The Realm of the Invisible Sword completely suppressed Kizaru within its boundaries.
Then, the sword aura in the sky began to descend like a storm of blades!
Carl took this opportunity to retreat, his left hand already gripping the handle of 'Deadwood.'
[Ittoryu: Iai – Flash Draw]!
Swoosh!
A terrifying shockwave split through the air.
Kizaru's entire body was shredded into light particles!
"Oh~ That was quite dangerous~"
Not far away, golden specks of light gathered once more, reassembling Kizaru's figure.
His left shoulder, right leg, and waist all bore fresh wounds—neither fatal nor superficial.
"Oh~ The old man was almost cut down by you~" Kizaru's lips pursed in an exaggerated manner. "It's really scary~"
"Stop joking. That kind of injury is nothing to you, old man," Carl scoffed.
"You can't say that~" Kizaru's voice carried an unexpected seriousness. "Being able to injure the old man at all is already surprising enough~"
Carl pondered for a moment—he wasn't wrong.
Kizaru was a monster among monsters.
In all the battles Kizaru had been involved in—both large and small—he had barely suffered any injuries, and even then, they were nothing more than scratches.
Compared to the other two Admirals…
Akainu had been sent crashing into the depths of Marineford by Whitebeard's magma-shattering fists, barely holding himself together.
Aokiji had lost his leg after a ten-day battle against Akainu.
But Kizaru? The man who seemed to laze around and 'fish' through his duties?
The only time he had taken a noticeable hit was at Sabaody Archipelago, when Silvers Rayleigh had intercepted him with a single Haki-infused sword slash, leaving a slight cut on his cheek.
Even then, it had only been a minor wound.
Kizaru was a man whose record had no mention of defeat.
"Huff—" Carl let out a long breath and sheathed 'Deadwood.' Fighting a top-tier powerhouse like Kizaru required absolute focus.
A layer of black lightning-coated Armament Haki covered the scabbard.
[Ittoryu: Draw – Void Severing Slash!]
An invisible shockwave rippled through the space between them.
"You're really surprising the old man more and more, Solomon Carl~" Kizaru raised his eyebrows, his hands glowing with golden light.
Boom!
Sword aura clashed against laser beams.
The entire Marineford square trembled under the sheer force of the collision.
Carl charged forward, his blade wreathed in crackling Haki-infused black lightning.
Kizaru's Ama no Murakumo reformed in his grasp as he engaged Carl in a high-speed aerial duel.
They exchanged blows at the speed of light, sword slashes and laser beams exploding outward in all directions.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Shockwaves shattered the stone tiles of the square, sending debris flying.
Moments later—
Bang!
Carl was caught off-guard by a light-speed kick to the torso, sending him crashing into the ground below.
"Hmm~ Sure enough, this won't work~" Kizaru muttered, glancing at Carl, who stood up unharmed.
"Does he really have this level of Armament Haki at his age?"
Carl dusted himself off and waved his hand. The giant sword wings behind him scattered into thousands of falling sakura petals.
He fixed his gaze on Kizaru.
"Old man, I've got one last move. If you can handle this, I'll admit defeat."
Facing Borsalino, one of the most complete combatants in the Marine—a man who had maxed out Observation Haki, Armament Haki, physical prowess, and Devil Fruit mastery—
Carl knew he couldn't achieve victory.
The best he could do was force a conclusion.
After all, not everyone was like the Golden Lion, who had been crippled and left with a rudder lodged in his head.
Even then, if Golden Lion hadn't voluntarily retreated, Carl doubted he could have killed him outright.
A strong enough Devil Fruit ability made escape almost effortless.
High-ranking Paramecia and Logia users could avoid death in ways that defied conventional combat logic.
From above, Kizaru blinked at Carl's words. "Oh~ really?"
Carl took a deep breath.
Boom!
An overwhelming aura erupted from his body.
His black lightning-infused Haki surged, distorting the air around him.
The falling sakura petals transformed—
Each one became a complete katana, thousands of them materializing in midair.
Every single blade was coated in Carl's peak-level Armament Haki.
The sheer density of his killing intent made the temperature in the square drop, as if the entire battlefield had been sealed in a vacuum.
Kizaru scratched his head.
"What a terrifying Armament Haki~"
Then, he suddenly sighed.
"The old man is going to stop fighting."
"…What?"
Carl froze mid-charge, his finishing move fully prepared, only for Kizaru to… quit?
"You can't just stop now! It's already come to this!" Carl shouted in frustration.
He had just primed [Ittoryu: One Bite – Thousand Blades Bloom], and Kizaru was backing out?!
"Well~ No need to get so worked up. We were only sparring~"
Kizaru appeared beside Carl in a blink, casually patting his shoulder.
"Anyway, the old man is your immediate superior, so it's natural for me to assess your strength. Now that I've seen it, let's have some tea."
Then, before Carl could protest further, Kizaru turned into light and vanished into the Tianshou Pavilion.
Carl stood there, his mouth twitching.
After a moment, he sighed, retracted his Haki, and dispersed the sakura petals.
That had been too close.
If they had continued, Marineford itself might've been collateral damage.
If two top-tier combatants fought without holding back, the devastation could be irreversible.
Look at Aokiji and Akainu—their ten-day battle had permanently changed Punk Hazard's climate.
Inside Kizaru's office—
Carl sat in a chair with an annoyed look, sipping tea.
"Calmed down now~?" Kizaru smiled.
Carl rolled his eyes.
"Sir, you kicked me across the plaza—shouldn't we at least discuss my reassignment?"
He put down the teacup and nonchalantly grabbed a cigar from Kizaru's desk, lighting it.
Might as well enjoy Admiral-class luxury.
He took a puff and his eyes widened.
"This stuff is way better than what Smoker smokes!"
"As expected of an Admiral's personal stock," Carl muttered.
Kizaru chuckled.
"If you like it, take more."
"Well, old man, I'll be honest." Carl exhaled smoke. "I don't have any grand ambitions. I just want to find a safe place to live."
"So, just treat me as an ordinary officer. Assign me somewhere quiet."
"Oh~?" Kizaru nodded.
Carl blinked. That was… surprisingly easy?
Then again, this was Kizaru—the most laid-back of the three Admirals.
Excited, Carl pushed his luck.
"For example… the head of an East Blue Marine branch base? That sounds nice."
"That won't do~" Kizaru shook his head. "You're already a headquarters colonel. Assigning you to the Four Seas would violate regulations."
Carl clicked his tongue.
"Alright… then anywhere in the first half of the Grand Line."
"No HQ, no New World, and absolutely no Mariejois."
"Hmmm~ The old man remembers there's a vacancy…" Kizaru smirked.
Carl felt a bad premonition.
Then Kizaru said it.
"Sabaody Archipelago."
Carl's face stiffened.
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