SWISH!
The slash of sword pressure reached Kizaru first, cleaving straight through him in mid-air!
But… it didn't do a shred of real damage.
Kizaru was a Logia user, the attack passed harmlessly through his dispersed light-form.
By then, Kai was already upon him, the stolen long sword swinging down in a fierce arc!
"So scary, that speed~! And you even know Rokushiki!"
With a casual pull of his hands, Kizaru drew a sword of solid light from the air, meeting Kai's blade head-on.
BOOM!!
Steel clashed with solidified radiance.
Kizaru's teasing, nonchalant expression vanished in an instant. The sheer force behind Kai's slash smashed him back several meters, his body dissolving into a stream of golden light to disperse the terrifying impact.
"Now that… is some frightening power!"
If his earlier comment about Kai's speed had been mere sarcasm, after all, who could possibly outpace the Pika Pika no Mi?. This time, his assessment was dead serious.
Kai's raw strength was terrifying.
Whoosh!!
In the next heartbeat, Kizaru shot toward Kai as a beam of light!
Kai met him head-on, blade raised, propelled by Geppo!
Another collision erupted in the sky.
BOOM!!
A leg solidified from golden light kicked toward Kai, only to be intercepted once more by his sword.
Instantly, Kai pivoted, lashing out with a counter-kick of his own.
Kizaru didn't even bother to dodge physically, letting the foot phase through his elemental form as he prepared his next strike.
But then, his eyes widened slightly. It was too late to adjust.
THUD!!!
A foot imbued with armament Haki connected solidly with Kizaru's torso.
The Admiral was blasted back over a dozen meters, almost sent flying into the sea below.
If he'd hit the water, even a Navy Admiral would be finished. Devil Fruit users were helpless in the sea.
The Haki-infused kick caught him off guard, and the angle was vicious, aimed to send him plummeting downward. At the last second, he dissolved into photons, zipping back up into the sky to avoid a watery grave.
"So you've mastered observation and armament?!"
Now, Kizaru was fully focused.
He'd been suspicious when all his attacks were perfectly parried. Now, getting kicked like that confirmed it, Kai could use Armament Haki.
Which meant those earlier precise blocks… that had to be Observation Haki.
"I underestimated you" Kizaru admitted. He'd assumed someone from the first half of the Grand Line, someone whose file said he'd only gotten strong in the last month, couldn't possibly know Haki.
A single month?
No amount of talent let you master Haki that fast. The thought never crossed his mind.
Kai, meanwhile, let himself drop from the sky, ceasing his Geppo.
Just as Kizaru steeled himself for a real fight, he saw Kai's falling form plunge straight into the ocean.
'He'd gone into the sea?!'
"Well, that's that, then."
As a Devil Fruit user, chasing someone underwater was impossible.
"Phew~ Kids these days are downright terrifying."
With one last glance at the now-calm spot where Kai disappeared, Kizaru turned his attention to the other escapees.
Forewarned by Kai, he stopped holding back.
The remaining fugitives were mostly the legendary monsters from Level 6. Even for an Admiral, they demanded caution.
Still, years of imprisonment had left them weakened. Kizaru managed to recapture a few.
After suppressing the worst of the riot, Magellan also emerged, joining the hunt for the Level Six runaways.
Three Days Later. Marine Headquarters.
Kizaru delivered his report to Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
"Final tally… 140 individuals unaccounted for. Some died during the break-out. Others… successfully escaped."
Sengoku's expression was stormy. "In decades, only Shiki ever broke out of Impel Down. Now it happens again, and not just one… but many?!"
He took a steadying breath. "How many from Level Six?"
Kizaru began listing names.
"The alleged mastermind Kai."
"Former Head Jailer Shiryu of the Rain."
"Red Count Patrick Redfield."
"The 'World Destroyer' Bandy the… Warden? Wapol? 'Worldbreaker' Bundy? Ugh… 'Captain' something… The guy who throws big things."
"The 'Devil's Child' Douglass… Bullet? Barrett? 'The Demon Heir' Daguras Barett? Close enough."
"…"
With each mangled name, Sengoku massaged his temples harder.
A migraine was coming on.
That Kai and Shiryu were one thing.
But the others Kizaru was trying to name… they were the real headache.
Legends from a bygone era.
Some of these monsters were strong enough to shift the balance of power in the current era.
~~~~~~~~~~
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