"BOOM!!"
"BOOM!!"
"BOOM!!"
Endless thunder power ravaged the earth, mercilessly striking everything on the ground.
It was as if... divine punishment had descended!
At this moment, it felt like the apocalypse had arrived!
"Zzzz—"
"BOOM!"
The Pacifistas caught within the attack range trembled violently under the assault before ultimately turning into scrap metal.
Meanwhile, Sentomaru, who had been kicked away by Kizaru, was in so much pain that his Armament Haki involuntarily deactivated.
As a result, his body endured a portion of the lightning strikes mid-flight, leaving him twitching with his eyes rolling back.
Glancing at Kizaru standing at the center of the thunderstorm, Sentomaru thought bitterly, 'Uncle... the force behind your kick...
...somehow feels even more terrifying than the lightning itself.
A Marine Admiral's kick... hurts like hell!
"Whoosh—"
"BOOM!!"
With a deafening crash, Sentomaru slammed into a distant abandoned house, shattering it to pieces.
"What the hell was that?!"
Charlotte Galette, who had just arrived nearby, stared in horror at the sky in the distance.
What in the world was that enormous Thunder Beast that had descended from the heavens just now?
Divine punishment?
Even the sunlight seemed to dim in comparison... Just how terrifying was that power?
"No way, this can't possibly be a natural phenomenon!"
She had never heard of natural lightning taking the form of a Thunder Beast—this had to be the result of some kind of ability!
For some reason, Galette suddenly felt that this might be connected to Meiser.
After all... he was a ninja, so it would make perfect sense if he knew Lightning Release Techniques!
Thinking this, she glanced at the bridge ahead and muttered, "Let's go take a look. We have to pass through here to get to the First Red Tree anyway."
With that, Galette quickly dashed forward.
If it really was Meiser, then she wouldn't need to go all the way to the First Red Tree to find him.
"Meiser... please don't let anything happen to you..."
Meanwhile, after the terrifying lightning assault raged on for a long time, it gradually dissipated as if running out of energy.
But the aftermath of the attack had left the land in ruins.
The ground was pockmarked with massive craters, as though it had been bombarded by naval artillery.
Some of the boulders and buildings had been completely pulverized by the force!
Many of the medium and small Red Trees in the forest had been struck and set ablaze, with some even reduced to charred husks!
In short, after enduring that apocalyptic onslaught, almost nothing remained intact.
"Pitter-patter—"
The sky began to pour rain at this moment, as if trying to wash away the scars left on the earth.
"Blood-Eyed Ninja..." Kizaru, standing on the ravaged ground, looked up at Meiser in the distance and remarked, "That was quite the fearsome Lightning Release Technique~"
"Tch, a Marine Admiral, huh." Meiser clicked his tongue. "Logia types are such a pain."
As expected... of light itself!
In just an instant, this guy had rushed to Sentomaru's side and kicked the fat man flying.
Although the opponent was still struck by a portion of the lightning, at least they weren't at the center of the technique, so the mortality rate wasn't as high.
As for Kizaru, who was at the epicenter... he didn't take a single scratch!
That bastard had instantly activated his Elemental Transformation when the lightning struck, completely nullifying the attack.
This annoyed Meiser a little—Logia types were just too damn unfair.
Without using Haki, landing a Ninjutsu on their true bodies was no easy feat.
"Oh~"
"If I weren't a Logia, I wouldn't dare take your attacks so lightly~" Kizaru said with a smirk.
In response, Meiser merely sneered and said nothing.
"Kid Ninja, you stayed behind alone to deal with Sentomaru... to cover their retreat, right?"
"So what if I did?"
"Then you've miscalculated," Kizaru replied. "I'm not the only one who came to this island."
Meiser: ???
Was he... voluntarily giving me intel?
Or... was he trying to mess with my head?
After a moment of consideration, Meiser concluded it was the latter.
No matter what, the man was a Marine Admiral—he wasn't an idiot like Sentomaru, casually spilling secrets.
And of course, he wouldn't deliberately feed me information either... after all, we were enemies!
With that in mind, Meiser said, "I already knew that."
"But... I doubt they'd be unlucky enough to run into that Akainu."
"You sound awfully sure of that."
Meiser only smiled in response, refusing to answer.
Kizaru shook his head. "Let's see if you can keep that composure later."
"Akainu rushed here at top speed the moment he got word that the Straw Hat Pirates were at Grove 11."
"It won't be long before he catches up to them."
"And against Akainu... the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates stand no chance of survival!"
"Hmm~ Might as well leave the Straw Hats to Akainu. I'll just take this one."
After all... the Blood-Eyed Ninja was a target the World Government explicitly wanted alive.
With that thought, Kizaru transformed into a streak of yellow light, closing the distance to Meiser in the blink of an eye.
"You... come with me~"
As he spoke, Kizaru reached out to grab him.
Clang!
"Hmm?"
