Kumadori turned toward Blueno and said, "You leave immediately and inform the others about his abilities—his terrifying capability to analyze and learn things just by looking at them. This information is crucial. It must reach the higher-ups. They need to be aware of it."
Blueno, already slightly injured from his clash with Gojo, gave a firm nod. A dull ache throbbed through his body, but he ignored it. He understood just how critical this information was. Gojo's ability to learn anything simply by watching it for a few minutes—it wasn't just unusual, it was monstrous. What kind of person adapts like that mid-battle…? It spoke volumes about Gojo's terrifying potential and the kind of threat he could become to the World Government in the future.
While many were unaware of Gojo's full past, they, as agents of CP9—elite operatives of the World Government—knew enough. They knew the history. They knew the signs. And more importantly, they knew the inevitable truth—
Gojo would stand against the World Government.
And the enmity he held toward them ran deep.
Keeping this in mind, Blueno didn't hesitate. He turned and left the hotel at once, his footsteps fading rapidly down the corridor. Gojo made no move to stop him. What was the point? How far could he even run? Gojo could track him instantly if he wished. In fact, letting Blueno escape was the better option—if he regrouped with the others, then all the better. It would save Gojo the trouble of hunting them down one by one.
A cold anger simmered beneath Gojo's calm exterior. Someone had dared to assassinate him. That alone was enough. They would pay for it—a price far greater than they could ever imagine.
After Blueno left, Kumadori's full attention snapped back to Gojo. His expression hardened, body tensing as he steadied his stance. He knew what this meant. If Blueno was to succeed, then he had to hold Gojo here, no matter the cost. There was no holding back now—he would have to give everything he had.
In an instant, Kumadori activated Life Return.
His hair began to grow wildly, writhing and extending with unnatural speed. Thick strands twisted and coiled, taking shape—multiple hands forming from his hair, each one moving with eerie precision. The air stirred as they surged forward in rapid succession. Every hand extended a single pointed finger toward Gojo.
Finger Pistol.
Dozens of them.
Combined with the sheer number of hair-formed limbs, the attack became something far more terrifying—a relentless barrage, converging on Gojo from multiple angles, each strike aimed to pierce straight through him.
But just as the hair-hand finger pistols reached Gojo—just as they were about to make contact—
They stopped.
Frozen.
Suspended mere inches away from his body, as if an invisible barrier held them in place.
Kumadori's eyes widened slightly as realization struck him. So, he's using it now…
Gojo had activated his Devil Fruit power.
Limitless.
An unseen force stretched between them, halting every attack effortlessly, as if the very concept of distance itself had been twisted. The finger pistols trembled in place but could not advance even a fraction further.
Gojo stood there calmly, completely untouched.
Then, gripping his sword in his right hand, he looked straight at Kumadori—his gaze sharp, voice cold and final.
"I'm done playing now."
After saying this, Gojo swung his sword horizontally, the blade cutting cleanly through the air. A powerful flying slash burst forward, tearing through the space between them and racing toward Kumadori with frightening speed.
The instant Kumadori saw the incoming attack, his instincts screamed. He immediately recalled his hair, the writhing strands snapping back and wrapping tightly around his body like a living shield. At the same time, he activated Iron Body, his muscles hardening, skin tightening as his defense reached its peak. The slash was already too fast—there was no time to evade, only to endure.
A split second later, the attack struck.
The flying sword slash hit him directly, the force behind it immense. The impact blasted through his defenses, sending Kumadori flying backward. The hotel wall behind him shattered on contact, debris exploding outward as he crashed through it. His body was hurled several feet into the open air beyond, dust and broken fragments trailing behind him.
Suspended briefly above the ground, Kumadori forced himself to react. He removed the hair shield, strands retracting as he looked ahead, bracing for Gojo's next move—
And what he saw made his heart stutter for a moment.
Gojo was already there.
Right in front of him.
His sword was raised, poised mid-motion, the follow-up strike already in progress. There was no time to think, no time to react.
Kumadori's mind raced. Thankfully, I'm using Iron Body right now… This shouldn't be able to deal much damage to me…
But the thought had barely formed—
When Gojo's sword struck.
