"I felt some disgusting Esper fluctuations and came to take a look. As expected, it's you pieces of trash."
Tatsumaki landed lightly on the ground.
Maintaining a haughty posture, she looked contemptuously at the guys inside the ice blocks.
She didn't even spare a glance at Aokiji and the others nearby.
Even standing next to the nearly two-meter-tall Aokiji, she looked like a midget.
Bang and Flash had both heard a bit about her.
After all, she was known as the strongest Esper in history.
However, they didn't know much, only hearing that her personality was arrogant, conceited, and quite foul.
"This is the latest Artificial Esper? Truly pathetically weak. Your research is still as trashy as ever after all these years," Tatsumaki mocked incessantly.
"You have the nerve to talk about protecting humanity? Don't tell me you'll be like back then, crying for help the moment you encounter a Monster."
"Trash is trash. Just because you set a grand goal, you think you've become great too? How laughable, the self-consolation of the mediocre!"
[Tsukuyomi] Leader: "..."
He chose to ignore Tatsumaki.
Instead, he continued speaking to Aokiji:
"Aokiji, you are different from this brat who acts entirely on emotion; you possess the ability for rational thought and have a special Esper power."
"The hero profession you are currently engaged in seems to be protecting humanity, but in reality, it's giving them a false sense of hope."
"The frequency and combat power of Monsters are increasing every year; this is common knowledge. One day, when you encounter a Monster you cannot defeat, perhaps you will understand me."
"However, it will be too late by then. I hope you can realize this sooner... think about it more."
A shadow seemed to cover Tatsumaki's face as a terrifying pressure instantly swept out:
"Who are you calling a brat!!!"
Tatsumaki extended a hand, and an Esper power more exaggerated than a natural disaster surged violently!
Intense wind pressure swept across the island!
Sensing danger, the others instinctively took up stances.
Raising fists, gripping swords, gathering strength.
Only Aokiji reached out and grabbed that slender arm:
"Stop. He's no longer here."
The Artificial Esper had already tilted his head and fainted, with swirls appearing in his eyes.
"Huh?" Tatsumaki looked up and glanced at Aokiji.
"Am I close with you? Grabbing my hand just like that—what are you, some kind of large dog trying to get close to humans? You self-important guy."
"Annoying!" Tatsumaki flicked her finger. "Get lost!"
Boom—!!!
The released Haki and Esper power collided violently!
The ground beneath their feet crumbled and cracked!
Aokiji let go. "I still need to gather information from these guys. It'll be a problem if you accidentally kill them; they are my spoils of war."
Tatsumaki's hair floated up, revealing her smooth forehead, looking a bit surprised:
"You actually blocked it. That guy said you were a special Esper; it seems he wasn't talking in his sleep."
Then she looked at the Artificial Espers again.
Aside from the one who fainted after being possessed by the leader, the other three still maintained those strange, twisted smiles.
Even though there was no longer any chance of a turnaround and they had clearly been abandoned by the organization, they remained unmoved, not acting like normal humans at all.
"Truly disgusting. I'm taking these guys away to interrogate them about [Tsukuyomi]," Tatsumaki declared naturally.
"I told you, they are my spoils of war," Aokiji replied lazily.
"Just because you blocked a casual strike of mine, you dare to be so confident..." Tatsumaki looked up; she was at a physical disadvantage, but her Aura didn't lose out at all.
"Try and stop me then, you Rare Animal."
This phrase was clearly a nickname aimed at the 'special Esper' comment.
Her body was like an elementary schooler's,
and her mind wasn't much more mature,
considering how much she liked giving nicknames.
"If I get any results from the interrogation, I can share the intel with you. But if you want to keep it all to yourself, I won't accept that." Aokiji looked down and met her gaze, not backing down at all.
A silent confrontation began.
With the two of them as the boundary.
One side was a violently surging, majestic Esper power.
The other was a bone-chilling, azure glacier.
The two stared at each other in silence for a long time, the pressure on them condensing into something tangible.
The raw stats of the aokiji template were naturally inferior to Tatsumaki's.
But a battle never ends just by comparing data.
There are many other factors that can influence the outcome of a fight.
Intel, ability counters... even mindset is crucial.
Aokiji had seen the original work and knew that Tatsumaki had a weakness that wasn't quite a weakness.
When launching an Esper attack, her own defense would drop—a bad habit that even rookie Espers would try to overcome.
But as the strongest Esper with unparalleled talent who had crushed everyone since childhood,
Tatsumaki had never, until now, encountered an enemy who could survive her full-power attack.
It was this arrogance born from her strength
that left her with such a small vulnerability.
If her defense was breached, it wouldn't even require a heavy blow; just causing her brain to rattle slightly
would make her Esper power temporarily unusable.
Their sizes were worlds apart, yet their Aura was evenly matched.
Their eyes locked in confrontation, neither yielding.
"Young people these days..." Bang suddenly sighed, breaking the stalemate.
"Meeting for the first time and staring at each other so passionately... it's good to be young."
"You old geezer, what are you talking about!!!"
Tatsumaki looked away, shouting through gritted teeth.
What the hell do you mean 'passionate staring'?!
I just want to beat the crap out of this self-righteous guy!
Aokiji understood Bang's intentions.
He just wanted to interrupt the conflict that was about to break out.
The wisdom of the elderly—something to learn from.
With the atmosphere disrupted, it unexpectedly calmed down.
Aokiji: "I'm still sticking to my proposal; I can share any intel with you."
How could he give up an opportunity to grind his progress bar?
Seemingly acting out of spite, Tatsumaki turned her head away:
"Fine, whatever. Leaving a troublesome task like interrogation to the weak is indeed more logical."
"Though I doubt you'll get anything out of them. These guys are like disgusting bugs; they've probably already moved their nest by now."
"There will be a way," Aokiji replied casually.
The best way to deal with a child
is to listen to what they say seemingly seriously,
and then just add, 'Got it, now go play.'
Tatsumaki very reluctantly gave her contact information, then added:
"Don't bother me for no reason; I'm very busy."
Seeing her wary look, Aokiji still replied casually, "I don't have the time for that. A hero's work is very busy too."
"Hmph! Better be!"
Tatsumaki turned her head haughtily.
After hesitating for a moment, she slowly spoke up and asked:
"You're heroes from the Hero Association, right... Have you seen a girl who looks a lot like me? She's also an Esper."
Aokiji was gathering the ice sculptures together, freezing them into a single mass for easy transport.
He replied to her as he worked:
"I haven't seen anyone who looks like you, but I've seen one who looks like your mother."
"She even asked me to teach and train her."
...
(Throw some stones)