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Chapter 23: Rematch with the Yellow Admiral
Line, that's me, reflexively jumped out to help the Straw Hat Pirates in their moment of crisis.
I shouldn't have had any obligation to help them.
Ignoring them and going home was the smartest choice.
I knew all this in my head, yet I still jumped out anyway.
It's my bad habit! Dammit!
"Have you ever been kicked. at the speed of light?"
"Thanks to you, I have! You bastard!!"
Because of my interference, the matchup suddenly became Me VS Kizaru, and the Straw Hats VS the Kintaro-looking guy and Kuma. Why the hell did it turn out like this?
"I owe you for the awful time you gave me back then, Invisible Phantom Thief. Yasakani no Magatama!"
"Whoa, holy crap, that's dangerous~~!!"
Just when I thought he was making an OK sign with his hands, Kizaru began rapidly firing a barrage of blinding light beams through his fingers like a machine gun.
Using my Observation Haki, I dodged them by the absolute skin of my teeth.
"Hoh! Op! Yikes! Soi! Hah!"
"Future sight with Observation Haki. You're a troublesome one~"
"You're the one who's troublesome!"
Light-speed attacks are no joke. If I didn't have future sight through my Observation Haki, there's no way I could have dodged this. It was like seeing the warning laser-lines in a bullet-hell game. Difficulty: Lunatic!
"Fuh! Hah! Original! Tontatta Combat! Tail Impact!"
While desperately weaving through the light beams, I closed the distance at top speed and landed a tail strike heavily coated in Armament Haki. but.
"Hmm? I heard from Kuzan that you could only use Observation Haki. Don't tell me you learned Armament Haki in just these past few months?"
"Who's Kuzan?"
"I mean Aokiji~"
My attack was effortlessly blocked by Kizaru's left arm. He has the built-in evasion of a Logia, so why the hell is his defense so good too?!
A single hit from his attacks would be fatal. yet he parried my all-out strike with one hand.
Yeah. No matter how I look at it, this is an impossible game!
"To think there's actually someone who can go toe-to-toe with Uncle. I guess the rumors from a few years ago about a dwarf calling himself the 'Invisible Phantom Thief' heavily injuring Uncle were actually true!"
The Kintaro-looking guy fighting Luffy glanced over at my battle with Kizaru and muttered that.
No. from an outside perspective, it might look like an evenly matched fight, but I am at a complete disadvantage here. If we keep fighting head-on, I don't see a single vision of victory.
If only Luffy and the others could somehow escape while I'm distracting Kizaru—
"Gum-Gum Gatling!"
"My defense is the best in the world! Heave-ho!"
"Blergh! Ouch?! I'm. rubber, though!!"
No good, huh.
While claiming to have the best defense in the world, Kintaro was absolutely smacking him around with Haki. The handicap between those who can use Haki and those who can't is just too massive. Luffy was getting completely destroyed. There was nothing he could do.
"Pant. pant. wheeze! The way we are now, we can't beat these guys! Everyone, just focus on running away!"
"I won't let you escape! Ashigara Dokkoi!"
"Blergh~~!!"
"Don't let the others escape either! PX-1!"
Flash! BOOM!!
Flash! BOOM!!
Flash! BOOM!!
"Aaaargh!!"
Luffy was in bad shape, but the rest of the crew was in serious trouble too.
Bartholomew Kuma was firing lasers continuously from his hands and mouth, relentlessly bombing the Straw Hat Pirates.
Those laser attacks were exactly like Kizaru's. It couldn't be the same Devil Fruit. so what the hell was going on?
He called him PX-1. Don't tell me Kuma is a robot? A bear-type robot from the 22nd century.
"Pant, pant! Luffy, guys, please manage to escape on your own."
"My subordinates are also quite strong. It's no use, I won't let a single one of them escape. And of course, that includes you~."
I unleashed a rapid flurry of tail strikes while desperately dodging Kizaru's consecutive kicks. But he effortlessly parried every single one.
"Aargh! Dammit! My attacks aren't hitting! You're so annoying!"
