Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
________________________________________
Chapter 11: VS Admiral Kizaru
Pant... pant... pant...!
My lungs burned with every breath. I tore through the approaching Marines, grabbing them by their lapels and tossing them aside one after another. Dust and shattered debris from the broken pavement filled the air, mixing with the sound of popping Sabaody bubbles. I must have sent at least sixty full-grown men flying by now, but my tiny Tontatta arms were starting to feel the strain.
I wondered if Esune had made it to Shakky's Rip-off Bar by now. I was starting to run out of steam myself. I needed to find a good opening to slip away from the frontlines and make a run for the safety of Grove 13.
"You lot! Why are you struggling so much with a single dwarf?! Hurry up and capture him!"
A short distance away, completely insulated from the actual fighting, the Celestial Dragon was barking arrogant orders at the battered Marines. He stood there in his ridiculous bubble helmet, his snot-nosed face twisted in fury. This bastard was the root cause of all this...! The sight of him, untouched and whining while others bled, pissed me off to no end...!!
"S-Saint Bomiol! It's dangerous here, please step back a bit—"
"You? Are you ordering me around? How cheeky!"
Bang!
"Gah?!"
The Marine officer collapsed, clutching a bleeding gunshot wound to his shoulder. Saint Bomiol casually lowered his smoking golden pistol, not even blinking at the man writhing at his feet.
"Just hurry up and catch that dwarf! And get my new wife back! Go! Go!"
He shot an allied Marine who was just trying to protect him, and then ordered the rest to hurry up... It was absolutely unreasonable. I was honestly surprised the Marines even listened to a guy like that. Didn't they ever think about rebelling? How could they serve someone who treated their lives like discarded trash?
Pant... pant... Anyway, I didn't have time to deal with a Celestial Dragon right now. I had caused enough chaos. I had bought enough time for the slaves and Esune to get a head start. It was time to make my escape...!
With my small size and natural Tontatta speed, I should be able to somehow slip past their eyes and vanish into the complex root systems of the mangroves. I just needed one good distraction. Before Marine reinforcements could show up, I needed to retreat from this place.
The moment I thought that—
Flash!
The world turned blindingly white.
BOOOOM!!
"Uwaaaah?!"
The shockwave hit me like a solid wall. For a second, something had flashed with the intensity of a miniature sun. The very next moment, a deafening explosion ripped through the grove. What?! What just happened?! A radius of over ten meters from where I was just standing had been blown completely away, leaving nothing but scorched earth and a smoking, molten crater.
"Ooh... You dodged that...? Not bad at all~..."
"!?"
A chill ran down my spine. The voice was impossibly slow, lazily drawing out every syllable, yet it carried an oppressive weight that commanded the entire battlefield.
Looking toward the source of the light, I saw a guy who had to be at least three meters tall stepping out from the settling dust. He wore a yellow pinstripe suit with a Marine coat draped over his shoulders like a cape. Sporting tinted shades and a perm, he stood there casually, his glowing finger pointed right at me.
Who was this guy? Some kind of mob boss?
While my mind raced to process the sheer destructive power he had just casually unleashed, the Celestial Dragon bastard started making a fuss.
"You're late! Kizaru! Some Admiral you are! Hurry up and capture him!"
Admiral... Admiral?
"Huh?! Admiral, you don't mean a Marine Admiral?!" I squeaked, my fluffy tail standing on end.
"...Nice to meet you, little guy. I'm Kizaru... I'll be capturing you now, so please be careful..."
My blood ran cold. Shakky had told me about this before. The highest rank in the Marines is the Fleet Admiral, and right below that are the Admirals. Admirals are known as the World Government's greatest military powers, monsters who can reshape islands with a passing thought. They are terrifyingly strong. If someone like Shakky—a woman who could casually snap a pirate captain's neck with one hand—called them terrifying, then they were on a whole other level.
Yeah. This was super bad.
