"Prepare yourself, brat!"
As Akainu jumped down from the execution platform, Luffy and "Ace" charged straight at him.
"I will put an end to your cursed bloodline!"
In response to Akainu's declaration, Ace's arms ignited with roaring flames. He grinned, full of defiance.
"Sorry, but my brother and I never cared much for books! We don't have time for your lectures."
"Let's go, Luffy!"
With his fists covered in Armament Haki, Luffy grinned and took the same stance.
"Leave it to me, Ace!"
Just like they did two years ago on the battlefield of Marineford.
On the other side:
"Ice Blade · Giant Sword!"
With a wave of Aokiji's hand, a massive ice blade instantly formed above him. This ice wasn't the usual clear, crystalline kind but the kind of hardened ice found only on towering peaks or deep within the polar regions—so tough that even blades and axes could barely scratch it.
In the next moment, this enormous ice blade, as mighty as a battleship, with the weight of a mountain and an unstoppable force, surged toward Roman, aiming to bury him beneath the frozen wasteland of the "Ice Age"!
But in the blink of an eye, a flash of black and white light erupted—
The ice blade shattered into countless pieces! That supposed unbreakable toughness and overwhelming weight suddenly seemed like nothing more than a fragile illusion, as delicate as a soap bubble.
"More More · Fifty-Fold Quake Sword!"
A longsword wrapped in blinding white light clashed head-on. The black blade, strengthened with Armament Haki, was also surrounded by a storm of vibrations—oscillating at billions of times per second. With each swing, Roman's sword tore through the air, leaving behind cracks like shattered glass, destroying anything in its path.
"Ah la la, this power looks familiar..."
Aokiji reached out casually, and a saber, condensed from ice so dense it looked like ancient frozen crystal, formed in his hand. Though it quickly shattered under Roman's combined attack of Armament Haki and the Quake-Quake Fruit, Aokiji could create as many of these weapons as he wanted.
"This attack style... and that girl interfering with my ability..."
Behind Roman, Nami had also activated her "Frozen Pages" ability, attempting to wrestle control of the battlefield's ice. While her ice manipulation was far weaker than Aokiji's, as long as she could divert even a portion of his focus, preventing him from unleashing large-scale attacks, it would be enough.
"It's you two, isn't it? Vice Admiral Roman and Captain Ann."
The "Aokiji" before them was still the version from two years ago, meaning his memories of Roman and Nami were stuck at the time they had just joined the Marines.
"Mr. Kuzan, this isn't the time for small talk. Even for you, fighting without Haki could be dangerous. We've been honing our skills in battle for two years—underestimating us would be a big mistake!"
"Ah la, looks like I'm the one being underestimated here."
"Ice Storm!"
Even with Nami interfering with his ice control, Aokiji was still a Marine Admiral. While large-scale disaster-level attacks might be difficult, small-scale ice abilities were still at his fingertips.
As he exhaled, an icy breath swept forward like a massive tidal wave, surging toward Roman!
The air around the freezing blast began swirling violently, forming a massive vortex. The ice-cold breath instantly liquefied and solidified the surrounding air, creating a sudden vacuum. The resulting low pressure triggered a powerful whirlwind, carrying countless shards of swirling ice straight at Roman, leaving him nowhere to escape!
Just as Roman was about to dodge, Aokiji's lazy expression suddenly sharpened—his eyes turning cold! At the same time, he thrust his hands forward toward Roman from a distance.
"Ice Block: Twin Thorns Spear!"
Two massive ice spears, their tips spiraling into sharp points, shot forward at high speed. As they moved, layers of frost coiled around them, obscuring their true trajectory and making it nearly impossible to predict their exact attack point.
"But it's useless against Observation Haki—"
Before Roman could even finish his sentence, the ice spears suddenly twisted!
In an instant, their hidden tips became crystal clear, transforming into giant dragon-like spears dozens of meters long. The high-speed spiraling points seemed to ignore the distance between them, appearing right in front of Roman in a flash!
!?
This sudden attack caught Roman completely off guard! Even without Haki reinforcement, the spears' piercing power was enough to cut through any metal effortlessly. Combined with the freezing energy ready to explode on contact, they were nearly impossible to block head-on!
With only a fraction of a second to react, Roman dodged at full speed! At the same time, he shifted to wielding his sword one-handed, raising his other hand to defend—
Crack!!
Haki isn't all-powerful, Roman.
"Tsk, as expected of an Admiral..."
Even though he used the 'Shield Barrier' at the last moment to block the ice spear, half of Roman's arm was still covered in a thick layer of ice. Luckily, with The White Knight and Armament Haki acting as insulation, he didn't lose the entire arm.
Boom!
Armament Haki burst outward, shattering the heavy ice on his arm. Roman swung his sword again and charged forward.
"Come at me again!"
…What an outstanding group of young warriors.
Standing atop the highest justice fortress in Marineford, the Red the Aloof looked down at the three battlefields below.
These were just twenty-something-year-olds, yet they were holding their own against the Marine's three Admirals. Even though these Admirals were 'incomplete versions' without Haki, they were still incredibly strong.
"This era belongs to you all…"
As for our era...
The Red the Aloof lowered his gaze to the object in his hand—a Devil Fruit that looked like a purple apple, its surface covered in intricate swirling patterns.
