Chapter 52: Stunned
Su Xiao set the Demon Hunting Hour to a standby activation state. Demon Hunting Hour could last for 100 seconds, and in the current situation, every second of it was precious, so he did not activate it rashly.
Su Xiao stopped advancing forward. Kizaru was blocking the way ahead; there was no point in continuing the breakout without dealing with him.
Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit allowed his linear movement speed to approach the speed of light. Based on Su Xiao's observations, Kizaru would inevitably remain in his elemental form while moving at light speed. At that speed, not even Kaido's physical resilience could withstand it.
"Long time no see, little Bai Ye."
Kizaru's tone was somewhat sarcastic. Those unfamiliar with him might think he was taunting, but this was actually his usual manner of speaking.
As Kizaru finished speaking, a piercing sound of air being torn arrived, and a figure appeared behind Su Xiao—it was Garp, covered in bloodstains.
Gurgle, gurgle...
Colorful soap bubbles drifted over. An elderly female Marine, at least 70 years old, walked forward. Her pace was slow, but Su Xiao would rather break through in Kizaru's direction than get close to those soap bubbles. This elderly female Marine was named Tsuru, and pirates called her Vice Admiral Tsuru.
Vice Admiral Tsuru had some "history" with Doflamingo. Before becoming a Warlord, Doflamingo was almost chased all over the world by Vice Admiral Tsuru, and he would turn pale at the mention of her name.
Kizaru was in front, Garp was to the side and rear, and Vice Admiral Tsuru was on the other side. The three had Su Xiao surrounded.
"Bai Ye, you can't escape."
Garp spoke, his tone unfriendly.
"Garp, don't be careless. These research personnel are very dangerous. Have you forgotten the scene when Vegapunk last fell out with the World Government?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru said in a low voice. Garp said nothing.
Vice Admiral Tsuru was 74 years old, Garp was 78, and Kizaru was 56. At a glance, this was a sunset-years combination.
Never underestimate this sunset-years combination. All three were incredibly fierce. This was no longer a lineup for capturing a great pirate; this was a damn lineup for capturing an Emperor.
Su Xiao's gaze swept over the three around him. He didn't know much about Vice Admiral Tsuru's information, but her Devil Fruit ability was very bizarre.
Kizaru was an old acquaintance. In fact, Su Xiao had a good relationship with Kizaru. The two often fished together on the experimental island. Kizaru could be considered the most laid-back Admiral, bar none.
But the current situation was clearly not the time for personal connections. This guy would definitely not go easy.
As for Garp, that punch earlier had left a deep impression on Su Xiao. If not for the energy shield layer blocking that punch, Su Xiao would not be nearly as relaxed as he was now.
Garp had no special abilities. He hadn't even eaten a Devil Fruit, relying entirely on physical techniques in battle. But his pure speed plus strength, combined with nearly top-tier Armament Haki, made his combat power extremely formidable.
An Apollo appeared in Su Xiao's hand, and he activated it. Seeing this Apollo, light shimmered on Kizaru's hand, ready to dash to Su Xiao's side at any moment.
Azure Steel Shadow energy clung to the Dragon-Slaying Flash. After fighting Katakuri, Su Xiao was certainly not intimidated by Logia-type ability users. His Azure Steel Shadow energy was even more effective against Devil Fruit users than Armament Haki.
"Mr. Garp, Ms. Tsuru, please step back."
Kizaru stretched his hands to both sides, and a sword formed from yellow photons appeared. This sword was over two meters long, named Ama no Murakumo. Although it was generated by his Devil Fruit ability, it was extremely sharp. The high-speed vibrating light particles on the blade made this Ama no Murakumo cut through iron like mud.
Garp and Vice Admiral Tsuru immediately retreated and ordered the surrounding Marines to move 300 meters away, out of the Apollo's explosion range.
Although Garp and Vice Admiral Tsuru were powerful, they could only rely on their physical bodies to withstand the Apollo. Kizaru was different. After the Apollo exploded, he only needed to elementalize. The Apollo's temperature wasn't high enough to burn photons.
"Bai Ye, if the Apollo in your hand is detonated, the first to die will be yourself."
Kizaru walked toward Su Xiao, holding the Ama no Murakumo. Su Xiao didn't speak. He was weighing one thing: if he activated Demon Hunting Hour, could he escape Dressrosa?
