"Oh~ How scary, can't hold back anymore?"
Kizaru joked, "Zephyr-sensei's Peacekeepers aren't enough, and now you're eyeing Vegapunk?"
Saying this, he glanced at the iron rod in Sage's hand, "Seems familiar, is it Kaido's weapon? A guy like you would use a loser's weapon?"
"Why can't I use what I snatched?"
Sage laughed, "It's all mine anyway. What about you guys? If I remember correctly, Vegapunk is yours, right? If you don't intend to use him well, hand him over. Unlike you all, who have talents aplenty, I'm practically dying for talent. Such high-end talent, I'll definitely make sure it's utilized to its fullest potential."
How could he not lack talent?
Plenty when it comes to killing, but governing? Surely he still lacks there.
Even his cadres, including Weevil, now have fixed patrol duties.
With so much territory, just having a bunch of big brutes under him wouldn't work. People for governance are necessary. Even though he initiated an education system, not much time has passed, and administrative talents are in short supply.
His stationed subordinates can only ensure safety and maintain basic order. If he wants to think of ways to improve productivity, how could those under him achieve that?
If it's hard to handle lots of low- and mid-level talent, then get a few high-end ones. The brains of one top talent can be worth a thousand armies.
Lily is considered quite reliable, with everything big and small going through her hands, but if the territory expands further, she might not handle it as smoothly.
He must lighten some burdens and gather more talent to make expansion easier.
"So you want Vegapunk, but he's got seven, you know."
Kizaru's sunglasses flashed with an eerie light as he said,
"Shaka represents 'Integrity', Lilith 'Evil', Edison 'Thought', Pythagoras 'Wisdom', Atlas 'Fury', York 'Desire', and then there's the main body from the old man. Which one are you after?"
This made Sage pause, and then he laughed, "I want them all!"
"You're joking, you won't get even one." Kizaru said with a smile, extending his forefinger. Light gathered quickly at the fingertip, and in that instant, Sage's pupils contracted; he immediately swung the iron rod, the explosive force as he swung the weapon seemed like instant teleportation, striking out at once.
Boom!
An explosion reverberated on the iron rod, kicking up dust, and the shockwave swayed everyone's hair.
Lily was the most shocked; that laser just now... she couldn't see it!
Even faster than before!
"This guy..."
Lily gripped her sword tightly, her face solemn.
She hadn't noticed before, thinking Kizaru was just fast because he was light.
But after getting stronger, she still felt Kizaru was fast, faster than before. This kind of laser, even she could barely deflect, and not for long!
That's a big problem.
Bang!
Amidst the smoke, Sage swung another blow, dispersing the smoke, sending a cylindrical haki shockwave soaring into the sky, but it hit nothing.
Kizaru turned into light, moved half a circle in the air around Sage, continuously shooting lasers from his fingers, appearing to fire simultaneously in a semicircular barrage.
Sage twisted his wrist, the Eight Precepts emitting an explosive sound, pulling out seemingly teleporting, swinging a semicircle, the iron rod cloaked in intense haki, deflecting all oncoming lasers.
"Oh~ it's gotten scarier, can you cope with even this?"
Kizaru stopped, saying it was scary, but his expression unchanged.
"Stop joking."
Sage put the Eight Precepts down, twisting his neck with cracking sounds, and with a boom, his whole body was wrapped in a white cocoon. The cocoon unraveled from the top like a bandage, revealing hair like white flames and, due to transformation, a shirtless body exposing haki like a black leather outfit.
He looked up, "You don't seem so willing to let me through easily..."
Kizaru laughed, "After all, I'm a Navy man."
"Hundred Demons Assault!"
Without another word, Sage raised his hand, releasing a haki shock like black-red light, swiftly engulfing Kizaru's body. The black-red light nearly pierced the sky, grazing the top of the egg-shaped dome in the clouds, just grazing it, blowing it open and creating a huge gap.
But right next to that black-red light, a streak of light flickered, quickly forming into Kizaru's shape, raising his hand to shoot an even faster laser straight at Sage's head.
Snap.
Sage raised his hand to block, letting the laser hit his arm without leaving a trace.
Pure haki can't defend against elements; the Sword Princess has a special way to cut through, while Sage... directly uses haki hardening to withstand it with his body!
"You need to up the power a bit..."
Kizaru's forefinger emitted an even more intense light, with a 'whoosh', in others' eyes, only seeing a blinding light flash, which then detonated around Sage.
"With this, it's effective, isn't it," Kizaru said with a chuckle.
Boom!
As soon as he finished speaking, a white streak burst from the explosion smoke, left by Sage's white hair in high-speed motion, reaching Kizaru in the blink of an eye.
Sage was still exhaling plumes of smoke, his half-charred arm emitting white gas as it healed rapidly, then throwing a punch at Kizaru's head.