SWNOVELXO Chapter 100: An Overwhelming Defeat
"Admiral Kizaru!"
At the sight of him, a palpable tension filled the air. This was the man as infamous as Aokiji, one of the World Government's three greatest military powers, a Navy Admiral. The crew had already experienced the terrifying power of Aokiji, and now, with Kizaru here, their expressions became deadly serious. But it wasn't just him. As Kizaru arrived, at least ten more Kuma-like figures appeared beside Sentomaru, their blank eyes fixed on them. They weren't the real Kuma, but the human weapons called Pacifistas, and the crew had just witnessed their power firsthand.
To make matters worse, a massive number of Marines were swarming the area, completely surrounding the Sabaody Archipelago. There was no escape.
"Everyone, run!" even Moonlight's expression had turned grave. "Don't worry about anything else, just run!" His Observation Haki told him that besides Kizaru, Sentomaru, and the ten Pacifistas before them, there were more of the cyborgs scattered all over the island. These were the creations of the Navy's genius scientist, Vegapunk, and even Moonlight knew they would be difficult to deal with.
"You want to go? Are you dreaming?" Sentomaru sneered, his massive battle-ax resting on his shoulder. Ten Pacifistas leaped forward, their mouths glowing as they prepared to fire their laser beams.
"Hmph!" Moonlight sneered and drew his sword. A crescent of sword energy erupted from him, spreading out in all directions. The surging energy was unstoppable, but the next moment, Kizaru simply stepped on it. The turbulent wave of sword qi was cleanly extinguished beneath his foot.
"Oh, how scary," Kizaru said, raising his head and looking at Moonlight with a mocking grin, the light beneath his foot shining brilliantly.
"He stepped on Moonlight's sword energy with a single kick?"
"How is that possible?!"
"This guy..."
"Is this the strength of an Admiral?"
Luffy and the others gasped. Moonlight's sword attacks were terrifyingly powerful; they had never seen anyone nullify one so easily. Even Aokiji hadn't been able to do that. The man before them was on another level entirely. They exchanged a look and then, without hesitation, scattered in all directions.
But as they broke apart, the Pacifistas attacked, firing beams of light from their mouths and hands. Their attacks were simple but incredibly powerful. A single Pacifista, combined with Sentomaru, was enough to overwhelm them and plunge them into a desperate situation.
"Admiral Kizaru," Moonlight said, his expression grim. He wrapped his sword in Armament Haki and slashed at the Admiral. The sword qi surged forward.
"Hmph." Kizaru vanished in a flash of light, then reappeared and delivered a powerful kick. The light waves from his attack burst forth, colliding violently with Moonlight's sword.
"BOOM!"
The ground around them shattered, and even one of the massive mangrove trees behind them split apart.
"Such powerful Haki," Sentomaru thought, a chill running down his spine. "He can actually counter Master Kizaru's light-speed kick. Is the Vice-Captain of the Straw Hat crew really this strong?" Kizaru's light-speed kick was powerful enough to defeat almost any opponent. None of the other Supernovas could have withstood it. But Moonlight had met it head-on, proving he had the strength to match an Admiral.
"Ama no Murakumo," Kizaru said, his nonchalant demeanor finally gone. With that single exchange, he knew Moonlight was on a completely different level from the other Supernovas. He couldn't afford to underestimate him. A sword of pure light condensed in his hand, and he slashed at Moonlight.
As expected of a user of the Glint-Glint Fruit, Moonlight thought, his heart pounding. Such a fast sword! I can only parry with basic swordsmanship. Aokiji's ice was overwhelmingly powerful, capable of freezing miles of ocean. Kizaru's speed was his greatest weapon. Who could be faster than light? If Kizaru hadn't relied so heavily on his Devil Fruit and had focused more on his Haki, he might have been the strongest of the three Admirals. Even so, he was incredibly difficult to deal with. The only way to counter his speed was with speed, with basic swordsmanship.
Of course... My basic swordsmanship is at its maximum level, Moonlight thought with a confident smile.
