Dimensional Chat Group: Speed-o'-Light

Feeling helpless, Natasha heard movement coming from the bathroom and hastily stuffed a few tissue bundles into a sealed vacuum bag.

She then restored the trash can to its original state, ensuring that nothing looked out of place to avoid arousing suspicion.

As she carefully hid the small vial and vacuum bag, Kizaru stepped out of the bathroom, now dressed in a fresh robe.

"Kizaru, I just remembered I have an urgent matter to take care of…"

Natasha smiled as she prepared to leave. She wasn't in a rush to go all in; at the very least, she needed to figure out whether he was a cyborg or an alien.

"Oh? What kind of urgent matter could be so indispensable without you?"

Kizaru raised an eyebrow, stepping forward to block the door, effectively cutting off her exit.

He didn't care what this woman was plotting, but to come and go as she pleased? That was a bit too disrespectful.

"... Kizaru, I'm Ms. Pepper's personal assistant!"

Natasha spoke as if reminding him of something important. No matter how close Kizaru was to Tony Stark, he couldn't completely disregard Pepper Potts' influence, could he?

"Oh? And then what?"

Kizaru chuckled as he cornered Natasha against the wall, tilting her chin upward with a playful smirk. This forced Natasha to look up at him, her face radiating a unique allure that, while not exceptionally beautiful, had its own charm.

"And then… mmph!"

Pinned against the wall by Kizaru, Natasha initially wore a sweet smile. Then, in one swift motion, she grabbed his bathrobe for leverage and delivered a sharp knee strike toward his groin.

With her level of skill, this blow was enough to leave any man with a lifetime of trauma.

But what Natasha didn't expect was that this tried-and-true move hit a wall this time—literally.

A muffled cry of pain followed, but it wasn't from Kizaru. Instead, Natasha clutched her own knee, doubling over in agony, nearly unable to speak.

She had used 60% of her strength for the strike, convinced that Kizaru wasn't an ordinary human. Against any other man, this blow would've been devastating—possibly even prompting them to consider a surgical vacation in Thailand.

But Kizaru wasn't any other man. Natasha's assumptions had led her to use more force than usual, yet it seemed to have backfired spectacularly.

"Are you okay?"

Kizaru "kindly" reached out to help Natasha up. He hadn't intended to hurt her, but his reflexes had instinctively coated his groin in Armament Haki.

Fortunately, Natasha had felt something off at the last second and pulled back some of her strength. Otherwise, her knee might have ended up with a comminuted fracture.

"Thank you… ah!"

Forcing a professional smile through the intense pain, Natasha barely managed to lift her head.

Just as Kizaru smiled and said, "You're welcome," Natasha sprang into action again, this time aiming a powerful elbow strike at his stomach.

"Sigh, why do you even bother…"

Watching Natasha once again collapse to the floor, clutching her elbow in pain after striking what felt like solid steel, Kizaru couldn't help but feel exasperated.

This time, he hadn't even used Armament Haki, opting instead for the Navy's Tekkai (Iron Body) technique. If Natasha hadn't gone all out, she wouldn't have hurt herself so much.

"I think… my arm might be broken…"

Squatting on the floor, Natasha bit her lip and looked up with a pitifully aggrieved expression.

Kizaru's lips twitched. It was his first time dealing with someone this persistent. Thankfully, he specialized in handling stubborn types.

"Let me take a look for you."

Crouching down, Kizaru pretended to inspect Natasha's arm. Of course, with his sharp observational skills, he could tell at a glance that her elbow was fine.

After all, Natasha was a highly trained special agent. Even though her physical abilities were still within the bounds of normal human limits, she couldn't be compared to ordinary people.

"... Hyaa!"

As Kizaru examined her arm, Natasha gritted her teeth and suddenly headbutted him with all her might, aiming for his forehead.

Betting on her pride as Black Widow, she refused to believe that Kizaru's head could be as tough as his stomach or… other parts.

Thud!

Kizaru stood there, a dark expression on his face, watching Natasha roll her eyes and faint. He couldn't blame her for being "hardheaded," but this clumsy display from the famous Black Widow left him struggling to keep his composure.

"What a dilemma. I'm not the kind of guy to take advantage of someone… but I still need to collect some interest."

Kizaru tossed the unconscious Natasha onto the large bed in the room. Then, with a mischievous grin, he picked up the marker he had used for scoring earlier and drew a turtle on Natasha's face.

Admiring his artistic handiwork for a moment, he finally changed back into his usual outfit and returned to the One Piece world.

---

On the Sabaody Archipelago, Rear Admiral Lorraine, the commander of the Navy branch, was enjoying breakfast in her office.

When he looked up, he suddenly saw none other than Admiral Kizaru standing before him.

"Ad-Admiral Kizaru!"

Rear Admiral Lorraine quickly stood up, saluting Kizaru nervously.

Why had Admiral Kizaru returned so suddenly and silently appeared in his office? Could it be that news of his embezzling pirate bounty money or selling second-hand military weapons had reached headquarters?

"Where's… uh… Nami?"

Kizaru immediately noticed Lorraine's unease but didn't seem to care. After all, expecting every marine to embody pure justice was too idealistic.

"Major Nami returned to headquarters three days ago. Before leaving, she asked me to remind you to head back to headquarters as soon as you've finished handling the Science Division's matters..."

Rear Admiral Lorraine answered promptly, relieved to find that Kizaru wasn't here to investigate him.

Though Lorraine had his own connections, if Kizaru decided to deal with him, even his backers wouldn't be able to shield him unless Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself intervened.

"Oh, the Science Division business... Got it," Kizaru nodded, preparing to leave.

The Navy's Science Division was a unique branch separate from headquarters, initially established to support Dr. Vegapunk. Even Sengoku, due to potential conflicts of interest, rarely involved himself in their affairs. It wasn't surprising that Nami used the Science Division as an excuse for Kizaru's absence.

"By the way, how long did Nami stay at this branch?"

Kizaru paused as another thought crossed his mind and turned to ask Lorraine.

If he were to revisit Tony Stark's world, it would help to understand the time flow differences between the two worlds, especially since he'd found someone like-minded over there.

"Major Nami? She only stayed for about half a day before receiving a call from headquarters and leaving…" Lorraine answered honestly. At this point, he just wanted to send the admiral off as quickly as possible.

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