Their reignited will conquered their instinctual fear. The eyes of dozens of Marine officers once again blazed with the desperate fire of a final stand.
"Moonwalk!"
"Finger Pistol: Barrage!"
"Tempest Kick: Chaos!"
In an instant, the sound of tearing air, sharp whooshing noises, and fearless roars filled the entire square once more. Faced with this torrent of attacks forged from pure conviction, Kyle's response was simple and direct.
He moved.
A Marine Colonel, a master of the Six Powers technique "Soru," vanished into an afterimage. He appeared in Kyle's blind spot, his long blade coated in Armament Haki and aimed directly at Kyle's back. However, before the tip of his sword could even touch Kyle's clothes, an invisible shockwave exploded from his own chest.
Kyle's figure disappeared from his original position, reappearing an instant later behind the Colonel, as if the two had perfectly switched places.
"Pfft—"
The Colonel's uniform burst open at the chest, and he was thrown forward as if hit by a heavy hammer. He spat out a stream of blood and collapsed weakly to the ground. Kyle weaved through the crowd with a leisurely grace, yet he moved so fast that he was impossible to track. In just a few short seconds, the siege around him was broken once again.
The square was now filled with cries of agony. The Marine officers were either unconscious or severely wounded, scattered across the ground. Not a single one of them was able to get back on their feet. The heavy rain continued to fall, washing over the devastated landscape.
At this moment, only four figures remained standing in the vast square. There was Kyle, and then there were Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino, who had formed a triangle around him.
"Cough..." Sakazuki coughed up another mouthful of blood mixed with magma. The terrifying slash across his chest felt like a knife twisting with every breath he took. But he still stood ramrod straight, the killing intent in his eyes purer and more fervent than before.
Kuzan no longer had his hands in his pockets. He was hunched over slightly, cold air radiating from his body, instantly freezing the falling raindrops into tiny ice crystals. Borsalino's usual laziness had completely vanished. He held both hands slightly raised, golden light shimmering at his fingertips, his expression one of unprecedented vigilance.
"Well now..." Borsalino drew out his words, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. "This is an incredible monster. He's truly difficult to deal with~"
Before his voice could fade, Sakazuki moved.
"Meteor Volcano!"
He roared at the sky as his arms transformed into massive volcanic vents. Countless enormous lava fists soared upwards, tearing through the rain and then raining down on Kyle's head like a vision of the apocalypse.
Almost simultaneously, Kuzan slammed his hands onto the ground.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
A giant bird made of ice flapped its wings and shot forward, carrying a bone-chilling cold. It rushed directly toward Kyle, freezing the very air in its path.
At the same time, Borsalino's figure transformed into a flash of golden light, instantly appearing behind Kyle with countless points of light converging at his fingertips.
"Yasakani Sacred Jewel!"
A storm of golden light bullets, like a torrential downpour, covered every inch of space Kyle could possibly use to evade. He was attacked from above, from the front, and from behind. The three future Admirals' cooperation was seamless, creating an inescapable net woven from lava, ice, and light.
Facing this world-destroying combined attack, a hint of satisfaction finally appeared on Kyle's face. He raised his left hand, spread his five fingers wide, and gently clenched his fist toward the rain of lava in the sky. It was the culmination of decades of training his Devil Fruit ability, a power that touched upon the very laws of space and time: gravitational waves.
All Things in Heaven and Earth Attraction!
The spectacular Meteor Volcano in the sky seemed to hit a pause button, with every lava fist halting in unison. The next instant, as if pulled by some invisible force, they all curved in bizarre arcs through the air and smashed directly into the giant ice bird attacking from the front.
Boom boom boom—!!!
Blazing lava and extreme cold collided violently in mid-air, erupting with a deafening roar. A terrifying shockwave of energy spread outwards in a circle, instantly turning the rain into thick, sky-obscuring steam that engulfed the entire battlefield.
"What?!" Kuzan and Sakazuki exclaimed at the same time.
Meanwhile, Kyle held his black-gold naginata in his right hand. Without even turning his head, he casually swung it backward. A flash of colorful, rainbow-like light appeared on the blade for just a moment. A dazzling wave of rainbow energy met the dense storm of golden light bullets from behind. Wherever the rainbow energy passed, it seemed to create an invisible prism. As the lethal lasers passed through the energy wave, they were refracted and broken apart, transforming into a sky full of brilliant and dazzling spots of light. The entire cloud of steam was illuminated with a riot of dream-like colors.
"Oh, my..." Borsalino's surprised voice came from within the mist. He even saw a few of his own lasers get bent at a ninety-degree angle, flying straight toward Garp and Golden Lion in the distance.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Mr. Garp, be careful~"
Garp punched away one of Golden Lion's slashes, then threw a backhand punch to shatter the few stray lasers. "Borsalino! What the hell are you doing?!" he roared.
Within the thick fog, three figures once again rushed from different directions toward Kyle in the center.
Buzz—
The ground beneath their feet trembled violently without warning. It didn't feel like an earthquake; it was more like the ground had suddenly become the skin of a drum being struck, and a furious vibration surged into their bodies through their feet.
"Ugh!"
All three of them groaned at the same time, their high-speed advances coming to an abrupt halt. Sakazuki felt his bones screaming under the high-frequency vibration. The water inside Kuzan's body felt like it was beginning to boil. Borsalino's elemental body even began to disperse, and he almost lost his form.
It was just a momentary opening, but it was all Kyle needed. His figure flashed between the three of them.
Bang! A simple, unadorned elbow strike landed squarely on the bone-deep wound on Sakazuki's chest. The intense pain instantly twisted his stern face, and he flew backward like a cooked shrimp.
Bang! A precise whip kick swept across Kuzan's waist. The immense force sent him flying sideways, where he crashed into a broken statue.
Bang! A seemingly slow palm strike arrived first, chopping across Borsalino's neck just as he was reforming his body. Borsalino's eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell straight backward like a robot that had just lost power.
The intense battle stopped abruptly.
The steam slowly dissipated, and the rain began to fall again, washing over the chaotic battlefield. Sakazuki struggled, using his magma arm to support his body as he tried to stand, but the vibrating force that had invaded his body made a pained groan escape his throat. Kuzan lay in the rubble, radiating cold air, but he couldn't get up. The sharp pain in his waist made his mouth twitch. Borsalino was in the worst state; he lay on his back in a puddle, still in the same position he was in when he was struck, muttering unconsciously, "Scary... so scary..."
After the fierce battle, all three were left in disarray, with new injuries piled on top of old ones. In the center of the battlefield, Kyle slowly returned to a normal stance. The wind and rain continued to rage, yet not a single drop had touched him, though a bit of mud had somehow stained the hem of his clothes. His chest rose and fell slightly faster than before, but his breathing returned to normal within a few moments.
His gaze turned to the other battle in the distance. That old man Garp was still as fierce as ever. Golden Lion Shiki's attacks had lost their rhythm, and he was being pushed back step by step by Garp's iron fists. With Sengoku, a man of equal strength, also there, Shiki's defeat was only a matter of time.
It was time to go. Kyle had a plan, and the time for a strategic retreat was perfect. He looked down at the three disheveled young men, his expression uncharacteristically serious.
"This battle will likely be a victory for the Marines. All three of you are very powerful."
He paused, his voice carrying the weight of a king's declaration.
"I, Kyle, hereby bestow upon you the title of the 'Three Admirals of the Marines.' Live, and carry the weight of that honor. That is the price for surviving against me today."
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