Just in Time?

Above the island.

The Golden Lion unleashed its Conqueror's Coating Slash, black and red Inazuma leaping across the blade, converging with the 'Battle Wave', and hurling a streak of black light that cleaved the sky.

The instant the Flying Slash appeared, Shining's body transformed into flowing lightning and vanished.

Along the disappearing trajectory, dozens of Ball Lightning converged and flew towards the Golden Lion in an irregular path.

Meanwhile, Shining himself appeared at a higher altitude. His Silver Gray gauntlet pierced his own 'brain,' drawing out fine arcs of Electric Arc.

" --Ultimate Shortwave!"

Shining hurled a bright purple Lightning Strike in a javelin-like motion, its trajectory scattering multiple rings of diffracted light.

Golden Lion was maneuvering and dodging amidst a barrage of Ball Lightning when he sensed a warning from his Observation Haki. He barely managed to cover himself with Armament Haki before being elbowed away by a purple lightning spear.

"Hellfire Flame Bullet!"

Amidst the floating rubble, the Red Count, now Werewolf, suddenly emerged, opening his gaping maw and spewing out a series of black fireballs.

As Mythical Zoan Cerberus, its Hellfire possesses Supernatural properties and can pose a certain threat even to Logia.

Shining transformed into an Inazuma and slashed downwards, causing all the incoming Hellfire Flame Bullet to miss their mark.

"... This is really tricky..."

Even the Red Count couldn't help but complain.

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit is incredibly difficult to hit if you're shameless enough. To counter it, besides the Glint-Glint Fruit, the only options are Precognition and Mind Reading.

The problem is that when Red Count used Mind Reading on Shining, all he heard was meaningless electrical noise, like a television screen turning into static. He could barely make out the prelude to Shining's 'attack'.

"--Um?"

Red Count frowned, his left arm claws covered in Underworld Freezing Gas and Armament Haki, and he swung his hand back to grab.

Immediately following, a golden light shot out from below.

As the beam materialized into a human form behind Red Count, Kizaru emerged from the light, his long legs sweeping across with golden light.

'--Bang!'

The Light-Speed Kick collided with the Underworld Claw.

"Mind Reading... how cool is that!"

Kizaru pursed his lips and sighed.

The Red Count didn't even need to ask; he understood the situation directly through Mind Reading, and his heart sank.

' --Sengoku and Garp are here?!'

The Red Count's right arm was wreathed in sharp claws, from which black Hellfire erupted, simultaneously converging with black and red Inazuma.

The Hellfire's Conqueror's Coating attack drew a black and red burning crescent moon, Kizaru was the first to transform into golden particles of light and disappear.

On the other side of the sky, Shining, now back in human form, glanced to the side. Golden particles of light coalesced into a human shape not far from him.

"Shining, I'm here!"

Kizaru stood in the air, raising his hand to greet Shining. His white Justice Coat fluttered in the wind.

Shining's Electric Arc expression curved into a smile.

"Oh! Director! You've come at just the right time."

Not far away, the Golden Lion and the Red Count met up, and their expressions both turned somber.

The Golden Lion's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the twin swords. The Red Count landed on a floating rock several meters high, looking somewhat disheveled, yet still elegant.

"--Little light bulb brat, huh? Oh, I see."

The Golden Lion grinned.

"Oh dear, what a scary expression."

Kizaru spoke slowly, golden light already emanating from his fingertips.

Red Count moved first from the side. He Sky Walk, his body bending at a sharp angle, and black and red Inazuma gathered on Conqueror's Coating claws, tearing towards Kizaru with ice shards carrying the Underworld Freezing Gas.

Kizaru turned his body to the side, transforming into a golden vortex that shot out and appeared above Red Count. He crossed his arms and sprayed a barrage of golden light projectiles downwards.

Before Kizaru's operation, Red Count used his Sky Walk to break through the air and withdraw from the bombing range in advance.

Shining raised his hand, and a bright blue electron beam shot from his fingertips, pointing directly at the Golden Lion.

Golden Lion unleashed two Slash Wave waves at Kizaru and Shining. Kizaru deflected one with his Ama no Murakumo -no-Tsurugi, while Shining.

The four engaged in a chaotic battle in the airspace. Golden Lion's Slash Wave, Red Count's Hellfire, Kizaru's Laser, and Shining's electron beam clashed and collided in mid-air.

