"S-so strong!" Usopp muttered, his eyes wide.
The terrifying commotion drew every eye. Everyone stared at the battlefield without blinking!
As the blinding light faded, the two figures came into view. What everyone saw sent a jolt through them.
The two stood dozens of meters apart, while Kizaru still held his arms crossed as though bracing against Zephyr's massive Crusher.
Shockingly, most of Kizaru's body had been destroyed, and only half his head remained. Yet not a drop of blood flowed from the wounds.
Instead, they glowed. Dazzling yellow particles gathered, slowly repairing his ruined body.
His head was the first to become whole. His face looked no different; he still wore the same expression as before.
After a moment, Kizaru rolled his head as if getting used to his body again. Then he looked at Zephyr with an expression of lingering fear. "Oh my, you nearly killed me, teacher. How frightening."
Zephyr was breathing hard, his eyes fixed on Kizaru, unwilling to accept what had happened.
"Teacher, have you gotten slower, or have I gotten faster?"
Everyone had thought Kizaru failed to block the blow in time, Zephyr included. But he had underestimated Kizaru's Devil Fruit power.
Kizaru was light. If Zephyr had still been in his prime, Kizaru could never have blocked his strongest blow in time.
But there was no if.
Countless glittering particles soon finished repairing Kizaru's ruined body, leaving no visible trace of the damage. The sheer power of his Glint-Glint Fruit was astonishing.
That did not mean Kizaru was completely unhurt, though. The streak of blood at the corner of his mouth was hard to miss.
"I'd say it's both," Kizaru said calmly. "What do you think, Teacher Zephyr?"
Then he turned away from Zephyr and looked at Luffy. Every member of the Straw