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Chapter 24: Poof!!
While clashing with Kizaru, I was desperately trying to come up with a plan.
My goal wasn't to defeat him.
It was to let the Straw Hat Pirates escape from this battlefield.
The problem was, how was I supposed to help Luffy and his crew get away from the Kintaro and Kuma-emon duo while simultaneously fending off Kizaru?
Without any long-range attacks, it was physically impossible for me to fight Kizaru and provide cover fire at the same time.
And it was equally physically impossible for me to shake Kizaru off and physically run over to help them.
That's when an idea struck me: I could make Kizaru's laser hit Kintaro.
(If I dodge a laser aimed at me at the very last second, it'll hit Kintaro!)
In short, friendly fire.
That was Plan A.
But as expected of a Marine Admiral. Kizaru caught onto my scheme almost instantly.
I intentionally created openings, trying to bait him into firing a laser so it would hit Kintaro behind me, but. it was a failure.
So, I decided to switch to Plan B.
Specifically, I would intentionally take a laser head-on, reflect it using a 'mirror' I kept hidden, and snipe Kintaro with it.
By some twist of fate, I actually had a mirror on me.
It was the one I picked up while frantically searching for the key to Camie's collar back at the Human Auctioning House.
A hand mirror, matches, 30,000 Berries, and a coffee cup. I picked them all up, right? I was going to use that hand mirror!
Kizaru said it himself. He was a Light Human who ate the Glint-Glint Fruit.
In that case, I figured his attacks could be reflected if I used a 'mirror'.
(But still. ugh.)
If it worked, it would be a game-changer. But.
To be completely honest, I felt the success rate of this Plan B was infinitesimally low.
There were simply too many uncertain factors.
Uncertain Factor 1:
Would Kizaru even shoot a laser at me?
That was the starting line.
If he attacked with anything other than a laser, this plan would be over before it even began. I had to taunt him perfectly, making him want to finish me off with a laser. That was crucial.
Uncertain Factor 2:
Assuming he actually fired a laser, could I properly reflect it and hit Kintaro with it?
This was an attack that relied entirely on the element of surprise. If I failed once, there wouldn't be a second chance.
Uncertain Factor 3:
Fundamentally speaking, could Kizaru's ultra-high-power laser even be reflected by a tiny hand mirror like this? That was my biggest doubt.
Light reflects off mirrors. Therefore, lasers should be able to bounce off them too. That was my logic, but considering the sheer firepower of his attacks, I was terrified the laser would just melt through the mirror and pierce straight through my body.
If that happened, obviously, my life would end right then and there. The End.
That's exactly why I decided to pour every last drop of 'Haki' I had into the mirror hidden under my shirt.
Armament Haki can be applied not just to one's own body, but to handheld tools and weapons as well.
It might only be a minor comfort, but by boosting the mirror's durability like that, I could reflect the laser without the mirror shattering! I think.
But. even so, there was no 100% guarantee.
If I started listing the risks, there would be no end to them. But—
"Tontatta Combat."
"Hmm?"
"Mirror Shield!!!"
Flash! KABOOOOOOM!!!
"Aaaargh!!?"
—As a result, I won the bet!
The Haki-coated mirror hidden against my stomach beautifully reflected Kizaru's laser, successfully blasting Kintaro, who was standing diagonally behind him.
"!!?? !? !??"
Kizaru openly displayed his agitation with an expression I had never seen him make before.
It seemed he genuinely couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
Then, he spotted the mirror tucked against my stomach, and his shock-filled eyes widened even further.
"A mirror!?"
"Hehehe! Bingo!"
I flashed him a cheeky peace sign.
"Are you telling me. you reflected my laser with a toy-like mirror like that!?"
If it had been a normal mirror, maybe it wouldn't have been able to reflect it after all?
I was so glad I had acquired Armament Haki.
Either way, I had successfully managed to take down one of Kizaru's subordinates!
I glanced over at Luffy, and he was sporting an incredibly shocked expression. The same went for the rest of his crew.
Everyone was frozen in shock. Now was my chance!
"Oraaah!! You, PX-1, or whatever your name is! Look over here!!"
I charged at top speed toward Kuma-emon, the bear-type robot from the 22nd century (probably) that looked exactly like Bartholomew Kuma.