The battle spanned over ten kilometers, with some of the suspended debris shattered by the attacks from both sides, while the rest scattered in the Shockwave.

Kizaru used the light trail from the Yata Mirror to create a zigzag line in the air, appearing to the side of Golden Lion and kicking out. Golden Lion blocked with Oto, but the impact of the Light-Speed Kick caused his body to slide a considerable distance to the side.

Amidst a sky full of floating rubble, the Red Count maneuvered and dodged. Shining was suppressing him with all sorts of flashy Lightning Strike. The Red Count offered limited counterattacks with Hellfire Flame Bullet, and could only fight and retreat.

When facing two Extreme Speed competitors, the Red Count and the Golden Lion, they cannot get too close, nor can they stay too far apart.

Golden Lion Oto Slash - A Flying Slash aimed directly at Kizaru.

Before the slash arrived, Kizaru transformed into a golden streak of light, 'flowing' directly above Golden Lion's head, Ama no Murakumo.

Golden Lion used Kogarashi to block upwards, while Oto countered, slashing at Kizaru's kidneys.

Kizaru was 'cut in half'. He cosplayed as 2.5. However, the upper and lower sections 'shot' backwards and merged into an intact Kizaru several kilometers away.

He raised his hand, and a barrage of light projectiles from the Yasakani no Magatama poured forth from his fingertips. The golden light projectiles covered the space where the Golden Lion was located like a torrential rain.

The Golden Lion brandished his twin swords, unleashing Flying Slash that created a defensive net, shattering the light projectiles.

However, there were too many light projectiles, and a few still managed to pass through the gaps in his defensive net and explode on his Armament Haki.

Suppressed by the bombing, the Golden Lion gritted its teeth and suddenly raised its hand, unleashing a massive curtain of water from the sky.

" --Lion's Might Jinbo."

The waves gathered in the air, forming a surge that pressed towards Kizaru.

Seeing the water curtain approaching, Kizaru Water Shot with a barrage of light projectiles from the Yasakani no Magatama. The projectiles exploded on the water wall, creating holes.

"How scary."

Kizaru transformed into a streak of light, drawing a large circle before flashing to the side of the water wall, bypassing the water curtain, and launching an attack from the side. Golden Lion countered with Slash Wave Return Stroke.

On the other side.

The Red Count kept trying to close the distance with Shining, but his Sky Walk only allowed for limited maneuverability in the air.

The Shining can teleport continuously, freely changing positions within a range of several kilometers.

"--Big dog, you can't catch it like that."

Shining stood at a distance, his Electric Arc expression curved, and spoke in a cheeky tone.

" --Millisecond Pulsar!"

As he spoke, Shining extended his palm, and a dazzling ball of white Plasma lit up at the center of his Silver Gray mechanical gauntlet.

As Plasma surged and pierced the atmosphere, Red Count felt the oncoming heat wave. Amidst the scorching heat of the ionized air, a strange odor permeated the air.

At low concentrations, ozone smells like a Forest after rain; at high concentrations...

"Cough... cough cough--"

Poor Red Count, his nose is extremely sensitive now.

Although it's impossible to read Shining's Mind Reading, it's still possible to predict his attack intentions to some extent.

He barely dodged the direct hit from the pulsar, but the accompanying poison gas attack nearly made the Red Count lose his gentlemanly demeanor.

Just as Red Count was about to retaliate, a massive wave of seawater crashed down on Shining.

"Director, did you miss something?!"

Shining let out a howl, Plasma tail flame erupted from beneath his Silver Gray cloak.

" --Stardust Fantasy!"

The electronically transformed Shining streaked along a comet-like trajectory, escaping the range of the waves.

Higher in the sky, Kizaru stood in mid-air, colorful 'light spots' emerging from his feet as if they were propulsion jets.

"Sorry, Shining."

Kizaru stroked his chin, offering an apology as if to say hello.

He didn't have a good solution for 'large amounts of seawater'; the Yasakani no Magatama could 'disperse' it. But when it came to 'evaporating' seawater, Akainu was more of a professional.

"Na na na--Old voice na la!"

After creating some distance, Shining looked up and complained to Kizaru.

Then, Electric Arc erupted from his body, and he entered a 'supercharged' state.

Shining assumed a Mega Man firing stance, with his right arm acting as the 'cannon barrel' and his left hand gripping his right forearm horizontally.

