"Stop, Aokiji!"
Just as Aokiji was about to strike, Luffy burst forward. His body snapped into Gear Second, steam roaring off his skin as he bellowed:
"Gum-Gum Jet Gatling!"
Before the words fully left his mouth, a storm of fists crashed down on Aokiji—rapid, relentless, desperate.
But the next instant—
"AAAAAARGH!!!"
Luffy screamed.
"Straw Hat Boy!" Ivankov shouted in horror.
Luffy collapsed to the ground. Frost raced across his fists at terrifying speed, creeping up his arms like living chains. In seconds, the ice had swallowed him up to the elbows.
Aokiji glanced down at him, his voice unexpectedly calm.
"Straw Hat… when I was younger, your grandfather took good care of me."
He turned away, no longer sparing Luffy a second glance.
"If you want to escape, do it now. This war… is still too early for you."
With that, his attention returned to Ace. Aokiji raised his fist once more, cold gathering ominously.
"Desert Spada—!"
A blade of compressed sand tore through the air, aiming straight for Aokiji's torso. Yet in the same instant, Aokiji's body dissolved into ice mist, the attack slicing through empty space.
He looked toward the newcomer with weary eyes.
"…Honestly. Endless trouble."
His gaze settled on Crocodile.
"This has nothing to do with you, Crocodile."
Crocodile sneered, eyes sharp with contempt.
"Hmph. I just can't stand the smug look on you Marines' faces. The more you want his life—"
He raised his hook slightly.
"—the more I won't let you have it."
Aokiji scratched his head, cold air rolling off him.
"The war's already spiraled out of control. I don't have time to arrest you."
His voice dropped.
"If you insist on interfering… then I'll execute you on the spot."
"Ace… are you alright?"
Despite the biting cold numbing his hands, Luffy dragged himself to Ace's side. His gaze fell on Ace's right shoulder—and froze.
The arm was gone.
Most of the shoulder had been destroyed, ribs exposed, and through the jagged wound, parts of Ace's internal organs were faintly visible beneath layers of frost.
Ace noticed Luffy's stare and forced a crooked smile. Flames flickered as he carefully melted the ice binding his legs.
"Yeah… I'm fine."
He looked at Luffy and chuckled weakly.
"With a troublesome little brother like you… how could I die that easily?"
Luffy's chest loosened slightly—but his eyes never left Aokiji.
Whitebeard Pirates quickly gathered around Ace. The moment they saw his injuries, their faces drained of color.
"Ace Boy…"
Ivankov rushed over, eyes widening as he examined the wound. Through the gaping cavity in Ace's shoulder, he could clearly see that half of the liver had been frostbitten solid.
His expression turned deadly serious.
"This is bad. The entire right side of your body has suffered severe frostbite—necrosis has already begun."
He raised a finger sharply.
"Surgery is mandatory. And listen carefully, Ace Boy—you must not melt the ice sealing the wound. If you do, the consequences will be catastrophic."
Ace nodded faintly.
"Mm… I know."
He had only thawed his feet. The frozen cavity in his shoulder remained untouched.
His voice dropped, exhaustion seeping through.
"…The right side of my body doesn't feel anything anymore. It's strange."
He exhaled slowly.
"I feel cold… tired… but also… light. Almost excited."
The words sent a chill through everyone listening.
Ace was smiling—but he was standing at the very edge of death.
The moment Ace spoke, a knot tightened in Ivankov's chest.
'This is bad…'
He recognized the signs immediately. Ace's strange lightness, the forced calm, the faint excitement—it was all wrong. His body had begun dumping massive amounts of adrenaline, dulling pain and suppressing fear. A last-ditch survival response.
"No—Ace Boy!" Ivankov shouted urgently. "You absolutely must not get excited right now! And don't move!"
He leaned in, voice sharp and fast.
"Your injuries are far too severe. To protect itself, your body has flooded your system with adrenaline, numbing your brain. That means you're already at your limit. If we don't act immediately—"
He didn't finish the sentence.
"You need surgery. Now!"
"Iva-chan, then hurry—operate on Ace!" Luffy yelled, panic breaking through his voice.
"Operate?! Here?!" Ivankov snapped back. "Look around! This is a battlefield, not an operating room!"
He grit his teeth.
"But we don't have a choice anymore. We'll have to use… extraordinary measures."
His voice dropped, heavy with warning.
"This will greatly shorten your lifespan. But it's still better than dying here."
Luffy's eyes widened.
"…The healing hormone, Iva-chan?"
Ivankov nodded.
"Exactly. It forces rapid cell division and regeneration. It's brutal on the body—but it will save his life."
Ace didn't hesitate for a second.
"Then inject me."
His gaze was unwavering.
"As long as I can make it back alive… what does a little lifespan matter?"
Just then, a massive figure stepped forward.
"Jozu!" Ace exclaimed, surprise flashing across his face. "You're up already?!"
Jozu nodded. His movements were stiff, his breath uneven, but his eyes were firm.
"I'm not fully recovered," he admitted, glancing at Ivankov. "If that hormone can help… then use it on me too."
He took a step closer, grimacing.
"I was frozen for too long. My body feels heavy—like it doesn't fully belong to me."
Ace frowned.
"Jozu… this comes at the cost of lifespan."
Jozu met his gaze without hesitation.
"Who knows if we'll even live to see tomorrow?"
He clenched his fist.
"Worrying about the future is pointless. First, we survive today. Ivankov—I'm counting on you."
Ivankov grinned fiercely.
"Leave it to me!"
His fingertips elongated into sharp injection needles as he growled, "Healing Hormone!"
Then, without pause—"Excitement Hormone!"
Two needles struck home in the blink of an eye.
Ace cried out, collapsing to one knee as he clutched his shattered shoulder, a hoarse groan tearing from his throat. At the same time, Jozu's breathing surged, his eyes burning with sudden energy.
"Ace!" Luffy shouted, rushing to his side. "Ace—what's happening?!"
Ivankov raised a hand, surprisingly calm.
"This reaction is normal."
He gestured toward Ace.
"His cells are dividing and regenerating at extreme speed, repairing catastrophic damage. The right side of his body was already nearing necrosis—but the hormone forced those cells back into activity."
He nodded once.
"The pain returning is a good sign."
He added bluntly,
"If he can feel pain, it means that half of his body can still be saved."
Luffy swallowed hard.
"…Ace will be okay, right?"
Ivankov laughed loudly, confidence ringing in his voice.
"Don't worry, Straw Hat Boy! His condition is serious—but nowhere near as bad as yours was back then."
His tone turned sharp again.
"Still, this is a battlefield. Until he fully stabilizes, he'll need protection."
Jozu let out a slow breath, relief crossing his face.
"Then I'll leave Ace to you."
He turned, eyes locking onto the distant ice mountain.
"I'm going to save Marco."
With that, Jozu charged off—back toward the heart of the storm.
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