Yellow Flash vs. the Glint-Glint Fruit

Kizaru looked thoroughly startled, but inwardly, he wondered why his Observation Haki hadn't sensed this man's attack at all until the very moment it came. Was it some kind of ninjutsu from Wano Country?

He speculated about Minato's green flak jacket, never imagining that he was from another world.

Meanwhile, Minato was also thinking things over. The attack had passed straight through his body! Was this the same ability as the masked man's, or had his attack simply been ineffective? Minato pulled a Formula Kunai from behind his back and said,

"Vice Admiral Kizaru, I'm Minato Namikaze. How about handing this Fish-Man over to me?"

Had he come to rescue Arlong? Since when had Wano Country allied with Fish-Man Island? Kizaru pushed aside his doubts and spread his hands.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, young man. He's a prisoner of the Navy. If I let him go, I'd be in a lot of trouble, and I'm not fond of trouble."

Minato hadn't expected mere words to make a powerful opponent back down. This would have to be settled with strength. In that case, he might as well test the strength of this otherworldly fighter!

Minato's hands blurred through the Seals: Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse. "Great Fireball Technique!" He cupped his right hand and drew a slight breath. A torrent of scorching flames erupted from his mouth like a flamethrower!

Kizaru narrowed his eyes. His Observation Haki sensed that the attack covered an area thirty meters in front of Minato, but he had no idea what kind of technique it was. When a massive wave of fire burst from Minato's mouth and engulfed the area dozens of meters ahead, Kizaru was astonished.

But Kizaru was a Glint-Glint Fruit user. He wouldn't be hit so easily. The instant the sea of fire surrounded him, he vanished with Arlong.

What incredible speed! Minato frowned. Had he dodged because he thought Fire Release could hurt him, or was it just a reflexive evasion? The lack of information made the fight all the more unpredictable.

Just then, a voice sounded out of nowhere behind Minato.

"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"

As the voice rang out, Kizaru appeared behind Minato, his body coalescing from golden light. His leg shimmered as he kicked Minato in the side of the head. Minato seemed to have no time to react. Kizaru's light-speed kick struck him squarely.

With a thump, a puff of white smoke appeared where Minato had been standing. A log was left in his place. Just before the attack landed, Minato had reflexively used the Substitution Technique to evade Kizaru's kick.

His attack having missed, Kizaru stopped in midair and remarked calmly, "So you really are a ninja, young man. Those ninjutsu tricks from Wano are just like street performances, but yours are pretty scary."

Whoosh! Minato appeared in a tree some distance away. "That was incredible. You dodged my attack in an instant and even moved him somewhere else."

Minato felt he was in a tough spot. His opponent's attack speed had exceeded his ability to sense it.

As a Glint-Glint Fruit user, Kizaru had a ridiculously powerful speed. He might not have reached the true speed of light, but that last attack had clearly surpassed anything Minato had faced before. Even the Fourth Raikage, renowned for his speed in Taijutsu, couldn't compare.

"But I won't give up just because of your speed! Looks like it's time to show you what I can really do."

Minato thought it over, though all these thoughts took place in the blink of an eye.

After their brief exchange, Kizaru had clearly grown interested. "What was that move you used just now, young man? Was it ninjutsu too?"

Minato smiled. "Giving away your secrets in the middle of a fight is a cardinal sin."

"Well, well. You're young, but you've got plenty of combat experience," Kizaru said with a slight smile, probing him further.

Minato didn't answer directly. "I don't really like fighting, but sometimes it's just a means of protecting the people you care about."

Minato stood up and looked Kizaru in the eye. "Vice Admiral Kizaru, it seems we have something in common. Your title is Yellow Monkey, and people call me the Yellow Flash!"

Kizaru chuckled. "Oh, how interesting." He raised his right hand and pointed at Minato. Light gathered at his fingertip, and a golden laser shot toward Minato.

Minato unleashed the Body Flicker Technique he had prepared, swiftly moving to evade the beam. Then he gripped his Kunai and charged at Kizaru.

Kizaru watched Minato approach without a care. Then he moved, transforming into light and soaring into the air. Crossing his arms, he cried, "Yasakani no Magatama!"

Countless yellow lasers rained indiscriminately down on Minato. His figure was swallowed by the beams. A vast area around him was blasted like a battlefield under a dense barrage of Lascannons, filled with explosions and dust.

