly stunned by what they were witnessing—so much so that they momentarily forgot to tend to Nami's injuries.
An Admiral of the Marine Headquarters—the highest echelon of military strength. And yet Jiang Lin, a man with no prior fame in the One Piece world, not even a bounty to his name, was pushing one of these titans to the brink.
"Just how terrifying is this man?"
"How strong is he?"
These questions were now haunting every single Straw Hat crew member.
"A pirate not even registered by Marine HQ… Your strength deserves an 800 million berry bounty."
Kizaru's eyes gleamed. This was the moment he decided to stop holding back. Up until now, he had been toying with Jiang Lin—but to be so thoroughly suppressed was beginning to damage his pride as an Admiral. If he didn't show his full strength soon, he might not even get paid.
"Oh? I think I'm only worth 600 million."
Jiang Lin chuckled. His powers came entirely from Kizaru, so the higher Jiang Lin's bounty, the stronger Kizaru looked by comparison. Taking a smaller figure to make his "original" look better was a tradeoff he didn't mind.
"Is that so? Then show me how strong a 600-million-berry pirate is."
Brilliant yellow light sparked around them. Kizaru deftly dodged the Yasakani no Magatama barrage. Since both men wielded the same Devil Fruit—the Glint-Glint Fruit—long-range attacks would never decide the fight. Only close combat could bring victory.
"Whoosh… Whoosh…"
Brilliant beams of light crisscrossed the battlefield. Countless trees exploded upon contact with the energy.
Jiang Lin and Kizaru were like two speeding trains, clashing through the 12th island of the Sabaody Archipelago, locked in a chaotic, high-speed dogfight.
The white "Justice" cloak on Kizaru's back fluttered wildly and was repeatedly pierced by golden beams, leaving holes the size of fingers.
By this point, both fighters were in tattered clothes—their intense battle rapidly approaching a hand-to-hand brawl.
"My, my… I didn't expect you to be so difficult."
Kizaru grinned and glanced across the field.
"You're not bad yourself, Borsalino-san."
Jiang Lin stood nearby, breathing heavily. Though his face was handsome, his body was that of a normal man—a nameless background character. No matter how good he looked, he lacked the endurance to maintain such high-intensity combat. As fatigue set in, Kizaru slowly started to gain the upper hand.
"Enough, Kizaru!"
Just as the two were about to resume fighting, a white-haired, white-bearded elder wearing a white cloak and a pair of flip-flops slowly stepped out of the trees nearby.