"Oh, how scary. You're the pirates who attacked the Celestial Dragons on the island, aren't you?"
"A slave girl, two young men, and the Roger Pirates' right-hand man, Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King."
Borsalino had only just graduated from the Marine training camp and was serving as an intern aboard Admiral Sengoku's ship. Surprise flashed in his eyes when he saw Rayleigh suddenly appear, but he quickly returned to his unconcerned demeanor.
"So the Roger Pirates planned this attack on the Celestial Dragons too, didn't they?"
"Well! I just happened to be with them."
Rayleigh rested a hand on the long sword at his waist and smiled at the young Kizaru.
"So, young Marine, would you let us leave?"
"Of course not. If I just let you leave so easily, I'd be punished."
"Whoosh~~"
Before he had finished speaking, a yellow laser shot from Kizaru's fingertip with lightning speed.
"Sneak attacks aren't a good habit, young Marine."
Rayleigh drew the long sword at his waist and unleashed a crescent-shaped slash. It split the incoming attack and continued on undiminished, cutting Kizaru in two before slicing through several giant trees in the distance and slowly fading away in midair.
Watching from the side, Roy thought, So this is a great swordsman? That move is awesome. I've got to learn it. Yeah, I'll train extra hard after we escape.
At that moment, Kizaru's body, which had been cut in two, emitted a golden-yellow light that joined the two halves back together.
"How scary. I'm no match for you at all."
Seeing that Kizaru was completely unharmed and still speaking in that mocking tone, Tesoro tensed up and instinctively took two steps back. Stella gripped his sleeve tightly.
Roy, however, showed no sign of panic. Instead, he studied the future Marine Admiral before him with interest.
He ate the Glint-Glint Fruit this early? Logia Devil Fruits really are troublesome, but at Kizaru's current age, he hasn't developed his powers to the level he'll reach in the future.
"Mr. Rayleigh, how far is it to the boarding point?"
"Oh? You're pretty calm right now, kid." Rayleigh glanced around. "It's on the cliff just up ahead."
"All right. Got it!"
Roy wasted no time. He used his psychic telekinesis to envelop Tesoro and Stella, then suddenly accelerated, carrying them through the air toward the cliff.
"Boss, are we just leaving that old man behind?" Tesoro asked nervously.
"Don't worry, Rayleigh will be fine. We need to get off this island before the Marine Admiral arrives."
Stella glanced back at Rayleigh, who had stayed behind to hold Kizaru off, and bit her lip. "Lord Roy, I'm sorry. It's all because of me..."
"Don't say something so foolish. You're the navigator I've chosen," Roy interrupted her. "Now that I've rescued you, I won't let them capture you again."
As he spoke, a squad of Marines appeared ahead.
The Marine lieutenant commander leading them was briefly taken aback when he saw Roy and the other two, but he immediately drew his saber.
"It's them! Open fire, shoot!"
Roy narrowed his eyes, and a vast surge of psychic telekinesis erupted. Stones, planks, and all kinds of worn-out scrap floating up around them, then hurtled at the Marines like a torrential downpour.
"Ah!"
"Get out of the way!"
The Marines scattered, and Roy seized the chance to rush through the gap.
"Damn it! Don't let them get away!"
Angry shouts and pursuing footsteps came from the Marines behind them.
Roy gritted his teeth. His Telekinesis was powerful, but using it continuously consumed a great deal of stamina. Carrying two people through the air on top of that, he couldn't keep it up for long.
I have to conserve my strength and find Rayleigh's ship as quickly as possible.
Through his Observation Haki, Roy could sense a powerful presence approaching rapidly.
"Damn it, he's coming that fast?"
Tesoro's face went pale. "Boss, what do we do?"
"Let's find the ship first." Roy took a deep breath. "If it comes down to it, I'll use my power to send you straight to the ship. You leave first, and I'll hold them off."
"But, boss, you..."
"Shut up! This is no time to get sentimental!"
The three rushed to the cliff and immediately spotted a sailing ship large enough to carry more than a dozen people moored by the shore. Roy didn't stop, quickly carrying the two of them aboard.
Just as the three raised the anchor and slowly got the ship moving-
"Boom~"
A tremendous noise suddenly came from shore. Roy's expression changed. It seemed Rayleigh had already engaged Sengoku.
Roy glanced at Tesoro and Stella, who were operating the ship, then slowly floated up and instructed them, "A powerful opponent is coming. Take the ship and leave first. I'll catch up with you!"
With that, he flew toward shore.
Roy had barely landed on the shore when a yellow flash sped through the trees and took human form, stopping in front of him.
It was Borsalino, who had broken free of Rayleigh.
"Oh! How scary. You actually dared to stay behind and cover their retreat alone, young man."
Hearing Kizaru's mocking voice, Roy felt a surge of irritation.
"Marine Rear Admiral Borsalino, a light man who ate the Creepy-Creepy Fruit. If you want to catch us, come and try."
"Whoosh~~"
After his retort, Roy raised a finger slightly. Several pebbles shot off the ground and pierced the air, passing straight through Borsalino's body and leaving only a few holes.
Tch, Logias really are troublesome. Without Armament Haki, there's no way to hit their physical bodies at all. That alone shows how powerful Logias are.
He had originally planned to find a way to reach Sky Island and eat the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. After all, with its powers, he wouldn't be very weak no matter how he developed them. But then he had come across the Telekinesis-Telekinesis Fruit, which suited him better.
"Oh my, young man, you almost hit me!"
"Yata no Kagami!"
With a flash of light, Kizaru appeared at Roy's side in an instant and sent a kick at the speed of light toward his face.
"Bang~~"
Before the light-speed kick could land, Roy waved his left hand. Borsalino's three-meter-tall figure instantly flew backward, then turned into particles of light and reappeared not far away.
By this point, Roy had already focused his Observation Haki as tightly as he could, carefully probing Kizaru's mind.
When he sensed how Kizaru intended to attack, he released his telekinesis in advance. The moment Kizaru appeared, Roy concentrated his psychic power into an invisible shock wave, sending the completely unprepared Kizaru flying.
Kizaru stood again a short distance away, a trace of seriousness appearing on his sleazy face.
"Kid, what kind of power is that?"
"I'm not in the habit of revealing my powers to others, light man!!"
Without another word, Roy brought his hands together. "Planetary Devastation!" He unleashed a move he had copied from next door.
Under the control of his psychic telekinesis, Kizaru was instantly enclosed in a giant sphere.
As the two faced off, Rayleigh used a full-strength sword strike with Conqueror's Coating to drive Sengoku back temporarily, then flashed toward the coast.
When he reached Roy's side, Rayleigh glanced at the giant sphere nearby and teased, "I couldn't tell, kid, but you're pretty capable!!!"