Chapter 216: The Great Salamis War (7)
That's right, the one Kizaru encountered was naturally Ian.
Since the members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates were scattered all over the island, gathering them took quite a bit of time. Originally, Ian led the group, wanting to rush to the port as quickly as possible to set sail, but unexpectedly, they ran headfirst into Kizaru.
To be honest, Ian hadn't expected the Marines to act so decisively. Not only did they open fire on the island, but Kizaru was also the first to land, recklessly attacking the pirates on the island without any regard for the fact that this was a nation's territory. This made Ian truly realize a fact: non-member nations have absolutely no rights!
But he hadn't expected Kizaru to block his path. Just as Ian tensed up, Kizaru asked him where the Dragon Hunter Pirates were located.
Ian initially wanted to bluff Kizaru, to see if he could trick him into leaving, but the next moment, Kizaru directly called out his name!
That made sense—when Kizaru came, how could he not have carefully memorized the appearance of his target?
This little trick didn't fool Kizaru. When Ian noticed Kizaru's body suddenly brighten, he instinctively prepared to counter Kizaru's attack.
However, he really hadn't expected Kizaru's speed to exceed the limit of his reaction!
The moment Ian's defensive awareness stirred, Kizaru had already kicked him! This side kick came from Ian's left side, striking his shoulder. A vast, immense force transmitted through, causing Ian's entire body to involuntarily fly to the right!
Boom! Ian's body slammed into a large tree by the roadside. The powerful impact on his back made a sweet taste rise in his mouth!
The tree was instantly snapped in two, but the force from Kizaru's kick hadn't dissipated yet. Ian continued flying to the right, crashing through two more walls before finally stopping.
"Captain!" the members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates exclaimed. Margaret even covered her mouth in horror.
But then, the group snapped out of it and launched attacks at Kizaru!
Ian, as their captain, held an unparalleled place in everyone's hearts. Even knowing that the person before them was a Marine Admiral, they still charged at Kizaru without hesitation, wanting to avenge Ian.
Dorry was the first to rush forward. Reaching Kizaru, he immediately swung his large hand fiercely at him.
Sardine, holding a huge shield in one hand and a greatsword in the other, slashed down at Kizaru from above. This was a new weapon he had bought on the island, and he never expected its first use to be against a Marine Admiral!
The other pirate crew members also drew their guns and fired at Kizaru, or swung their weapons to cut him down.
These attacks converged, instantly tearing Kizaru into several pieces. However, the next second, a flash of light gathered, and Kizaru's body restored itself to its original state.
Bzz! Kizaru pointed his right index finger at Dorry in front of him. A flash of light appeared at his fingertip, and then a laser beam shot straight through Dorry's shoulder.
Dorry let out a scream, clutching his shoulder as he fell flat on his back. But Kizaru didn't let up; he raised his right leg, preparing to stomp down on Dorry!
Sardine and the others hurriedly attacked again, trying to stop Kizaru, but all their attacks and weapons passed right through Kizaru's body, hitting only a mass of light.
Boom! Kizaru's right foot came down. A massive explosion erupted on the spot, sending Sardine and the group surrounding Kizaru flying. Dorry, lying on the ground, fared even worse—he was at the epicenter of the explosion!
If Dorry weren't a Bear Mink Tribe member with a sufficiently tough body, this attack might have killed him outright.
Sardine struggled to his feet, looking toward Dorry's position. Seeing Dorry lying there, bloody and mangled, he couldn't help but cry out, "Dorry!?"
But at that moment, Kizaru's voice came from above Sardine's head, saying, "Big guy, you're too tall. Better lie down!"
Kizaru had somehow vanished from his spot and appeared above Sardine's head. From top to bottom, he kicked hard against the steel helmet on Sardine's head.
Another explosion rang out. Sardine's eyes rolled back as he collapsed. His entire head was wreathed in smoke, skin and flesh torn, gravely wounded and incapacitated.
As Kizaru landed, Matthew suddenly appeared behind him, lunging to grab him. He wanted to use his hands to touch Kizaru and put him to sleep with his ability.
But Matthew forgot one thing: he still couldn't use Haki and couldn't touch the body of a Logia ability user. So this grab caught nothing but air!
"Yo-yo-yo, this old man doesn't like being hugged by men!" Kizaru's body reformed behind Matthew. Light flashed repeatedly from his fingertips, and several laser beams shot out, piercing Matthew's body.
Of the group following Ian, most were taken down within just a few seconds. They charged forward one after another, only to be struck down by Kizaru one by one. None were killed, but all were severely wounded, their lives hanging by a thread.
Finally, only Margaret and a few girls remained. Even knowing they couldn't beat Kizaru, Margaret and the others gritted their teeth, picked up weapons dropped on the ground, and swung at Kizaru.
Clang! Kizaru suddenly condensed a gleaming light sword in his hand, blocking Margaret's slash. The immense recoil force sent the blade in Margaret's hand flying.