If it were only Garp and Vice Admiral Tsuru, Su Xiao would have already activated Demon Hunting Hour and confronted them head-on. But with Kizaru added, the situation was different.
It wasn't that Kizaru was stronger than Garp, but this guy was too fast. Escaping at light speed had too low a success rate.
Activating Demon Hunting Hour, Su Xiao could use Dragon Shadow Flash at most 6 to 7 times consecutively, after which his body would need to rest for about 1 to 2 seconds.
That meant Su Xiao could move a maximum of 70 meters in an instant, then appear for 1 to 2 seconds. Moreover, this process couldn't be sustained continuously. The burden of penetrating space was too great. This ability was originally not for escaping but for killing enemies or dodging at critical moments.
Surrounding him were not only Kizaru, Garp, and Vice Admiral Tsuru but also nearly a thousand Marines who had completely surrounded the King's Plateau. Garp's vice officer was commanding these people.
The moment he saw Kizaru, Su Xiao already knew he couldn't escape. Fortunately, the situation wasn't completely hopeless. Bubu Wang had been observing nearby, while Amu was by the seaside, waiting for Su Xiao's orders at any time.
Moreover, from the start until now, the Marines had been trying to capture him alive. Don't think that capturing alive meant they would hold back. Capturing alive was just an order from above. The lower-ranking Marines didn't fully comply; most of their lead bullets were aimed at Su Xiao's head.
Su Xiao suddenly stopped activating the Apollo. His windbreaker, arm guards, and other equipment quickly disappeared, and finally, the Dragon-Slaying Flash vanished. He stored all his equipment into his storage space, including the Apollo that had stopped activating.
Kizaru, who had been ready to fight Su Xiao, looked somewhat stunned, unsure what Su Xiao was up to.
Su Xiao glanced at the cooldown of Dragon Shadow Flash. In about a minute, he could use it. If the plan failed, he could quickly re-equip his gear and use Demon Hunting Hour plus Dragon Shadow Flash to create distance, restoring combat effectiveness in a short time.
Su Xiao slowly raised his hand. Kizaru seemed to realize something, and the lazy expression on his face disappeared.
"I surrender."
Su Xiao looked at Kizaru and said something that left Garp and Vice Admiral Tsuru completely baffled.
"This guy... surrendered?"
Garp seemed not to have reacted. Given Su Xiao's ferocity, Garp had never imagined Su Xiao would voluntarily give up resistance.
Was that really the case? Of course not. Bubu Wang was just a hundred meters away. Even better, no one had noticed Bubu Wang, who had blended into the environment.
If it were Akainu or the CP agency, Su Xiao wouldn't have considered this plan at all. Furthermore, the World Government still wanted to capture him alive, which meant only one possibility: the World Government wanted to obtain the Apollo, or rather, the World Government wanted to master the method of manufacturing Apollos.
On land, Su Xiao certainly couldn't escape Kizaru's pursuit. But what about at sea? Garp and the others would have to transport Su Xiao to Mary Geoise or Impel Down by sea, giving Su Xiao an opportunity to escape.
Rather than wasting his escape chance on land, Su Xiao preferred to try escaping at sea. Among the three, only Garp wasn't a Devil Fruit user. Moreover, in seawater, Garp's speed advantage would no longer be as pronounced—at least not to the point where even his Instinct ability couldn't track him.
If Su Xiao continued fighting the three, there was a 99% chance he would be beaten half to death, completely losing any chance of escape. By preserving his strength, Bubu Wang, who had blended into the environment, could definitely help Su Xiao create an opportunity.
Kizaru frowned. He hesitated about whether to beat Su Xiao up first to drain some of his stamina, but out of personal friendship, that didn't seem quite right.
Whoosh~
Kizaru turned into light particles and reappeared in front of Su Xiao.
"Light Speed Kick. It seems you haven't experienced it yet."
Bang! Su Xiao was sent flying backward. Fine cracks appeared on the energy shield over his lower abdomen.
As soon as Su Xiao landed, dozens of Marines rushed forward. Handcuffs, leg irons, chains—anything they had brought for capturing—they piled onto Su Xiao, very enthusiastically.