"An Admiral is bad, this is really, really bad...! I need to run away right now—"
"Ooh... Seeing you up close, I can really tell how small you are~..."
"—Eeehh!!?"
The moment I pivoted to sprint, something flashed in my peripheral vision. Before my brain could even register the movement, Kizaru was standing right in front of me, blocking my path entirely. He rested a giant finger on his chin, observing me intently through his tinted shades.
Wait, hold on! He was just over there, right?! He was over a hundred meters away! How did he move here in an instant?!
"D-Dammit...! Tontatta Combat: Tail Hammer!!"
For now, attack! It was my only option. I put all my microscopic muscle power into a desperate leap, swinging my tail down at Kizaru's face with enough force to shatter a boulder... but—
"...That won't work~..."
"Huh?"
My attack... slipped right through Kizaru's cheek. It didn't just miss; his skin dissolved into brilliant particles of yellow light upon impact. It felt exactly like attacking an untouchable, intangible hologram.
"I'm a Light Human who ate the Glint-Glint Fruit... a Logia, you see~..." Kizaru drawled, his head reforming seamlessly from the scattered light particles.
"A-Another Devil Fruit?! Every single one of them...!"
"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
"Huh? Like hell I—"
BAAAM!!
"!!!"
I couldn't even see the leg move. Before I realized it, I had been kicked. The impact was apocalyptic. I went flying backward at a speed my eyes couldn't track, crashing straight through the thick stone wall of a nearby civilian house.
"Gah... Ugh, i-it hurts...!!"
My vision swam. Every bone in my tiny body screamed in protest as I lay in the rubble of someone's living room.
"Ooh, you're surprisingly sturdy for being so small~..."
"!!"
I gasped, looking up through the hole I had just created. Kizaru was already standing there, right at the edge of the shattered floorboards. No, wait, wait, wait! When did he get around me?! Too fast! I couldn't even react, and I pride myself on my speed—
CRACK!!
"Bugeeehhh!!!"
I got kicked again before I could even flinch. He landed a clean, devastating hit right in my stomach. The world spun into a blur of colors. I went flying again, vomiting blood mid-air as I crashed through another set of walls and tumbled out into the open street.
It was no use. This was just like... like my training with Ray-san. I couldn't see any path to victory. It didn't matter what angle I attacked from, or how fast I ran. If I kept fighting like this, I'd one hundred percent be killed. The gap in our fundamental existence was too vast.
"Gaha... guh...!" I choked, clutching my stomach as I tried to force my trembling legs to stand.
Some weakness... I had to find a weakness. Water beats fire, grass beats water, fire beats grass. Even Pokémon works like that! He must definitely have a weakness. He said it himself. He was a Light Human. What the hell is a Light-type's weakness?! Darkness? Mirrors? I had no idea!!
Pant... pant... Dammit...
"My, are you done already?" Kizaru asked, leisurely strolling over to where I lay gasping in the dirt.
"...T-To begin with... that Celestial Dragon over there... k-killed my friend's parents, pant, pant... that's how this started...! They're the bad guys! If you're going to arrest someone, arrest him...!"
It was a desperate plea, an attempt to appeal to whatever justice the Marines supposedly upheld.
"...Sorry to say, but the words of a Celestial Dragon are absolute," Kizaru replied, his tone devoid of any real malice or sympathy. "If they tell me to capture you, then I have to capture you. And if they tell me to kill you, then I have to kill you..."
"!!"
The strategy to appeal to his emotions failed entirely! Dammit! Think...! Think, what's his weakness? If he was a Devil Fruit user, dropping him in the sea would end it, but... there was no way I could knock a guy I couldn't even touch into the sea. Even if I ran, he'd chase me at the speed of light. His attack power was top tier, too.
I couldn't win. I couldn't run. Appealing to his empathy was useless. What the hell was I supposed to do...?
"Hey! What are you playing around for?! Hurry up and dispose of him! Stomp him to death with all your might!"
