Chapter 22: Fleet Admiral, You might not believe this!

What just occurred was nothing short of extraordinary—Conqueror's Infusion!

"What... a monster?" Kizaru's thoughts raced as he processed the reality of the situation. This was a power only a select few, the true titans of the world, could wield. And he had just been critically injured by it in a single, devastating blow.

He had been too careless.

As his mind reeled, Kizaru remembered his former instructor, Marine Admiral Zephyr, who had often chastised him for his overreliance on his Devil Fruit abilities. Now, this was a bloody lesson, a harsh reminder of his own vulnerability. He had trusted too much in the elementalization of his Sparkling Fruit, believing it would allow him to approach and swiftly subdue his opponents. Yet, when faced with a counterattack of this magnitude, he hadn't even been able to evade.

"Who... is he?" Kizaru muttered to himself, his voice laced with bitter realization as he swallowed the blood pooling in his mouth. This wasn't an opponent he could defeat alone. The only option now was to stall, buy time, and hope for reinforcements. Taking down these audacious criminals on his own seemed increasingly impossible.

With a determined resolve, Kizaru's battered body, still embedded in the mangrove trunk, began to dissolve into countless photons. In an instant, he reformed in the sky, his body now a brilliant beacon of golden light.

"Yasakani no Magatama!"

He transformed into a dazzling cross-shaped star, radiating blinding brilliance as the air hummed with power.

"It's so dazzling..." Edie shielded his eyes from the intense light with his hand. Behind him, the three Snake Sisters huddled in fear, clinging to his white coat. Hancock, in particular, felt her heart pound in her chest, silently praying for the safety of the man she now saw as her Prince Charming.

Then came the attack. A torrential downpour of light bullets rained from the sky, each one a deadly projectile. But Zishu, ever unfazed, grinned and quickly began to swing his katana, his movements a blur as he unleashed a barrage of sword energy to meet the oncoming assault.

The air was filled with the sounds of battle—explosions rang out as light bullets collided with sword energy, each impact shaking the surroundings. Boom! Boom! Boom! The two forces clashed with such intensity that it seemed as though the heavens themselves might split.

For several minutes, the battle hung in a tense stalemate. But then, as suddenly as it had begun, the rain of light ceased, the brilliance fading as the attack lost its momentum.

Kizaru's gaze sharpened as he pointed directly at Edie. "You must be the boss."

Without hesitation, he unleashed his attack—Arrow of Light. A golden beam shot from his fingertips, rapidly accumulating energy before splitting into a barrage of golden arrows that streaked toward Edie with deadly intent.

But Edie merely smiled, unfazed.

Chen Long moved with blinding speed, stepping in front of Edie. He calmly extended his hand, catching the arrows of light as they hurtled toward them. With a simple squeeze, he crushed them into fragments, the light dissipating into nothingness.

"Hey, Marine," Zishu taunted, his voice carrying an edge of playful menace. "Your fight is with me."

Meanwhile, Zishu, who was slightly different from the others in the Earthly Branches, couldn't resist the thrill of battle. Childish yet warlike, he thrived on combat and was always eager to engage. Seeing Kizaru ignore him only fueled his excitement. With a grin, he launched himself into the air, katana at the ready, aiming to clash with the Admiral.

Kizaru, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow, quickly manifested a sword of light in his hands. He raised it high and met Zishu's katana with a resounding clash.

Boom!

The force of the collision sent Kizaru flying backward, struggling to maintain his composure as his strength waned.

"Running out of steam, Marine?" Zishu laughed, his black wings unfurling behind him. With a powerful beat of his wings, he pursued Kizaru, who was still reeling from the clash. The two engaged in a fierce aerial battle, their movements a blur of light and dark.

Kizaru, already gravely injured, was rapidly losing ground. He gasped for breath, his lightsaber barely keeping up with Zishu's relentless assault. "Who... who are you? With strength like that, you're no ordinary criminal."

Zishu's swordplay was not just powerful; it was eerily familiar, stirring something in the depths of Kizaru's memory.

"The Twelve Earthly Branches," Zishu replied with a cheerful grin. "The name's Zishu. Enjoy the battle while it lasts, Marine."

Zishu's enthusiasm for the fight was palpable. For too long in Wanokuni, he had been denied a worthy opponent. But now, facing Kizaru, he was finally able to stretch his muscles and savor the thrill of combat.

"Twelve Earthly Branches?" Kizaru's mind raced. This was no ordinary group—this was an organization, a powerful one at that. His eyes darted briefly to Edie, who stood nearby, calm and composed, with Chen Long ever vigilant at his side. Another Earthly Branch? And the man in white—he's their leader?

Edie, indifferent to the chaos around him, approached the Yarkman mangrove tree where Kizaru had been embedded moments ago. He carefully collected the blood from the tree, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. "Let's go, Chen Long."

"Yes," Chen Long replied, his form suddenly shifting. In an instant, he transformed into a massive Azure Dragon.

The three Snake Sisters gasped in unison, their eyes wide with shock. The towering man who had protected them was now a dragon?

Edie calmly guided the three sisters onto the dragon's head. Without delay, the Azure Dragon ascended into the sky, leaving the battlefield behind.

Zishu, still locked in combat with Kizaru, glanced toward the sky and sighed. "Seems like Heavenly Father's done waiting. Farewell, Marine. Next time we meet, try to be a bit stronger."

With that, Zishu delivered a final, powerful strike that sent Kizaru reeling. He then flapped his wings, abandoning the fight to rejoin Edie.

Kizaru, struggling to catch his breath, clutched his abdomen where Zishu's attacks had inflicted internal damage. Though his body bore no visible wounds, the pain within was excruciating.