Kizaru's eyes flickered with surprise as Meiser caught his wrist mid-motion.
"You... can see my movement trajectory?"
While his actual attack speed wasn't anything extraordinary, his approach had been near light-speed!
Yet this kid had tracked his path?
Could he even perceive light-speed movement?
Noticing the slowly spinning tomoe in Meiser's eyes, Kizaru's mind raced.
Was it the kid's unique eyes... or had he mastered Observation Haki?
If it was the former, then his bloodline must be exceptionally powerful—even light couldn't escape his gaze.
That... might also explain the World Government's interest in him.
But if it's the latter... then this kid's potential is truly terrifying!
After all, during the battle at Enies Lobby just days ago, this brat hadn't shown any signs of using Haki. Yet mere days later, he's already mastered two types of Haki... With talent like that, he'd become extremely dangerous if allowed to grow!
However... regardless of which it is, he had to capture this kid today!
"Guess~"
Meiser grinned at Kizaru, who was currently restrained by his Haki. "Guess right and I'll tell you."
By pushing his Three-Tomoe Sharingan's Pupil Power to its limits, he could track Kizaru's movement trajectory even during Elemental Transformation!!
As long as his eyes could follow it, his body could react in advance. This was one of his trump cards against this Marine Admiral.
"These rookies nowadays are monstrously strong~"
"Scary~"
"Enough talk, take this!"
His Haki-Infused fist aimed straight for Kizaru's kidney, making the Admiral's eyelid twitch as he hastily wrapped his abdomen in Haki to block the strike.
"Clang!"
"To think..."
Meiser frowned as he watched Kizaru block his attack with Haki.
"Of course, as a Marine Admiral, he'd know Haki."
But the hardness of this Haki... was beyond expectations.
"Dirty move, kid."
"Who cares about that in a fight?"
"Hmm, fair point." Kizaru nodded, then said, "Well then..."
"Ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
Mid-sentence, Kizaru's long leg was already lifting to deliver a kick. Sensing the attack, Meiser crossed his arms in front of his body, coating them with Haki.
"Clang!"
"Bam!"
"Whoosh~"
Like a cannonball, Meiser went flying toward a distant hillside.
"BOOM!!"
The impact cratered through the hillside, embedding him deep in the resulting pit. Dust clouds obscured the area.
The next instant...
"Whoosh~"
Kizaru materialized as golden light, peering into the pit with amusement.
"Oh~"
"Seems we've got the real one this time~"
Based on his earlier encounter with the clone at Grove 29, the duplicates would uncontrollably explode and vanish after taking heavy damage. But now... this guy wasn't disappearing, and even had blood trickling from his mouth.
Meaning—this was the real deal!
Kizaru's lips curled into an involuntary smirk.
"Ninja brat, what's your move now?"
Once targeted by someone like him, even light-speed escape would be impossible!!
Instead of answering immediately, Meiser wiped the blood from his mouth first. "Asking how I'll run away?"
Seeing not a trace of fear in Meiser's expression, Kizaru chuckled. "What, you actually planning to fight me head-on?"
"Why not?"
After leaping out from the ground, Meiser coldly stared at Kizaru and said, "I never said I was running away."
"Seems I'm being... underestimated~"
As the words fell, Kizaru raised his leg and stomped down with terrifying force.
"BOOM!!"
The ground shattered under the impact, simultaneously crushing the Shadow Clone that had been rapidly approaching Kizaru from underground.
"Kid, sneak attacks won't work against a Marine Admiral," Kizaru remarked with a faint smile, noticing the shift in Meiser's expression. "If you don't want to suffer, come quietly."
If this brat willingly followed him, things would be much easier. He could just take the kid straight to the Holy Land to meet the Five Elders, and his mission would be complete. As for the other pirates? Let Sakazuki handle them—that guy loved hunting pirates anyway. Meanwhile, he could openly slack off without a care.
The thought of slacking made Kizaru's lips curl uncontrollably.
"Go with you...?" Meiser frowned. "So the World Government hasn't changed its mind, huh."
After a pause, he spat and added, "I told you, I have no interest in becoming one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea."
He had zero interest in being the World Government's lapdog—especially when they clearly had ulterior motives. Who knew if they'd treat him like a lab rat?
"Royal Seven Warlords?" Kizaru blinked, then shook his head. "No, no. The higher-ups didn't mention giving you that title. They just ordered me to bring you back alive."
"But 'alive'... can also mean missing a few limbs."
"If you keep resisting, I won't mind breaking your arms and legs first."
The Five Elders' command was clear: bring the Blood-Eyed Ninja back to the Holy Land alive. But... they never specified "intact," did they?
"Tch, so it's force now, huh..." Meiser instantly understood. The World Government had given up on luring him with benefits—they were resorting to brute force.
No wonder they'd mobilized two Marine Admirals at once.
Hah. They really thought highly of him.
But...
"Kizaru, I have no intention of lying down and waiting for death," Meiser said coldly. "I'd rather die fighting here than become the World Government's lab rat!"