"That's my line~. By the way, what exactly is your relationship with the Straw Hat crew?"
"We went to the amusement park and played together today!"
"Is that all~?"
"That's more than enough!! Tail Impact!"
My full-powered tail strike clashed directly with Kizaru's kick. BAM!!
The sheer impact sent Kizaru sliding backward slightly, while I was blown wide away.
"Guh, a head-on brawl really puts me at a disadvantage!"
If I kept fighting like this, I'd slowly be worn down. First, I needed to clarify my victory conditions.
Let the Straw Hats escape from Kintaro and Kuma-emon. If I could do that, my objective was complete, and I could focus entirely on running for my life.
Conversely, my defeat condition was getting taken out. Very simple.
Especially Kizaru's laser attacks. If I took even one of those directly, I was pretty much done for.
"Wait? If I take one directly, I'm pretty much done for. huh."
Which means.
If anyone other than me takes it, they're done for too, right?
"Hehehe!"
"Hmm? What are you laughing at?"
"No. I just realized that my fights are always like walking a tightrope, and I found it kinda funny."
"?"
"Hehehe! This is the deciding moment! Let's do this, Kizaru!!"
"..."
I began to concentrate Armament Haki directly into my stomach.
Kizaru's POV
Capturing the rookie pirates rampaging on the Sabaody Archipelago. just a simple job.
Or so I thought. I came to this island with a light heart, yet standing before me right now was the very existence who had forced me to swallow a bitter defeat and suffer a blunder eight years ago.
(Eight years ago, he was just a clever little nuisance. In terms of actual combat, he should have been completely insignificant.)
Eight years of time really does make the youth grow significantly.
The 'Invisible Phantom Thief' was now a being with terrifying combat power.
His Armament Haki is still developing, but his raw physical strength is monstrous. Taking that attack head-on would definitely hurt.
His Observation Haki has clearly reached the realm of seeing the future. The fact that not a single one of my attacks has landed "cleanly" yet is proof of that.
Coupled with his small size and immense speed, when he fully devotes himself to evasion, it's genuinely impossible to hit him.
"Hehehe!"
"Hmm? What are you laughing at?"
"No. I just realized that my fights are always like walking a tightrope, and I found it kinda funny."
"?"
"Hehehe! This is the deciding moment! Let's do this, Kizaru!!"
"..."
His monstrous strength and evasion. and his future sight are naturally troublesome, but.
That is not the most terrifying thing about the Invisible Phantom Thief.
(Those eyes. he's plotting something.)
Even though he's being steadily backed into a corner, the Invisible Phantom Thief is glaring at me with a smirk, his eyes scheming something.
I've seen these eyes before.
I was trapped by these eyes before.
He took a Celestial Dragon hostage, forced me to dive into the sea, and essentially handed me a defeat.
(I let my guard down and made a blunder back then, but it won't be like that this time.)
Whatever the Invisible Phantom Thief is plotting, it's impossible for him to take a direct hit from my laser and stay standing.
(His durability is below average. That is the Invisible Phantom Thief's greatest weakness.)
Whatever clever little trick he's come up with, I just need to take him out in one hit before he can pull it off.
The problem is landing that one hit. but it seems running around constantly has taken its toll. The Invisible Phantom Thief's movements are clearly getting sluggish.
"!! Oh crap."
"Oopsie daisy, victory is decided in a moment's opening. Ama no Iwato."
The Invisible Phantom Thief jumped up with a bounce, revealing an obvious opening. Aiming right at it, I prepared to fire my laser—
"!! W-Whoopsie."
—and stopped at the very last second.
This little rat!
"Hehehe. What's wrong? Kizaru. Is it really a good idea not to fire that laser? It totally would've hit me just now, right?"
"Still as clever as ever, aren't you~."
The moment I tried to fire my laser, he. had his back to Sentomaru-kun. From my perspective, he was perfectly in line with Sentomaru-kun!
In other words, if I had fired the laser just now, it would have pierced right through the Invisible Phantom Thief and directly hit Sentomaru-kun behind him.
