"The Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!"
Mio growled, his fist enveloped in Armament Haki, and at the same time, a stream of blazing flames emerged.
With all his strength, Mio's fist was covered in fire, exuding a terrifying aura. This punch alone was enough to instill a deadly sense of crisis.
"Let me see how big the gap really is between me and an Admiral," Mio murmured, a glint flashing in his eyes as he threw the punch to meet the attack.
Boom.
A deafening explosion erupted.
The sound spread across several surrounding areas.
"What a loud noise! It came from over there."
"Is someone fighting?"
"It's the captain of the Black Crow Pirates, Kurokawa Mio, and Admiral Kizaru!"
"As expected of the infamous escapee from Impel Down, he can actually fight an Admiral. But can he really match an Admiral?"
"Why are we even talking? Let's run while that guy keeps the Admiral busy!"
The pirates shouted in panic. Though some were curious and looked in the direction of the fight, they quickly shook their heads and ran toward the port, unwilling to get caught between two monsters.
…
Meanwhile—
Mio's side.
"Ahem."
Mio clutched his chest and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Looking up at Kizaru floating in the sky, he said in awe, "As expected of an Admiral. The gap in strength is massive."
Although he managed to withstand the Admiral's attack with all his power, it was still a bit of a stretch. He was only slightly injured, but it was clear that if he fought head-on, he would quickly fall behind.
The difference in power was undeniable.
"Stay here," Kizaru said indifferently. He didn't want to waste more time—especially since he had sensed the presence of a Celestial Dragon nearby.
If this fight dragged on, things could get complicated.
Whoosh! Kizaru's figure suddenly vanished and reappeared before Mio, kicking with full force. A golden light shimmered.
Clang! Mio drew his sword with both hands and blocked the attack without hesitation, but the next moment, he was sent flying.
It took him a while to regain his balance mid-air and land properly.
"You can't keep me here," Mio grinned at Kizaru. "You sensed the Celestial Dragon too, didn't you?"
"How about a race? Can you protect that Celestial Dragon first, or can I catch him?"
"If you dare kill a Celestial Dragon, I will hunt you down—even if you escape to the New World," Kizaru warned, eyes flashing coldly.
Mio sheathed the Raikiri and shrugged. "You think I care? Besides, can the Navy really spare a general to chase me around forever? Once I reach the New World, you guys will have your hands full."
"It won't take long to kill you," Kizaru said coldly. He flashed forward and kicked again.
However, Mio's figure suddenly reappeared at a distance. Kizaru's foot smashed the ground where Mio had just been, cracking the earth, raising dust, and shaking the surroundings.
"You can't kill me," Mio said calmly, glancing toward a nearby location where a Celestial Dragon was present. Despite noticing the fighting, the Celestial Dragon remained calm—annoyed even, as if the chaos disturbed his peace. He was already thinking of sending CP agents to execute the fighters.
Clang!
Mio drew Raikiri again and smiled. "Now then, you'd better go save your precious 'creator'."
Swish!
With a slash of his sword, a terrifying wave of sword energy shot out toward the Celestial Dragon's position.
He wasn't far.
Given the weak constitution of the Celestial Dragons, even grazing him with this slash could prove fatal.
Hmph.
Kizaru's gaze turned icy. This guy was starting to get on his nerves. But he couldn't allow the Celestial Dragon to die—not while he was around.
Almost instantly, Kizaru moved in front of the slash and kicked it away.
"Let's see how many you can block," Mio sneered, launching another slash that swept across the air.
At the same time, he activated his Replacement ability.
Within the range of his Observation Haki, Mio had already locked on to the Celestial Dragon, noticing the characteristic floating bubble atop the man's head—unique to Sabaody Archipelago.
Now, that bubble would become Kizaru's biggest headache.
"Damn you," Kizaru muttered, catching on to Mio's intent. His expression changed. Light exploded from his legs as he kicked the slash aside again and sped toward the Celestial Dragon without hesitation.
"Replace!"
Mio's voice rang out.
The bubble above the Celestial Dragon's head vanished, replaced by enormous boulders—dozens of them—hurtling downward, enough to crush him on impact.
The range of the falling rocks covered nearly the entire area above the Celestial Dragon.
"Not good!"
The two nearby CP members immediately sensed the danger. One of them leaped up, shielding the Celestial Dragon, while both launched a flurry of storm kicks upward to shatter the falling debris.
But there were too many boulders.
The CP agents couldn't block them all.
"Don't let a Celestial Dragon die on my watch…" Kizaru muttered, frustrated. He didn't care much for them himself, but their deaths under his protection would bring massive political backlash.
No time to waste.
In a burst of light, Kizaru accelerated again and reached the Celestial Dragon.
His hands twisted together.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
A flurry of light bullets soared skyward, completely obliterating the rain of boulders.
In the distance, Mio watched the light projectiles streak through the sky. The corners of his mouth curled up in amusement. After sheathing Raikiri, he turned around and dashed off in another direction.
"The next time we meet will be in the New World, Kizaru."
As his voice echoed, Mio's figure gradually faded into the distance and vanished.
It took three full minutes for Kizaru to destroy all the boulders. That alone showed how many Mio had swapped in.
Kizaru stood amid the rubble, hands in his pockets, while the Celestial Dragon beside him screamed and cursed.
He didn't bother listening.
Instead, he stared in the direction Mio had escaped, his gaze frosty. "What a terrifying newcomer… was I just played?"
And it wasn't even a hidden trick—it was an open provocation.
Still, a few minutes was more than enough time for someone like Mio to disappear.
"If I don't catch him, it'll be a disgrace. But that's fine… once he reaches the New World, I'll be waiting."
Kizaru muttered as he turned and walked off, ignoring the Celestial Dragon's tantrum.
Coincidentally, he was scheduled to return to the New World tomorrow after a short break.