"Hm? W-What are you doing. hah!?"
Kizaru realized my aim faster than anyone else, but he was too late.
I had reflected Kizaru's laser.
Then surely, I could reflect Kuma-emon's identical laser too!
Targeting me, Kuma-emon aimed his palm forward. There was absolutely zero hesitation in his movement.
Light energy rapidly gathered with a beep-beep-beep sound, and then—
Flash!
"Mirror Shield!!"
"!!!"
KABOOOOOM!!
Scorched by his own laser, Kuma-emon was heavily destroyed on the spot.
"!!??"
"Hehehe! Your defeat was caused by being a robot! If you had a human's level of caution, you might not have been taken down!"
With this, both Kintaro and Kuma-emon were defeated.
Now, as long as I kept Kizaru occupied, the Straw Hat Pirates could safely escape.
"I'll handle things here! Luffy, take your crew and run!"
"Line! Thank you!!"
"That guy is amazing!"
"I guess the rumors about him turning the tables on a Marine Admiral weren't just for show."
"As expected, the Dark King's son is a monster!"
Well, no. I only managed to pull this off because I happened to have a mirror on me this time.
I'd really prefer it if you guys didn't overestimate me too much.
A-Anyway, Luffy and the others scattered and began to run away.
My objective was complete.
Now, I just had to stall Kizaru and somehow find an opening to escape mysel—
"You've really done it now~. Invisible Phantom Thief!!"
"Blergh!!?"
Kizaru charged at me at the speed of light and delivered a devastating kick right to my gut as I stood over the destroyed bear robot.
I had technically foreseen it with my future sight, but it was just too fast for me to react in time, and I was sent flying like a kicked tin can.
That seriously hurt!
"Sentomaru-kun. and the Pacifista~. To think you managed to batter my precious military forces to this extent."
Kizaru was making a scarier face than I had ever seen before. He was big mad.
"Even with me here. It makes me want to cry at my own inadequacy~."
"Y-You don't look like you're crying at all, though."
"..."
"!!"
Kizaru pointed his finger at me. A laser attack.
I moved to reflect it with my mirror—
Flash! BOOOOOM!!
"Gah?!"
Kizaru's laser didn't hit me. it hit the ground directly beneath me.
Because of that, I didn't take the laser directly, but the ground exploded, and the sheer force of the blast sent me flying.
"You're full of openings~."
"Guh!"
As I was blown away and lost my balance, Kizaru pounced on me at the speed of light.
I tried to counterattack with my tail in time with his assault, but a head-on brawl was still a bad matchup for me, and I was ruthlessly slammed down into the ground.
"Gah?! Ow! Oof!!"
The impact of the fall shattered the mirror tucked in my clothes into tiny pieces.
Crap. I won't be able to reflect any more lasers like this.
"As you wished, I'll let the Straw Hat Pirates escape. But in exchange, no matter what happens, I will absolutely capture you."
"Blergh?!"
As if to follow up his declaration, he heavily stomped down on my head.
"You won't be able to pull any more clever tricks like this, right~? Or are you still hiding something else?"
"Hehe. O-Of course I am. From here on out, I'm going to brilliantly and magnificently escape from you."
"Still running your mouth. Fine. If you can actually manage a brilliant escape from this situation, I'll honestly admit defeat. Invisible Phantom Thief. If you can pull it off, that is."
"Hehehe. You said it, right? Don't regret it later."
I tried to act tough, but honestly, I had absolutely nothing left.
My trump card, the mirror, was broken, and I obviously couldn't beat him in raw strength. I was completely out of options.
"I won't let my guard down. I'll be finishing you off right here~."
Kizaru's foot began to glow brightly.
My Observation Haki was screaming at me. If that hit me, it was over. But I had no way to dodge it.
Ah, crap. he's going to shoot the laser.
Here it comes! It's coming! Because I can actually see the future, it's terrifying! Bad bad bad! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! It's over—
"Gum-Gum. JET 'No Way'!!" Snatch!
"Whoa?!"
Flash! KABOOOOOOOM!!
The exact moment Kizaru fired his laser.
A mysterious arm stretched out from nowhere at incredible speed and snatched me away.