No, that would be the better outcome.
If I was slightly off, the Invisible Phantom Thief could have dodged it, meaning the laser would solely hit Sentomaru-kun.
I see. So this is the Invisible Phantom Thief's aim. To make my laser hit Sentomaru-kun. Trying to force friendly fire, what a terrifying thought process~.
"Light can't stop suddenly! And it can't bend suddenly either! That's your weakness, Kizaru! Hehehe~!"
He fully understands the property of light—that it can only travel in straight lines.
Just where in the world did he learn that.
"I'm glad I played beam-tag with my friends using flashlights back when I was a kid in my past life!"
Spouting absolute nonsense, the Invisible Phantom Thief smirked, constantly hopping around while making sure to keep Sentomaru-kun directly behind him.
"You can't use your lasers anymore now, can you? You're too scared of hitting your ally! If you're so frustrated, try and hit me! Hehehe, stupid, stupid! Monkey face! Old man face! Piko*taro!"
"Being provoked to that extent. even I'm getting pissed off~!"
"W-Whoops!"
I pointed my finger squarely at the Invisible Phantom Thief, pretending I was about to shoot. but the moment I did, he accurately positioned himself so Sentomaru-kun was right behind him in a straight line.
(If I shoot now, it'll hit Sentomaru-kun. The power of foresight through Observation Haki. He's much more troublesome than I thought.)
Sentomaru-kun is currently fighting Straw Hat.
They are constantly moving around. Yet, whenever I try to shoot my laser, the Invisible Phantom Thief accurately puts Sentomaru-kun directly behind him.
"Not going to shoot? You care for your subordinates more than I thought."
"My justice isn't as lenient as 'Lazy Justice,' but it isn't quite as cold-blooded as 'Absolute Justice' either~."
If I were ordered by my mission to kill an acquaintance, I would do so without hesitation, but.
If I can avoid hurting them otherwise, I'd rather not. That is my justice.
Now then, what should I do?
If I can't use lasers, then hand-to-hand combat. Should I use Ama no Murakumo, or perhaps clones.
No, the most reliable method is still the laser. It's the best way to deal with the Invisible Phantom Thief, who lacks any means of long-range attack.
To hit this guy with a laser, I first need to get behind him!
"Invisible Phantom Thief~. Did you know? Light can't bend suddenly, but it can reflect."
"Huh?"
"Yata no Kagami."
"!?"
I irradiated a beam of light, bouncing it off the mangrove trees to reflect it. By doing so, I created a path of light.
"I am a Light Human who ate the Glint-Glint Fruit. I can travel through light."
"What?!"
Traveling through the path of light, I instantly appeared behind the Invisible Phantom Thief.
"Behind me!"
He must have foreseen it with his Observation Haki. He somehow managed to react and turn his body toward me, but. it was too late.
Sentomaru-kun is now behind me.
In other words, I can now blast you with my laser without any hesitation.
"Good work. You can rest now. Ama no Iwato!!"
I fired the laser directly at the Invisible Phantom Thief. From that posture, he couldn't dodge. I aimed perfectly for his dead center.
Or so I thought, until the very next moment—
"Tontatta Combat."
"Hmm?"
"Mirror Shield!!!"
Flash! KABOOOOOOM!!!
"Aaaargh!!?"
—In that instant, a scream erupted from behind me.
I turned around to see. Sentomaru-kun collapsing to the ground, his stomach pierced straight through by my laser.
"!!?? !? !??"
"Hehehe. You look scared half to death, Kizaru. You've got a face like you just saw light itself get kicked away."
"Ghh!! Wh-"
What just happened? I definitely fired my laser at the 'Invisible Phantom Thief'.
So why in the world is Sentomaru-kun, who was standing behind me, pierced by that very laser?!
What?
What is this?
What just happened?!
I could see something sparkling on the Invisible Phantom Thief's stomach.
His clothes had been singed away by the laser, revealing what he had been hiding underneath.
Is that. could it be.
"A mirror!?"
"Hehehe! Bingo!"
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