One Piece: I will become stronger by checking in

"!!!"

The Five Elders and the high-ranking Marines near the execution platform snapped their heads toward a single direction. Kai, who had been far away just moments ago, had somehow appeared right next to Robin.

With a mocking smirk, he gestured at them—then vanished.

"???"

The entire battlefield froze for a second before their eyes instinctively followed his presence again. Kai had already reappeared atop the fallen execution platform, but this time, he wasn't alone.

Nicole Robin was in his arms.

The silence that followed stretched not only across the battlefield but across the entire world.

The battle hadn't even begun, yet he had already rescued someone?

"If I'm not seeing things, he was riding a cloud just now, right?" Garp asked, blinking in disbelief.

"If both of us aren't seeing things, then yeah—he was stepping on a cloud," Sengoku muttered.

A heavy silence settled between them before Garp quietly added, "If that cloud is the reason for his speed, then…"

"…I wonder if anyone can buy one."

—

"Borsalino, if it were you, could you move at that speed?" Aokiji asked from beneath the execution platform, his tone unusually serious.

"The speed? Sure. But pulling off something like that while carrying someone? Nope, not happening," Kizaru admitted, his normally lazy expression betraying a hint of surprise.

For a moment, everyone watching was shaken by Kai's absurd speed, their wariness toward him climbing to a new level.

Kai, meanwhile, glanced at Robin. His eyes landed on her handcuffs before he coated his right hand in Haki and reached toward them.

Crack!

The Seastone cuffs shattered instantly. He had done this so many times by now that it felt routine.

Just like his use of the Somersault Cloud—this level of control and precision was something he couldn't have managed in the past. The cloud's speed was controlled by his thoughts, but mastering it wasn't as simple as just hopping on and going. That was why he had rarely used it in close combat before. It lacked the flexibility he needed for split-second maneuvers.

But now? Now, he had refined it to the point where he could pull off what he just did—snatching Robin away before anyone could even process his movement.

Of course, this kind of trick only worked once. Marine and the World Government weren't stupid. They were already recalibrating, preparing for what came next.

Even though he was incredibly fast, he wasn't untouchable. Didn't they all lock onto him the moment he landed on the execution platform?

The top fighters here had Observation Haki refined to its peak. They wouldn't be caught off guard twice.

And that was why Kai had only saved Robin first.

If he had to choose one out of the three prisoners, it was always going to be her. Ace and Franky? Those two meatheads could tough it out a little longer. They weren't unsavable—just not the first priority.

That was just one of the many reasons Kai was so satisfied with his Stone Ape form, despite its rough appearance.

If his Stone Ape form was heavy and slow, then his Somersault Cloud was its perfect counterbalance.

Kai turned to Robin with a small smile. "You good, Robin?"

"…Kai…"

Robin's gaze lingered on him, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. But Kai didn't notice—his focus had already shifted toward the Marine and World Government forces in front of him.

With his move breaking the standoff, both sides were now gearing up to strike.

And just as he expected, it only took an instant for trouble to reach him.

A golden blur flashed before him—Kizaru, the man who had eaten the Glint-Glint Fruit, appeared in front of him, his leg already swinging in a devastating kick.

"Oh my, how scary~ Demon King Kai~" Kizaru drawled in his usual mocking tone.

Kai felt a vein twitch in irritation.

"Uncle Kizaru, if you know how scary I am, why are you still here?"

With a slight shift of his body, Kai effortlessly dodged the attack and responded calmly.

Kizaru's brows furrowed. He hadn't expected Kai to evade so easily.

But before he could react—

Kai's fist was already slamming into his gut.

Whoosh!

Kizaru shot through the air like a falling star, turning into a streak of golden light before smashing into the walls of Marineford.

Boom!

Dust and debris exploded into the air.

"GENERAL KIZARU!!"

The Marines shouted in alarm.

As the dust settled, Kizaru was revealed sitting on the ground, his right hand clutching his stomach, his usually wretched face twitching in discomfort. Slowly, he raised his head and locked eyes with Kai, his expression unreadable.

What the hell?

Why hadn't he sensed that attack?

Kizaru's mind raced through possibilities before a realization hit him. His face darkened.

"Kill-on-sight Haki…" he muttered.

He had heard of this ability before but had never encountered it personally. He never expected that his first experience with it would be here—against Kai.

For Logia users like him, this ability was a nightmare. It allowed attacks to bypass their natural intangibility, significantly weakening the biggest advantage of their fruit powers.

And the proof was in the punch he had just taken.

Normally, when an attack came his way, his body would instinctively turn into light to avoid damage. But this time? The moment he tried to phase out, only part of him had managed to transform—the rest had taken the full brunt of Kai's fist.

And damn, did it hurt.

Even though Kizaru wasn't a powerhouse in raw physical strength compared to others of his level, he wasn't weak either.

But right now? His stomach was in knots, and his throat was thick with the taste of blood he had forcibly swallowed down.

Slowly, Kizaru rose to his feet, walking calmly toward the gathered Marines, making it seem like he was unfazed.

Since he had already turned to light mid-air, none of the dust had even clung to his uniform.

"As expected of Admiral Kizaru! An attack like that is nothing to him!" The Marines around him cheered, their morale skyrocketing.

On the surface, Kizaru kept his lazy, unbothered expression.

But internally?

What attack?

Why don't you try taking that punch yourself and see how it feels?

Still, this was exactly the situation he wanted. In a battlefield like this, momentum mattered. And right now, Marine needed to keep theirs.

On the other side, Kai raised an eyebrow, watching the scene with amusement.

"…Well, this is getting interesting."