Sabaody Archipelago — Lawless Zone
"I'm not seeing things, am I? Admiral Kizaru is actually being suppressed?!"
The moment they saw the blood on Kizaru's shoulder, the eyes of the surrounding Marines nearly popped out of their sockets.
One of the Navy's highest combat powers—
a Logia user of the Glint-Glint Fruit—
had actually been wounded in a direct clash.
That alone was unbelievable.
Worse still—
from the look of it, Gin Ichimaru was still holding something back.
"Is that guy a monster? Even Admiral Kizaru can't keep up with his speed!"
"That smile of his is terrifying… it's like staring at a demon."
"Just looking into his eyes gives me chills…"
As the situation took a sharp turn for the worse, the Marines' morale began to waver.
If even Kizaru was being pressured, then what were they supposed to do?
Still, they were trained elites. They forced themselves to steady their nerves, fingers tightening around their triggers, every muscle tense.
The moment they saw an opening—
they would fire without hesitation.
Not far away—
Ren Kuro stood beside a Yarukiman Mangrove, silently observing.
Though even he was a little surprised that Kizaru had already been injured, part of him also felt it was only natural.
After all—
his opponent was one of the most deeply concealed prodigies in Soul Society.
"Gin Ichimaru really hasn't disappointed me."
A satisfied smile curved at Ren Kuro's lips as he watched Gin's back.
"Looks like he's about to use Bankai…"
"Even Aizen's body was pierced through. Kizaru… what kind of end will you meet?"
There was naked killing intent in Ren Kuro's voice now, and a dangerous light flashed through his eyes.
"Bankai — Kamishini no Yari!"
Gin reversed his grip on the Zanpakutō.
Spiritual pressure erupted violently from within him, and a brilliant glow flickered across the surface of the thin blade. The Reiatsu filling the air seemed to boil, releasing a shrill, grating sound.
"What is this pressure…? Is this some ultimate form of Conqueror's Haki?"
Kizaru's expression sank. Under the crushing weight of Gin's Reiatsu, even he felt as though he could barely breathe.
In that instant—
Kizaru truly felt the gulf between them.
A gap like an endless abyss.
Before the pressure of Bankai—
he felt as insignificant as an ant.
"Damn it… what kind of power is this?!"
In less than a thousandth of a second, Kizaru's Observation Haki, honed to an extremely high level, finally kicked in.
Just before Gin's impossibly fast extending blade could strike him, Kizaru activated his Devil Fruit power and transformed into light, narrowly evading what had been an almost certain killing blow.
But before he could even finish exhaling in relief—
his eyes widened in horror.
Hundreds of meters behind him, the warship floating offshore looked as though it had been pierced by some invisible force.
Then, in the next moment—
it exploded.
BOOM—!
Before anyone could react, the massive warship broke apart completely in fire and smoke.
A single strike—
and an entire warship was destroyed.
"What just happened?!"
Watching the warship sink beneath the sea, the Marines swallowed hard in panic. Their minds were blank. The naked eye simply could not track the slash of Kamishini no Yari.
"Too fast…"
"That slash is terrifying. Calling it the fastest slash in the world wouldn't be an exaggeration!"
Cold sweat drenched Kizaru's back.
If not for Observation Haki—
in that single instant, his body would already have been cut clean in half.
"Oh my… and yet you still dodged." Gin looked faintly surprised. "Admiral, your skills really are impressive."
To be honest, he had underestimated Kizaru's speed a little.
With Kizaru's Observation Haki and the Glint-Glint Fruit pushed to the limit, landing an instant kill really was difficult.
Still, Gin quickly accepted it.
Over the years in Soul Society, he had seen all kinds of bizarre powers. Perhaps none had gone so far as turning into light, but many had still been extraordinary. And yet in the end, only a handful ever reached captain level.
As the captain of Squad Three—
Gin had full confidence he could kill any opponent.
"So this is your full strength, little brother? Truly terrifying…"
Even after narrowly avoiding what should have been a sure kill, Kizaru was still shaken. Even the tone of his voice had changed.
"Admiral, you really are fast." Gin held the short blade level in front of him. A moment ago, he had still been smiling. Now that smile was completely swallowed by killing intent. "But you seem to have forgotten something."
"When you dodge my attack…"
"Those Marines behind you become the targets instead."
Whoosh—
Another slash shot out, far too fast for the eye to catch.
Just as Gin said, Kizaru reacted on instinct and transformed into light—
but the Marines behind him only stood there blankly.
And what happened next—
made Kizaru's eyes split wide in rage.
Three hundred Marines.
Every one of them from the warship Kizaru had arrived on.
More than half had followed him loyally for over three years.
They might not have been strong.
They might not have held high rank or glory.
But in Kizaru's eyes—
every one of them was an outstanding Marine.
And now—
under a single strike from Gin Ichimaru—
their bodies were severed clean across the waist.
A true one-hit kill.
Kizaru watched helplessly as his loyal subordinates were wiped out before his eyes.
And yet he could do nothing.
Because he knew—
the moment he relaxed even a little, the moment he exposed even the smallest opening, Gin would seize it.
And then the next one to die would not just be those Marines.
It would be him.
"…Young people these days really are monsters."
Even now, Kizaru did not panic.
He was still an Admiral who had fought his way through countless battlefields.
There were certainly people in this world who could defeat him.
But someone who could actually kill Kizaru, the man of light—
such a person had not yet appeared.
Even pushed into a corner, as a Marine Admiral, he would protect the honor of the Navy until the very end.
Because—
justice would prevail.
"Oh my, Admiral, you're not bad at all." Gin narrowed his eyes and lowered Kamishini no Yari to his side. "To think you can still dodge my attacks… that's genuinely impressive."
"Then…"
"Let's settle this."
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