"Lucci…"
"Kaku…"
"You're all alive?"
"Why is this…?"
Momousagi scanned the scene with Kizaru's gaze. Smoker was nowhere to be found, and Onigumo lay limply before Pain, his feet gone, his life unknown.
Momousagi's gaze landed on Lucci and the others, her eyes wide, as she incredulously asked Lucci the question in her heart.
"What's going on?"
"Are they all on a secret mission?"
"Why don't we know anything?"
Momousagi was very confused, but Lucci and the others chose to remain silent, not answering any of her questions.
"Um… Momousagi…"
"The situation is very unfavorable for us…"
"Shouldn't we retreat?"
Kizaru quietly spoke his intentions to Momousagi.
Momousagi was startled by Kizaru's words. Although she was very confused, she understood that now was not the time for questions.
"How do we retreat…?"
"Will they let us retreat so easily?"
Momousagi asked Kizaru, confused, not understanding how Kizaru planned to retreat.
"If I want to leave, they can't stop me…"
"Can you break through the encirclement, Momousagi?"
Kizaru was confident he could leave, but he wasn't sure if Momousagi could.
"I…"
Momousagi hesitated, wanting to say yes but knowing it was a pipe dream.
If she said no, she didn't know if Kizaru would abandon her.
Kizaru saw Momousagi's hesitation and understood her answer. Kizaru could only helplessly tell Momousagi his next plan.
"Vice Admiral Momousagi…"
"Listen carefully to what I'm about to say…"
"I will buy you time to escape…"
"You must seize the opportunity to leave…"
"Sentomaru will meet you…"
"Understood?"
Kizaru knew the situation was dangerous and, uncharacteristically, seriously instructed Momousagi.
Pain and the others were not in a hurry to attack. Pain knew that Kizaru would definitely not be stopped if he wanted to leave. They were already in an invincible position, so it was up to Kizaru whether to fight or flee.
Pain actually never intended to keep Kizaru from the beginning, because Pain believed no one could stop Kizaru due to his speed.
But Pain didn't know the special identity of one of the Vice Admirals. Momousagi's special identity became Kizaru's bond, forcing Kizaru to continue fighting.
It also became the most fundamental reason for Kizaru's downfall.
After Kizaru finished his instructions, he no longer wasted time. His body quickly rose into the air, and light flashed from his crossed fingers.
"Yasakani no Magatama."
Kizaru roared as he ascended, and countless light bullets flew from his fingertips, shooting towards everyone in the Akatsuki Organization, including Lucci and the others. Junk Island, already riddled with scars, was now filled with flying debris under Kizaru's attack.
Kizaru would not be as naive as Momousagi to think that Lucci and the others were on some secret mission. As an Admiral, it was impossible for Kizaru not to know about any secret mission.
Pain looked at Kizaru, who chose to attack even in such a situation, and was greatly puzzled, not understanding what Kizaru was thinking.
Puzzlement aside, it did not hinder Pain and the others' resolve to fight.
While Kizaru and Momousagi were talking, Pain had recalled Preta Path. Now, seeing Kizaru ascend and unleash powerful abilities, Pain manipulated Preta Path to open a Sealing Technique Absorption Seal, enveloping the people around him.
Konan and Nero were inside. Oden dodged the light bullets and flew straight towards Kizaru. Hancock dodged the light bullets while also looking for an opportunity to land a kick on Kizaru. Golden Lion also ascended when Kizaru did.
Lucci and Kaku knew the power of Kizaru's light bullets and dared not resist them directly. The two used Soru to quickly dodge the countless light bullets falling from the sky.
This time, Reno did not choose to dodge, but instead chose to attack directly.
Reno put away his twin swords, blackened and merged his hands, and with a flash, appeared behind Kizaru, landing a combined hammer punch on Kizaru's body.
Although Kizaru was unleashing Yasakani no Magatama, his Observation Haki also detected Reno's appearance. Kizaru chose to ignore Reno's attack, continuously releasing Yasakani no Magatama, attempting to cover Vice Admiral Momousagi, who was being ignored, to leave.
Once Momousagi left, Kizaru would be confident in leaving as well.
But Vice Admiral Momousagi was a very sentimental person. Her original intention to leave in the chaos was momentarily hesitant again when she saw Kizaru being surrounded.
It was this moment of hesitation that caused Kizaru to lose his last chance to leave.
Although Reno's attack was imbued with Haki, it didn't cause much damage to Kizaru, only serving as a tickle. This was also why Kizaru ignored Reno. However, the good thing about this attack was its timing.
Although this blow did not harm Kizaru, it interrupted Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama state, and with the inertia of the blow, his body fell.
The direction of the fall was perfectly met by Oden, whose King-level Armament Haki punch also directly slammed into Kizaru's abdomen, sending Kizaru crashing to the ground.