He looked up at the sky, bewildered. The sight of the Azure Dragon soaring above sent a chill down his spine. Kaido? No, it wasn't him. This dragon was different—smaller, but equally formidable.

"What… what's going on?" Kizaru muttered, utterly perplexed by the scene that had just unfolded. The sheer power and audacity of the group left him reeling, his mind struggling to comprehend the magnitude of what he had just witnessed.

"Hey, little brother, do you think you can just fly away after all that talk?" Kizaru regained his composure and, with a mocking tone, pointed skyward. Photons gathered at his fingertips, forming a blinding golden light ready to strike.

Above, on the dragon's head, Edie glanced back, startled at first, then broke into a laugh. "Tell me, how much does a Vice Admiral make a month? Is it worth working so hard for that paycheck? Chen Long, handle this."

"Boro Breath!" Chen Long bellowed, his jaws parting to unleash a torrent of searing flames from the sky.

Kizaru's expression tightened as he prepared to counterattack, but the intense flames incinerated his arrow of light in an instant. The dragon's fiery breath engulfed Kizaru, drilling through the ground of the Sabaody Archipelago and punching straight into the ocean below.

Boom!

A massive explosion followed, a fireball hundreds of meters wide turning the sky red. The sea water, evaporated by the intense heat, rose as thick steam, shrouding the Yarkman mangroves in Area 1 in a dense fog.

Edie, showing no concern, simply rode the blue dragon into the clouds, disappearing from sight without a backward glance.

"What a terrifyingly strong youngster," a voice commented from the shadows.

Perched on a horizontal branch of a nearby mangrove tree, a middle-aged man with a distinct scar over his right eye watched the scene with a grin. His blond hair framed a face adorned with round glasses and a straight beard, and he held a small iron jug in his hand.

It was none other than Silvers Rayleigh.

Taking a sip from his jug, Rayleigh murmured to himself, "That sword move just now... Divine Departure. Who could it be? Roger's disciple? But I haven't heard of him taking on any students."

Pondering the mystery, Rayleigh's keen ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps. "Ah, the Marines are here."

In a blink, he vanished from his perch, leaving the area just as the Marine forces arrived. As they surveyed the destruction, the sight of the island—penetrated and scarred by a gaping hole over 100 meters wide, with the charred roots of the Yarkman mangroves exposed—left them pale and shaken.

"What could've caused this?" one Marine muttered, staring at the devastation.

The base commander stationed on the island wore a grave expression. "Could it have been from that explosion earlier?"

Suddenly, a flicker of light caught their attention. At the edge of the crater, countless light particles coalesced into a figure, sitting motionless on the ground and panting heavily.

"Kizaru Vice Admiral?" The base commander rushed forward, astonished. "What happened? We received reports that the Celestial Dragons were killed."

Kizaru, weary and battered, scratched his head as he struggled to his feet. "Who knows…"

His usual flippant demeanor was now tinged with fatigue. "I'm seriously injured. Do me a favor—tell the headquarters I'm taking a long leave... with pay."

He sighed deeply, reflecting on the earlier confrontation. For a moment, he found himself agreeing with what that guy had said.

A Vice Admiral's salary? Was it really worth all this trouble?

A few hours later.

At the Naval Headquarters, within the stern confines of the conference room, Kizaru sat slumped in a chair, his usual nonchalant demeanor replaced with an uncharacteristic helplessness. Two nurses attended to him, carefully cleaning his wounds.

"Ow, that hurts... What are you using on me?" Kizaru winced, flinching as the antiseptic touched his skin.

"Vice Admiral Kizaru, it's a disinfectant to prevent infection," one of the nurses replied with a gentle smile, trying to soothe his discomfort.

Boom!

Fleet Admiral Kong's fist slammed down on the table, his face contorted with anger. "Borsalino! You were in the Sabaody Archipelago, yet you failed to stop the criminals?! Killing the Celestial Dragons is treasonous! How could you let them escape? How am I supposed to explain this to the Five Elders?!"

'Let them go? I'm lucky to be alive!' Kizaru thought, his mouth twisting as he struggled to find the right words.

"Fleet Admiral, you might not believe this, but I faced 'Kaido' and the son of Roger at the same time, along with some unknown boss," Kizaru finally managed, though his tone was laced with disbelief at his own words.

Kong frowned, irritation clear on his face. "What nonsense are you spouting, Borsalino?"

Just then, the door to the conference room swung open, and Sengoku walked in, his expression grave.

Kong immediately turned his attention to him. "Sengoku, what's the situation?"

Sengoku nodded, his voice deep and serious. "The situation has been thoroughly investigated. The three Celestial Dragons from the Phoenix Family were attending the auction when they were suddenly attacked by Conqueror's Haki and subsequently killed by someone named Zishu. Everyone at the scene was knocked unconscious. There were three criminals in total. While no photos were taken, based on the descriptions..."

He paused, recalling an incident from half a year ago. "This reminds me of the Jaya Island incident and the sighting at Loguetown."

Kong's expression darkened, a heavy realization dawning on him. "What are you implying...?"

"Yes," Sengoku confirmed, his voice tense. "It seems to be the same group."

Kizaru, still reeling from his encounter, looked bewildered as the two senior officers exchanged cryptic remarks. "What kind of riddle are you two unraveling?"

Suddenly, Kizaru recalled something and interjected. "Oh, right! One of them introduced himself as [Zishu], one of the Twelve Earthly Branches, and admitted to killing the Celestial Dragons. Another one had Kaido's Blue Dragon Fruit ability, but it wasn't Kaido! He called himself... [Chen Long]."

Kong and Sengoku's faces went pale, their breath catching in their throats.

"What did you say?! There are actually twelve of them in the Twelve Earthly Branches?!" Kong exclaimed, the gravity of the revelation hitting him like a tidal wave.