The two clashed fiercely, and within a hundred-meter radius of their duel, everything was severely damaged. But even in the heat of battle, Moonlight had enough presence of mind to shout to his crew, "Luffy! Zoro! Everyone! Don't hesitate, just run!"
Luffy and the others nodded. They had now seen the true strength of the Navy, and the gap between them was immense. With Moonlight tied up, they had no hope of escaping the Pacifistas.
"Oh?" Kizaru's voice was laced with annoyance. "You're facing an Admiral, and you still have time to worry about others? You're looking down on me." To be reminded of his crewmates while fighting him... Kizaru was clearly underestimated.
"Haha, Kizaru," Moonlight said with a soft smile. "Your abilities are impressive, but don't be too arrogant." He used Raptor's Air Rend to appear instantly in front of his crew. They were surrounded by Pacifistas and Sentomaru, and in the short time they had been fighting, they had all been seriously injured. Though they had tried to scatter, their opponents were simply too strong.
"Damn it! Is the gap really this big?"
"How could this happen?!"
"Moonlight!"
They stared at the Pacifistas, their hearts filled with despair.
At that moment, Moonlight arrived, with Kizaru following like a shadow. No matter how fast Moonlight was, he couldn't outrun light. But the next moment, Kizaru was stunned, even a little afraid. Not just him, but Sentomaru and the ten Pacifistas all froze, their bodies suddenly and uncontrollably suspended in the air.
Moonlight held the Pheasant Sword and leaped into the sky. Twelve swords of pure energy descended from above, taking root in the earth, while another twelve hovered in the air, forming a "sword field." Within this domain, Kizaru, Sentomaru, and the ten Pacifistas were all held in place by the sword energy, unable to move. And then, the full force of the sword energy was unleashed.
"Extreme Ghost Swordsmanship: Storm Style!"
In the next moment, they were all enveloped in an infinite storm of slashes. When the last of the sword energy fell, Kizaru and the others collapsed to the ground. The ten Pacifistas had been cut to pieces, left in a pile of ruins. Sentomaru was covered in scars, on the verge of death. Kizaru's glasses were broken, and his clothes were torn, but he was otherwise unharmed. Though he was embarrassed, his Logia fruit was too powerful, and even Moonlight's Haki-infused attack couldn't kill him. But the confidence he had when he arrived was gone, replaced by a grim solemnity as he stared at Moonlight.
"Luffy, you go," Moonlight said, his longsword pointed diagonally, his eyes like ice as he stared at Kizaru. "Who would dare to stop you?"
Kizaru just watched, his face grim. Moonlight had proven his strength.
"Go!" Hearing Moonlight's command, Luffy and the others didn't dare to hesitate and fled in all directions.
But at that moment, a tall figure appeared, bringing with him a bone-chilling cold. "Really, boy? You look down on the Navy too much." The next moment, the world turned to ice, and Luffy and the others were instantly frozen into ice sculptures. The entire area for a hundred meters around them had become a frozen wasteland.
It was Admiral Aokiji. He had appeared at the worst possible moment.
"Two Admirals?" Moonlight's pupils constricted. Kizaru was already a formidable opponent. Even though he had wounded him, it had taken everything he had. Now, with two Admirals here, even he would have trouble.
"Where would you want to travel?" Not only that, but with Aokiji's arrival, the Warlord Bartholomew Kuma appeared as well. This time, it was the real one. He looked at the frozen Straw Hats and slapped his palm forward.
"Crack!"
The ice crystals shattered, and the crew was freed. Kuma then asked them all indifferently, "Where would you want to travel?"
"Gulp." At that moment, even Luffy couldn't help but swallow hard. Two Admirals and a Warlord—what kind of insane lineup was this? Who could possibly stand against such power? Who in this world could escape from them? This was the end of the road. Not just Luffy, but Zoro and the others were filled with despair. Now, even Moonlight was outmatched.
"Hehe, it seems I'm not too late." At that moment, a chuckle sounded, and a silver-haired figure floated down in front of them. It was Rayleigh.
"The Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh! Another big shot!" Kizaru, Aokiji, and Kuma's eyes all tightened. Rayleigh's fame was immense. The first mate of the Pirate King, known as the Dark King—even if he was old, who would dare underestimate him?