Zoan-type · Bat-Bat Fruit · Mythical Model: Vampire.
A legendary Devil Fruit!
"Our era will never end!"
Gol D. Roger, Edward Newgate, Shiki... The great pirates who once aimed for the title of Pirate King.
You've all grown old, but I won't—
The throne of the Pirate King will be mine!
"Hmm?!"
Roman glanced up at the towering Marine Headquarters building. The empty structure made him shake his head. After forcing Aokiji back with a single strike, he leaped backward and landed in front of Nami.
"Nami, is that move ready?"
"No problem."
Lightning flickered around Roman, who was clad in the White Knight armor, while Nami was also engulfed in electricity at the same time! She looked a bit like a miniature Thunder God. Of course, unlike Enel, who relied on the Rumble-Rumble Fruit to be "invincible," Nami's lightning was weaker. And Roman's control over electricity was even worse than hers.
Crackle! Pop!—
Using her abilities, Nami created an electromagnetic acceleration field in midair, like an upgraded version of the Railgun 2.0. Roman then placed his long sword, made of Wapol metal, into the swirling lightning.
"Take this! The 50-million-berry 'Heavy Rail Cannon'!"
That's right. This move was developed from the Poneglyphs—
Railgun 3.0!
Heavy Rail Cannon!
Since the sword, acting as the projectile, carried a continuous electric current infused by Roman, it interacted with the electromagnetic field generated by Nami's acceleration coils. When passing through, the projectile would momentarily "cut off" the coil's magnetic field, then reconnect with the next one.
Before the projectile left the coil, this constant "cutting" and "reconnecting" caused the magnetic field to continuously restore and strengthen. This repeating "reconnection phenomenon" is where the attack got its name.
"Momo · Fiftyfold Haki Compression!"
At the same time, Roman compressed and wrapped his entire supply of Armament Haki around the sword, ensuring that no Logia-type user could escape this strike! This attack carried all the strength, effort, and Haki that Roman and Nami could muster.
"Oh? Then let me see what little trick you two are up to."
In an instant, Aokiji's body was covered in ancient ice, and at the same time, layers of ice walls rose from the ground. But he would never have expected—
This was the fastest, strongest, and most overwhelming sword strike Roman and Nami had ever unleashed!
"Combined Technique: Shatter the Vacuum!"
In a flash of light, there was no earth-shattering display, no Haki bursting out. Yet, the battle was over in an instant! On Aokiji's chest, despite the thick layer of ice armor, which was comparable to the best Armament Haki defense, a round hole the size of a cup still appeared after this shot.
Even along the trajectory of this shot, a pitch-black "cylinder" silently pierced through the air and the ice wall in its path! It was the combined power of Haki, knowledge, fruit abilities, and technology! An absolute "spear" that could pierce through any defense in this world! A technique that could only be dodged, not withstood.
"Terrifying..."
Before he could say anything more, Aokiji was blasted into a cloud of smoke with a 'boom'.
"Did we win?"
"We won."
"Yay~~~!!"
Faced with Nami's cheer, Roman, half-kneeling on the ground, exhausted from the strike, had to pour cold water on her.
"Don't get too excited, we were just taking advantage of the fact that Aokiji didn't have Haki. Otherwise, there's no way he'd take such a terrifying blow unless he lost his mind!"
Any Haki master, even without seeing Roman and Nami's "Combined Technique," would be warned by their Observation Haki... no, they would instinctively dodge, controlling their body like crazy, never doing something as foolish as using Tekkai to withstand such an attack.
On the other side, "Fire Fist!!"
"Fire Fist Gun!"
Facing the fists of the two brothers coming at him side by side, Akainu swung out his massive magma fist.
"Canine Bite Red Lotus!"
"I am magma that can burn flames! Do you think this fire attack is meaningful?!"
"Ohhhhh!!" X2
However, what answered him were the brothers' enraged roars, as well as Luffy and Ace stepping forward together, with:
Armament Haki wrapping around both fists!
Don't get it wrong, that's all Luffy's Haki. He used his Haki to wrap around Ace, and only Ace could accept Luffy's Haki. After all, no normal strong person would let someone else's Haki wrap around them. So, "What—?!"
The massive magma fist was broken through, and the two fire-wrapped fists rapidly grew larger in Akainu's eyes.
Boom!! X2
The former Marine Admiral only had time to let out an exclamation before being blasted into the execution platform behind him! After punching through the buildings behind him: Boom~~ He didn't even have time to say a word before collapsing, turning into a piece of leaf.
"Luffy~~"
"Did you... defeat Kizaru?"
At Luffy's question, Zoro smiled proudly.
"Didn't I say we'd take care of it?"
Sanji lit a cigarette.
"It was easy... though, I wish I could say that, but honestly, we're all covered in bruises."
"Hey, aren't you going to ask me?"
Facing Roman, being supported by Nami, looking like a 'weak young master', Luffy grinned.
"Roman, you've never made us worry. What's there to ask?"
Tch, even if you praise me like that, I won't be happy...
"By the way, Ace—"
When Luffy turned around, there was only a leaf left, along with:
A voice drifting in the wind: 'We will fight together again'... or was it just an illusion?
"Ace, thank you."
(End of Chapter)
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