Pain raised his right hand towards Kizaru, and Konan's Force-Canceling Bubbles were released precisely with Pain's right hand. Pain and Konan had a high degree of tacit understanding; everything was communicated with a glance. When Konan released her Devil Fruit ability, Pain temporarily withdrew the Sealing Technique Absorption Seal.
During his descent, Kizaru's Observation Haki also detected Oden's attack, but Kizaru, in mid-air, had no time to dodge and was hit squarely in the abdomen by Oden's punch.
Kizaru was quite uncomfortable after being hit in the abdomen by Oden's punch. Once Kizaru's Physique lost the characteristics of a Glint-Glint Fruit user, he was a fragile old man who couldn't withstand much abuse.
Oden's King-level Armament Haki punch struck Kizaru's abdomen. How could Kizaru be unharmed? He was merely forcing himself to maintain his state.
Kizaru was about to get up and counterattack but was enveloped by Konan's Force-Canceling Bubbles. Although he managed to shoot through them with a laser in time, it still affected Kizaru for one second.
A second on the battlefield can lead to many things, such as being pulled by Pain's "Almighty Pull" and flying towards Pain. At this moment, Pain also controlled Preta Path to open the Sealing Technique Absorption Seal, and Hancock had also been looking for an opportunity.
As Kizaru was pulled, Hancock again closed in and kicked Kizaru with a Perfume Femur. Kizaru raised his Armament Haki-clad hands to block his chest. This kick caused Kizaru to fly towards Pain even faster.
Hancock's attack was fruitless, and she again pursued Kizaru closely. At this moment, Kizaru was just pulled into Preta Path's Sealing Technique Absorption Seal.
Pain's black rod appeared in his left hand, and his right hand reached for Kizaru's neck. However, Kizaru, with an Armament Haki-imbued kick, used Pain's pull to kick towards Pain.
Human Path, having waited for a long time, raised its hand from the light gate, blocking Kizaru's kick, and attempted to touch the top of Kizaru's head.
Pain's black rod was also poised to pierce Kizaru's body. Hancock followed with a kick towards Kizaru, and Asura Path also closed in under Pain's control.
Pain's Almighty Pull had disappeared. Kizaru, facing the encirclement, intended to avoid it and use his ability to escape, but he was horrified to find his ability sealed and completely unusable.
"What?!"
Kizaru's heart was already filled with terror, an emotion Kizaru hadn't felt in years.
Feeling something was amiss, Kizaru could only rely on his martial arts and two types of Haki to counter the encirclement of Hancock and Pain's Four Paths. His body, struggling to cope, was constantly sustaining injuries.
Momousagi, seeing Kizaru in danger, tried to rush to his aid but was stopped by Oden. The two began to fight.
Although Momousagi's strength was close to that of an Admiral, and her swordsmanship was inherited from a renowned master, there was still a gap between her and Oden's strength. While she might not be defeated in a short time, prolonged combat would inevitably lead to her defeat.
Lucci and the two others were currently in a fierce internal struggle. From beginning to end, they had been observing the battle, unwilling to attack Kizaru and Momousagi.
Nero even came to Lucci's side, looking at Kizaru, who was being controlled and surrounded, and asked Lucci with a complicated expression.
"Are we just going to watch them die…?"
Lucci was speechless in response to Nero's question and could only retort with a question that left Nero equally speechless.
"Do you want to die with them?"
"The most we can do is plead with Pain to spare Momousagi…"
"As for Kizaru…"
"Pain wouldn't let go of such a good opportunity to kill him."
Nero was also speechless in the face of Lucci's question and could only do as Lucci suggested: when Momousagi's life was in danger, they would plead for her, to repay the kindness of Momousagi and the others' rescue at that time.
Inside Preta Path's Sealing Technique Absorption Seal, Kizaru was already exhausted. Facing the encirclement, Kizaru had constantly tried to break out of the light barrier, but under Pain's deliberate control, Kizaru could never escape.
Kizaru already understood that this time, he might truly not be able to get away.
Kizaru's stamina was declining more and more. His body's reaction speed could no longer keep up with his Observation Haki's capture ability, and he was taking more and more hits. A large amount of blood also overflowed from his mouth.
Once Hancock entered the light barrier, she couldn't use Perfume Femur. She used Armament Haki to attack Kizaru, venting her hatred. Each punch and kick struck Kizaru, leaving his body covered in wounds from the physical attacks.
Kizaru had never imagined that he would have such a day. As an Admiral of Marineford, Kizaru had always been the Dominator of others' lives and deaths.
Now, his own life and death were being dominated by others. Kizaru believed this was a great mockery of fate to him, and also retribution for assisting the World Government in its many evil deeds.
Kizaru no longer had the strength to block and lay limply on the ground in a spread-eagle posture. Pain seized the opportunity to insert black rods into Kizaru's limbs, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.
A generation's Admiral, Kizaru… is about to fall!
To be continued…