boom!!
Kizaru's casual kick swept across almost half the plaza, the aftershocks blasting the frozen ships into the air, causing them to rock violently. This terrifying power made Buggy, who had been acting arrogantly Buggy being praised and supported by the Impel Down prisoners, start to have second thoughts and couldn't help but speak out.
"No!! I want to go home!!"
Buggy's original words were like this, but because of the sound of the explosion, his men perceived it as, "I'm going to beat that bastard to a pulp!!"
"Hey... what did you just say, Captain?"
Some people craned their necks and leaned closer to ask, wanting to confirm if what they had just heard was true.
"Huh?! What? Did I say something?"
Buggy wore an expression of complete ignorance, but inwardly he was thinking, "Damn it, did these idiots overhear my inner thoughts?!"
Even Mr. 3 leaned in to listen, but unlike these idiotic pirates, he was the first to escape from prison and wander around with Buggy. He knew Buggy's true worth better than anyone else. Cold sweat broke out on his face as he worried inwardly.
"No, no way, is it really all over? They know our secret, what if they're furious and come after us two liars right here?!"
As the two were filled with fear and their legs trembled, the pirates finally spoke, their faces filled with admiration.
"Captain Buggy, you said you're going to beat up Admiral Kizaru, right? Waaaaah, this is so touching! You actually got so angry for us lowly subordinates! Captain Buggy, I'm willing to follow you forever!!"
After saying that, the pirate wiped away the tears of emotion streaming down his face with his arm and said excitedly.
"Captain Buggy ~"
After hearing the pirate's 'explanation,' the others began to imagine the rest, and all of them shouted his name with fanaticism.
"Um??"
Buggy, who was involved in the incident, and Mr. 3, who was in the know, were almost startled and fell over, but at the same time felt relieved.
"Phew... thankfully, these guys have been in jail too long, their brains are all rotten, they're just as idiotic and easy to fool!!"
The two men breathed a sigh of relief, and then Buggy mustered his courage again and gave orders to his fanatical followers.
"Men, although we're temporarily behind Straw Hat Luffy, how can I, a legendary figure like Buggy, accept this? Now, let's boost our morale and head towards the Marines! Let them witness the glory of Lord Buggy!!"
Buggy gave the orders, but his mind was elsewhere.
"Heh heh, as long as these idiots keep the navy's attention, I can take advantage of the chaos to escape from this troublesome place, and then..."
He and Mr. 3 fantasized about how triumphant they would be after leaving Marine Headquarters, their mouths practically watering.
"Yes!!"
These pirates, following Buggy's orders, picked up their weapons, their eyes gleaming fiercely as they scanned the approaching marines. With a shout, they charged forward and engaged the marines in battle.
"Kill them!!"
Tear...
Clang!!
Clang!!
Ultimately, these people were once pirates with bounties of no less than 30 million, possessing extraordinary strength. Even if they hadn't recovered to their peak after being released from prison, they were still enough to give these less powerful marines a run for their money.
At the very first engagement, the navy's weak defenses were breached, and a large group of people rushed through the gap, catching the navy completely off guard.
"Thank you, Little Iva!!"
Luffy got up and thanked Ivankov, who had saved his life again, before rushing forward as if nothing had happened.
"Hmm... So you're not taking my words to heart, are you? Straw Hat Luffy, didn't I already say I was going to arrest you and bring you to justice..."
call out...
Seeing that Luffy dared to ignore his existence, even the good-tempered Kizaru couldn't help but get annoyed. He pointed his finger at Luffy's shoulder and fired a laser beam.
call out...
boom...
Bang bang!!
With One Flash of light, Luffy, was suddenly caught off guard by the laser beam. A beam of laser light pierced through his shoulder, causing him to fall weakly to the ground, leaving a trail of ice.
clatter...
Just as Luffy tried to struggle to get up again, Kizaru appeared behind him and stepped on his back, pinning him to the ground once more.
"With your current abilities, you actually dare to recklessly step onto this stage? Straw Hat Luffy Kid, should I say you're either too eager to save your brother or just reckless and ignorant?"
Kizaru continued speaking to Luffy in his usual lewd tone, but anyone could hear the disdain in his voice.
Whoosh~
Kizaru sighed, raised his right leg again, and gathered a large amount of dazzling light waves on his heel, preparing to kick down and kill Luffy on the spot.
"Even your grandfather Garp couldn't save you when you set foot here. Although I feel somewhat apologetic to the old man, I still have no choice but to kill you completely. Die, Straw Hat Luffy..."
After saying that, Kizaru kicked down. Although he didn't use his elemental powers to unleash a light-speed kick, this kick still broke the speed of sound and went straight for Luffy's head.
call out...
boom!!
Just like when he appeared at Sabaody Archipelago to save Zoro, Rayleigh couldn't stand it any longer. He flashed forward and appeared in front of Kizaru at Extreme Speed, blocking Kizaru's attack with his own leg technique and sending him flying.
The light waves exploded in the distance, like dozens of cannonballs exploding simultaneously, and a huge mushroom cloud shot out, dragging the unfortunate pirates and marines nearby into the fray.
"It's you again, Dark King Rayleigh. I think I've already told you, haven't I? If you dare to step onto this battlefield, I will keep a close watch on you, even at the cost of my life, to keep you here. Didn't you listen?"
Seeing that Rayleigh actually dared to appear in front of him, he had originally wanted to find an opportunity to fight him and take him down when Rayleigh was standing next to Whitebeard, but he didn't expect that Rayleigh would deliver himself to his doorstep this time.
"Hehehe, Kizaru, isn't life all about the unexpected? I wasn't planning on coming anyway, if I hadn't known about Ace's background beforehand!!"
Rayleigh didn't feel much pressure from Kizaru's threat because he was confident in his own strength. Even though Kizaru's stamina was declining due to his age, Rayleigh believed that if he really wanted to leave, Kizaru alone wouldn't be able to stop him, and even if he could forcibly keep him, he would suffer heavy losses.
"Hmph, don't give me that. Now that you're definitely here, my mission is to keep a close watch on you. You have no other way out!"
Kizaru stared at Rayleigh with an unfriendly gaze, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty. He was ready to unleash a Thunderbolt attack at the slightest sign of Rayleigh's movement.
"Hahaha, I'm really looking forward to your attack. If you can really hold me back, then come on. Anyway, I'm going to do my best one last time so that Roger won't have any regrets in the afterlife."
Luffy, are you still able to move? If you can, hurry up and continue on your way. I'll hold him off!
After Rayleigh finished laughing, he spoke to Luffy, who was lying on the ground struggling to get up again.
Cough cough...
"Yeah, I can manage. Thank you, uncle. I need to keep going and rescue Ace!"
After Luffy finished speaking, without Kizaru stepping on his back, he twisted his body slightly, stood up in one go, and charged towards the Marines' abilities again.
"Hmm!! With me here, none of you are leaving..."
With that, Kizaru raised his arm and pointed his finger at Luffy, who was running. A beam of light condensed and then shot out with a whoosh.
Clang!!
The beam of light, which hadn't yet been fired, was blocked by Rayleigh's sword, dissipating into specks of light that vanished.
" Kizaru, I won't let you get in Luffy's Luffy..."
Rayleigh pointed a sword he had just 'borrowed' from the pirates at him.
"Hmph, Ame no Murakumo!"
Kizaru conjured a beam of laser light in his hand, forming a dazzling yellow longsword that slashed towards Rayleigh.
Clang!!
boom...
The shockwaves from their fight sent everyone and everything in the vicinity flying.