184 With the Justice System

"Bang——!!!"

A heavy impact resounded as Beckman was sent flying.

He crashed violently onto the deck of the Red Force, splintering the solid wood beneath him.

The searing pain and dizziness assaulted his brain.

But as the right-hand man of a Yonko, he forced himself to endure the agony and struggled to his feet.

He raised his head, glaring at the golden figure slowly retracting his leg.

...

The lazy, indifferent expression that usually hung on Kizaru's face had vanished completely.

In its place was a cold, detached look.

Why couldn't people just quietly lie down and die, so this war could end sooner?

That way, everyone could clock out early—wouldn't that be nice?

Since you've chosen to resist...

This old man has no choice but to put in just a tiny little bit more effort, to end this war sooner!

As that thought crossed his mind, Kizaru stopped holding back. His entire body burst into radiant light!

"Buzz——"

A blinding golden pillar of light erupted from within him, shooting into the sky.

It exploded high above, scattering into countless fragments—millions of glittering light particles that cascaded down like heavenly rain, filling the entire bay.

"Th–This is?!"

Beckman's pupils contracted as he stared at the spectacle.

Those light particles began to stretch, distort, and condense at incredible speed...

In the blink of an eye, countless identical figures appeared all around the Red Force.

Some floated in midair, some stood on the ice, and some even balanced atop the ship's masts.

Hundreds, even thousands of "Kizarus," completely surrounded the Yonko's flagship!

Each wore the same faint smile.

Each fingertip glimmered with deadly golden light.

"!!!"

Cold sweat drenched Beckman's back in an instant.

His Observation Haki—useless.

He couldn't tell which one was the real Kizaru.

Or rather...

They were all Kizaru!

"Light is everywhere, you know~"

Kizaru's voice echoed from all directions at once, reverberating endlessly in Beckman's ears.

The next instant—

All the "Kizarus" raised their hands in unison.

Every fingertip aimed straight at Beckman.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh——!!!"

Without warning, without a word—

A rain of death made of lasers descended upon him!

Countless golden beams of light blasted toward Beckman from every direction—above, below, all around!

The dense barrage was like an inescapable net, sealing off every route of escape!

"Damn it!"

Beckman roared, coating his rifle with Armament Haki, and pulled the trigger in rapid succession!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Each bullet hit its mark, shattering a clone of light.

But it was meaningless!

For every one destroyed, two more formed out of pure radiance!

Endless. Unstoppable. Unkillable!

"Shhhk——!"

A laser grazed his shoulder, burning a hole through flesh and leaving a charred wound.

Then came the second, the third...

Beckman twisted and dodged desperately amidst the storm of gunfire and light, but his wounds multiplied at a terrifying pace.

What now?!

The other officers of the Red-Haired Pirates were each locked in battle with powerful Marines—none could come to his aid!

As Beckman's mind raced for a way to break through...

All the "Kizarus" suddenly withdrew the light from their fingertips and crossed their hands before their chests. Dazzling golden energy surged once more.

From that radiance, they drew one glowing sword after another—each a blade of pure light."

"!!!"

Beckman's heart sank to the bottom.

First the overwhelming ranged assault to wear down his stamina—then, once he was bloodied and exhausted, a coordinated melee strike?!

Despicable!!!

Before he could react—

The nearest "Kizaru" blurred into a golden streak and flashed right before him!

"Clang——!"

Beckman instinctively raised his rifle to block.

But then came the second, the third, the fourth—

Countless golden figures charged at him from all directions simultaneously!

Sword light filled the air!

"Shhk!"

"Shhk!"

"Shhk!"

The sound of blades piercing flesh echoed again and again, composing a requiem of despair.

A light sword drove clean through his right leg, pinning him to the deck.

Another pierced his left shoulder from the side, crippling the arm that held his gun.

And one blade of light pierced straight through his back, bursting out of his chest!

Beckman's rifle slipped from his grasp, clattering against the deck with a crisp "clang."

He opened his mouth to speak, but only blood—thick with pieces of his organs—spilled out.

His life force was draining away fast.

The light in his eyes dimmed bit by bit.

Finally, all of the light clones dissolved into drifting particles, fading into the air.

Only one figure remained standing on the deck—the original.

"Thud——"

Beckman's body collapsed heavily into the pool of blood beneath him.

Silent.

The Red-Haired Pirates' First Mate, Benn Beckman—

Fallen in battle.

"Yo~"

Kizaru slowly lowered his hand, slipping both back into his pockets. He gazed lazily at the cooling corpse and drawled,

"The old man going all out..."

"...is pretty scary, you know~"

...

On the other side of the battlefield—

"Boom——!!!"

Rayne Hawke's fist collided with Shanks' sword strike, their forces clashing with explosive impact. Both were blown backward, sliding dozens of meters across the ice.

"..."

Shanks' expression was grim to the extreme.

Beckman!

His most trusted comrade—his right hand—had been killed by Kizaru!

Damn it!

This attempt to mediate... had dragged both himself and his entire crew straight into hell!

Everyone else was in danger too!

...

Hawke steadied himself, his calm gaze fixed on Shanks.

As expected—say what you will, but Shanks' power truly was formidable.

Top-tier Conqueror's Haki, mastery of Advanced Conqueror's coating, the ability to glimpse the future with Observation Haki, and flawless swordsmanship...

With his current strength, Hawke could win—but it would take time.

Just then, a series of system notifications echoed in his mind.

[Ding, the host has orchestrated the death of the "Emperor of the Sea," Edward Newgate (Whitebeard), causing massive upheaval in the world order. Gained 500,000 Justice Points!]

[Ding, the host's forces have completely annihilated the Whitebeard Pirates, erasing the remnants of the old era. Gained 1,000,000 Justice Points!]

[Ding, the host has commanded the downfall of a Yonko crew, striking immense fear into the world's evil. Gained special reward: 500,000 Justice Points!]

[Ding, current remaining Justice Points: 2,354,800!]

"Hah, right on time..."

Hawke chuckled softly. Over two million Justice Points—

Enough to raise two abilities to the Peak level!

He murmured in his mind,

"System..."

"Add points!"