" --Limit Spark!!"

Plasma beam cannon, stretching across the sky, was conspicuous even in broad daylight, piercing through the ocean waves and creating a huge hole.

The seawater was ionized in large quantities, and after a spectacular Hydrogen Explosion, the Golden Lion behind it was revealed.

"That troublesome Electric Boy."

The Golden Lion unleashed several Slash Wave, heading straight for Shining.

But the remaining seawater coalesced into dozens of large water spheres, which hurled themselves at Kizaru.

"... Eh?"

Kizaru took off at Extreme Speed, maneuvering at high speed to evade the water bullets. He then fired several light bullets at Red Count, who had excellent field of vision.

The Red Count unleashed his Hellfire Flame Bullet ahead of time, which collided with the Light Bomb, exploding into a sky full of Fireworks.

Strange 'black light' emerged from Shining's hand; it was a faint, fluorescent, dark 'dirty substance,' an aggregate of Molecule aerosols that emitted a very slight crackling sound.

"--Black Dark Inazuma!"

This 'dirty' lightning Inazuma defied common sense and appeared quite 'heavy'.

It was like a black ray drawn by a misty condensation, stretching out a pale red shadow, with a series of dark brown halos around it.

The Dark Inazuma collided with the Slash Wave unleashed by the Golden Lion, creating a massive explosion. At the moment of the explosion, the dark Lightning Strike suddenly transformed into bright white Ball Lightning, flickering, deforming, and flowing like 'living things'.

"Lion's Might - Ground Roll!"

The Golden Lion summoned three enormous rock lion heads, which swallowed the Ball Lightning that rushed towards it, creating several heavy, muffled thuds.

"--I was careless~"

Kizaru appeared behind Golden Lion and kicked out.

Golden Lion 'carried' the Kogarashi on his back, Kizaru kicked the Sword Blade Armament Haki with a golden light.

"Heh--hahaha--"

The floating Golden Lion was kicked around halfway by Kizaru, and with his other hand holding Oto, he slashed down with black and red Inazuma.

Kizaru took a step back out of thin air, and the Ama no Murakumo blocked Golden Lion's slash.

Red Count, taking advantage of his Mind Reading, anticipated the opportunity and appeared behind Kizaru in mid-air, his claws gathering 'Conqueror's Coating'.

Shining raised his hands above his head, converging them into a large Plasma ball, and then tossed it downwards like a Spirit Bomb.

"--An Heavy-State Bomb!"

Since Kizaru is Logia, even if this pure Lightning attack affects him, it will only weaken his stamina slightly.

Only energy attacks of the level of Flash, such as those involving Dyna Stone touching your face, can cause substantial damage.

As expected, Golden Lion and Red Count abandoned their attack on Kizaru and chose to retreat.

"Hey hey hey--"

Kizaru looked up at the sky, and then he too turned into hundreds of specks of light and vanished.

'--boom!'

A violent thunderstorm swept across the sky.

... within the island.

Garp, Sengoku, and Ryokugyu led the naval forces in from the East Side of the river.

Garp took the lead, using Geppo to step into the air, creating sonic booms with each step.

Sengoku followed closely behind, with Ryokugyu at the very back.

The other naval forces that landed were led by Vice Admiral Momonga, Vice Admiral Smoker, and others.

The Pirates near the Main Venue panicked even more when they saw the Navy arrive. Most of Pirates started running off the island, while a small number were still fighting with the Road Island members.

Garp and Sengoku ignored the grunts. They rushed straight to the lake and used Geppo to ascend into the air.

Garp looked up at the battle in the sky; the thunderstorm shone like a second Sun.

"--Oh! Electric Boy and Borsalino are already fighting!"

After catching up with Ryokugyu, he asked Sengoku for advice.

"The Grand Inspector of the Sengoku, it seems 'Bondrewd' hasn't appeared yet?"

After a moment's hesitation, Sengoku replied to Ryokugyu.

"That's perfect. Let's deal with 'Golden Lion and Red Count' as soon as possible."

After all, Bondrewd is 'immortal'. The original plan was to target the three Senior Executive: 'Golden Lion, Red Count, and Bullet'.

As for how much victory Bondrewd himself can achieve, that's up to fate.

"Hahaha! I'll take my leave first!"

