"What... what exactly happened?" Many Marines looked at one another. All they saw was Kizaru flash forward, only to be sent flying away.
"Maybe Vice Admiral Borsalino was moving too fast and lost control for a moment," one Marine said quietly. Even he did not believe that excuse.
Kizaru looked at Shin uncertainly, yet he could not sense even the slightest presence from him. The doubts in his heart only deepened.
What puzzled him most was that he had not seen his opponent make a move at all. That was practically impossible. Even against an Admiral, he could not have been defeated so quickly, much less failed to see how the other party had attacked.
Could it really have been my own mistake? Kizaru wondered. He truly could not find any other explanation.
Seeing his expression, Shin knew what he was thinking, though he did not particularly care.
With a light laugh, he said, "It seems you're quite confused about your defeat just now. But it's all right. You'll soon experience what true despair is. Remember my name. I am Uchiha Shin... though many also call me the God of Time and Space."
As Shin spoke in that calm voice, the cloak behind him fluttered gently. The sky had been cloudless for miles, yet now a swirling mass of clouds appeared directly overhead.
"One move!"
"What?"
"I'll use only one move. If you can block it, I lose. So, Kizaru, prove the worth of your world. I look forward to your performance."
As Shin's lofty, indifferent voice rang out, a bolt of lightning tore through the sky. The previously clear heavens had somehow become covered in dark clouds. Waves surged, and the ships swayed amid the rolling sea.
The fleet's cannon fire had long since stopped. An invisible pressure shrouded