Chapter 321: ICISEI Episode 307

Episode 307: That Year, Did I Also Turn into Light?

〜Inuyasha World〜

The ’two-doggy’ muttered,

"Hey, that sword looks really cool!"

Shippo glanced at the battered Tessaiga at Inuyasha’s waist, then looked back at the famous gold-patterned, gem-encrusted sword on the screen. He shrugged helplessly, his meaning clear.

He didn’t dare speak his mind, knowing he would definitely get beaten up if he did.

But his gesture had already caught Inuyasha’s attention. Inuyasha was now glaring at him with a displeased look. Once Shippo finished his silent commentary, Inuyasha gave him a harsh, painful rap on the head.

"Ow! Kagome!"

Shippo ran to Kagome’s side with tears in his eyes, and she pulled him into a protective, comforting embrace.

She glared at Inuyasha, her voice icy cold.

"Inuyasha, sit, boy!"

THUD—!

Meanwhile, on another side...

Atop a cliff—

Sesshomaru stared intently at the screen before him.

When he saw the famous sword on the screen, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

It wasn’t desire, but pure appreciation.

Such exquisite craftsmanship was by no means a product of this era; even if someone could make it, it would only be flashy but impractical. Sesshomaru quickly withdrew his gaze and focused back on the battle scene.

This sword was merely a minor surprise to him.

What interested him more was the man known as the strongest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk. He wanted to see just how formidable this man truly was!

—

『 Mihawk held his sword with one hand.

He swung it fiercely.

The moment he slashed, the space in front of him began to warp like jelly, followed by a wave of white air spreading outward.

Just this circular ripple caused a deep crack to split open in the ice below.

The sword qi surged with astonishing momentum, far from the wall, sweeping across the ice in a green wave. It was unstoppable, tearing through everything in its path.

The sword qi continued to expand, reaching its peak just before Moby Dick, looking as if it would slice Whitebeard and his massive ship clean in half the very next second!

Everyone watched this scene with bated breath.

After all, before this, anything was possible!

Just then, a dark figure appeared in the frame.

This figure stood directly in the path of the sword qi.

What?!

Is this guy suicidal?

Does he plan to block the sword qi with his bare body?

Could he be a die-hard fan of Whitebeard, willing to throw away his life to protect his boss? Is there any point to that?

At this moment, even the Marines were shocked!

In the next instant, the sword qi clashed with the dark figure.

Would blood splatter everywhere?

Would he be cut in two?

Some women nearby with children who were watching had already covered their little ones’ eyes ahead of time to spare them from such a gruesome sight.

However, the bloody scene they anticipated did not occur. The man bent his back and directly bore the brunt of this powerful sword qi.

Faced with such terrifying power, his feet—which had begun to slide back—firmly planted themselves under his deliberate control, sinking deep into the ice and snow below.

Under the immense pressure, he let out a deafening, guttural roar.

With a sudden burst of strength, he shoved upward!

The sword qi actually changed direction in his hands, turning into a green beam of light that shot straight into the sky.

Like a firework in the sky, it exploded into a massive burst of light when it reached its highest point. Both Marines and pirates stared up at the high sky in awe.

If such a strike had hit a ship, the consequences would have been unimaginable!

While everyone was shocked by the sheer power of that sword strike, they were even more astounded by the figure who had managed to block it!

Just who could achieve such an incredible feat?

The Marines spoke in utter disbelief, "It was actually stopped!"

"He actually blocked a strike from the world’s strongest swordsman!"

A long fissure had opened in the ice, and at the end of the crack, within the ice mist kicked up by the impact, the silhouette of a massive body was faintly visible.

When all the ice and dust finally settled, everyone was deeply moved.

"That’s..."

"The Third Division Commander!"

"Diamond Jozu!"

The figure finally revealed himself fully to everyone.

His body radiated a brilliant, dazzling luster that made many women look on with envy. Except for his face, his entire massive frame was made of incredibly hard diamond.

As one of the hardest minerals in the world, it was only natural that he could successfully block that slash.

Hawkeye Mihawk gazed at Diamond Jozu from afar, then sheathed his sword.

Diamond Jozu let out a smug grin, looking quite satisfied with himself!

At this moment, the pirates seized the opportunity to launch an attack.

"You guys are actually dazing out at a time like this? Aren’t you just giving us a chance?"

"Charge, boys! Attack the town directly!"

The pirates’ morale instantly soared.

From his high vantage point, Sengoku observed the battle below and said unhurriedly, "How foolish, trying to force your way through in front of so many cannons."

He took a step forward and spoke into the microphone to the artillery unit, "Prepare to fire. Target the enemy ships and the pirates running toward us!"

The soldiers standing by the massive cannons raised their hands and answered in unison, "Understood!"

Then, they quickly adjusted the positions of the cannons and opened fire fiercely on the ships at sea.

