Boom!
A heavy impact echoed as Benn Beckman was sent flying.
His body smashed hard into the deck of the Red Force, cracking the solid wooden planks beneath him.
Agonizing pain and dizziness surged through his mind.
Yet as the first mate of an Emperor, he forced himself to endure it, rolling over and pushing himself back to his feet.
He raised his head and stared fixedly at the golden figure slowly withdrawing his leg.
The familiar lazy expression was gone from Kizaru's face.
In its place was cold indifference.
Why not just lie down quietly and wait to die, so this war could end sooner?
That way, everyone could clock out early. Wouldn't that be nice?
But since you insist on resisting…
Then I suppose I'll have to put in just a tiny bit more effort and end this war faster.
With that thought, Kizaru stopped holding back.
Light erupted from his body.
A blinding golden pillar shot straight into the sky, then exploded midair, scattering into countless specks of light like celestial petals drifting down over the bay.
"This… what is this?!"
Beckman's pupils contracted.
As the light descended, each speck stretched, twisted, and condensed.
In the blink of an eye, one figure after another identical to Kizaru appeared around the Red Force.
Some hovered in midair.
Some stood atop the frozen sea.
Others balanced casually on the ship's masts.
Hundreds, no, thousands of Kizarus surrounded the Emperor's flagship completely.
Every one of them wore the same smile.
Every one of them had lethal golden light flickering at their fingertips.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Beckman's back.
At this moment, his Observation Haki was utterly useless.
He could not tell which one was the real Kizaru.
Or perhaps…
Every single one of them was real.
"Light exists everywhere, you know."
Kizaru's voice echoed from all directions at once, layering over itself in Beckman's ears.
All the Kizarus raised their hands at the same time.
Every glowing fingertip aimed directly at Beckman.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
No warning. No words.
A rain of death made of lasers came crashing down.
Golden beams fired from every direction, above, below, left, and right, tearing toward Beckman.
The barrage was so dense it formed an inescapable net, sealing off every possible path of retreat.
Beckman roared, Armament Haki surging over his rifle as he pulled the trigger again and again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each bullet precisely shattered a light clone.
But it was meaningless.
The moment one clone dispersed, two more condensed from the light to replace it.
Endless.
Unkillable.
A laser grazed his shoulder, burning through flesh and leaving a charred, bleeding hole.
Then came a second.
A third.
Beckman fought desperately, dodging and weaving through the storm of fire, but the wounds on his body multiplied at a visible rate.
Elsewhere, the other officers of the Red-Haired Pirates were completely tied down by the Navy's commanders, unable to offer any support at all.
As Beckman's mind raced in desperation, searching for a way out…
All the Kizarus around him suddenly stopped firing.
The golden light at their fingertips faded as they crossed their arms before their chests.
Radiance gathered once more.
One after another, long swords forged entirely from light formed in their hands.
The Ama no Murakumo.
Beckman's heart sank completely.
First they drained his stamina with relentless ranged attacks.
Now that he was battered and bleeding, they moved in to finish him at close range.
Before he could react, the nearest Kizaru transformed into a streak of golden light and arrived in an instant.
Clang!
Beckman raised his rifle instinctively to block.
But then came the second.
The third.
The fourth.
Golden figures charged simultaneously from every direction.
Sword light merged into a single, blinding storm.
The sound of blades piercing flesh rang out again and again, composing a dirge of despair.
A light sword pierced cleanly through his right leg, pinning him to the deck.
Another thrust through his left shoulder, destroying the arm that held his weapon.
A third blade stabbed through his back, punching straight through his chest.
The rifle slipped from Beckman's grasp and clattered onto the deck.
He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but all that poured out was blood mixed with fragments of shattered organs.
His life force drained rapidly away.
The light in his eyes dimmed.
At last, all the light clones dissolved into countless particles and vanished into the air.
Only the original figure remained, standing calmly on the deck.
Beckman's body collapsed heavily into a pool of blood.
Benn Beckman.
First mate of the Red-Haired Pirates.
Kizaru slowly withdrew his hand and slid both hands back into his pockets, gazing at the cooling corpse as he spoke leisurely.
"When I go all out…"
"I'm actually pretty scary, you know."
On the other side of the battlefield, a thunderous explosion erupted.
Hawk's fist collided once more with Shanks' blade.
Both men were forced back, sliding dozens of meters across the ice.
Shanks' expression had turned utterly grim.
His most trusted companion.
His first mate.
Killed by Kizaru.
This attempt at mediation had dragged himself and his entire crew straight into hell.
And the others were in danger too.
Hawk steadied himself and calmly looked at Shanks across from him.
Worthy of his reputation as the man who could make the world give face.
Setting everything else aside, Shanks' raw strength was undeniably terrifying.
Top-tier Conqueror's Haki.
Master-level Conqueror's coating.
Observation Haki capable of glimpsing the future.
And flawless swordsmanship.
With Hawk's current strength, defeating him was not a problem.
But it would take time.
Just then, a series of system notifications rang out in his mind.
Ding. The host has directly caused the death of "Emperor of the Sea" Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, creating a massive shift in the world balance. Reward gained: 500,000 Justice Points.
Ding. The host's forces have completely annihilated the Whitebeard Pirates, fully extinguishing the remnants of the old era. Reward gained: 1,000,000 Justice Points.
Ding. The host has commanded the destruction of one Emperor crew, greatly intimidating global criminal forces. Special reward gained: 500,000 Justice Points.
Ding. Current remaining Justice Points: 2,354,800.
"Hah. Perfect timing."
Hawk chuckled softly.
Over 2.3 million Justice Points.
Enough to push two abilities straight to their absolute peak.
In his mind, he spoke quietly.
"System…"
Only two chapters today. Xiao Yang is sick.