In a single exchange—
Vice Admiral Doberman, one of the strongest Vice Admirals, had been injured.
Everyone present had seen it clearly.
Doberman had reinforced himself with Armament Haki.
Yet it had shattered all the same.
"So strong…"
Robin covered her mouth, shock flashing across her delicate face.
Doberman was a renowned powerhouse across the Grand Line. His very name could make many pirates flee in terror.
Without question, Doberman stood among the elite within the Marines.
And yet—
the man called Kairos had injured him with a single strike.
Just who… was Kairos?
Robin's brows knitted slightly as she began searching her memory for everything she had heard about him.
On the warship—
"As expected of the strongest rookie of this era."
Doberman didn't even glance at the wound on his abdomen.
His sharp gaze remained locked on Kairos as he spoke with cold authority.
"You are strong."
"But you have a fatal weakness."
"I've read your files. Every single battle record."
Suddenly, a fierce glint erupted in his eyes.
His right arm was instantly coated in jet-black Armament Haki.
"According to the records, every time you fight, a different weapon appears in your hands out of nowhere."
"The weapons are never the same."
"And neither are the abilities they display."
Wind surged across the deck, whipping Doberman's Marine justice coat into a violent flutter behind him.
"If I'm not mistaken—"
"Right now, holding that red blade, you cannot unleash the same power you used when fighting Garp!"
Doberman roared.
His right fist shot forward like a charging dragon.
The wind howled as the blow tore through the air, thunder rolling behind it. The power was so immense that even the calm sea began to churn under its pressure.
"Is that so?"
Kairos' expression remained calm.
Unmoved.
His blade swept out.
Clang!
Fist and blade collided.
Sparks exploded in every direction.
A violent shockwave erupted between the two men, like two raging beasts crashing into each other.
Doberman's pupils trembled slightly.
At this distance, locked in close combat, he could see Kairos' face clearly.
And what he saw
was complete composure.
Doberman had spent his life fighting vicious criminals. He knew the difference between false bravado and genuine calm.
Kairos wasn't pretending.
Could it be…
that he could still unleash the same terrifying power he used against Garp?
Doberman's heart skipped.
But as a Vice Admiral, he would never allow his focus to waver mid-battle.
His left hand drew his sword.
Clang!
Armament Haki instantly coated the blade.
The strike descended like a falling black mountain, carrying unstoppable momentum toward Kairos.
And at that exact moment—
a dazzling blade light exploded before Doberman's eyes.
Kairos had struck again.
His sword cleaved downward.
A vast torrent of sword energy poured forth like a cascading galaxy, flooding Doberman's entire field of vision.
Clang!
The Armament Haki coating Doberman's blade shattered instantly.
Then it exploded apart.
Fragments scattered in all directions.
Shock flashed across Doberman's eyes as he staggered backward, forced several steps away.
Each step crushed the steel deck beneath his boots.
"Vice Admiral Doberman… was pushed back…"
The Marines stared in disbelief.
If the first clash could be blamed on carelessness—
this time, Doberman's retreat proved something undeniable.
There was a clear gap between him and Kairos.
Doberman was weaker.
After the initial shock, a Marine whispered quietly to his comrades.
"Kairos beat Vice Admiral Garp… there's no way people like us can stop him."
The words were spoken softly.
But the meaning behind them was unmistakable.
Doubt.
Fear.
Doberman drew a deep breath.
He paid no attention to the murmurs around him.
At this moment, his entire focus was fixed on Kairos.
A battle-hardened officer who had survived countless wars—
and yet even he now felt a chill creeping up his spine.
Only he understood the true danger of that previous attack.
The sword light that fell like a galaxy had actually contained dozens of overlapping strikes.
Each one carried the same destructive power as the blow that had pierced his defense earlier.
This technique—
was Multi-Slash Sword Flash.
A terrifying attack so fast it seemed capable of cutting space itself.
If Doberman's combat instincts hadn't screamed a warning, he would already be gravely wounded—if not dead.
"You're not wrong."
Kairos looked at him calmly and spoke.
"Right now, I can't unleash the same state I used when sparring with Garp."
Before the words had fully settled—
Kairos flicked his wrist.
The blade spun through the air, forming a sharp, elegant arc of steel.
Then his tone shifted.
"But compared to the day I fought Garp…"
"I'm stronger now."
Kairos' gaze sharpened.
They were like two blades drawn from their scabbards.
He wasn't lying.
And he wasn't referring to the Ikaruga card he was currently using.
What he meant was something deeper.
His trump card.
His permanent ability.
Kenpachi Zaraki — Unsealed Version.
"Hahaha…"
Doberman bent slightly forward.
His right arm became coated with Armament Haki once more while his left hand tightened around his sword.
A low laugh escaped him.
A reckless, desperate madness began to spread from his body.
He was throwing away every hesitation.
All that remained—
was a battle to the death.
At this moment, Doberman no longer thought about capturing Kairos.
Now he had only one goal.
To survive.
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