In an instant, countless beams of light lit up under the spaceship—the energy cannons, long since fully charged, roared in unison.
Boom boom boom boom boom…!
The ground shattered instantly, skyscrapers collapsed like dominoes, and the shockwaves of the explosions even swept up some of the alien pirates.
When the smoke and dust finally began to settle…
Aside from the Hero Association headquarters—which, like a fortress, only suffered severe surface damage—most of City A had been reduced to ruins by the bombardment from the Dark Matter Thieves' mothership.
"What… what is this?!"
The Association executives hiding in the underground base of HQ screamed in panic. For a moment, they truly thought death was imminent. Fortunately, the construction quality of the HQ held up, maintaining its structural integrity even under such terrifying firepower—especially for those hunkered down safely underground.
However, as they looked at the satellite images of City A, nearly every executive fell into despair. They had never imagined an alien spaceship could possess such devastating destructive power.
Even though the Association HQ survived this round of bombardment, who could say there wouldn't be a second or third?
"…How could this be…"
Fubuki remained completely unharmed under Kizaru's protection, but her face was blank as she stared at the vast urban ruins before her.
As a B-Class hero, she had never witnessed such carnage—an entire city leveled by a single barrage from a spaceship.
Even Vaccine Man, once classified as a Dragon-level threat, had only destroyed a few blocks before Kizaru swiftly eliminated him, preventing further damage.
"They really are completely reckless…"
Kizaru slowly retracted his Armament Haki, which had just spread across the entire underground defense network of City A.
To be honest, protecting the entire city wasn't easy. Even Kizaru, with his seemingly endless Armament Haki, had been stretched thin.
Fortunately, most civilians had gathered in over a dozen fortified shelters. With those bunkers already sturdy to begin with, Kizaru managed to shield them as well.
Even so, his Observation Haki still sensed thousands of civilians who hadn't made it to the shelters in time—lives lost in that single strike.
These space pirates were no different from the lawless marauders of his original world—violent and utterly without restraint.
"This was just a warning! The strongest warrior on this planet, come face Lord Boros willingly—or more of your kind will be erased by the ship's cannons!"
Hovering midair, Geryuganshoop shouted loudly at Kizaru.
He could clearly sense Lord Boros's growing irritation.
Especially after seeing so many of the "small fry" engaging in battle, Boros was becoming increasingly impatient.
"That native… he's Boros's opponent?"
"So the warrior from the prophecy actually exists…"
"Are you kidding me? How could some backwater native be a match for the universal conqueror, Lord Boros?"
…
The alien pirates shielded by Geryuganshoop's powers kept sizing Kizaru up, trying to figure out what about him warranted their twenty-year-long journey across the galaxy.
"You're so eager to meet me? Then I'll grant your wish… but first—"
Kizaru narrowed his eyes. Until now, he hadn't had much personal grudge against the Dark Matter Thieves. Their crimes were in another world, after all.
But seeing these space pirates casually reduce an entire city to rubble… even Kizaru's calm nature couldn't stop the fury rising within him.
"W-Wait, you—"
Geryuganshoop suddenly felt a chill run down his spine!
Every one of his tendrils went rigid—he felt as if he were facing a furious Boros himself.
Before he could react, a flash of light bloomed before his eyes—and the universe's most powerful esper's consciousness was utterly extinguished.
From the others' perspective, Kizaru had merely raised a finger. A beam of light burst from its tip, and a neat hole opened in the octopus-like alien's head.
One strike. That was all it took to eliminate Geryuganshoop—one of the top three combatants among the Dark Matter Thieves.
Even Boros, seated within the spaceship, opened his massive single eye wide in surprise.
"Let your life pay for your crimes… the rest of you trash—leave them to the others. I'm going to meet your leader!"
Kizaru didn't wait for a response from the dazed heroes climbing out of the rubble. He stepped on the air using Geppo, launching himself at high speed toward the floating spaceship.
"Just one hit…?"
Child Emperor stared at Geryuganshoop's corpse in shock.
With Geryuganshoop's terrifying opening attack, his command over Melzargard and Groribas, and his authority to order the mothership's artillery strike—the heroes had assumed he was the strongest among the alien invaders.
Even Tatsumaki, ranked #2 among S-Class heroes, would be slightly outmatched one-on-one against such an opponent. His power was clear.
Yet that same powerful alien had been instantly annihilated by a casual strike from Swift Flash. The difference in power was so overwhelming that Child Emperor nearly forgot they were still in the middle of a battle.
He wasn't the only hero frozen in shock. Luckily, the alien invaders were equally stunned, and no one launched a counterattack during the opening.
"G-Geryuganshoop… just died like that…?"
Melzargard couldn't help but wonder if he'd been hit with some kind of illusion. Otherwise, how could he possibly have witnessed something so absurd?
Though he, Groribas, and Geryuganshoop were all considered top-level warriors, Geryuganshoop had always slightly outranked them.
It wasn't just about seniority—his strength was also the greatest of the three.
"Idiot! Don't just stand there! Kill these natives first!"