The power of these heavy artillery pieces guarding the walls was vastly different from the smaller cannons on the ships.

Every cannonball fired from here caused massive waves when it hit the sea, tossing the enemy ships violently; a direct hit would undoubtedly cause severe damage.

Sengoku’s tactical commands continued. As a veteran of a hundred battles, he had a unique understanding of how to direct warfare.

Under his guidance, the pirate forces suffered heavy blows repeatedly!

"Frontline assault squad, hear my command!"

"Your only goal is to ensure not a single pirate sets foot in the plaza. As for the chaos behind the enemy, rest assured and leave it to us to handle."

Hearing Sengoku’s words, the Marines’ fighting spirit was fully ignited as they roared back, "Roger!"

Everyone surged forward!

Faced with the invading enemy, they no longer felt any fear!

He stood beside Ace, chatting with him, appearing much more approachable than the three Marine Admirals.

So, no one had realized that this man was actually the highest Marine commander!

Under his calm direction, the tide quickly turned. The pirates, who had been in high spirits, gradually fell into a disadvantage, and the Marines’ heavy artillery fire brought them significant casualties.

But the warriors continued to fight, swords clashing, with no fear in their eyes, determined to fight to the death!

The battle was exceptionally brutal.

Up above, Kizaru also stood up.

Everyone was shocked. Was a second Admiral about to join the battle?

"As expected of the Whitebeard Pirates, they really are troublesome to deal with~"

"These commanders, their strength is like monsters~"

"If this keeps up, things will get bad!"

"Sigh, the best way now is to capture or eliminate their leader first~ Once Whitebeard is dealt with, they’ll be helpless~!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his body suddenly emitted a brilliant light. These particles of light gradually dissolved and dispersed, and Kizaru vanished into the sky above. 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Hikari (Ultraman): "Such a massive amount of light?" ]

[ Kizaru (One Piece): "So, have you ever been kicked by light?" ]

[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Light? How could light kick someone?" ]

[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "Exactly, exactly." ]

[ Ultraman? (???): "Light that can materialize attacks?" ]

[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "Not necessarily, it might just be a high-speed attack method." ]

[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "That’s still super cool, okay?" ]

[ .....]

『 Only Akainu sat alone on the high platform.

His face was completely expressionless, his head tilted up slightly.

At this moment.

Many pirates below covered their eyes one after another.

"What is that? It’s so blinding!"

"I can’t even open my eyes!"

"Is it another sun? What’s going on!"

"What on earth is happening!"

A shining, diamond-shaped light source appeared in mid-air, radiating a piercing glare.

Whitebeard looked up, completely unfazed.

Once the light dissipated, Kizaru’s unserious face appeared in the sky.

The pirates below were all stunned, shouting, "Kizaru is here!"

Thinking of the strength of the previous Marine Admiral, everyone couldn’t help but worry deeply.

One by one, they gripped their weapons tightly, fully focused!

But to their surprise, Kizaru didn’t attack them directly. Instead, he cast his gaze toward Whitebeard on the ship.

"YASAKANI NO MAGATAMA—!"

In an instant, countless light spheres fired from Kizaru’s body, raining down in Whitebeard’s direction.

Not only were there countless light spheres, but when everyone felt the immense power within them, they were all dumbfounded!

This strike was truly terrifying!

The energy contained in each light sphere was staggering.

Seeing that Whitebeard still hadn’t moved, everyone was filled with doubt.

Does he plan to block it with his body? Or is he waiting for the attacks to get closer before reacting?

No, neither option would work.

The Marines in the battle didn’t know Whitebeard’s physical condition, but everyone in front of the screens knew very well that he already relied on IV drips to sustain his life. How could he take this attack head-on?

Furthermore, these light spheres moved incredibly fast. Even though the playback speed on the screen had slowed down, everyone still felt there was no time to react. At this speed, Whitebeard couldn’t dodge once the attack reached him. It was too dangerous!

Whitebeard squinted his eyes and muttered, "Hey, why is it so bright?"

The next second.

A massive bluebird flapped its wings, blocking the path of the light spheres.

It spread its wings, releasing all its power to firmly withstand this wave of attacks.

Although the attack Kizaru unleashed was a dense rain of bullets formed by relatively small light spheres, because they were so dense and numerous, to everyone, it looked like a dazzling sun magnified hundreds of times. The light was blinding, with a diameter exceeding a hundred meters.

How could this power be described as anything less than terrifying?

Yet, such a massive bird had actually blocked such a terrifying attack!

The blue halo was like a giant shield, and none of the light spheres managed to penetrate it.

This scene was extremely shocking.

Both Marines and pirates were stunned.

Everyone was filled with wonder!

Finally, with a massive explosion, all the light dispersed, and the entire space seemed to be swept by a violent storm, the waves of air making it hard for people to stand steady.