The blade cut into him without resistance.
It pierced through his flesh, sinking deep, completely ignoring the defense of Iron Body as if it didn't exist. A long, deep gash tore across Kumadori's body, the pain sharp and immediate.
His eyes widened.
Then the force of the strike drove him down.
Kumadori was slammed violently to the ground, the impact cracking the surface beneath him as the dust rose around his fallen form.
All of this happened within seconds.
The onlookers gathered on the street just outside the hotel—the same people who had been forced out of the ground floor due to the clash between Gojo, Kumadori, and Blueno—could barely process what they were seeing. Their eyes followed the chaos as it unfolded in rapid succession.
First, a figure was blasted out through the hotel wall, debris scattering into the air as chunks of stone and dust rained down. The man—Kumadori—was sent flying outward, suspended helplessly in midair.
Then—
Before anyone could even react, another figure appeared.
As if out of thin air.
He materialized slightly above Kumadori, sword already in hand.
It was Gojo.
A few onlookers gasped, their breath catching as they tried to comprehend his sudden presence. Did he… teleport?
There was no pause, no hesitation.
Gojo swung.
A single, powerful slash cut through the air, precise and merciless. The strike landed instantly, and Kumadori's body dropped straight down, crashing into the ground with a heavy impact that echoed through the street.
Dust rose. Silence followed.
Kumadori lay there, unmoving for a moment, while Gojo stood just a few feet away from him—calm, composed, as if what had just happened was nothing more than a trivial exchange.
That was all the onlookers could see.
But for Kumadori, the reality was far harsher.
He was severely injured.
Pain spread through his body, sharp and undeniable, the deep wound from Gojo's sword slash refusing to be ignored. His breath grew heavier as he tried to process what had just happened.
He had believed—no, he had been certain—that with Iron Body activated, Gojo's sword wouldn't be able to deal significant damage. Maybe a shallow cut at most… or perhaps no damage at all. Up until now, none of Gojo's sword attacks had truly been effective against them.
Even when Gojo was clearly skilled, his attacks hadn't carried this kind of lethality.
So Kumadori had assumed—
Even if Gojo started using his full strength, at worst, it would only become somewhat more effective.
But this…
This was completely different.
How…?
Gojo's attack hadn't just bypassed his defense—it had cut through it as if it didn't exist.
Gojo walked toward Kumadori, his steps unhurried, almost casual.
Kumadori, lying on the ground, forced his head up and looked at him. A faint, mocking smile formed on his lips—mocking not Gojo, but himself… and Blueno. The realization had already settled in.
"All this time…" Kumadori said, his voice strained but steady, "you weren't fighting us at all. You were just… toying with us."
Gojo didn't stop.
He continued forward at the same calm pace until he stood right beside Kumadori. Looking down at him, his expression unchanged, he replied, his tone flat and indifferent,
"I'm not going to repeat myself again and again. Your only worth was letting me watch you perform those Six Powers… and learn them. I found that interesting."
A faint pause.
"Do you really think that I—someone who can slash through an entire ship—wouldn't be able to cut through your so-called Iron Body defense?"
A slight tilt of his head.
"What a joke."
His gaze remained cold.
"I never took this fight seriously. Not even once. If I had, then all those times my blade touched you… you would already be covered in cuts."
A brief silence lingered in the air.
"Got it?"
Gojo adjusted his grip on his sword, the blade catching a faint glint of light.
"Now go… rest in peace."
Without any buildup, without any visible effort—
He swung.
A simple, sideways motion.
Clean. Precise.
The blade passed through Kumadori's neck effortlessly, as if slicing through empty space. For a fraction of a second, everything went still—
Then the severing was complete.
Blood followed a moment later.
Gojo didn't react.
He immediately bent down, picked up Kumadori's severed head, and rose slightly into the air, his body lifting with unnatural ease. The wind stirred faintly around him as he hovered for a brief moment.
Then—
He disappeared.
Vanishing from the scene as swiftly as he had moved during the battle.
His next target was already decided.
Blueno.
Even now, as Blueno fled, he remained well within Gojo's Observation Haki range.
There was nowhere to run.
----
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