Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

The moment Haruto stepped out of the inn, the surrounding Marines raised their rifles in unison and aimed directly at him.

The Marine officer at the front studied Haruto carefully before shouting in a stern voice.

"’Dragon Tamer’ Suzuki Haruto! You are wanted for assisting pirates and interfering with the Summit War! Drop your weapons and surrender immediately, or we will open fire!"

Haruto blinked.

Then he slapped a hand against his forehead.

"Oh, right. I helped the Whitebeard Pirates, so I’m wanted now."

He scratched his head and glanced around at the densely packed Marines surrounding the inn, but there was no trace of panic on his face.

"That’s quite a crowd."

"In that case, I guess there’s only one thing to do."

The instant the words left his mouth, Haruto’s eyes sharpened.

An immense wave of Conqueror’s Haki erupted from his body and swept violently in every direction.

The Marines caught within it immediately rolled their eyes back and collapsed.

In a matter of seconds, most of the hundred or so soldiers surrounding the inn were unconscious on the ground.

The few who managed to remain standing were barely holding themselves upright, their faces filled with undisguised fear.

Haruto withdrew his Conqueror’s Haki and dusted off his hands with a satisfied smile.

"Yep. When it comes to clearing out fodder, Conqueror’s Haki really is the easiest way."

He rolled one wrist, preparing to deal with the handful of Marines still standing.

Then his En suddenly detected a lethal threat.

It was coming from directly above.

And it was approaching at a speed beyond anything ordinary perception could follow.

Haruto’s pupils contracted.

Without the slightest hesitation, Nen erupted from his body as he threw himself sideways.

Almost at the exact instant he left his original position, a dazzling golden laser descended from the sky and struck precisely where he had been standing.

Boom—!!

A deafening explosion tore through the street.

The two-story inn was instantly blown apart, reduced to flying debris beneath the violent shockwave.

Roofs were ripped from the surrounding buildings, and a huge crater was blasted into the ground.

Haruto landed some distance away and glanced at the ruins that had once been his inn.

Then he sharply raised his head toward the direction the laser had come from.

A familiar figure hovered in the air above him.

Marine Admiral Borsalino.

Kizaru.

He wore amber-tinted sunglasses, and the same lazy, vaguely irritating smile hung on his face.

"This is going to be a pain."

Haruto’s expression darkened slightly as he muttered under his breath.

He knew perfectly well how dangerous Kizaru was.

The man was a Logia user who wielded the Glint-Glint Fruit, granting him movement and attacks at the speed of light. He stood among the absolute strongest fighters in this world.

More importantly, although Haruto had obtained complete training methods for Armament Haki and Observation Haki from the Whitebeard Pirates, he had not actually had time to train them properly.

Ever since leaving Marineford, all of his attention had gone into tasting food and collecting ingredients.

Against a Logia opponent like Kizaru, that was a serious problem.

Still, it was only a problem.

Haruto might get injured, but if his life were truly in danger, he could simply leave the One Piece world altogether.

Besides, he had a theory he had been wanting to test.

This was as good an opportunity as any.

Kizaru’s figure flickered.

A flash of blinding golden light crossed the distance, and in an instant he appeared in midair not far from Haruto.

He casually adjusted his sunglasses.

"Long time no see, Haruto-kun."

His voice remained as slow and lazy as ever.

"If possible, could you just surrender quietly? I really hate troublesome work, you know."

Haruto looked at him and suddenly smiled.

Then he shook his head without hesitation.

"Yeah, that’s not happening."

"There are still way too many ingredients I haven’t seen and too many dishes I haven’t tasted. I have no intention of getting locked up somewhere like Impel Down where there’s nothing good to eat."

Kizaru gave him an exaggeratedly helpless look.

He did not seem particularly surprised.

"Ooh... I suppose it can’t be helped, then."

Before he even finished speaking, Kizaru vanished.

A burst of light flashed so brightly that the surrounding Marines could barely keep their eyes open.

Then Kizaru appeared directly in front of Haruto.

His right leg was already glowing brilliant gold.

The kick came toward Haruto’s chest with terrifying force.

Kizaru’s languid voice reached him at the same time.

"Speed is weight."

"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"

Haruto had already pushed his En to its limit before Kizaru attacked.

Even though Kizaru moved at light speed, the instant he activated his ability, Haruto could still detect the path of his movement.

Almost as soon as the kick came, Haruto lowered his center of gravity and rapidly concentrated Nen throughout his body, bracing for impact.

BANG—!!

Kizaru’s leg slammed into him.

The force was like a volcanic eruption.

The ground beneath Haruto’s feet collapsed instantly.

A fraction of a second later, his entire body shot backward like a cannonball and crashed through the building behind him.

The structure immediately collapsed, burying Haruto beneath a mountain of broken stone and timber.

Kizaru landed in front of the ruins.

He lowered his gaze toward his right leg, a genuinely puzzled expression appearing on his face.

"How strange..."

"Was that Armament Haki just now? No... it didn’t quite feel like it."

There was a faint ache in his leg.

It felt as though he had kicked a solid block of rock.

That should not have happened.

His leg had been transformed into light when the attack connected.

And whatever power Haruto had used did not feel like Armament Haki.

Suddenly, the rubble exploded outward.

Haruto jumped free from the wreckage and landed on his feet.

He brushed dust from his clothes.

Aside from some torn fabric, he had suffered almost no meaningful injury.

Most of the impact from Kizaru’s kick had been absorbed by his Nen defense. The small amount of force that remained was nowhere near enough to seriously hurt his body.

Haruto raised his head and looked toward Kizaru.

An excited smile appeared on his face.

"So I was right."

"Nen really can hit the physical body of an elementalized Logia user."

Haruto’s Nen was life energy generated through his Gourmet Cells, and it possessed a variety of unusual properties.

Armament Haki was likewise a form of energy produced by the body, and it allowed its users to physically interact with Logia users even after they transformed into their elements.

That had led Haruto to wonder whether Nen might be capable of doing the same thing.

Judging by Kizaru’s reaction, his theory had just been proven correct.

However, Haruto’s excitement did not last long.

His expression quickly turned serious again.

Being able to hurt Kizaru was one thing.

Actually keeping up with him was another matter entirely.

Light-speed movement and attacks were absurdly troublesome.

Even if En allowed Haruto to detect Kizaru’s movements the instant they began, his body still had to react quickly enough to do something about them.

He had barely managed to defend against that kick, and even then, he had still been sent flying.

If his Nen defense had been any weaker, the attack would have seriously injured him.

And Nen was not infinite.

Haruto slowly drew in a breath.

Nen flowed steadily around his body as his eyes locked onto Kizaru. Every muscle tightened, putting him into his highest state of readiness.

This was going to be a difficult fight.

Kizaru watched him for a moment before pushing his slightly displaced sunglasses back into place.

The laziness in his eyes had faded just enough to reveal a hint of genuine interest.

"Ooh... how scary."

"But you know..."

"You’re only wasting your energy."

As he spoke, Kizaru crossed his arms in front of him.

Blinding golden light gathered at his fingertips.

Then countless projectiles of condensed light erupted outward like a torrential downpour, filling Haruto’s entire field of vision as they descended upon him from every direction.

"Yasakani Sacred Jewel!"

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