"Cough, cough!!"
Luffy crawled out of the rubble, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. The intense pain made him frown deeply.
The gap in Observation Haki was still too great. Kizaru's Observation Haki... was probably already at the pinnacle of the sea!
"However, I'm not without an advantage!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his broken bones and lost blood... all regenerated and recovered!
A faint crimson glow reflected in Luffy's pupils, and the world became more colorful.
He heard the mountains, water, wind, thunder, earth, stones, trees, grass... all kinds of sounds. He could communicate with them... he embraced nature!
Listen to the Voice of All Things, activate!!
Luffy raised his head, his black hair flying in the strong wind.
The world changed color, the wind howled, waves surged, and in the void, faint black and red lightning bolts intertwined, appearing and disappearing.
Luffy took a step back, and the ground beneath his feet shattered inch by inch!
"Boom!!"
Black lightning firmly wrapped around his arm. He punched out, moving faster than an afterimage. The world seemed to stand still at that moment!
Kizaru's body tensed, and a golden flash streaked past.
At the same time, Luffy's arm also bent in the air, gaining even more speed! It desperately tore at Kizaru.
Feeling the suffocating sense of crisis from the punch, Kizaru could only retreat helplessly, transforming into a golden light that circled left and right!
Kizaru was somewhat speechless. As the "fastest man in the world," speed had always been his proudest asset.
"Speed is power" even became his catchphrase at one point.
Yet, a kid who hadn't even fully grown his hair could keep up with his speed!!
But soon, something even more maddening happened: the speed of Luffy's punches subtly surpassed his!
Luffy's left arm spun in a circle and also shot out.
Both arms continuously stretched, folded, bent... stirring up the clouds in the sky.
"Are young people these days really this terrifying??"
Life is not easy, Kizaru sighed!
Relying on his exceptionally powerful Observation Haki, he "saw" the trajectory of the punches clearly.
Even if his speed was slightly behind, he still handled it with ease!!
At the same time, Kizaru also saw Luffy's current state.
In Kizaru's eyes, Luffy seemed to be enveloped by the mighty power of nature, and thus, his lightning power... had increased!!
[My dear Sengoku, tell me, how am I supposed to catch this person!!]
After some thought, Kizaru decided... to slack off!
Luffy's state couldn't last forever, and his strained nerves wouldn't hold out much longer!
After more than two hours of continuous high-intensity bursts, he didn't believe Luffy wouldn't collapse!!
"Whoosh!"
Two arms wrapped in black lightning moved faster than afterimages, dancing in the air, gradually occupying the entire sky!
But even so, that tiny golden light still moved left and right, gracefully dodging every punch mark!
Suddenly, Kizaru transformed into countless light particles.
When he re-condensed, he was already above Luffy's head, his long leg, glowing golden, raised high, heavy and powerful, falling at extreme speed.
Luffy suddenly became alert. His arms were retracted in a thousandth of a second, firmly crossed above his head!
"Bang!!"
A black-gold lightning bolt shot into the sky, shattering the clouds on the horizon!
The powerful gust of wind made Kizaru's Marine coat flutter high!
The ground within a hundred meters shattered inch by inch. Luffy's feet pressed into the earth, and the powerful impact tore through the architectural debris, forming an enormous gully.
"Has his Observation Haki improved?? What a terrifying young man!!"
A strange, faint glow flashed in Kizaru's frog-like glasses.
One must know that at first, Luffy couldn't react to his speed at all.
After all, to react to the speed of light, one can only predict!
...That kid is already close to crossing the threshold of future prediction!
[So, I've become a master!]
Kizaru felt bitter, yet he couldn't back down!
Kizaru's right hand made a grasping motion, and golden light shone, from the hilt... to the tip, the scorching light emitting an aura of destruction!
[Ama no Murakumo]
Kizaru held the sword with both hands, transforming into a golden light, like a ghost!
Luffy closed his eyes, his Observation Haki pushed to its limit!
Suddenly, the air rippled, and a gentle breeze brushed his face.
"Here!"
Luffy's nerves reacted quickly, but... it was too late!
"Slash!!"
The golden sword light fiercely struck Luffy's chest, blood mixed with bone fragments splattering!
Luffy's fist carried a strong wind, and Kizaru blocked it horizontally with his sword!
The moment they collided, Kizaru flashed behind Luffy, striking down fiercely with Ama no Murakumo,... then quickly flashed and retreated!
The intense pain made cold sweat break out on Luffy's forehead. He gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling.
'Too slow, my Observation Haki can't keep up with his speed at all!'
[Future prediction? What exactly is that?]
Calm, calmness is the foundation of cultivating Observation Haki!
Luffy endured the pain and closed his eyes!
The originally gruesome wound began to "stitch" itself, revealing fresh, slightly pink skin and flesh... Kizaru in the distance narrowed his eyes, then his whole body radiated a scorching light.
A dazzling golden pillar of light shot into the sky!
It exploded in mid-air, transforming into billions of tiny specks of light, like a celestial maiden scattering flowers!
The moment the light specks fell, they rapidly stretched, deformed, and condensed... In the blink of an eye, one after another identical figures of Kizaru appeared in the sky!
[Light Clone]
All the "Kizarus" held Ama no Murakumo, transforming into countless golden streams of light, diving down!
The "Kizaru" closest to Luffy flashed into existence, his light sword dancing.
Luffy tilted his head, and the golden sword light grazed his hair!
Luffy opened his eyes, and red light exploded within them. He finally saw, no, predicted... Kizaru's movements!
[Future Prediction]
Countless golden figures charged from all directions simultaneously!
The sword light connected into a single sheet!
Every sword strike emitted an aura of destruction!
Luffy grinned, black lightning crackling and sizzling around him!
[Thunderous Rage]
Luffy touched the ground with his hand, and black electricity formed a massive, sky-obscuring vortex, continuously annihilating clone after clone!
Thunderous fist prints heavily struck Ama no Murakumo, and Kizaru retreated violently!
"Now, we can finally have a truly exhilarating battle!!"
Luffy's fighting spirit began to burn, black and red lightning continuously appeared and disappeared in the void, and the sea immediately churned with surging giant waves!
A mighty gale swept up amidst the flashing lightning. This oppressive feeling, coming from the soul and spirit, made the Marines, pirates, and civilians of Sabaody Archipelago kneel on the ground, gasping for breath.
Black and yellow figures intertwined, and the collision's vibrations changed the very color of the world!
...Sabaody Archipelago,
Akainu's face was grim. He had originally thought Borsalino could handle it, but he didn't expect it to be dragged on for so long!
Across from him, Rayleigh's face was pale, and his whole body trembled!
His chest and abdomen had been scorched black by magma!
"Silvers Rayleigh, the 'Dark King,' go to hell!!"
Sakazuki's Marine cap was gone, revealing his stern, close-cropped hair.
Even though his body was covered in gruesome wounds, he didn't even frown, his eyes filled with a desire to kill this legend!
The expanding magma seemed to ignite the path to hell. Akainu's figure, like a mad dog, charged towards Rayleigh, bringing with him scorching magma!
Rayleigh's sword-wielding hand trembled. Every one of Akainu's attacks carried intense killing intent.
But he couldn't retreat. Once he left, no one would be able to stop this mad dog, and the straw hat boy would surely die!
The two clashed wildly in the ruins of the town. Wherever they went, the ground collapsed, magma splattered, shockwaves emanated, and Haki raged!
Time slowly passed,
One minute,
Five minutes,
Ten minutes,
One hour...