Boom! Boom! Boom! As the smoke drifted away, Kizaru sensed the area with his Observation Haki. It told him that his opponent hadn't been hit.

But he didn't notice the black Cursed Seal slowly appearing beneath his feet, writhing like a snake's scales!

Then, a brilliant golden-yellow flash appeared abruptly behind Kizaru. His Observation Haki hadn't reacted at all!

Before the mission began, Minato had buried several Flying Thunder God Formulas underground. Then, using Kizaru's own attack from behind as an opening, he had transferred one of the formulas onto Kizaru.

Now, by using the Flying Thunder God Formula, Minato had successfully surpassed the speed of a Logia Glint-Glint Fruit user and eluded Observation Haki, creating a chance to end the fight with one strike.

After all, an extended battle of attacking and defending back and forth had never been Minato's style. Seizing an opening and striking down his enemy in one blow was what made his title, the Yellow Flash, so terrifying!

"Rasengan!"

Behind Kizaru, Minato unleashed the unsealed ninjutsu he was proudest of: the Rasengan. He gathered wind-nature Chakra into a rapidly spinning ball of energy and drove it toward Kizaru's completely unguarded back.

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Kizaru's expression changed from confusion to shock in an instant. As he stared in disbelief, the Rasengan, accompanied by a fierce rush of wind, made contact with his body.

In midair, Kizaru's body was torn apart in a large section, as though the Rasengan were a hot knife slicing through butter. The fierce wind churned the air around them, scattering pieces of Kizaru's body into the sky...

"Vice Admiral Kizaru!"

The Marines watching were chilled to the bone. Their pupils trembled as they cried out in disbelief.

Nearby, the restrained Arlong said resentfully, "Damn it! How can there be such a strong human?"

Just as everyone was reeling in shock, the fragments of Kizaru's body scattered through the air transformed into streaks of golden light. They flew apart like shooting stars, then quickly gathered together a short distance away, forming a human figure. It was Kizaru.

"Oooh, that was dangerous," Kizaru said, looking thoroughly shaken.

"Thank goodness! Just as expected of Vice Admiral Kizaru, a Logia user!"

The Marines' spirits rose and fell like a roller coaster. They cheered for Kizaru in unison.

Minato quickly landed, his heart sinking. Ordinary ninjutsu couldn't hurt his opponent?

It shouldn't have been completely ineffective. Minato's last attack hadn't been entirely in vain. At the moment of impact, he had clearly felt energy counteracting his Rasengan. It wasn't as if the attack had done absolutely nothing. In other words, ordinary ninjutsu attacks seemed to work through a mutual cancellation of energy.

In fact, ordinary ninjutsu wasn't completely ineffective. When it hit a Logia user, it could quickly drain the user's stamina. However, people in the One Piece World were all monsters when it came to stamina, making it seem as if such attacks had no effect. Minato didn't know any of this. He frowned and considered other tactics.

Kizaru, meanwhile, was surprised by Minato's movement technique. "Was that some kind of spatial ability, young man? No wonder they call you the Yellow Flash!"

Minato's expression was grave, but he didn't answer. He swiftly formed hand seals, then pressed his palms together and shouted, "Sage Mode, activate!"

Orange markings appeared around Minato's eyes, and his pupils became horizontal slits. Streams of Chakra flowed around his body, continuously transforming into Senjutsu Chakra.

"Whoa, you look kind of scary now," Kizaru said lightly. Inwardly, however, he went on guard. His Observation Haki could sense a dangerous energy radiating from Minato. He steeled himself to abandon his usual Slacking Monkey routine and get serious.

Kizaru held out both hands and cupped them as golden light gathered between his palms, forming a long sword. "Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi." Gripping the sword of light, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and appeared before Minato in an instant, bringing the blade down.

Clang! Minato crossed the Kunai in his hands to block Kizaru's fierce strike, but the ground beneath his feet shuddered violently, splitting into a web of jagged cracks.

He really is a monster when it comes to strength! Minato thought. But now I can see you! With Sage Mode boosting all his physical attributes, Minato could just barely keep up with Kizaru's speed.