Saint Bomiol was squawking from the sidelines, safely hidden behind a barricade of terrified Marines. He finally gave the order to kill. That piece of shit seriously pissed me off...!
"Ooh... Sorry about this~... It's an order from a Celestial Dragon. I can't go against it."
Kizaru raised his massive foot, hovering it directly over me as I lay on my back. The sole of his shiny dress shoe began to emit a blinding, lethal glow. If he stomped on me at the speed of light with that much mass behind it, even my Tontatta durability would give out. I'd definitely die.
"Now... Time to die...!!"
...Not that it matters now, but his way of speaking is so frustratingly slow! For a Light Human, his actions were all so drawn-out... or rather, sluggish. Introducing himself, giving warnings, explaining his own abilities... Compared to the Celestial Dragon who just immediately fired a gun without listening, at least this guy held a conversation. Even if he didn't listen to my side of things... He just put the Celestial Dragon first above all else...
Wait—was this his weakness?!
Pant, pant... H-Hey, Kizaru...!
"Hmm~...?" The blinding light on his foot paused.
"Your foot... there's poop on the bottom of it...!"
"Eh, is that so~?"
In an act of supreme, mind-boggling gullibility, Kizaru actually tilted his glowing leg and glanced down to check the bottom of his shoe.
"It's a lie, you idiot!!"
Exploiting that ridiculously stupid opening, I scrambled away from beneath Kizaru's glowing foot. This was the sole benefit of dealing with someone who actually bothered to listen to conversations!
But the victory was momentary. I was out from under his shoe, but I was still trapped in the plaza. Now, how was I going to escape from this situation...?
"D-Don't let him get away! Kick him to death!"
"!!"
Saint Bomiol shrieked, pointing a fat, trembling finger at me.
This was it! If I couldn't use this exact moment, I was dead! I calculated the trajectory in a fraction of a second, took off, and leaped directly into the air, aiming my body at a very specific, dangerous angle.
"Oops... I won't let you get away~..."
Kizaru pivoted, his leg swinging around in a blinding arc of yellow light.
Now! I had to take this attack head-on. Just endure it somehow! Do your best, me!
Tontatta Combat: Tail Guard!!
I spun, wrapping my thick, fluffy tail around my body like a makeshift shield right as the light-speed kick connected.
SMASH!!
"Gugoha...!!"
The impact nearly shattered my spine. Kizaru's overwhelming attack violently sent me flying through the air like a bullet. The pain was blinding, white-hot, and absolute.
But, hehehe... Yes, this angle...!
I successfully got kicked exactly in the direction I aimed for. Using the sheer kinetic force of an Admiral's strike, I soared straight over the heads of the Marine barricade. Now I just had to make minor adjustments by twisting my battered body mid-air, and...
Thud!
Alright! I managed to crash-land right next to the shrieking Celestial Dragon.
"F-Fuge... hehe... he...!" I coughed, spitting a glob of blood onto Bomiol's pristine white suit.
"Wh-What?! What?!"
Saint Bomiol was visibly stunned, his eyes bulging as I instantly closed the hundred-meter distance to land right under his nose.
"Sending him flying right toward a Celestial Dragon... how careless of me~," Kizaru casually remarked from across the plaza, rubbing the back of his neck.
That sluggish personality of yours! That's going to be your downfall!
Bang! Bang! Panic setting in, the Celestial Dragon wildly fired his golden gun at me. Dodging the clumsy, panicked shots, I whipped my leg up and knocked the pistol clean out of his hand. Then, before he could call for help, I lunged forward and clung tightly onto his thick thigh.
"Take this!!" I roared.
"Ah, this brat...! Get off me!"
"Don't move!!"
Whip!
"—Ooouugh!!?"
With a vicious twist of my hips, I whipped the Celestial Dragon right in the crotch with my tail. The crack echoed loudly in the sudden silence of the grove. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he let out a strangled, high-pitched wheeze, writhing in pure agony. Serves you right!