"W-Wait, L-Luffy?!"
"Thank you, Line! Let's escape together! Pant, pant, wheeze!"
Just like when we first met, Luffy had grabbed me in a tight, full-handed grip.
He had to be at his absolute limit, and I had just gone out of my way to let them escape, yet he came all the way back just for me?! You idiot! Thank you!!
Still clutching me tightly, Luffy broke into a mad dash to escape Kizaru. However.
"Oh, you coming back is quite convenient. I'll just capture you along with the Invisible Phantom Thief, Straw Hat Luffy. Ama no Murakumo!"
Eeeeek! No good! We can't outrun Kizaru's speed!
He's already right behind us! He's holding something that looks like a lightsaber! Here it comes! He's coming! He's gonna slice us—
"Oni Giri!"
"Collier Shoot!"
"Thunder Lance Tempo!"
"Gunpowder Star!"
"Kokutei Roseo!"
"Dos Fleur: Grab!"
"Strong Right!"
"Gavotte Bond en Avant!"
"!!?"
"The Straw Hat Pirates~."
I have no idea what they were thinking, but seeing their captain and me in a pinch, every single member of the Straw Hat crew came running back without a single one missing, and unleashed their signature moves at Kizaru.
Since none of the attacks were imbued with Haki, they obviously had no real effect, but taking a synchronized barrage like that. seemed to at least act as a temporary blinder.
Wait. no, no, no! What are you guys doing?!
I went through all that trouble. to let you escape. If you all just come back, it completely defeats the purpose.
Just how much do you guys care about your crewmates. You idiots! Sniffle.
"Oh, the entire crew coming at me together makes this even more convenient."
"!!"
Ah, dammit.
In a manga, this would be a super hype development, but in reality, our situation was still completely hopeless.
Against a Logia user like Kizaru, even if the entire Straw Hat crew attacked him at once, there wasn't even a one-in-a-million chance of victory.
It sounds harsh, but with a group of deadweights who can't use Haki gathering around, it actually made it slightly harder for me to fight.
Now, how the hell do we get out of this predicament.
I use Haki to parry Kizaru's attacks, while the rest of them act as a distraction to confuse him.
While we do that, one person sneaks away to go call Ray-san.
That's probably our most realistic path to victory?
"Straw Hat Pirates, listen closely. I've thought of a way to handle this. We need to."
Just as I was about to relay the plan to Luffy and the others.
"If you were to go on a trip, where would you like to go?"
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Kuma-emon appeared right behind us.
I thought I just destroyed him, so why is this guy still moving?
Wait, the Kuma-emon I destroyed earlier is lying over there. which means this is a different guy than the one from before. Are they mass-produced?!
The Kuma-emon from earlier felt like a soulless, robotic machine, but this Kuma-emon didn't give off that mechanical vibe.
Robot Dad?
Kuma-emon removed his glove. On the palm of his hand was something that looked like an animal paw pad, and—
Poof!!
"Heh?"
The moment Kuma-emon swung his paw-padded hand.
Zoro disappeared.
Without pausing, Kuma-emon continuously swung his hands.
Poof!!
Poof!!
Poof!!
Poof!!
Poof!!
Poof!!
Poof!!
"!!?"
Every time Kuma swung his hand, Luffy's crewmates vanished one after another.
What is this? What's happening? Is this a Devil Fruit power? An ability that erases people.
I glanced over at Kizaru, and even he looked surprised.
Which means this wasn't part of their plan, but Kuma-emon acting on his own. What in the world is his goal.
"What the hell are you doing~~!!"
"W-Wait, Luffy!"
Furious at his crewmates being erased, Luffy charged at Kuma-emon, still gripping me tightly in his hand. But.
"—We will never meet again."
Muttering those words, Kuma-emon swung his paw-padded hand toward Luffy (and me).
By the time I realized the danger, it was already too late.
Poof!!
And just like that, the Straw Hat Pirates & the Invisible Phantom Thief.
Were completely erased from the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Just what are you trying to pull? Kuma. I was one step away from capturing the Invisible Phantom Thief~."
"..."
"This is a massive problem. I already told him I'd honestly admit defeat if he managed to escape."
"I know nothing of that."
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