"Hey everyone, I need a bit more time to correct mistakes, rewrite, and edit this book. I apologize for the delays due to name changes in the story. I'll have everything updated by this weekend and promise a high-quality translation. Feel free to check out my other work, 'One Piece: Marine of the Straw Hat Pirates,' to see the quality of my translations."
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The vast expanse of ice crackled underfoot. A golden light streaked across, swiftly followed by a silver-white figure enveloped in dazzling electricity, flashing and pursuing relentlessly. The two moved with the speed of wind and lightning, vanishing from the battlefield in an instant.
"Clang! Clang!"
Wilhelm activated the transparent ability of his Devil Fruit, the "Ten Rings," causing his figure to disappear once more, becoming completely invisible. Yet, Borsalino (Kizaru) dared not let his guard down. His Observation Haki remained constantly active, maintaining a high level of vigilance. The Heavenly Cloud Sword (Ama no Murakumo) in his hand continuously clashed with Wilhelm'sCloud Teeth (Kumo no Yaiba), which could strike from any unpredictable angle.
Wherever the two fought, the ice shattered, and powerful gusts of wind swept across. However, the bruised and weakened Kizaru couldn't fully defend against Wilhelm's elusive attacks. Although his Observation Haki allowed him to narrowly avoid critical blows at the last moment, bloody gashes appeared on his body from time to time.
Their speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared from the frozen ice created by Aokiji. Borsalino fought and retreated, but Wilhelm persisted, chasing him across the sea, completely disregarding his own stamina. He was determined to keep Kizaru there at all costs.
"It's useless, Kizaru," Wilhelm's voice was cold and murderous. "Despair awaits you!"
He instantly reappeared before Borsalino. The Cloud Teeth, completely transparent and invisible to the naked eye, tore through the atmosphere, imbued with powerful Armament Haki and entwined with astonishing electricity, as they slashed out violently.
"Keng—" Borsalino barely blocked the attack, recoiling sharply. But in the next moment, without hesitation, he bypassed Wilhelm again, blasting away in another direction. In an instant, the silver-white figure flashed past, slashing fiercely.
"Sigh, chirp..."
"Chi-..."
Of course, Wilhelm knew. From the very beginning, Borsalino intended to lure him away from the main battlefield, creating an opportunity for Aokiji and Akainu to retreat. But Wilhelm chased him out anyway, without hesitation. From a strategic perspective, both Kizaru, a Logia-type Devil Fruit user with the Spark-Spark Fruit (Pika Pika no Mi), and Aokiji, a Logia-type Devil Fruit user with the Ice-Ice Fruit (Hie Hie no Mi), posed a greater threat to the Big Mom Pirates than Akainu, a Logia-type Devil Fruit user with the Mag-Mag Fruit (Magu Magu no Mi). Keeping Katakuri on the main battlefield was just a precaution. At worst, Aokiji wouldn't be able to escape.
"Clang!"
"Yes?"
The clanging of metal echoed. Borsalino, who had narrowly blocked the deadly attack and retreated violently, remained indifferent. He ignored Wilhelm's provocations, each encounter swift and decisive. He bypassed the silver-white figure blocking him, transformed into a golden light, adjusted his direction, and continued to flee wildly.
However, his heart couldn't help but sink to the bottom. If he were at his peak, he wouldn't fear Charlotte Wilhelm at all, and would even consider if he could defeat this natural monster of the Charlotte Family. But knowing how weak he was now, he had no intention of clashing head-on with his opponent, and so he continued to push forward...
"Boom—"
Meanwhile, chaos erupted on the main battlefield. An incredibly thick ice wall, soaring sky-high, stretched across the entire area, separating most of the pirates from the Marines. Even Shiryu of the Rain and others, who were fighting Akainu and his forces, were completely cut off.
Aokiji stood alone on the other side of the ice wall, his face filled with determination. He faced formidable opponents like Shiryu of the Rain and Musashi Miyamoto by himself, along with countless Homies and thousands of Big Mom Pirates.
"Aokiji-san!"
"Vice Admiral Kuzan..."
"What are you doing?"
Not just the pirates, but even the countless Marines couldn't help but drastically change their expressions. On the other side of the thick ice wall, Aokiji spoke in a determined voice without turning his head: "Sakazuki, take everyone away. I'll come back!"
"Kuzan... I... I understand!"
Sakazuki's eyes were bloodshot. He clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth as he shouted: "Everyone, leave the battlefield immediately!"
Even if their ideals of justice differed, and Aokiji's justice was considered too idealistic compared to the naive former Marine Headquarters Admiral, "Black Arm" Zephyr, in this moment of life and death, with Aokiji's tall, thin figure standing resolutely on the other side of the ice wall built with his life, Sakazuki's perception of him had undeniably changed completely, filling him with awe.
"Great Eruption!"
Without hesitation, Akainu leaped violently, using Moonwalk to remain airborne. A large amount of magma poured out as his scorching magma giant fist slammed into the ice below.
"Boom!"
"Gurgling... Gurgling..."
