Aokiji turned from the shoreline to face Luffy and the others.
His lazy demeanor evaporated, replaced by the chilling resolve of an Admiral.
"Although I enjoyed our time together... the more I did, the stronger my resolve to destroy you became."
He exhaled, his breath turning to mist. "If I allow you to continue growing, the world will definitely fall into turmoil."
Faint, bone-chilling cold began to emanate from Aokiji's body, frosting the grass beneath his feet.
Ray, watching silently, agreed with Aokiji's logic.
If he were an Admiral seeing a pirate crew that could interact so harmoniously with civilians while improving their strength at such a terrifying pace, he would want to eliminate them immediately.
Aokiji knew just how dirty and corrupt the World Government was.
A crew capable of winning the hearts of people could become a force rivaling the Yonko—or worse, a revolutionary spark capable of burning down the Government itself.
Once the flames of rebellion ignited across the world, the Straw Hat Pirates would undoubtedly become the vanguard of that wildfire.
For the sake of "stability," they had to die here.
Since Aokiji's killing intent was roused, the battle was about to begin.
...
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji fully awakened their Haki, their auras flaring.
The entire crew watched Aokiji's every twitch.
Just then, Aokiji moved.
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled a condensed ice sphere swiftly toward Robin.
The speed was immense; before their training, half the crew would have been frozen instantly.
But now, things were different.
"360 Pound Cannon!"
Zoro unleashed a spiraling slash of air pressure that collided with the ice sphere mid-flight.
The impact shattered the projectile into a blinding cloud of ice mist, obstructing vision on both sides.
In that instant of confusion, the Straw Hat Pirates launched a seamless chain of attacks.
"Special Attack: Yokai Star—Bamboo Thrust!"
Usopp fired a plant yokai seed directly into the mist.
Simultaneously, Chouchou roared, launching a sonic wave from Aokiji's left flank.
As a Logia user and an Admiral, Aokiji carried a certain arrogance.
He blocked Chouchou's attack with a casual ice wall from his left hand and prepared to freeze the incoming seed with his right.
Unexpectedly, the single seed split into over a dozen, changing trajectory mid-air to shoot toward his feet.
The freezing blast missed, continuing toward the backline—straight for Usopp, Robin, and Nami.
Robin didn't even flinch.
CRACK-BOOM!
Nami's pre-charged lightning bolt intercepted Aokiji's freezing blast, neutralizing it in a shower of sparks and steam.
Meanwhile, Robin activated her ability.
"Mil Fleurs: Clutch!"
Over a dozen black, Haki-coated arms sprouted directly from Aokiji's back, locking his joints.
At that moment, Aokiji sensed a moderate threat.
Simultaneously, sharp bamboo shoots infused with demonic energy erupted from the earth beneath him.
Pinned by Robin, he was unable to evade.
In the brief span of a single breath, he realized he had underestimated them.
With a thunderous crash, the bamboo pierced through him while Robin wrenched his spine.
All that remained were shattered ice fragments and a spray of blood.
"We got him!" Usopp cheered.
But Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro showed no relief.
"Don't let your guard down," Zoro barked. "His presence hasn't weakened at all."
Sure enough, the scattered ice fragments swirled together, reforming into Aokiji in seconds.
However, a trace of blood now trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Ray understood perfectly.
Robin's Haki-infused arms could restrain Aokiji physically, but without Seastone, they couldn't suppress his Logia abilities.
Aokiji had used his Observation haki to elementally shift his body around the bamboo spikes, avoiding lethal damage.
As for Robin's clutch, he had likely chosen to endure it to test her strength.
Otherwise, he could have simply reinforced his back with Armament Haki to shatter her limbs.
Aokiji cracked his neck, his eyes fixed on the archaeologist.
"Nico Robin... with abilities like these, you've become an even greater threat to the World Government. Ordinary Vice Admirals can no longer capture you."
This was his conclusion after personally experiencing her offense.
Her terrifying control combined with Haki allowed her to wear down elite marines from a distance.
"As for the others... you're all quite strong too. The Marines' assessment of you is clearly mistaken."
Shedding his lazy slouch, Aokiji's hands transformed completely into jagged ice, coated in the black sheen of Armament Haki.
He exhaled a long breath of cold air and pointed a finger.
"Pheasant Beak!"
A fifty-meter bird of solid ice screeched into existence, hurtling toward Robin.
Luffy and Sanji had already moved, appearing in front of the women instantly.
"Gear Second: Red Hawk!""Diable Jambe: Flame of Love Kick!"
Fire met ice.
Simultaneously, Zoro unleashed a "1080 Pound Phoenix" toward Aokiji himself.
Forced to dodge the lethal slash, Aokiji couldn't maintain the energy supply to his construct.
The giant ice bird exploded under the combined heat of Luffy and Sanji's attacks.
The Straw Hat Pirates had blocked another Admiral-level strike without Ray's intervention.
"Arara... you guys are far stronger than I expected," Aokiji murmured. "Among the pirate crews in the New World, few are as troublesome as you."
...
200 Meters Away.
Hidden in the bushes, three figures trembled in fear.
"Boss... we should retreat quickly," Porche urged, her voice shaking.
Foxy the Silver Fox stared, utterly disbelieving. "They're fighting a Marine Admiral... We won't see something like this twice in our lifetime. We can't leave!"
Just as they spoke, the collision between the Ice Pheasant and the Monster Trio's attacks sent a violent shockwave tearing through the forest.
The bushes hiding them were blown away, and the freezing wind made their teeth chatter.
At that moment, Foxy lost his nerve.
"Hamburg! Porche! I don't condone interrupting a manly fight! Retreat!"
Just as he turned to flee, Aokiji—having dodged Zoro's slash—materialized twenty meters in front of them.
Foxy froze.
Then, a bold, stupid idea struck him.
'If I launch a surprise attack now and defeat a Marine Admiral... I'll become famous across the seas instantly! Millions of followers will come! I'll be a legend!'
'As long as he gets hit by my beam, he'll be slow for 30 seconds. Admiral or not, he's mine!'
With trembling hands, Foxy pointed his finger at Aokiji's back.
"Noro-noro Beam!"
The pink photons fired.
Aokiji didn't even turn around.
He casually raised a hand, creating a mirrored ice wall behind him.
The beam reflected perfectly, hitting the Foxy trio.
Then Aokiji vanished, stepping sideways just as a bolt of Nami's lightning struck where he had been standing.
ZZAAAAP!
The lightning hit the slowed Foxy trio.
Because they were slowed, the electricity lingered in their bodies for what felt like eternity, cooking them until they were well-done on both sides.
...
Both Aokiji and the Straw Hats ignored the Foxy Pirates.
The battle raged on.
Aokiji unleashed a barrage of ice spikes, turning the air into a deadly hailstorm.
"Guard Point: Fur Enhancement!"
Chopper expanded into a giant, Haki-coated fluff ball, shielding Nami, Usopp, and Robin.
The spikes shattered against his hardened fur.
The Monster Trio and Chouchou intercepted the rest, shattering the ice with punches and kicks.
But they were pushed to their limit.
Aokiji raised both hands, the temperature plummeting to absolute zero.
"ICE AGE!"
A terrifying wave of cold, spanning over 300 meters, surged toward them like a tsunami.
It wasn't just ice; it was a conceptual freeze that threatened to stop their very hearts.
At this moment, the entire crew faced annihilation.
"AZURE DRAGON BREAK!"
In this critical moment, a majestic azure dragon of pure demonic energy roared from the side, colliding head-on with the glacial wave.
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