The two traded strikes at close range, Kizaru wielding his sword and Minato dual-wielding Kunai. But after dozens of exchanges, Minato quickly realized this wasn't a wise strategy. Kizaru's Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi was quickly breaking his Kunai. Even with Senjutsu Chakra coating them, they couldn't compare to the overwhelming enhancement Armament Haki gave a weapon.

A watermark.

Kizaru also realized that although his opponent had decent Taijutsu and strange abilities, he couldn't use Haki at all. He increased the speed of his attacks, his sword coming down on Minato in a storm of strikes.

The clang of weapons rang out again and again. In the gaps between their exchanges, Minato scattered Kunai around them, using the Flying Thunder God Technique and his mastery of the Three Body Technique to fight Kizaru at close range.

Minato had never received systematic Taijutsu training, but every move he made was a killing technique honed on the battlefield. Each strike aimed for a vital point!

Kizaru seemed wary of Minato's Senjutsu Chakra. When Minato attacked with Senjutsu Chakra coating his strikes, Kizaru didn't turn into light to avoid them. Instead, he relied on his top-tier Observation Haki to dodge or used Armament Haki to withstand them. Minato tried several times to attack with the Flying Thunder God Technique, but Kizaru thwarted him each time. For a while, the fight reached a stalemate.

The soldiers aboard the warship watched the two locked in combat, their mouths hanging open in amazement.

"Incredible! I've never seen Vice Admiral Kizaru fight this seriously!"

"They're both monsters!"

The people around them could no longer make out either fighter. Across the island, they could only see two streaks of yellow light flashing and intertwining, like brilliant golden streams of light dancing together. Without the constant clash of weapons and the craters that scarred the ground, it would have been hard to believe two humans were fighting!

Clang! Minato blocked one of Kizaru's attacks, then used its force to spin backward and open up some distance.

Kizaru lowered his sword. "Are all rookies who've just set sail this terrifying now?"

Minato slowly exhaled and steadied his breathing. "You're my opponent, but you really are impressive. No, I should say you're really strong." Minato no longer expected to complete the hidden mission.

"Oh, young man, why not join the Navy? You don't look like a pirate," Kizaru said, trying to recruit Minato with a string of sweet talk.

"Sorry, but we're not from the same world." Minato remembered Kushina's "gentleness" and the newborn baby in his memories, and a warm smile spread across his face.

Kizaru shrugged. He didn't read too much into Minato's frank reply. "This mission's been a real pain. Then I'll just have to capture you."

Minato made no comment. Two Kunai slid from his sleeves into his palms. With a slight flick of his hands, he sent them shooting toward Kizaru like bolts of lightning.

"It's no use!"

Kizaru's Observation Haki had already sensed the attack. He guessed the weapons might be connected to Minato's teleportation ability, so he didn't stay where he was to defend. His whole body turned into light, and he flashed behind Minato at a speed far beyond the Kunai.

But the moment he stopped being light, the Minato in front of him changed!

Minato vanished from the spot like a shadow, and a blinding burst of light exploded where he had been. It was as if more than a dozen flashbangs had gone off right in Kizaru's face!

Kizaru reacted quickly, immediately coating himself in Haki to defend, but he hadn't expected the attack to be not an energy strike but an inescapable flash of light! For a moment, even the man who had eaten the Glint-Glint Fruit was blinded by the flash!

Watching from the shadows, Zhu Shen burst into wild laughter. Could anyone believe it? A man made of light, who had eaten the Glint-Glint Fruit, had been blinded by a flashbang!

And yet it was true. Even though Kizaru had eaten the Glint-Glint Fruit, his body was still fundamentally human.

"Sage Art: Spiraling Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three!"

This was Minato's original technique. Enhanced by Sage Mode, it could be released faster and had an even more powerful effect! This upgraded flashbang left Kizaru stunned for an instant.

As Kizaru's eyes watered from the sudden attack, the Yellow Flash blazed once more!

A streak of yellow appeared behind Kizaru as if from nowhere. Minato thrust out one hand, a gigantic Rasengan brimming with Natural Energy gathering in his palm. He slammed it into Kizaru's back!

"Spatial movement again? Damn it, I didn't sense the attack! There's no time!"

Relying on his combat instincts, Kizaru gathered all the Haki in his body and projected it outward, forming a barrier to block the attack. At the same time, his body instinctively tried to turn into light and escape.

Everyone knew that ordinary people thought the speed of light was the fastest. But even light couldn't surpass the limits of space!

