Defeating Kizaru

"Kid! Holding a grudge like that isn't a good thing!"

Kizaru said, shaking his head. He hadn't gone all out back at the Sabaody Archipelago, so Jiang Lin ought to have thanked him, by rights.

"Is that so?"

Jiang Lin smiled and switched Devil Fruit Cards. Using the Glint-Glint Fruit wouldn't let him beat Kizaru.

"The Dark-Dark Fruit (enhanced by the Hormone-Hormone Fruit) has been loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."

As the system's voice rang out, Jiang Lin raised his right hand, shrouded in black mist, and aimed it at Kizaru from a distance.

"Black Vortex!"

A powerful suction instantly enveloped Kizaru, dragging him toward Jiang Lin.

"Light-Speed Kick!"

Dazzling yellow light flared, and Jiang Lin reached out to grab Kizaru's thigh.

But Kizaru was simply too fast. Unable to keep up, Jiang Lin had no choice but to abandon his attack and turn sideways to dodge Kizaru's strike.

Boom!

A violent explosion rang out behind Jiang Lin.

After his strike missed, Kizaru didn't pursue him. Instead, he transformed his body into light and swiftly retreated.

"How dangerous! How dangerous! Are all kids these days little devils? Every last one of them is ridiculously strong!"

As the brilliant yellow light converged in the distance, a trace of "fear" appeared on Kizaru's face.

"Devour!"

After Kizaru withdrew, Jiang Lin chose not to pursue him. Without the Glint-Glint Fruit, he knew he couldn't match Kizaru's speed, so he went straight for the nearby Marine Soldiers instead.

Thick black mist poured from Jiang Lin's body, coiling around the Marine Soldiers and dragging them into boundless darkness.

"Liberation!"

After swallowing dozens of Marine soldiers, Jiang Lin tossed them back out of the darkness like "garbage."

"Ah! I... I... how did I turn into a woman?!"

When the Marine Soldiers swallowed by the black mist reappeared, every one of them looked as though they had undergone "sex reassignment surgery," changing from men into women.

"Oh dear! What a nuisance. Kid! That's a truly nasty trick!"

Kizaru reluctantly walked back to the front line. He couldn't just stand by and watch Jiang Lin give every Marine Soldier "sex reassignment surgery," one by one. If he did, he certainly wouldn't be able to keep slacking off so comfortably once he returned.

"Heh... that's what you get for being so fast, Admiral Kizaru. How am I supposed to catch you without a few tricks?"

Jiang Lin chuckled, then raised his right hand again and aimed it at Kizaru.

"Black Vortex!"

Caught in the suction, Kizaru resorted to the same trick again. Once he drew close to Jiang Lin, he fired two dazzling yellow beams straight at him.

"Laser Beam!"

As the brilliant yellow light flashed, Jiang Lin chose to take Kizaru's attack head-on without so much as furrowing his brow.

Pale blue flames rose from Jiang Lin's body and spread over him in an instant. Then two thunderous explosions erupted in front of him in quick succession.

Boom! Boom!

The explosions blasted clouds of dust from the ground, instantly hiding Jiang Lin from view.

"Black Vortex!"

Just as Kizaru used his Laser Beam to escape Jiang Lin's attack, a strange suction gripped him again.

Feeling that strange pull on his body, Kizaru was about to raise his leg to attack Jiang Lin when Jiang Lin suddenly burst out of the dust and charged right up to him.

Once he reached Kizaru, Jiang Lin clamped one hand around his neck while swiftly pressing the other against Kizaru's left foot, which had just begun to glow.

"Got you! Heh..."

Jiang Lin smiled faintly at Kizaru.

Bang!

A white bubble of light appeared around Jiang Lin's palm, and he drove its force straight into Kizaru's body.

"Urgh!"

A mouthful of crimson blood suddenly sprayed from Kizaru's mouth.

After landing that hit, Jiang Lin didn't follow up. Instead, he released both hands and let Kizaru fall to the ground.

"Kizaru!"

Sengoku, who had been watching Jiang Lin the whole time, suddenly looked worried when he saw Kizaru cough up blood and collapse.

A Marine Admiral's defeat was hardly good news for the Marines!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The moment Kizaru fell, he transformed into light and fled into the distance. When he reappeared, a trace of shock still lingered on his face.

"Kid! I never imagined you'd become this strong. It seems you've grown into someone even I can't underestimate... no, someone the whole world can't underestimate!"

Kizaru dropped his earlier flippant demeanor and looked at Jiang Lin with wariness and gravity.

After obtaining the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Jiang Lin's strength had clearly reached a terrifying level.

"Kizaru! Move! You're not the one I'm after!"

Jiang Lin looked past Kizaru with a hateful gaze, fixing his eyes on Akainu, who remained firmly seated on the Golden Throne.

Jiang Lin had only ever had one goal: saving Ace. And to save Ace, Akainu was a tremendous obstacle he would have to face.

"Sorry! I can't let you through."

After noticing Jiang Lin's gaze, Kizaru returned to his earlier flippant manner.

Although Kizaru said he couldn't let Jiang Lin through, his body told another story as he shifted aside, leaving a gap for Jiang Lin.

"Thanks!"

After quietly thanking him, Jiang Lin switched devil fruits, turned into a streak of light, and shot past Kizaru into the distance.

"The Glint-Glint Fruit (enhanced by the Love-Love Fruit and Venom-Venom Fruit) has been loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."

By the time the system notification sounded, Jiang Lin had already streaked beyond the Marines' first defensive line.

"Haha... Hawk-Eye, are you going to make a move?"

Doflamingo glanced at Hawk-Eye beside him, then excitedly watched Jiang Lin, who was about to reach them.

"You go."

Hawk-Eye folded his arms across his chest, showing no intention of making a move.

"Heh heh! D! If you want to get through here, you'll have to get past me first!"

With an excited shout, Doflamingo jumped off the platform and blocked Jiang Lin's path.

I changed Black Vortex's effect a little in this chapter. Back when I wrote chapter 21, I had Jiang Lin use "Yata Mirror" to dodge Black Vortex. I checked the reference material again today and realized that seemed a bit off. So I've changed Black Vortex's effect to "absolute attraction." However, until contact is made, the enemy can still use their abilities normally.