"Rayleigh? Get them out of here, quickly! Leave this to me!" Seeing Rayleigh, Moonlight let out a small sigh of relief. Though the gap in their combat power was still immense, there was now a glimmer of hope.
"Right," Rayleigh nodded, drawing his sword and standing in front of Luffy and the others. "Everyone, run! Don't hesitate or stay behind! He and I will be fine! We'll talk later!"
"Everyone, let's escape separately!" Luffy's expression was more serious than ever before. He looked at each of his crewmates. "As long as we can get off this island, we can figure out the rest later! Run!"
The crew didn't hesitate. After giving Moonlight one last, deep look, they fled frantically.
"It's useless. They can't escape this island alone," Aokiji said, not even trying to stop them. He grabbed a handful of grass, blew an icy breath on it, and condensed it into an ice sword, his eyes fixed on Moonlight.
"Really, Kuzan?" Rayleigh chuckled. "There's no such thing as an absolute in this world."
"That's right," Moonlight nodded, preparing to attack again.
"I should have reminded you that I'm still here!" Kizaru's angry voice suddenly roared. He leaped into the air, his arms crossed, and the next moment, a countless barrage of light bullets shot from his hands, overwhelming the sky.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Kizaru was furious. He was an Admiral, yet Moonlight had fought him while simultaneously saving his crew. Now, his subordinate, Sentomaru, and ten Pacifistas had been wounded right in front of him. Even he himself had been injured. And now, with Aokiji and Kuma here, Moonlight was still acting so arrogantly. He was instantly enraged.
Countless light bullets rained down, covering a thousand-meter area. The earth was pierced through, and many of the mangrove trees collapsed. Luffy and the others couldn't avoid the attack and were hit hard. An angered Admiral was no small matter. Even Aokiji's face was solemn; it was the first time he had seen such an expression on Kizaru's face.
"Hmph!" Rayleigh and Moonlight acted at the same time. Rayleigh was so fast that he intercepted Kuma, who was suddenly moving toward Luffy and the others. The moment Kizaru had attacked, Kuma had moved, but Rayleigh was faster.
Moonlight leaped into the air with his sword. This overwhelming wave of light couldn't be countered, so he would retaliate in kind. In the next moment, an endless rain of sword energy covered a kilometer-wide radius, blanketing everyone except for Luffy and his crew—including Kizaru, Aokiji, and Kuma.
The sword rain raged, washing down from the sky like a meteor shower hitting the earth, the moon setting and the stars sinking.
"Extreme Ghost Swordsmanship: Meteor Fall!" Moonlight roared.
"This trick again!" Aokiji's pupils shrank. He had seen the power of this attack on Enies Lobby and knew not to underestimate it. Kizaru turned into light, trying to avoid it, but the sword energy seemed to predict his movements, making it impossible to dodge. Kuma used his Paw-Paw Fruit to repel the sword energy, but the attacks were too fierce, and he was forced to dodge again and again.
"Go!" Rayleigh shouted at Luffy and the others, his eyes wide with shock as he looked up at the raining swords. He had never seen this technique before.
Luffy and his crew didn't dare to hesitate and fled in all directions.
At that moment, Kuma suddenly appeared in front of Rayleigh, leaned in, and whispered something. Rayleigh froze, looking at Kuma in disbelief, as if he had heard something impossible. And in that moment of hesitation, Kuma acted.
"Ah!"
He appeared in front of Luffy and the others and slapped his palms forward. Nine bubble-like sounds echoed, and all nine members of the Straw Hat crew vanished from their spots.
"You're looking for death! You're really looking for death!" Even though he knew Kuma was a traitor to the World Government and part of the Revolutionary Army, and wouldn't actually harm Luffy and the others, seeing his crewmates taken out from under his nose, Moonlight's anger boiled over. Recalling all the moments they had spent together, a wave of uncontrollable rage surged through him.
"Hmph."
A dark blue, suffocating aura erupted from him.
"BOOM!"
The land for thousands of meters around them was destroyed. The Marines who had been swarming the area were caught in the blast and instantly fainted, collapsing to the ground in a dense, unconscious mass.