Before Kizaru could escape, Minato's Sage Art: Rasengan slammed into his Haki defense.

"Boom!"

A massive explosion erupted. Blinding blue and golden light scattered in every direction. For an instant, the light erupting around the island seemed to outshine the glaring sun.

"Ah, my eyes!"

The Marines watching from afar aboard the warship seemed to have been hit by flashbangs. They doubled over in pain, bowing their heads and covering their tear-filled eyes.

As the light faded, a tall figure stood in the center of a vast crater. His gray-striped suit was in tatters, and the Justice cloak on his back had long since been reduced to scraps. A huge wound gaped across his back!

"You've made me lose face in front of my men, Minato Namikaze!"

Kizaru's face was as cold as frost. He felt the wound on his back, his voice carrying a chill.

Minato looked at Kizaru's injured back, but couldn't help doubting his eyes. Could a body like that really belong to a human?

He had taken a Sage Art: Rasengan head-on, yet he seemed to have suffered only minor injuries. Anyone else would have been shredded by the energy of the Rasengan, and this one had been an extra-large Sage Art: Rasengan at that!

Drip, drip...

Blood trickled slowly from Kizaru's body and fell to the ground, turning into golden light particles.

"From now on, I won't hold back, Minato Namikaze. Don't die on me too quickly."

Kizaru narrowed his eyes, which still hadn't fully recovered. He crossed his hands as dazzling light slowly appeared all over his body. He rose into the air, gradually, until he looked like a man made entirely of light.

The ground beneath his feet seemed to be a sheet of white paper being painted gold. Flowing light slowly spread across it, turning it golden.

Within the space of a few breaths, half the island seemed to have become an ocean of light! The whole world was a magnificent golden expanse, with no other color in sight. And yet, even amid all that light, the figure at its center shone brightest of all!

"Extreme Light Laser!"

Kizaru pointed with one hand. A massive Lascannon behind him blasted toward Minato like divine punishment.

The attack arrived in an instant. Minato could only twist his body instinctively, and the terrifying laser grazed his right arm.

"Boom!"

A mountain behind him was pierced straight through by the beam, which kicked up a cloud of dust. Minato's entire right shoulder vanished—gone in the literal sense of the word...

"How are you going to use your abilities now that you've lost an arm?"

Kizaru had turned completely into a man of light. He watched Minato, who was sweating from the pain, with amusement.

Even in Sage Mode, Minato's remarkable recovery couldn't regrow a severed arm in an instant!

He realized this fight might not be winnable, so Minato calmly began forming hand seals with one hand.

"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique."

"Oh, you can use it with one hand? Then I'll take out your other one."

Another terrifying laser shot toward Minato.

As Minato cast the genjutsu, he activated the Flying Thunder God Formula on one of the Kunai he had thrown at the beginning of the fight. During their initial clash, he had secretly transferred the formula onto Arlong. The Flying Thunder God Technique didn't require hand seals.

Kizaru thought the attack would break Minato's technique and take out his other arm. In reality, he was in for a rude awakening.

The moment Minato's genjutsu took effect, Kizaru's mind wavered. He seemed to see Fleet Admiral Sengoku angrily yelling at him:

"Borsalino, you've messed up the mission again! All your bonuses are canceled from now on!"

Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique could conjure up what an opponent least wanted to face, or what they feared most. The greater the opponent's fear, the more devastating the technique!

But Kizaru had seen plenty of battles, and his mental fortitude far exceeded that of ordinary people. In just a few breaths, he broke free of the genjutsu and regained his senses. But when he looked around, his opponent was nowhere to be seen.

Then he quickly spotted Arlong's corpse aboard a Marine ship near the shore!

"Where's Minato Namikaze?"

Kizaru flashed back to the warship.

"R-reporting, Vice Admiral! That pirate suddenly appeared aboard the ship. Before we could react, he killed the Fish-Man."

Kizaru's face darkened. Looking at Arlong's corpse, he grew increasingly irritated. He spread his Observation Haki across the nearby waters, but found nothing.

He understood that if an opponent with the ability to teleport wanted to escape, not even he, a Glint-Glint Fruit user, could keep him there. This mission might really have been a failure!

Kizaru rubbed his forehead in frustration and waved a hand at the soldiers. "Set course for home."