Lu Ge vs Kizaru

In this critical moment, Kizaru had no time to think and did not dare to dodge any further. He feared that if he dodged, he would still end up right back where he started, and when that happened, he would miss his only chance to evade and be forced to take such a sword strike head-on.

Light particles formed in his hand in an instant, and with a metallic clang, he managed to block Lu Ge's fatal slash. Before Kizaru could even feel relieved, however, his pupils suddenly constricted, because the Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi formed from light particles in his hand actually snapped in two with a crisp crunch.

A terrifying sword radiance blasted toward him, and Kizaru only had time to coat his hands in Armament Haki, covering his face and head to take the frontal blow head-on.

With a loud clang, the blade slashed against Kizaru's hands, erupting with a horrifying sound of clashing steel. Right after, his entire body was blasted flying like a cannonball, scraping continuously along the ground and kicking up a trail of dust and trenches before he finally managed to steady himself.

When the dust settled, Kizaru was seen climbing out of the pit looking thoroughly disheveled. His hands, still covered in Armament Haki, were now dripping with blood, and deep, bone-visible slash marks were clearly etched into them, almost ruining his hands entirely.

Seeing this, Lu Ge looked somewhat disappointed. "To think I couldn't cut off his hands, what a failure. True to being one of the future Three Admirals, he really has some skill."

Kizaru was already sweating from the forehead, lacking his previous composure. "That was close, my hands were almost destroyed. Facing a swordsman with superb swordsmanship, and a Devil Fruit swordsman on top of that, you truly cannot drop your guard for even a second!"

He had simply fallen slightly for the opponent's scheme and had nearly lost his life right here.

Yet Kizaru, whose provocation game was maxed out, still didn't forget to dish out some banter. "However, this can hardly be called pure swordsmanship anymore, so it seems the title of the World's Strongest Swordsman is a bit undeserved."

"Who cares about such a boring title." As Lu Ge spoke, his time ability activated, jumping forward by one second, and his figure instantly vanished from the spot.

"Huh?!" Such a sight startled Kizaru, who instinctively transformed into a streak of light and shot a hundred meters away.

Yet one second later, Lu Ge appeared beside him without warning, thrusting his sword straight at Kizaru's heart.

Fortunately, Kizaru's Observation Haki was also exceptionally good. He sensed Lu Ge the moment he appeared to attack, and almost instinctively transformed into a stream of light to dodge away.

Yet a bizarre scene played out once more. Kizaru, having already shot dozens of meters away, was accurately predicted by Lu Ge, who had long since opened a Dark Door at that exact spot ahead of time. This caused Kizaru to plunge headfirst into the Dark Door, and the next moment, having passed through the door, Kizaru bizarrely reappeared right in front of Lu Ge.

At this point, it was too late for him to dodge and recover his defense. With a soft squelch, the black blade in Lu Ge's hand had already effortlessly pierced through Kizaru's chest.

Blood slowly trickled out along the wound. Kizaru hung his head, staring at the black blade that had impaled his chest. His eyes widened, his pupils slightly constricted, and he spoke with difficulty. "Such... a terrifying ability... My speed... was completely... countered... Miscalculated... I shouldn't have... dodged... Facing you... I should have gone... face-to-face instead... I never expected... the Door-Door Fruit... to be so... troublesome..."

Looking at Kizaru, Lu Ge maintained a calm expression. "Without your ability to rely on, it seems you aren't much."

In truth, it wasn't that Kizaru was too weak, but rather that Lu Ge's abilities practically hard-countered him. The precognition of the Time-Time Fruit combined with the Dark Door of the Door-Door Fruit meant Kizaru's speed could not exert any advantage whatsoever. No matter how he dodged, Lu Ge would predict it and teleport him close via a Dark Door, followed by a slash from the World's Strongest Swordsman right to the face.

Just as Kizaru had said, when facing Lu Ge, thinking of dodging was out of the question—one could only meet the attack head-on.

Just as Lu Ge was about to send Kizaru on his final journey, an angry roar suddenly resounded. "Damn bastard! What on earth have you done?!"

The roar pierced the heavens, and then golden light flashed as a massive golden Buddha materialized. With a single stride, it covered a hundred meters, and amidst earth-shaking tremors, it lashed out with a giant palm toward Lu Ge's location.

The giant hand covering the sky made Lu Ge's eyes narrow as he instantly withdrew his blade and retreated...

As the blade was pulled free, Kizaru let out a muffled groan, blood spurting from his chest as he pitched straight down toward the ground. Just as he was about to hit, a figure suddenly flashed forward and caught him, speaking in a tone that was grave yet tinged with banter. "Yo, Kizaru, this is the first time I've ever seen you beaten up this badly."

As he spoke, chilling frost surged in his hand, instantly freezing the bloody hole in Kizaru's chest to stop the bleeding. However, this also made Kizaru's complexion turn several shades paler, his every breath carrying frost.

After dodging the golden Buddha's grab, Lu Ge observed the scene before him with a solemn expression. "Buddha Sengoku, Aokiji, and..."

He tilted his head to look to the right, fixing his gaze on the old man who looked considerably younger than expected. "Hero Garp..."

Then he shifted his gaze to the left. "Black Arm Zephyr, Akainu, what a massive lineup."

In truth, given the crime of murdering four Celestial Dragons, this kind of lineup was still considered light. It was just a pity that only these few individuals were currently at Marine Headquarters, or else even bigger figures would have definitely shown up.

Yet even this current lineup could not be underestimated; even if the future Four Emperors came, they probably wouldn't be able to leave easily and would most likely have to admit defeat.

After all, these were the future Three Admirals plus Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr—these were the absolute heavy hitters of the Marines.

At this moment, far from feeling timid, Lu Ge felt a surging sense of hot-blooded excitement. "Good, this is the perfect chance for me to test just how strong I currently am, and how I stack up against the future Four Emperors!"

Holding nothing back, he unleashed his combat power to the max.

[Time Is on My Side] activated. The power originating from his self two years in the future instantly imbued his body. Feeling the surging, explosive power within him, Lu Ge was thrilled, yet not fully satisfied. He channeled the [Nascent Dimensional Power] within him, dispersing it throughout his body to reinforce his muscles and physique, causing his strength to skyrocket once again.

Pointing his blade horizontally forward, Lu Ge's fighting spirit soared at this moment. "Come on! No need for pleasantries—let me experience firsthand just how much weight you Marines actually carry!"

"Brat! Insolent!" Hearing this, Zephyr roared out in anger. Enveloped entirely in black Armament Haki, he stepped off the ground and blasted toward Lu Ge like a cannonball in an instant.

Seeing this, Lu Ge burst into hearty laughter. "Well timed!"

He abandoned sword slashes, choosing instead to meet them with pure physical might. His entire body similarly wreathed in black Haki, he collided head-on with Zephyr amid a thunderous crash...