Rayleigh was drenched in sweat.
Vir, on the other hand, sat comfortably atop a mangrove tree, peering through a military-grade spyglass he’d somehow acquired, observing everything below.
Now was not the time to use Observation Haki.
Too easy to expose himself. Better to just… ahem, no no, just having a bit of fun.
This spyglass gave him a clear view of everything anyway.
Looking down at Rayleigh, who was already sweating buckets, Vir just couldn’t stop grinning.
‘Old Ray…’
‘Don’t grieve when I’m gone.’
‘There’s so much left unsaid~’
“Kowai ne~ Where is that guy~ If I don’t catch him, I might lose my job~”
As soon as Kizaru arrived, the battlefield came to a halt.
He didn’t waste any time and went straight to ask Momousagi.
She was panting heavily—her fight with Rayleigh had really taken a toll.
Upon hearing Kizaru’s question, she answered with hesitation.
“He… he’s dead.”
“WHAT?! Dead?!”
Kizaru’s trademark lazy drawl vanished in an instant.
Even his usual sleazy expression twisted into complete disbelief.
That news genuinely stunned him.
It was like eating hotpot, singing karaoke…
And then suddenly everyone died.
The whiplash was too much—even for Kizaru.
That brat’s dead?
Weren’t they told that unless his spatial abilities were countered, he couldn’t be killed?
So what, he just up and died out of nowhere?
Did their intel mess up?
Or was there some hidden master here that Vir pissed off?
That was the only explanation Kizaru could think of.
“Who killed him~? Such terrifying strength~ Who knew this place was crawling with monsters~?”
“Really didn’t see that coming~ I should definitely thank them properly if I get the chance~”
Anyway, if Momousagi said the guy was dead, it was probably true.
She was a candidate for Admiral—no way she’d mistake a corpse for someone breathing.
So Kizaru relaxed a little.
Mission complete. Now all he had to do was find a comfy spot, take a nap, then head home to report in.
Perfect plan!
But then Momousagi’s next words nearly dislocated his jaw.
“Uhh… I think… I killed him?”
She said, completely unsure of herself.
From her awkward tone, even she knew how absurd that sounded.
“Oh~ you killed him huh~”
“WHAT?! YOU killed him?!”
Kizaru’s sleazy eyes bulged again.
That news hit hard.
Vir, that brat—even with Akainu’s help, they couldn’t pin him down.
And now what? You’re telling me you just sent him straight to the afterlife?
But thinking about it—Momousagi’s always been serious.
She wouldn’t joke about something like this.
So he tried to accept it.
Still, he needed to know—how the hell did she counter his spatial powers?
And how exactly did she kill him?
“Kowai ne~ Gion~ Didn’t expect you had that kind of strength~ His spatial powers~ how did you deal with them~?”
But even Momousagi herself wasn’t sure.
She replied with the same confusion.
“I think… I followed him into his space. Then… then I just raised my hand a little. I don’t think my sword even touched him. Pretty sure it didn’t.”
“But then… it was like he got hit by a train. He just flew out at supersonic speed. And then… then…”
“Then what?!”
“Then he… kinda washed Rayleigh’s face and hair with his own blood… and died.”
“WHAT?!”
Kizaru lost it again.
What the hell was that?
That couldn’t be right.
From what she was saying—
She raised her hand.
Didn’t even know if she touched the guy.
And he just… dropped dead?
Honestly, Kizaru had every right to be shocked.
Vir’s death just now—
It was on par with, if not more ridiculous than, the way Gojo Satoru in Jujutsu Kaisen got sliced in half by Sukuna, despite being the strongest from start to finish.
Instantly went from Gojo to “Two-and-a-half Jo.”
Or like, hotpot-and-karaoke ×2—
BAM, ambushed by bandits.
The suddenness. The absurdity. All perfectly matched!
It was all about being completely caught off guard.
But what’s done is done.
Momousagi said the guy really died. Not even a blip in Observation Haki.
Kizaru had no choice but to accept it.
Since Vir was taken out by one of their own—
They had to recover the body.
If it were some mysterious expert, they could’ve said he disappeared, or got vaporized.
But when it’s an internal takedown, there’s no excuse. He had to bring the corpse back.
No way to explain it to the higher-ups otherwise.
With that thought, Kizaru prepared to chase after Luffy’s group in the direction they escaped.
Just as he turned into a beam of light to leave—
*BOOM!*
Rayleigh dropkicked Kizaru mid-air, right on the arm he raised to block.
*CRASH!*
Kizaru hit the ground hard.
…Well, “hard” was an exaggeration. That kick shouldn’t have sent him flying like that.
Kizaru was definitely hamming it up.
Okay, fine—he’d seen Rayleigh coming. But honestly?
Chasing after those rookie pirates sounded way easier than fighting the Dark King.
Then again… maybe stalling Rayleigh here wasn’t so bad.
If the old man wouldn’t let him leave, what choice did he have but to fight?
“Yo! So cool, Old Ray!”
That kick was so realistic, even Vir watching from above was fooled.
Rayleigh landed, and looked a little confused at his own foot.
Then, turning to face Kizaru and Momousagi—
He gently lifted his longsword. The air cracked with the sharp sound of wind being torn.
Its tip aimed squarely at Kizaru.
“You came all this way, and you’re leaving without saying hello to this old man? That’s just rude. I might get angry, you know.”
Rayleigh’s tone was anything but friendly.
An invisible pressure radiated from him, and a faint black glow began to flicker around his body.
“Ohhhh, that’s how you flex. Gotta take notes!”
Vir was practically giddy watching from above.
The stronger Rayleigh looked, the more excited he got.
If he could snag that Conqueror’s Haki later, he’d be set.
That flickering black glow?
Yep—Rayleigh’s Conqueror’s Haki.
But he hadn’t released it—just added a bit of psychological pressure.
Seeing this, Momousagi’s face turned serious.
So… during their fight earlier, Rayleigh wasn’t even going all out?
Kizaru, on the other hand, didn’t really care.
Not like this was a one-on-one.
Why stress? Just stall until backup arrives.
That’s right.
What Kizaru hated most was 1v1 deathmatches.
Too hard to slack off during those.
Just as the next big clash was about to erupt—
A burst of flames suddenly crashed down from the sky!
BOOM!—right in the middle of both sides.
A wave of searing heat surged outward.
That violent aura made Rayleigh’s eyes widen in surprise.
He didn’t think the Marines would actually bring him here.
Man, life’s just not fair for this old guy…
And as Kizaru saw Akainu arrive—
His face instantly relaxed even more than before.
Give him a chair right now, and he’d collapse into it without a second thought…