The clash of light and thunder in the sky continued to rage, the extreme speed that was almost impossible to react to illuminating the entire sky.
The speed of light was faster than that of thunder, but light could only travel in a straight line, unable to turn mid-course, while thunder could change direction more freely, as the flexibility of electric arcs was quite powerful.
The confrontation between Kizaru and Faraday was intense and swift. Kizaru had always relied on his speed to bully his opponents; with the Light-Light Fruit, he was undoubtedly the fastest person.
But after encountering Faraday, he realized that there was someone in this world who could keep up with him, and the opponent's Observation Haki was even stronger than his. Many times, Faraday had predicted his actions, leading to Kizaru being pressured and beaten several times during their clash.
This was the first time he had suffered a setback in terms of speed, feeling the disadvantage of having weaker Observation Haki than his opponent.
Even though his speed was greater, with weaker Observation Haki, and the opponent not much slower than him, combined with Faraday's greater agility, he had been hit several times.
"Hahaha, Kizaru, your Light-Light Fruit is no match for my Thunder Strike!"
Faraday taunted while they fought.
In Kizaru, he saw a reflection of his former self.
Once, he too had been arrogant, relying on the speed of the Thunder Fruit, proud of his overwhelming speed advantage.
But after battling his father, especially in aerial combat, no matter how fast he was, he would always be struck down by his father's sword from the sky. After being beaten to the point of questioning his life, he finally realized the importance of honing his Observation Haki, determined not to be struck down by his father! "So terrifying, so terrifying, the Thunder Fruit lives up to its name, I'm out of here!!"
Even with Faraday's taunts, Kizaru did not get angry. Seizing an opportunity, he directly ran away, no longer continuing the fight with Faraday. After all, he had already received the retreat signal from Aramaki, and continuing to fight would be dangerous.
"This guy really knows how to run away!"
Watching Kizaru escape, Faraday had no intention of pursuing him; after all, he couldn't keep Kizaru there, and chasing him would just be a waste of time.
"Hey, isn't that Aramaki, who was so adamant about completing the mission? Why are we retreating before we even got the Op-Op Fruit?"
Kizaru arrived at the warship anchored near the island, looking at Aramaki on the ship with a teasing expression.
"Ahem, there's a reason. I encountered Doflamingo and Esdeath from the Infinite Pirates on the island. At a critical moment, Doflamingo didn't side with me, and with the Infinite Pirates' cadres lying in ambush, I had no choice but to strategically retreat."
"By the way, as a user of the Light-Light Fruit, with your exceptional speed, why didn't you manage to get the Op-Op Fruit?"
Aramaki felt a bit flustered at Kizaru's question, but he maintained his composure, having already prepared a response for the retreat.
"I can't be blamed for that. The president of the Quicksand Guild, Faraday, came personally this time. He's the strongest natural-type Thunder Fruit user, and he arrived faster than I did. By the time I got there, the Op-Op Fruit was probably already taken by the Infinite Pirates."
Hearing Aramaki's explanation, Kizaru replied leisurely, his skills in evasion and shifting blame honed to perfection from his habit of slacking off.
"Since that's the case, let's report to our superiors separately."
Aramaki said.
"Sure thing!"
Kizaru nodded in satisfaction at Aramaki's words.
Both of them were clever, and after failing the mission, they needed to find good excuses. Their recent conversation served as a solid alibi.
After all, the mission failed because the enemy was too strong and they arrived too late, ultimately leading to the failure. They had some responsibility, but it couldn't be entirely blamed on them. Infinite Pirates: "Dad, I've brought back the Op-Op Fruit."
After Esdeath and the others returned to the Limitless Sea Area, they immediately handed the Op-Op Fruit to Li Yuan.
"Thank you for your hard work. Prepare well; in the upcoming war, we will unite with other pirates from the New World to cross the Calm Belt and attack and occupy the South Sea!"
Li Yuan said with satisfaction after receiving the Op-Op Fruit.
"Dad, do I get to take action this time?"
Faraday asked excitedly.
Faraday's current public identity was that of the Quicksand Guild, with no ties to the Infinite Pirates. Even if the World Government suspected a connection between the Quicksand Guild and the Infinite Pirates, it was merely suspicion; no one outside knew Faraday's true identity.
"You can handle this operation as you see fit. Just take the opportunity to reap benefits, but try not to expose your identity."
Li Yuan waved his hand.
"That's great! The Quicksand Guild is just about to expand."
Faraday said excitedly.
After Esdeath and the others left, Li Yuan took the Op-Op Fruit to Lazuli's laboratory, where he happened to see Law.
"Captain!"
Law rushed over as soon as he saw Li Yuan.
"Law, here, this Devil Fruit is the Op-Op Fruit. Only a powerful doctor can fully develop the power of this fruit after consuming it."
"And it will allow you to perform extremely powerful surgical techniques, greatly enhancing your surgical abilities. It's perfect for you."
Li Yuan handed the Op-Op Fruit to Law.
"Thank you, Captain! I will not let you down!"
Hearing how powerful the Op-Op Fruit was and how suitable it was for him, Law happily took the Devil Fruit.
"It tastes terrible!"
As soon as Law took a bite, his face turned dark, and he almost spit it out, but he held back and swallowed it down.
"Make sure to develop this Devil Fruit well. I hope that the next time I see you, you'll be able to use the power of this Devil Fruit for surgery."
Li Yuan said with satisfaction, looking at Law who had consumed the Devil Fruit, before heading off to find Lazuli.
Holy Land Mariejois:
"What? The mission failed? And the Op-Op Fruit was taken by the Infinite Pirates?"
After Aramaki and Kizaru reported the mission intelligence, the Five Elders' faces darkened upon hearing the news.
Infinite Pirates, again with the Infinite Pirates. Why was it that most of the failures of the World Government were due to the Infinite Pirates?
If they remembered correctly, the Infinite Pirates had already obtained the thousand-year-old Dragon Bone, and now they had the Op-Op Fruit. They were genuinely afraid that Li Yuan would ultimately gai
n the power of the immortality surgery.
If that happened, it would be a disaster for the World Government!