Kizaru fell silent for a moment at the resolve in Meiser's eyes.
This kid... had truly seen through the World Government's intentions.
As a Marine Admiral who often worked with Vegapunk, Kizaru knew exactly what awaited someone like Meiser in their hands.
But... that wasn't his problem. At the end of the day, he was just a wage slave.
"In that case," Kizaru said, "I'll have to break your limbs first."
As he spoke, he raised his hand, preparing to fire a Laser Beam.
But the moment he moved, something felt off.
"Hmm?"
Frowning, Kizaru turned his gaze toward the massive tidal wave suddenly surging in the distance.
"Is this... a Water Release Technique?"
The kid was standing right in front of him, so who had activated that Water Release Technique in the distance?
A clone?
Thinking this, Kizaru immediately extended his Observation Haki, quickly detecting a familiar presence within the water flow.
"So there really is a clone... When did he deploy it?"
"Earth Release: Earth Travel Technique!"
Boom~
In the split second Kizaru was distracted, Meiser used the Earth Release Technique to burrow underground, putting some distance between them.
Once beneath the surface, Meiser swiftly moved toward the location of his other clone. This clone had been left in the seawater earlier, specifically prepared to deal with the Marine Admiral.
And now... it was time to use it!
"Tch, he's fast." Kizaru glanced at the spot where Meiser had just stood and smirked. "Slippery as an eel."
Still, Kizaru wasn't too concerned. As long as his opponent remained nearby, his Observation Haki could track him. Even if Meiser hid completely, Kizaru had ways to flush him out, so he wasn't in a hurry to attack.
The immediate priority was evading the incoming Water Release Technique.
"Water Release: Water Surge!"
BOOM!!
A terrifying tidal wave surged toward Kizaru.
"Using seawater against a Devil Fruit user... how..."
"Scary~"
His body transforming into light, Kizaru instantly teleported into the air, dodging the wave.
"It's not over yet!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bite Explosion!!"
BOOM!!
A massive whirlpool formed within the wave, then erupted skyward, transforming into countless water spikes that shot toward Kizaru!
Unfazed, Kizaru calmly turned into light again, effortlessly sidestepping the attack.
But the moment he steadied himself, the scattered water suddenly coalesced into a colossal Water Dragon, lunging at him with a vicious bite.
ROAR!!
"Continuous attacks, huh..." Kizaru remarked. "But... still useless!"
In a flash, Kizaru darted past the Water Dragon at an imperceptible speed, appearing directly above the surging waves in an instant.
Looking down at Meiser below, Kizaru said, "If I take you out, this seawater will settle down, right?"
"Laser Beam!"
Whoosh~
BOOM!!
A devastating laser shot from Kizaru's hand, striking Meiser where he stood in the water.
Thud~
The pierced clone groaned, shuddered, and then dissolved into white smoke.
With the Shadow Clone gone, the raging water lost its control and gradually calmed.
Whoosh~
Click~
Landing smoothly on a rock, Kizaru narrowed his eyes as he observed the subsiding waves. "Using seawater against a Devil Fruit user is a valid strategy... but if you can't land a hit, it's meaningless."
As he spoke, he glanced at Meiser emerging from underground into the water and smirked. "Don't you agree, Ninja Meiser?"
Honestly, he was quite curious about how many Ninjutsu this ninja had up his sleeve.
However, what surprised Kizaru was that the other party didn't show any sign of disappointment. Instead, he grinned at him.
What's this kid... trying to do?
Emerging back onto the water's surface, Meiser grinned and said, "Kizaru, I never said my Water Release Technique was only at this level."
"Feel it properly—this... is the cage I've prepared for you!"
As he spoke, the previously calm water around them suddenly began to tremble violently before surging upward, enveloping everything in sight.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Surge!"
"BOOM!!"
Following Meiser's words, the surrounding water became increasingly unstable, rapidly spreading outward.
"What?!"
Seeing this, Kizaru immediately furrowed his brows. "This kid couldn't possibly..."
At that moment, Kizaru recalled the information he had seen in previous reports.
During the battle at Enies Lobby, the Blood-Eyed Ninja, Meiser, had used an exceptionally large-scale Water Release Technique to create an enormous water sphere that engulfed ten Navy Battleships, rendering them incapable of executing the Buster Call.
The Devil Fruit users aboard those ships had suffered terribly—had their comrades not intervened in time, they would have drowned.
And now... was this kid planning to trap him with the same technique?
Thinking this, Kizaru glanced upward and saw the massive currents gradually closing in from above.
Clearly, the intent was to create a watery prison to drown him.
"Truly... a terrifying brat..."
"Kizaru, do you like the cage I've prepared for you?!"
Watching the colossal water curtain slowly sealing shut, Meiser burst into laughter.
If he could trap a Marine Admiral with this move... he might just be able to finish him off!
At that thought, Meiser's eyes burned with excitement!