"Hey! Kizaru! Can you hear me?!" I screamed across the plaza, making sure every Marine heard me.
"..."
"I've taken dick-head here hostage! Surrender quietly!"
"..."
The Marines gasped collectively. Kizaru simply pointed his finger at me. The fingertip glowed brightly, illuminating the terror on Bomiol's sweaty face, but the light quickly subsided into sparks and faded.
That was right. With his overpowered attack strength, he'd end up piercing right through the Celestial Dragon along with me. So he couldn't shoot that light beam, could he?
"Wh-What are you doing! Kizaru! Hurry up and save me!" Bomiol gasped, recovering just enough to start screaming again. "Immediately kill this maggot clinging to me—"
"I said shut up!!"
"Hogyaaaaaah!!!!"
Grabbing onto his expensive clothes for leverage, I mercilessly squeezed the Celestial Dragon's balls as hard as my tiny hands could manage.
"If you speak out of turn... I'll crush them just like this...! You won't be able to pass on your lolicon genes to future generations. Are you fine with that? By the way, I couldn't care less."
"—!! —!! ~~!!"
Saint Bomiol clamped his mouth shut, his face turning an alarming shade of purple. He glared at me, thick tears streaming down his face as he silently screamed in pain.
"Order Kizaru to do exactly as I say. First, tell him to get in the sea."
"Y-You... you think you'll get away with this—"
Squeeze!
"Hogyu?! Hogyu?! Aahhhh!!"
"Order Kizaru to get in the sea within three seconds. Or else I'll crush the right one first! Three, two, o—"
"K-Kiza-, Kizaru!! I-It's an order!" Bomiol shrieked, completely breaking under the threat to his lineage. "Jump into the sea! Hurry up! Hurry! H-Hurryyy!!"
"...What a cheeky little trick..."
Kizaru's expression finally changed. His goofy, laid-back demeanor from earlier vanished completely. He lowered his sunglasses slightly, replaced by a terrifying, cold glare as he stared me down. The air around him felt heavy with suppressed killing intent.
Hehehe, he had completely let his guard down. He thought I was just some insignificant, puny runt who couldn't land a single attack... It never crossed his mind that I'd actually use the kinetic force of his own attack to bypass the Marine blockade and take a god of this world hostage, did it? He was too naive...!
"K-Kiza, Kizaru!! Hurry up! Jump into the sea!! Right now!!"
"..."
With a heavy sigh, Kizaru slowly stepped down from the thick mangrove roots lining the edge of the grove. Without breaking eye contact with me, he waded backward into the swirling waters of the Sabaody coast. He gradually sank into the sea until the dark water lapped at his shoulders.
Once he was completely submerged, and the sea naturally sapped away the strength of his Devil Fruit, I pointed my free hand at the Marine officer standing closest to the shoreline.
"Next! You!"
"Eh?! Me...?" The Marine pointed a trembling finger at himself.
"Yeah! You... punch Kizaru!"
"Ehh?"
"Beat Kizaru to a bloody pulp until he's completely incapacitated!!"
"Eeehhh?!"
The entire Marine blockade froze. The officer was completely panicked. He looked back and forth between the submerged Admiral, me, and the weeping Celestial Dragon, sputtering, "Eh?! Eh?!"
But I wasn't giving him time to think or rationalize!
"Hurry up!!" I yelled, applying a fraction more pressure. Squeeeze!
"Hogyu... Gyaaaaah!!! Aaaaaah!!! Y-You Marine over there!! Do exactly as he says! Punch Kizaru! Hurry uuuup!!"
Caught between striking his commanding officer and disobeying a direct, frantic order from a World Noble, the Marine looked like he was about to vomit from stress. Tears welled up in his eyes.
Down in the water, completely immobilized by the sea, Kizaru slowly smiled at the terrified subordinate.