"Little girl, having such a strong-willed personality isn't good, you know!" Kizaru looked at Margaret's gritted-teeth expression and shook his head. "I'm different from others—I will attack ladies, you know!"
With that, Kizaru's index finger tip flashed again, preparing to fire a laser at Margaret to subdue her.
But at that moment, a tremendous gravity suddenly enveloped Kizaru's entire body!
"Gravity Road!"
Under the immense gravity, even Kizaru's face showed a hint of surprise. Watching the ground beneath him gradually collapse, he quickly turned his body into light.
Then, within this gravity field, he casually raised his head and looked to the left.
A new group had appeared, including several Longarm Tribe and Longleg Tribe members. At their head was a blind man with scars on his face, who had already drawn his staff sword partway from its sheath.
Kizaru immediately deduced that the massive gravity just now had come from this man.
"So, you're that Fujitora Issho, huh?" Kizaru looked at him with some surprise. "That's indeed a powerful Devil Fruit ability! Good thing I'm light, or I might have been crushed by you just now!"
This new wave of people was naturally Fujitora and his group. Since Fujitora, Zeke, and the others had all been playing together at the casino, after receiving Ian's notice to gather at the port, they moved together. However, due to the distance, they arrived a bit later, just in time to save Margaret.
"I see... Light has no rest mass..." Fujitora also understood what was happening and couldn't help but comment.
Zeke and the others saw the other members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates lying on the ground and grew furious, wanting to charge at Kizaru.
But Fujitora stopped them, saying, "He's a Marine Admiral. You're no match for him. I'll hold him off—you tend to the wounded!"
Kizaru shook his head and said, "You can't see, yet you still want to fight me?"
"Whether I can or not, I have to try to find out!" Fujitora replied.
Kizaru's fingertip glowed again, and he said, "Then try to stop me!"
Just as his laser was about to fire at Margaret again, Fujitora appeared before him, swinging his staff sword down fiercely.
Seeing the black Armament Haki coating the blade, Kizaru was slightly startled. He turned to dodge, condensing a Light Sword in his hand to clash with Fujitora.
Meanwhile, Zeke and the others pulled Margaret away and took the opportunity to drag the other injured out.
"Where's Captain Ian!?" Zeke asked Margaret.
"He... he was just kicked flying by Kizaru!" Margaret pointed in panic at the wall hole Ian had smashed through. "I don't know if he's okay!"
Zeke and the others hurried over, wanting to find Ian. But at that moment, a clattering sound came, and Ian walked out of the wall hole, with rubble falling off him in a cascade.
"Captain, are you okay!?" Zeke quickly asked.
"I'm fine! I healed myself just now!" Ian said.
He had taken a while to get up because after being kicked by Kizaru, not only had the bones in his left arm been broken, but he had also suffered internal injuries. He had no choice but to switch to Orihime Inoue's card to heal himself.
But because of that delay, the Dragon Hunter Pirates members following him had all been severely injured.
Fortunately, Ian had a way to treat them. As long as they weren't dead, it was fine. So he said to Zeke, "First, carry the wounded onto the ship. Have Erlang keep them alive—I'll treat them later."
Hearing this, Zeke felt greatly relieved. He nodded and immediately called the uninjured to help. A group of them carried Sardine and Dorry away.
Only then did Ian have time to observe the battle between Fujitora and Kizaru.
But as he watched, Ian was startled. He found that Fujitora seemed to be no match for Kizaru!?
At first, Fujitora and Kizaru were locked in a fierce exchange, but gradually, Ian noticed that Fujitora seemed to become somewhat confused when facing Kizaru!
What was going on!?
Bang! Kizaru caught a flaw in Fujitora's defense and suddenly landed a kick on his chest. Fujitora was sent flying straight toward Ian.
Seeing this, Ian quickly opened his arms to catch Fujitora, stopping him. The immense force pushed both of them sliding backward for a long distance.
"What's going on, Uncle Issho? Isn't your Observation Haki very strong?" Ian asked him once they finally stopped.
"I can sense him, but..." Fujitora wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "But you know, my Observation Haki can only perceive a rough outline of an opponent... However, he is light. As he began to use his full power, in my perception, he became like a ball of light..."
Ian immediately understood. In the end, Fujitora's blindness still affected him. Although his Observation Haki was incredibly powerful and could sense a wide range, it lacked precision in detail.
In fact, it wasn't just him—if most people closed their eyes, their Observation Haki would be like this, only able to sense a general position and outline.
And Kizaru was a Glint-Glint Fruit user. His body was a mass of light. When he fully pushed his ability, his body was like an energy mass, causing the edges of the outline Fujitora perceived to disappear. He couldn't sense how Kizaru would strike anymore.
Realizing this, Ian couldn't help but smile bitterly. He had originally thought that Fujitora's Observation Haki might be the nemesis of Kizaru's speed. He had even considered having Fujitora deal with Kizaru while he himself handled Zephyr's Seastone. He never expected the situation to be reversed now...