"Kid! Holding a grudge like that isn't good for you!"
Kizaru shook his head as he spoke. He hadn't gone all out at the Sabaody Archipelago, so Jiang Lin ought to be thanking him.
"Is that so?"
Jiang Lin smiled and switched Devil Fruit Cards. He couldn't beat Kizaru with the Glint-Glint Fruit.
"Dark-Dark Fruit (enhanced by Hormone-Hormone Fruit) loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
As the system's voice sounded, Jiang Lin raised his right hand, now shrouded in black mist, and aimed it at Kizaru.
"Black Vortex!"
A powerful pull appeared around Kizaru, dragging him toward Jiang Lin.
"Light-Speed Kick!"
A dazzling yellow light flared as Jiang Lin reached for Kizaru's leg.
But Kizaru was too fast. Jiang Lin couldn't keep up, so he abandoned his attack and twisted aside to dodge the kick.
Boom!
A violent explosion sounded behind Jiang Lin.
When his strike missed, Kizaru didn't press the attack. Instead, he turned into light and retreated.
"How dangerous! How dangerous! Are all kids these days monsters? Every last one of you is absurdly strong!"
The yellow light gathered in the distance, and a trace of "fear" appeared on Kizaru's face.
"Devour!"
Jiang Lin didn't chase him. Without the Glint-Glint Fruit, he knew he couldn't match Kizaru's speed. Instead, he turned on the Marine Soldiers nearby.
Thick black mist poured from Jiang Lin's body. It wrapped around the Marine Soldiers and dragged them into boundless darkness.
"Release!"
After swallowing dozens of Marine Soldiers, Jiang Lin tossed them back out of the darkness like "trash."
"Ah! H-how did I become a woman?"
Every Marine Soldier who emerged from the mist appeared to have undergone a "sex-change operation," transformed from a man into a woman.
"Oh, what a nuisance. Kid, that's a nasty trick!"
Kizaru reluctantly returned to the front line. He couldn't stand by and watch Jiang Lin give every Marine Soldier a "sex-change operation." If he did, there was no way he could go back to slacking off in peace.
"Heh... You're so fast, Admiral Kizaru. How else am I supposed to catch you without a few tricks?"
Grinning, Jiang Lin raised his right hand and aimed it at Kizaru again.
"Black Vortex!"
Kizaru tried the same move as before. As the pull brought him close to Jiang Lin, he fired two dazzling yellow rays straight at him.
"Laser Beam!"
Yellow light flashed. Jiang Lin didn't even flinch; he chose to take Kizaru's attack head-on.
Pale blue flames burst from Jiang Lin's body and covered him in an instant. Then two explosions thundered in front of him.
Boom! Boom!
The blasts hurled dirt into the air, and the resulting dust cloud swallowed Jiang Lin from sight.
"Black Vortex!"
Just as Kizaru used his Laser Beam to break free of Jiang Lin's attack, that strange pull seized him again.
Kizaru was about to kick when Jiang Lin burst from the dust and rushed right up to him.
Jiang Lin seized Kizaru by the throat with one hand and pressed the other against Kizaru's left foot, which had just begun to glow.
"Got you! Heh..."
Jiang Lin smiled at Kizaru.
Bang!
A white sphere of light formed around Jiang Lin's palm and drove its force into Kizaru's body.
"Gah!"
A mouthful of dark red blood burst from Kizaru's lips.
Jiang Lin didn't follow up. He released Kizaru and let him fall to the ground.
"Kizaru!"
Sengoku had been watching Jiang Lin the whole time. When he saw Kizaru cough up blood and collapse, worry flashed across his face.
A Marine Admiral being defeated was terrible news for the Marines!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Kizaru turned into light and fled into the distance. When he took shape again, shock still lingered on his face.
"Kid, I never thought you'd become this strong. You've reached the point where even I can't underestimate you... No, where the whole world can't underestimate you."
Kizaru's carefree manner vanished. He looked at Jiang Lin with wariness and grim resolve.
With the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Jiang Lin's strength had clearly risen to a terrifying level.
"Kizaru! Move! You're not the one I'm after!"
Jiang Lin looked past Kizaru with hatred in his eyes, fixing his gaze on Akainu, who remained seated on the Golden Throne.
Jiang Lin had only ever had one goal: to save Ace. And to do that, he would have to overcome the immense obstacle that was Akainu.
"Sorry, but I can't let you through."
After seeing the look in Jiang Lin's eyes, Kizaru slipped back into his usual carefree manner.
He said he couldn't let Jiang Lin pass, but his body told a different story: he left a gap open for him.
"Thanks."
Jiang Lin thanked him softly, switched Devil Fruit Cards, and became a streak of light that shot past Kizaru.
"Glint-Glint Fruit (enhanced by Love-Love Fruit and Venom-Venom Fruit) loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
By the time the system message sounded, Jiang Lin had already streaked beyond the Marines' first defensive line.
"Haha... Hawk-Eye, want to take a shot?"
Doflamingo glanced at Hawk-Eye beside him, then watched Jiang Lin approach with excitement.
"You go."
Hawk-Eye stood with his arms crossed. He showed no intention of fighting.
"Heh heh! D! If you want to get through, you'll have to get past me first!"
Doflamingo shouted excitedly, jumped down from the platform, and blocked Jiang Lin's path.
I've changed how Black Vortex works in this chapter. Back when I wrote Chapter 21, I had Jiang Lin use Yata Mirror to evade Black Vortex. I looked into it again today and realized that didn't seem right. So I've changed Black Vortex to have an "inescapable pull," though its target can still use their abilities normally before making contact.