"Hurry up and do it~... Ensign Boggos... It's an order from a Celestial Dragon."
"B-But, Admiral Borsalino..." Boggos whimpered, his fists shaking.
"...I don't mind~..."
"I-I'm so sorry...!! Admiral...!!"
The Marine, Ensign Boggos, hesitated over and over, lifting his fist, dropping it, lifting it again, before closing his eyes tight and finally...
Smack! ...punching Kizaru squarely in the face.
"...!!"
A collective gasp echoed through the grove. No matter how much of a Light Human he was that let attacks pass right through him, he was still a Devil Fruit user. While submerged in the sea, dodging was impossible, and his intangibility was nullified. And in a situation like this where he wasn't even allowed to put his guard up...
Ensign Boggos's fists, fueled by desperate obedience, repeatedly pummeled Kizaru's face.
Yes! Keep at it, Boggos! That was for when Kizaru kicked me! And that was for when he kicked me again! And that was for when he kicked me a third time! And that was for when he almost stomped on me!
"...!! ...!! ...!!"
Smack! Thud! Bam!
"I'm sorry, Kizaru-san... I'm sorry...!!"
Ensign Boggos continued to mercilessly punch his Admiral while crying his eyes out.
...Yeah... I was actually starting to feel a bit bad about this. Boggos was really putting his back into it. Kizaru's nose was bleeding, his sunglasses were cracked, and his face was getting completely swollen. It should be about enough to buy me my window of escape...
I loosened my grip and took both my hands off the Celestial Dragon's balls.
"...! Pant, pant, pant...! I-I'm saved..." Saint Bomiol sobbed, collapsing to his knees. "I thought they were going to be crushed...!!"
You're not saved yet...
I grabbed the Celestial Dragon by his thick, starched collar and hoisted his heavy body up.
"Eh...?"
"Tontatta Combat: Japanese One-Arm Shoulder Throw!!"
"Dwaaaaaah!!?"
With a mighty heave, I hurled the screaming Celestial Dragon high into the air, aiming his massive bulk directly out toward the sea where Kizaru was submerged.
Then, using the absolute peak of my remaining strength, I sprinted at full speed in the opposite direction, diving deep into the shadowy roots of the mangrove trees to escape the battlefield!
Sprinting and bouncing between the resin-coated branches, I risked a glance back. Kizaru, his face battered and bruised, exploded out of the seawater in a flash of yellow light. He arched through the sky, gracefully catching the flailing Celestial Dragon mid-air before he could hit the water.
Whoa... even after getting beaten up that badly and weakened by the sea, he still had those reflexes... He really was an Admiral...
I only threw Bomiol just in case, but using him as a final distraction was definitely the right call. If I had just run away without tossing him over the water, Kizaru would have instantly gotten back on land, ignored his injuries, caught up to me in a fraction of a second, and killed me.
But I actually did it! I survived! I outsmarted an Admiral!
Leaving Kizaru fully occupied with ensuring the safety of his precious Celestial Dragon, I successfully escaped from Grove 41. I didn't let my guard down, though. Just to be safe, I ran around various other Groves, doubling back and taking the most confusing routes possible, before finally making it back to the hidden safety of Shakky's Rip-off Bar at Grove 13.
Hehehe, serves you right... Ah, I'm exhausted...
—————
Back at the edge of Grove 41, the Marines rushed forward to tend to the hysterical Saint Bomiol. Kizaru gently set the noble down, brushing some dirt off his own ruined, wet suit.
"Ooh... Ouch, ouch..." Kizaru muttered, touching his swollen cheek where Boggos had wailed on him. He adjusted his cracked sunglasses, looking off into the dense mangrove forest where the tiny dwarf had vanished.
"I completely got outsmarted there~... That little dwarf boy, he's quite something..."
A rare, genuinely dangerous smile touched the corners of Kizaru's bruised mouth.
"If I meet him next time... I won't hold back~..."
________________________________________
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations