Chapter 481: Boundary of Light and Dark, A Kick Faster Than Light
The moment Nami heard that voice, her entire body went rigid. It was a sound so deeply, chillingly familiar. Beside her, Hancock's brow furrowed in confusion. "Hm? That voice... why does it feel like I've heard it before?"
A corner of Yakumo Yukari's mouth twitched. "Are you having a pirate convention in here?"
Nami wracked her brain, but she couldn't place the speaker. Still, a primal instinct screamed that something was terribly wrong, that a storm was about to break.
The sound of footsteps drew closer, and every eye in the room fixed on the doorway. If another pirate walked through, the situation would certainly become interesting.
"Ooooh~ So it really wasn't a prank... How ve~ry frightening..."
That single, drawn-out sentence was like a key unlocking a dreadful memory. Nami's pupils contracted to pinpricks as she stared at the entrance in utter disbelief. Hancock, too, let out a soft gasp of surprise. "Impossible!"
"Hmm~ So this is a shop?"
At last, under the weight of everyone's anticipation, a towering figure stepped out from the light. The moment he came into view, the room fell silent, stunned.
"So... so tall!" Yakumo Ran exclaimed, her voice filled with awe.
Lucifer nodded in agreement, her gaze tracing the man's lanky frame. "That height... he must be at least three meters, surely?"
"Eeeh? My height is precisely three meters and two centimeters, you know..."
Before anyone else could speak, Nami scrambled from her seat and dashed to Lucifer's side, seeking refuge behind her. Lucifer, slightly taken aback, looked down at her. "What's wrong? Why so agitated? Do you know him?"
Nami's face was a mask of pure terror. "A... Admiral!"
Yakumo Yukari's leisurely posture straightened slightly, a flicker of genuine surprise in her eyes. "Is this one of the three Admirals you mentioned, Nami? Which one is he?"
"...Kizaru."
Hearing Hancock's grim confirmation, Lucifer tilted her head, studying the newcomer. "So you're the Admiral who can manipulate light?"
Kizaru scratched the back of his head with a lazy, almost bored expression. "If there are no surprises, that should be me. But... ooooh! Aren't these some familiar faces? Boa Hancock, and... Little Cat Burglar Nami."
Nami's world was spinning. She had just escaped one catastrophe only to stumble directly into another. This was too much to bear. She had personally witnessed the power of a Marine Admiral, a force of nature terrifying beyond all imagination.
Hancock's voice was low and hard. "Kizaru! How did you get here?"
Kizaru tilted his head, a slow, unsettling smile spreading across his face. "I think it's more appropriate for me to be asking that question. After all, a certain little rookie's crewmate who struck a Celestial Dragon is right here."
Hancock gritted her teeth. "I'm more concerned with why you, an Admiral who just returned from a mission, have appeared in this place!"
The two of them locked gazes. Despite the massive difference in their heights, an invisible current of confrontation crackled in the air between them.
After a long moment, Kizaru's smile widened. "As expected of the Pirate Empress. Boa Hancock is truly formidable... I was simply resting when a door suddenly lit up. So, I came."
His explanation made Hancock pause, but she said nothing more. Anywhere else, she would have dismissed it as a lie. But in Ren's shop, a place that defied all logic, she had no choice but to believe him. It was, after all, the same way she had arrived.
Kizaru tilted his head again, his gaze sweeping over the room's occupants. "So, is this entire room filled with pirates?"
Hancock was about to retort when Ren's gentle voice cut through the tension. "There are only guests here. No pirates."
The sight of Ren was like an anchor in a raging sea for Nami. She found her courage and cried out, "Shopkeeper Ren! This is that Marine Admiral!"
Ren offered her a reassuring smile. "I know. There's no need to be so nervous. So, sir, you are indeed very tall. Would you care to rest for a while? Or perhaps have something to eat?"
Hancock shot Ren a worried look, wanting to warn him, but she held her tongue. Kizaru, however, sized Ren up with a curious glint in his eyes. "So, where exactly is this place? I wouldn't dare to eat just anything so easily."
"This is a restaurant from another world," Ren replied with the same placid smile. "I am the shopkeeper. As for your concern about danger... there's absolutely no need for it. Because it's completely unnecessary."
"Unnecessary... Eeeh? Another world? This is truly an interesting experience..."
Though Kizaru's tone was lackadaisical, a sharp seriousness now resided in his eyes. This place was unlike any establishment he had ever seen, and he was certain its nature wasn't the result of a Devil Fruit power. In such an unknown environment, caution was his greatest ally.
A slow smile crept back onto Kizaru's face. "So this is the shop Roronoa Zoro mentioned before he was sent flying... As expected, it's not a place one can find just by looking. But Shopkeeper, why did you simply gloss over the matter of me taking Nami back?"
Hancock's jaw tightened, ready to intervene, but Ren spoke first, his smile never wavering. "Because you can't do it. And while I don't think Nami and the others did anything wrong, I must still express my dissatisfaction with that action."
Hancock and the others stared, stunned. Kizaru's smile became a thin line. "Dissatisfaction? What do you mean? With the beating of a Celestial Dragon?"
"That's right," Ren said, his voice calm and even. "Because as pirates, when encountering such scum, the best course of action is to kill them. A mere beating is far too lenient. Wouldn't you agree, Admiral Kizaru?"
Hancock's eyes lit up, her gaze fixed on Ren. To dare speak of killing a Celestial Dragon in front of a Marine Admiral... it was unbelievably bold.
Kizaru let out a long, theatrical sigh. "So, Shopkeeper, does this mean you intend to protect that Little Cat Burglar?"
Ren tilted his head. "This shop allows for sparring. It does not, however, welcome trouble."
Kizaru's eyes narrowed, the lazy amusement finally vanishing. "In that case... let's have a little spar."
"Please."
"Before we begin, I'd like to ask you, Shopkeeper... have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
"If light possessed a physical form," Ren mused softly, "it might very well be resting on my shoulder this very moment."
"That's a truly interesting statement, but..."
Before he could finish, Yakumo Yukari and the others watched in astonishment. In a blinding flash, Kizaru appeared at Ren's side, his entire leg glowing with incandescent energy as he swung it in a devastating arc.
Ren simply sighed and, with a motion so casual it was almost insulting, raised a hand to block the kick. "Being kicked by light," he said with a faint smile, "doesn't feel like much at all."
Kizaru's eyes narrowed. Nami, however, was practically vibrating with excitement. She had seen firsthand how unstoppable that kick was.
Ren's smile widened slightly. "Shall I make my move now?"
"Eeeh? Pfft—"
Hearing this, Kizaru immediately tried to dissolve into his Logia form, becoming pure, intangible light. But in the next instant, Ren's leg swept out, connecting solidly with Kizaru and sending him flying.
"It seems," Ren said gently, as if commenting on the weather, "that my kicks are a bit stronger than light's."
"Then let's try this..."
Watching a sword of pure, solidified light slowly materialize in Kizaru's hand, Lucifer sighed. This is what he calls light? If I could use my magic right now, I'd drain every last particle from him.
Yakumo Yukari's eyes narrowed at the intense glare. "This is far too bright..." she murmured, taking a sip of her sake. "Boundary of Light and Darkness."
The next moment, Kizaru watched as his Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi simply vanished, winking out of existence as if it had never been forged. His gaze snapped toward Yakumo Yukari, who was calmly enjoying her drink.
She met his stare and let out a soft sigh. "You won't be able to use your light for a while."
"Hmm? Huh?!"
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