Large sections of ice instantly collapsed, vaporized by the extremely hot magma, continuously melting and turning into boiling seawater. Some Homies and pirates who were trapped on that part of the battlefield lost their footing and shrieked miserably in the scalding water.
"Move!"
"..."
This scene caused Doberman, Onigumo (Flying Squirrel), Chaton (Tea Dolphin), Momousagi (Pink Rabbit), and others to change their expressions. But without hesitation, they gritted their teeth and turned to leave.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan..."
"Are we leaving him alone?"
"No, let's go together!"
"It is better to dedicate your life to justice than to just live in mediocrity!"
Thanks to Aokiji's high prestige within the Marines, some Marine generals and soldiers, with reddened eyes, shouted their unwillingness to leave.
"You bastards, are you going to dishonor Aokiji's justice?"
Approaching a Marine Rear Admiral who refused to leave, Doberman, his eyes bloodshot and more ferocious than a pirate's, slapped the man hard and unceremoniously. Under the other's disbelieving gaze, Doberman yelled angrily, his eyes faintly filled with tears: "Is he risking his life and intercepting the enemy just so you can survive?!"
He clenched his fists tightly.
"I'm telling you, Aokiji is doing this to preserve the Marines' strength as much as possible, so that you can survive, continue to uphold justice, and protect those people in this sea who are worried and frightened by pirates everywhere, restless day and night!"
His hoarse voice was somewhat hysterical: "Listen to me! For the sake of justice, even if we are trying to survive, we must not waver in our determination!"
"Justice may falter, but absolute justice never gives up!"
"Vice Admiral Kuzan!"
"Everyone, evacuate immediately!"
"Don't shame Vice Admiral Kuzan!"
Countless Marines were shocked. After reacting, they all gritted their teeth tightly. They made up their minds and rushed to the distant ice surface with their injured companions, evacuating the battlefield.
"None of you can go!"
On the other side of the colossal ice wall, Katakuri spoke coldly. He swung his fists violently, imbued with tyrannical Armament Haki.
"Huh—huh—" Huge fist marks, radiating dazzling white light, instantly tore through the air, directly crushing the atmosphere. Carrying a terrifying impact, they blasted towards Aokiji.
"Storm Pheasant's Beak!"
Aokiji roared, and an astonishing coldness made people shiver uncontrollably. A colossal ice bird flapped its wings and burst forth.
"Boom..."
Amidst the splashing ice, Shiryu of the Rain rushed forward. His famous sword, Thunderstorm, brazenly swung: "Momo Thirty Times Cut!"
"Boom!!!" Smoke and dust filled the air, and ice shards splattered. But this ice wall was far thicker than imagined. Though it was shockingly torn by the huge slash, it began to recover in the blink of an eye.
"It's useless, Shiryu of the Rain. This is a wall reinforced with life; it cannot be broken..." Aokiji's face was solemn. He spoke decisively: "Come on, I will be your opponent..." He looked at Katakuri, the leader of the opposing forces, and said solemnly, "In exchange, I won't run away!"
"You think beautifully, Mama Mama!"
At that moment, Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom), tattered and disheveled, looking like a ghost, rushed up riding Thundercloud Zeus, grinning menacingly. Like a fiery red artificial sun, Prometheus, burning fiercely, followed behind her.
She swung the enormous blade Napoleon from a distance. From at least a few miles away, they rushed forward in a panic.
"Weiguo!"
"Boom..."
The terrifying shockwave blatantly pierced through the atmosphere, directly destroying the ancient ice and tearing a shocking hole through the thick ice wall. But in the next instant, the colossal ice wall began to refreeze and recover at a visible speed.
"It's useless. It won't collapse until I fall..." Surprising cold air surged all over Aokiji's body, continuously pouring into the extremely thick ice wall as he spoke with a determined face.
"Then we'll get rid of you first!"
Katakuri was imposing. Worried that Charlotte Linlin might suddenly become hot-headed again and try to solve the opponent alone without letting others intervene, he stopped talking nonsense.
Compared to Akainu, Aokiji's ability held extremely high strategic significance. Once the Logia-type Ice-Ice Fruit user was lost, the World Government and Marine Headquarters would undoubtedly lose a crucial pillar.
At the very least, the Marines would no longer have a foothold in the New World's waters.
Getting rid of Aokiji early, and then pursuing the Marine deserters led by Akainu, might still offer a chance. After all, if two monsters of astonishing strength were truly forced to go berserk together, risking everything in an all-out battle, the Charlotte Family brothers and sisters might suffer significant casualties.
"Swipe..." In an instant, substantial fist prints condensed in the air one after another, entwined with quite strong Armament Haki. All of them spewed strong blue flames, like densely packed rockets launching, and they bombarded out crazily: "Air Rocket · Mochi!"
"Momo Thirty Times Cut!"
"Two Swords Style, Taoyuan Ten Fists!"
"Shimotsuki Flow · Flying Dragon Elegy!"
"Thorstorm!"
"Puncture Wave!"
"Boom boom boom..."