Everyone froze.
Shock spread through the battlefield like a ripple, heavy and suffocating.
Sanji's eyes widened, his body going rigid as the reality of what just happened hit him all at once. Ryo turned his head slightly, unable to look directly at Vegapunk's fallen body, his expression tightening as something twisted in his chest. Franky and Bonney both cried out at the same time, their voices cutting through the chaos.
Bonney: Vegapunk!!
Franky: Dammit no! Vegapunk!
But there was no time.
No time to process.
No time to grieve.
Because the danger hadn't passed.
Not even close.
Saturn's voice came down cold and absolute, like a final judgment being passed.
Saturn: Kizaru, Eliminate them..immediately
A blinding flash.
And Kizaru was already there.
Right in front of them.
No warning.
No hesitation.
Light gathered instantly at his fingertips before exploding outward into a rapid barrage—small, deadly beams fired like a Gatling gun, each one precise, each one lethal.
They tore through the air.
Sanji barely twisted his body in time, the beams grazing past him as he forced himself to move faster, to react, to survive.
Ryo shifted at the last possible second, one beam passing so close it burned the air beside his face, missing him by a fraction—close enough that if he'd been any slower, it would have gone straight through his skull.
Franky wasn't so lucky.
One beam punched straight through his side, metal and flesh both giving way as he let out a pained shout.
Another struck Atlas in the exact same spot, the impact forcing a cry from her as the force pushed her back mid-air.
Kuma took it head-on.
One beam pierced straight through his chest.
Another grazed along his leg as he turned, deliberately placing his body between the attack and Bonney, shielding her even now.
Ryo and Sanji didn't need to say anything.
They moved at the same time.
Rushing Kizaru.
But it didn't matter.
He slipped past them like light itself, their kicks passing through empty space as he vanished—and reappeared.
Right in front of Kuma.
Bonney's voice broke through, sharp and desperate.
Bonney: Kizaru!
Ryo and Sanji gritted their teeth and went again, pushing their bodies harder, faster, ignoring the damage, ignoring the exhaustion.
Ryo felt it.
The frustration.
Burning.
If he was at full strength—
This wouldn't be happening.
Kizaru's voice remained calm.
Almost gentle.
