Kizaru’s kick was already right next to Vir’s face.
At the same time, a light beam was fired from his hand, aimed straight at Rayleigh.
If nothing went wrong…
If Rayleigh took this hit to the head, he’d die on the spot.
He was already unconscious.
But Vir’s Observation Haki had foreseen this.
Between his fingers, a streak of lightning almost indistinguishable from Kizaru’s beam shot forth, intercepting it head-on.
Though the two forces clashed briefly, the lightning was ultimately pierced through.
Still, the beam’s speed had been slowed.
In the end, it grazed Rayleigh’s pants and struck the ground, triggering a massive explosion.
As for that light-speed kick—
Vir responded with his Lightning Cannon!
His body flashed brightly before an overwhelming shockwave blasted toward Kizaru.
Even though Kizaru had preemptively elementalized his body, he couldn’t completely dodge the attack.
He was forced half a meter back.
The light-speed kick missed entirely.
Without pausing for a second, Kizaru launched a wide-range attack.
He was trying to disrupt the space or directly stop Rayleigh.
Vir, seeing that Rayleigh had already flew through the spatial door, willed it shut.
But space remained unstable.
He at least had to tank Kizaru’s move.
He couldn’t let it affect the space on that end.
“Yasakani no Magatama!”
As Kizaru’s words dropped, a barrage of light orbs began raining down wildly!
The dazzling brilliance and chilling aura were enough to make it clear—this wasn’t something easy to endure.
Vir squinted at the overwhelming brilliance raining from above, frowning slightly.
Around him, bolts of lightning crackled wildly, lashing at the scorched earth beneath his feet.
“So damn bright. Might as well call this a flashbang.”
Vir quipped casually.
Kizaru frowned at that from above.
“Kowaine~ Better focus on staying alive~”
Just as he said that, Vir’s eyes snapped open!
His eyes were now a glowing blue!
Within those pupils, lightning danced wildly.
Just as Vir was about to unleash his power, he hesitated.
He stared at Kizaru’s attack—the countless orbs capable of reducing the entire area to rubble.
He listened to the sound of Kizaru’s body as he activated his ability.
Vir, who had never received formal Devil Fruit training and had only ever relied on his own haphazard experimentation…
In that moment, something clicked.
Suddenly, Vir closed his eyes again.
Then reopened them.
But this time, the blue was gone.
Replaced by a deep, purple.
The eerie glow in his pupils radiated such danger that even Kizaru felt a chill.
The lightning surrounding Vir shifted as well—now a crackling purple, far more intense than before.
The sheer pressure of it made the air tremble.
The ground beneath him fractured under the unconscious lashings of the wild electricity.
*Snap!*
Vir flicked his fingers.
“Thunderstorm.”
The instant the words left his mouth, the lightning around him erupted like untamed beasts!
Like serpents, they coiled and lashed toward their targets!
Arcs of lightning zigzagged through the air, hitting every light orb with precision!
The battlefield became nothing but light—blinding flashes above, searing purple below.
With the deafening roar of thunderclaps, the scene turned into a living hell.
Anything that dared approach would be vaporized instantly.
Light orbs kept coming.
But lightning kept meeting them.
Not a single orb could break through!
Seeing how effortlessly Vir countered his Yasakani no Magatama, Kizaru’s usual lazy expression finally cracked—just slightly.
And that purple lightning…
How did it suddenly become so much stronger?!
If it were still that bluish lightning from before—
If Vir had been using the blue lightning from before, Kizaru was certain it would’ve taken two bolts just to cancel out one of his light orbs.
But now?
The current exchange rate was about 1.5 to 1, and was steadily approaching 1 to 1!
Kizaru was shocked.
What the hell?
Did he just help this brat awaken his power?
And now he’d… what? Help him practice?!
Was he a damn teacher now?
He was just here to slack off—how had he become a mentor?!
This was ridiculous!
That blue lightning was already a pain to deal with.
Now it was purple?!
Was this even allowed?!
Momousagi’s jaw nearly dropped.
The aura of that lightning sent a primal warning through her—she couldn’t fight this.
Did… Vir just get stronger?
That thought surfaced in her mind—and it immediately made her panic.
Too fast.
This growth was way too fast!
It felt like she’d never be able to catch up to him.
The idea of arresting him with her own hands now felt… impossible.
His growth rate was simply beyond her reach.
What in the world is this guy made of?!
It’s ridiculous!
Meanwhile, Vir had closed his eyes again.
His Observation Haki was entirely focused on the lightning he was unleashing.
His understanding of thunder deepened with every passing second.
Each bolt grew sharper, deadlier.
But the cost?
His stamina was draining fast.
Just as Kizaru was considering ending this impromptu lesson—
A flicker of light in the distance changed his mind.
Rayleigh had landed safely.
Vir no longer had anything holding him back.
He just wanted to experiment a bit more with his ability.
After all, if someone’s willing to be your sparring partner for free—it’d be a waste not to take advantage.
But Kizaru noticed something.
Vir’s eyes were still shut, his mind wholly immersed in the world of lightning.
His Observation Haki wasn’t even active anymore.
A smirk tugged at Kizaru’s lips.
‘Tch… getting cocky, huh?’
‘Two Admirals are right here and you’re bold enough to shut off your Observation Haki?’
‘That’s a death wish.’
‘Rayleigh got away, sure—’
‘But as long as we capture you, the main culprit, we can still wrap this up just fine!’
Kizaru grinned to himself, quietly charging energy in his hand.
At the same time, Akainu had already snuck up behind Vir.
Seeing that Vir had zero reaction, he sneered coldly.
‘Fool.’
‘So eager to power up—you’ll just end up throwing your life away.’
‘How the hell has a moron like this even survived until now?’
Akainu thought disdainfully, the heat in his fist growing hotter.
His temple still ached—visibly dented.
That signature cap of his? Gone.
His head felt like it might explode.
The lightning from earlier, combined with his lack of defense, had dealt irreversible damage to his skull.
From now on, Akainu might be dealing with migraines for life.
The purple lightning in the sky grew more refined, more stable.
But Kizaru pretended not to notice, continuing his barrage.
Vir, still deep in his trance, only snapped back to reality when—
Danger.
The temperature around him spiked by dozens of degrees in an instant.
His Observation Haki flared.
Akainu’s fist was already behind his head, and ahead of him, a massive beam of light was about to hit his face.
Tch, tch.
This was the first time he’d felt this kind of personal growth.
Vir had lost himself in the moment.
But it didn’t matter.
These attacks…
Were useless.