The Ice Pheasant struck Loki directly, instantly freezing the giant prince into a massive ice sculpture that fell from the sky toward the frozen battlefield below.
If the ice sculpture crashed into the ground, it was obvious what the outcome would be. Loki, the prince of the Giant Tribe, would likely be reduced to countless shards of ice, suffering complete destruction.
However, just before the frozen figure could touch the ground, a dazzling reddish-gold radiance burst out from within.
The next moment, blazing solar flames erupted violently, instantly melting and vaporizing the surrounding ice.
Loki emerged from the shattered ice, having activated his Sun God Apollo form. A brilliant solar disk floated behind his neck, and his enormous figure rose back into the sky.
He looked down at Aokiji and Akainu below with an emotionless expression.
"Mere ice dares to seal the sun? In the end, what kind of Admiral are you? You are still only humans."
Seeing Loki's transformed appearance, Aokiji raised an eyebrow.
"A Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user, huh? The temperature of those flames is a little ridiculous. And isn't this guy taking the whole Sun God thing a bit too seriously?"
As he spoke, Aokiji glanced at Akainu's reddened fist.
Akainu narrowed his eyes as he stared at Loki's flames.
"Those flames appear to be hotter than my magma."
Aokiji stretched his neck slightly and sighed.
"It seems his ability just happens to counter both of us."
Akainu snorted.
"Devil Fruit abilities alone do not determine victory, Kuzan. Did you learn nothing at the Navy Headquarters training facility?"
"Ara Ara... I'm not Borsalino. I still remember everything Zephyr-sensei taught us."
The two Admirals continued their exchange casually, completely ignoring Loki floating above them.
It was as if the Giant Tribe's prince standing in his Sun God form was not even worth their attention.
Loki's expression gradually darkened.
In his eyes, these two humans were displaying unbearable arrogance. Even after witnessing his transformation into the Sun God, they still dared to act so carelessly.
They were simply seeking death.
He raised his arm, and the solar flames gathered around him, transforming into a magnificent golden bow.
A brilliant arrow formed from pure solar fire appeared on the string.
Loki aimed downward at Akainu.
"I will start by killing you."
The moment his words fell, the golden arrow shot forward.
Wrapped in blazing solar flames, it tore through the air with terrifying speed and power.
Akainu, who had been speaking with Aokiji moments earlier, immediately transformed his arm into magma.
His magma fist expanded, taking the shape of a massive crimson hound that rushed toward the incoming arrow.
"Inugami Guren!!"
Boom!!
The solar flames and crimson magma collided violently.
The two terrifying forces clashed, causing flames and molten rock to scatter in every direction.
Large sections of the frozen battlefield melted instantly, leaving enormous holes across the ice.
Fortunately, Aokiji's Ice-Ice Fruit ability was no longer the same as it had been in the past. Although the surface of the frozen battlefield was heavily damaged, the seawater below did not break through, proving that the ice layer was incredibly thick.
Above them, Loki frowned as he watched the golden arrow disappear almost completely.
"It's only magma, yet it managed to stop my Solar Arrow. It seems I truly underestimated you."
Whoosh!
Akainu shook his arm, causing the remaining magma to fall away.
He looked up at Loki and spoke indifferently.
"Kid, you're far too confident."
What Akainu did not know was that although Loki appeared young due to the long lifespan of the Giant Tribe, his true age had already surpassed sixty years.
However, this also demonstrated one of the Giant Tribe's weaknesses. Although they possessed incredible physical potential and long lifespans, their mental maturity developed much slower compared to humans.
Loki sneered.
"I was only testing you. The real battle has just begun."
As he spoke, he pulled the solar disk behind his neck forward and descended toward the ground at high speed.
Akainu was about to step forward and confront him directly, but Aokiji moved first.
His body instantly disappeared from his original position.
When Loki approached, Aokiji had already appeared directly in front of him.
Loki's descent suddenly stopped.
He narrowed his eyes at Aokiji, whose body was releasing freezing air.
"It's you again, the ice user. Your ability cannot do anything against me."
Aokiji did not respond.
He simply clenched his right fist.
In the next moment, the power of the Ice-Ice Fruit merged with his powerful Armament Haki.
A brilliant ice-blue glow covered his fist.
The cold energy solidified, forming a powerful layer of ice armor around his hand.
Loki's expression changed slightly.
The arrogance in his eyes disappeared instantly.
As a talented warrior of the Giant Tribe, he still possessed an instinctive sense of danger.
From Aokiji's fist, he could feel a destructive force that could not be ignored.
Ice Glove.
In the original timeline, this was the technique Aokiji used to defeat Garp.
A serious Aokiji had no intention of wasting any more words with Loki.
He immediately moved.
His fist struck the solar disk that Loki had placed in front of himself.
With the enhancement of Armament Haki, Aokiji's Ice-Ice Fruit ability was no longer inferior to Loki's solar flames.
An ice-blue radiance erupted from the center of the solar disk.
A shockwave filled with extreme cold spread outward.
The freezing power directly passed through the solar disk and reached Loki himself.
The Sun God Devil Fruit user finally experienced the sensation of cold penetrating deep into his bones.
A thick layer of frost formed across his exposed upper body.
"Puff!!"
The overwhelming impact forced Loki to spit out a mouthful of blood.
His massive body was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground in front of Dorry and Brogy.
The two giants were lying against the broken remains of the deck, blood continuously flowing from their wounds and seeping into the cracks beneath them.
They looked at Loki, who had fallen before them, with complicated expressions.
Brogy coughed violently, blood escaping from his mouth.
"Loki, if you continue being this arrogant, you will die. Those two humans are not Joy Boy. They will not show you mercy."
Those words struck Loki's pride.
His expression changed as he struggled to push himself back up.
The golden flames surrounding his body suddenly erupted once more, and the solar disk behind him released another brilliant reddish-gold glow.
He turned his head and stared coldly at Brogy.
"Are you saying Joy Boy was not serious during that battle?"
Brogy raised his head and looked directly at Loki.
After a moment of silence, he slowly answered.
"That's right. Haven't you already realized it?"
Loki's face became extremely ugly.
He spat onto the ground.
"You two old fools. The only ones who will die are you! The Sun God is eternal!"
After saying that, Loki shot into the sky.
However, when he stopped in mid-air this time, he no longer possessed the same overwhelming presence as before.
His body even staggered slightly, nearly causing him to fall.
The reason he had not been defeated immediately after receiving Aokiji's Ice Glove was because his Devil Fruit ability naturally countered Aokiji's freezing powers to a certain extent.
The other reason was his terrifying physical strength as an ancient member of the Giant Tribe.
In the original timeline, Garp had already been weakened after being stabbed by Shiryu from behind before fighting Aokiji until the end.
Only after his condition had deteriorated significantly did Aokiji's Ice Glove finally defeat him.
Loki gritted his teeth and forced his breathing to stabilize.
He looked down at Aokiji and Akainu.
"Do not get carried away! How could I possibly die in a place like this?!"