"Is it really the power of time?"
Kizaru looked at his wound with a terrified expression.
Bai Yu remained silent. How could he reveal his abilities to an enemy? That would be too reckless.
"Infinite Instant Slash!"
While Kizaru was still in shock, Bai Yu attacked.
"Don't underestimate an Admiral!"
Kizaru's eyes widened.
"Light Burst!"
Photon energy condensed within his body, and just as his opponent approached, it exploded instantly.
It was a true omnidirectional flash explosion with no blind spots.
In an instant.
The blinding light was so intense that Bai Yu felt as if his eyes would go blind. He hadn't expected Kizaru to have such an ability.
A near-death crisis caught him off guard.
"A fatal attack?"
Well, that's really unfortunate.
Direct Trigger: The Dog Talisman grants immortality—immune to fatal attacks.
BOOM!
A terrifying explosion of light erupted, forming a massive mushroom cloud spanning more than ten miles across the desert.
The violent shockwave kicked up a sandstorm.
"!!!"
As the dust settled, Kizaru was left speechless.
Because Bai Yu stood there, completely unharmed, as if nothing had happened.
"What kind of ability is this?!"
"He definitely didn't dodge just now, but his presence remains completely intact…"
Kizaru was in shock.
Bai Yu had taken his full-powered attack head-on, yet there wasn't even a sign of injury.
That meant that the fatal attack had been completely ignored?!
"Pfft!"
A sudden blade strike pierced Kizaru's stomach.
Still in shock, he suffered yet another injury.
Swish!
Bai Yu quickly distanced himself.
"I took your fatal attack head-on, and now your brain is short-circuiting because I'm still standing here, right?"
"I didn't expect you to have a full-blown light explosion. I thought you could only shoot lasers."
"You reminded me again—there is no room for carelessness."
Bai Yu's words left Kizaru silent.
Even if he had the ability to recover from injuries, a fatal wound couldn't be healed instantly… right?
Kizaru couldn't understand anything anymore.
"Teleportation at will? Time reversal? Attack immunity? Demon King Bai Yu… you are truly terrifying!"
Holding his bleeding abdomen, Kizaru finally spoke in a serious tone:
"But what scares me even more is your future."
"Given enough time, you will surpass everyone!"
"So what?" Bai Yu was indifferent. His raw strength might not be at the top, but everything else about him was broken.
"So…"
"I give up. The old man admits defeat."
Kizaru grinned.
"It hurts… Five years, ten years, I don't even know how long it's been since I last suffered an injury like this."
Was this even considered a serious injury?
Kizaru was just too fast.
And he was extremely good at avoiding damage. Thanks to his ability, he had barely taken real hits in battle.
If this had been Akainu, Bai Yu was sure that guy would have fought to the bitter end.
"More importantly…"
Kizaru spoke with some embarrassment:
"You could have pierced my heart with that strike, but you deliberately aimed for my abdomen. I should be thanking you."
Oh.
Bai Yu understood, though he hadn't really thought about it.
But it didn't matter.
He had no intention of killing Kizaru.
"By the way, why are you working for a few hundred berries a month? How about joining me?" Bai Yu asked with anticipation.
Kizaru shrugged.
"I'm too old to deal with hassle, and besides, I don't like the pirate title."
His recruitment attempt had failed.
Bai Yu responded indifferently, "Even though we're enemies, the world still needs the Marines, especially the Admirals."
"Polusalino, sooner or later, we will coexist peacefully."
Kizaru chuckled wryly.
Hearing such words from a pirate… it was something he had neglected to consider all these years.
Once he returned…
He'd work overtime… for two minutes.
After all, he had heard plenty of grand speeches before. He wasn't going to change his ways over a few words.
But… peaceful coexistence?
That meant being on the same side? No way.
"Well then… if there's ever a chance…"
Kizaru gave Bai Yu a deep look, said no more, and left.
"The people I set my sights on never escape my grasp… at most, it'll take a few years."
Bai Yu withdrew his gaze.
He had once again proven something:
When he was at full power, Kizaru couldn't stop him.
And most importantly, there was no cost to his ability.
The Recovery Fruit—permanent god-mode.
Back at camp…
"Bai Yu, you're back!"
"Big brother Bai Yu, are you okay?"
"Here, Bai Yu, have some milk to recover!"
"Mr. Bai Yu, take this, wipe your sweat."
As soon as Bai Yu returned, he was greeted with warmth and care from the girls.
From a distance, Robin observed the scene with an inexplicable smile.
She never thought a pirate crew like this could exist.
It felt… like home.
Nami curiously asked, "Bai Yu, what about that old man Kizaru? Did you make him run away?"
The other girls eagerly waited for his response.
"I'm a kind person!"
Bai Yu instantly perked up and said casually:
"Just two stabs and he was done. He knelt down and cried, begging for mercy."
"He said he had an eighty-year-old mother, an eight-year-old child, and an eighty-eight-year-old grandmother in a vegetative state."
"He even mentioned his wife, a certain Auntie Jin… So pathetic, I had to let him go."
Kizaru: ???
Kaya's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Wow, that's amazing!"
Nojiko nodded repeatedly. "As expected of Bai Yu."
"Big brother Bai Yu is invincible!" Vivi's eyes were full of admiration.
Makino murmured, "So this is the legendary sense of security…"
Tashigi gripped her sword tightly. "If Mr. Bai Yu is already this strong, I have to train even harder…"
Robin, however, softly murmured, "Something doesn't feel right… That was a Marine Admiral, after all."
"What are you saying?"
Bai Yu shot her a sharp look.
This woman was too smart—she wasn't easy to fool.
Robin smiled. "I'm saying that Demon King Bai Yu is the strongest in the world and will become the Pirate King one day."
"I'm not interested in that."
Bai Yu waved dismissively.
"If finding Laugh Tale is all it takes to be Pirate King, then what's the difference between that and being the King of Adventure, the King of Luck, or the King of Exploration?"
"I believe that the true Pirate King is the one who crushes everyone with raw strength—who suppresses all rivals until no one dares to challenge them."
"Could Gol D. Roger defeat every single top pirate one-on-one with sheer strength?"
The girls were stunned.
Could he…?
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