Gloribas couldn't hold back a curse. After witnessing Kizaru instantly annihilate Geryuganshoop in one move, even the most arrogant of the alien pirates had to admit: the natives of this planet were something else.
Just now, the three top-ranking fighters had teamed up and still failed to take down these powerful Earthlings. Now that Geryuganshoop was gone, even though the strongest of them had gone to face Lord Boros, the rest would still have their hands full.
"Damn it! That octopus-head was my opponent… Your comrade's already gone to hell—guess it's your turn to join him!"
Tatsumaki had finally snapped out of her shock over Kizaru's one-hit kill. She had just released her psychic barrier when it happened—finally, someone worthy of being her equal, maybe even stronger—only to be wiped out by Kizaru before the fight even started.
And the worst part? She couldn't even express her anger at him. So instead, Tatsumaki turned all that rage toward the rest of the alien pirates.
"Wipe out these invaders! Then we'll back up Swift Flash!"
Child Emperor shouted, lips tight with tension. As impressive as Kizaru's kill had been, no one knew how strong the alien leader really was.
They couldn't rely on Kizaru to defeat him alone—S-Class heroes still had their pride!
"What an impressive young man… but this old man still isn't ready to hide behind the next generation!"
Bang took a stance, the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist. His body swelled slightly as every muscle tensed, and his once-bent frame straightened with purpose.
"If four hundred strikes aren't enough… how about I slice you into atoms?"
Atomic Samurai narrowed his eyes at the clones of Melzargard and unsheathed his blade again.
"Kill them all!"
Glorbass roared, and thousands of alien pirates surged forward. The battle between Earth's heroes and the alien invaders erupted in full force.
And just as war exploded on the surface, Kizaru—already aboard the mothership—had locked onto Boros's position using his Observation Haki. He tore through doors, blasted through walls, and quickly arrived at the ornate temple where Boros sat.
"So you've finally come… I've been waiting quite a while,"
Boros spoke with an eerie calm, but to Kizaru's senses, he was a volcano on the verge of eruption. Who knew how excited this guy really was inside?
"Sorry about the wait. But I had to deal with your lackey first."
Kizaru looked up with mild irritation. The last time he'd had to look up at someone, it was one of those insufferable Celestial Dragons—who he'd later quietly dealt with during Fisher Tiger's raid on Mary Geoise.
"Geryuganshoop, was it? Doesn't matter. It's normal for the weak to die at the hands of the strong."
Boros spoke indifferently. The only thing that earned his attention was power. If Geryuganshoop died, that just proved he was weak.
"I see… cosmic pirates really are just pirates."
Kizaru nodded. Sure, there were exceptions like Whitebeard, who treated his crew like family, but most pirates didn't give a damn about their comrades—especially once they outlived their usefulness.
"You don't know who I am yet, do you? Let me introduce myself... I am Boros, leader of the Dark Matter Thieves."
Boros slowly rose from his throne, stepping down the stairs toward Kizaru.
"Admiral Kizaru, Navy Headquarters."
As Boros stepped up to him, Kizaru narrowed his eyes. This guy was stronger than expected—especially the energy pulsing inside him. If he unleashed it all at once, he'd be terrifying.
No wonder he'd taken several hits from the Bald Demon King and still managed to stay standing.
"I had more to say, but I'm running out of patience. Let's fight first. Are you ready?"
Boros cracked his neck, producing a sharp pop.
"I was just about to ask the same thing."
Kizaru smirked. In the blink of an eye, the floor beneath Boros exploded, and he launched forward, smashing his elbow toward Kizaru's chest.
Boom!
The strike was flawless—both in power and speed. Against most S-Class heroes, it would've decided the fight instantly.
But Kizaru calmly raised one hand and caught the blow with his palm like it was nothing.
"So, you really are the warrior from the prophecy…"
Boros tried to push forward, but Kizaru's grip didn't budge. Still, a wild smile spread across his face.
"How about we skip the warm-up?"
Kizaru spoke lazily. Boros was undeniably strong—stronger than expected—but that only applied when he was fighting at full power.
In his base state, Kizaru didn't even take him seriously. The armor Boros wore suppressed his own strength—just so he could draw out some fun from lesser opponents.
But even so… it had been a long time since Boros had faced someone who could handle him in this form.
"…Good!"
The smile on Boros' face grew even more unrestrained. Without making a single visible move, his armor clattered to the floor piece by piece, revealing the deep blue body beneath. His aura instantly surged to a whole new level.
Kizaru could feel it clearly—Boros' power was still rising. In just a few breaths, it had already multiplied several times over.
"Now that's more like it—"
Before Kizaru could finish speaking, Boros had already grabbed his right arm in a vice grip, attempting to hurl him into the air with brute force.
Boom!
A brilliant flash of light erupted. Boros suddenly found himself clutching empty air—before he could react, Kizaru's foot connected solidly with his body, sending him flying across the temple. He crashed through several stone pillars, finally slamming into the temple wall and leaving a crater more than a meter deep. The thick wall fractured into a web of cracks—testament to the terrifying power behind that single kick.
"Hah… Hahahahahaha! As expected of the warrior from the prophecy! This feeling is incredible!"
°°°
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