Garp laughed loudly, then stomped through the air, shooting upwards like a cannonball towards Golden Lion.

He really wanted to find his three grandsons, but this was an operation targeting Road Island. Garp could still distinguish right from wrong when it came to matters of principle.

Sengoku sighed and said to Ryokugyu.

"The enemies on the ground are yours."

After saying that, he used his Geppo to catch up with them.

The Ryokugyu stood by the lake, looked up for a while, then turned around and looked towards the lake.

Shiryu, Urouge, Apoo, Hawkins, Crescent Moon Hunter, and the island-dwelling Corrupt King are evacuating from the lake.

The Corrupt King's island form moved across the land, crushing rubble and building debris along the way.

"--Hey, hey, hey, we can't let you get away."

He roared, and his body began to swell. His arms grew thicker, his shoulders broader, and his legs longer.

His skin turned into rough tree bark, and his hair turned into green branches and leaves. In a matter of seconds, he transformed into a tree-man hundreds of meters tall.

Tree roots sprouted from beneath their feet and burrowed into the ground. Vines and giant trees grew wildly around them, entangled the retreating Road Island members.

... the island and reef area in the center of the lake.

Bullet is fighting against the three brothers, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Garp and Sengoku fly up from below, heading straight for Golden Lion. Bullet's expression darkened.

'Those two old guys, they weren't after me after all.'

Bullet was very dissatisfied. He felt ignored.

"--The Game ends here!"

Bullet jumped to the shore and slammed his fist into the ground.

The ground collapsed, and a blue mechanical Submarines surfaced from the water. Bullet jumped onto the Submarines's deck, activating his Combine-Combine Fruit. Dark purple crystalline substances covered the Submarines.

The Submarines's hull began to deform. The armor plates flipped, unfolded, and reassembled. Mechanical structures extended from both sides of the Submarines, taking the shape of arms. The Submarines's bow split open, becoming a robot's head. The stern unfolded, becoming legs. In a few seconds, the Submarines transformed into a blue robot hundreds of meters tall. Bullet himself sat in the cockpit inside the robot.

"Come on, you little devils!"

Ace, Sabo, and Luffy looked up at the enormous creature.

"--What is this thing?!"

Luffy's eyes widened, and stars appeared in them.

Even though it was an enemy, this enormous robot still excited him.

Sabo gripped the hose tightly.

"--A Combine-Combine Fruit, huh? What a hassle."

Ace took a deep breath; he was very worried that his brothers were in danger.

"--How about... you guys..."

Before Ace could finish speaking...

Sabo and Luffy, one on each side, placed their hands on his shoulders.

"--Ah--you two!"

The three brothers face off against a giant robot.

... in the air.

Kizaru clashed with Shiki using the Ama no Murakumo - Golden Lion.

The golden Lightsaber collided with the black and red Inazuma's Conqueror's Coating, and the Shockwave spread outwards.

Golden Lion crossed his twin swords, and the force of his Conqueror's Coating sent Kizaru flying. Kizaru tumbled halfway through the air to regain his footing. He glanced down and saw Sengoku and Garp rising from the lake using Geppo.

A sly smile crept across Kizaru's lips.

"Golden Lion, how about we consider surrendering? That way, things will be easier for both of us."

The Golden Lion took a breath, a smug, domineering smile on his face.

"--Hehehe! You little light bulb brat, those two old bastards tried to capture me back then, but they paid the price of Marineford."

Kizaru sighed.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that then."

Just then, a bolt of Lightning flew in from the side. It didn't seem to move normally; it looked more like it had been struck by something.

The bolt of Lightning twisted in the air for a moment before landing a few dozen meters away from Kizaru, from which Shining reverted to human form. He lay in mid-air with his arms outstretched.

Kizaru turned his head in confusion.

"Shining, what's going on...?"

The Shining, already "lying down," raised its hand and pointed to the opposite side, displaying a style reminiscent of a defeated Talking Tom.

Kizaru followed his gaze.

A few kilometers away, on a large boulder, Bondrewd stood, his black Trench Coat billowing in the wind, and a purple vertical lamp shining steadily on his Helmet.

A slightly disheveled Red Count stood beside Bondrewd, his injuries gradually healing.

Kizaru was silent for a second. Then he covered his face.

Sorry... drinking parties are bad manners. (Scratching the wall in a dark tone)