Yet Whitebeard still stood motionless in the air currents, calmly looking upward.

"The Marine Admiral’s attack was blocked!"

"It wasn’t Whitebeard who did it. Who is that?"

"There’s actually such a powerful figure among the pirates!"

"Admiral Kizaru’s attack was actually ineffective?"

The Marines whispered among themselves. Hearing everyone’s astonishment, Whitebeard let out a smug grin.

At this moment, the blue figure finally revealed himself to the crowd.

But upon seeing him, everyone gasped.

It was unbelievable!

His entire body was wrapped in blue flames!

The wings they had seen earlier were actually made of fire.

There was still a lot of Kizaru’s power lingering on the flames, making him look as if he had been injured!

His injuries looked so severe!

But the fact that he could still survive was already a miracle!

Did this man block the attack at the cost of his life just to protect Whitebeard?

Everyone buzzed with discussion.

Up above, Kizaru was also slightly taken aback, murmuring to himself, "Blue flames?"

The man within the flames now wore a cold smirk, his gaze filled with hostility, looking as if he would pounce and eliminate Kizaru in the next second!

Even though he was surrounded by flames, his tone was icy and angry.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

"Kizaru, you really don’t know the rules, coming up and harassing our Pops right off the bat. You’ve got some nerve!"

Kizaru said in a sarcastic tone, "How scary~ the Whitebeard Pirates~!"

The Marines looked at the figure wrapped in giant wings above them, their voices trembling uncontrollably, "Just who on earth is that! To be able to block a direct attack from an Admiral and still stand firm!"

"Could this be the legendary ability!"

Kizaru spoke slowly, "An existence even rarer than Logia fruits—a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit!"

At this moment, the wounds on the man’s body were still smoking with blue flames, but as the remnants of Kizaru’s power dissipated, the flames also began to fade.

The clearly visible wounds healed rapidly.

At this moment, the Marines, who were already shocked by his power, stared with even wider eyes!

What kind of powerful recovery ability was this, to heal so quickly?

"As expected of Admiral Kizaru, that attack was quite good, very effective!"

Kizaru said coldly, "Liar~"

By now, the man opposite him had fully recovered, with no visible scars left on his body, save for some lingering energy on his flaming wings that hadn’t completely vanished!

But with a roar, those flames suddenly erupted. His legs turned into talons, and his body was enveloped in flames, transforming into a blue phoenix that soared toward Kizaru!

Everyone was astonished. What kind of ability was this!?

When this blue phoenix appeared, the Marines below finally recognized his identity.

"No one else could possess such power!"

"Only he could fight on equal terms with Admiral Kizaru!"

"I wonder who is stronger!"

"He is the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Marco. No matter how many times he is attacked or how badly he is hurt, he can regenerate like a phoenix."

Right then.

The blue undead bird flew toward Kizaru.

Because Marco usually had a habit of squinting his eyes, making him look like he had just woken up, he maintained this feature even after transforming into the phoenix, which looked particularly peculiar!

Faced with this, Kizaru didn’t show any weakness either. A smirk curled on his lips as he murmured, "How rare, I’ve never seen such a strange bird! It’s quite ugly, too~!"

With a gentle wave of his palm in the air, a brilliant line of light seemed to emerge from his palm. The same kind of light bullets used to deal with the opponent earlier shot toward Marco in a dense barrage once again.

But all of these moves were useless; they were all swallowed by the flames on Marco’s body.

With a powerful flap of his wings, Marco was instantly in front of Kizaru.

He turned his legs back into human form and delivered a fierce kick in a half-arc in mid-air.

This movement was extremely swift.

The audience thought this kick would definitely land.

But Kizaru’s movements were equally astonishingly fast, blocking the attack with his arm at the very last second.

He even teased, "This move isn’t bad either!"

As expected of Kizaru, he always finds an opportunity to make his opponent uncomfortable.

"Liar!" Marco was furious. He increased his strength to attack, but after a few exchanges, he realized Kizaru was powerful and not easily dealt with!

A single strike definitely wouldn’t work!

Marco only intended to test the waters and planned to continue his offensive.

However, at this moment, Kizaru’s defensive strength suddenly weakened, and his entire body turned into a beam of intense light that crashed directly into the Marine fortress.

With a loud boom, dust billowed into the air.

The Marines were shocked into silence for a moment.

They stared at the light on the ground that hadn’t fully dissipated, saying, "How is that possible! Could Kizaru...?"

The once-sturdy wall was now a complete mess from the blast, and the spot where Kizaru had fallen suffered the most damage.

Looking at the gradually dimming light, people even worried if he was truly done for. 』

『 .....』

( Translator-kun: As we know, the entire Summit War is full of actors; only Akainu is trying to carry the game. Everyone else was ’acting’ or slacking off; Akainu had to do 99% of the actual work for the World Government. )