Upon the vast ocean, a peculiar scene unfolded: one side of the sea remained frozen solid, while the other flowed freely. Not far off, a passenger ship lay trapped, immobilized within the ice. Aboard this vessel, two figures stood locked in a tense standoff, neither making a hasty move.
The atmosphere crackled with anticipation before both men exploded into action simultaneously, charging towards each other.
CRACK—!
Aokiji surged forward, radiating intense cold, while Doflamingo met him crackling with fierce lightning. They collided mid-air with breathtaking force. The tremendous impact sent shockwaves across the ice, startling the civilians who hadn't yet fled far. They instinctively looked back towards the explosion's epicenter. Nearby, Robin yelped, scrambling further away from the battle zone to avoid being caught in the aftermath.
Lightning and ice intertwined violently. The electricity relentlessly shattered the ice, while the ice desperately tried to freeze the volatile current. But how could Aokiji's ice possibly contain such scorching, high-temperature lightning? The ice proved inherently weaker; even wielded by Aokiji, its nature offered no advantage against the fundamental properties of lightning.
Aokiji recognized the formidable power of lightning. In some respects, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit resembled Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit, except its lightning generated temperatures far exceeding magma's heat. His ice simply couldn't withstand such intense thermal energy.
After that single, explosive exchange, they recoiled, landing on opposite ends of the ruined ship, eyes locked intently. Both now understood their opponent was far from simple.
"Haaa..." Aokiji exhaled a plume of frigid air, rubbing his neck with his left hand, his expression utterly serious.
Doflamingo, likewise, remained vigilant. While his lightning held a distinct advantage over Aokiji's ice, he wasn't foolish enough to assume that was the extent of the Marine's abilities. This man was destined to be an Admiral, after all. Confident as he was, Doflamingo didn't believe his current strength could completely overwhelm Aokiji; matching him was likely the best he could manage. Age aside, Doflamingo conceded that his Armament Haki probably wasn't yet on par with Aokiji's—though his Observation and Conqueror's Haki were another matter entirely.
"Bring your full attention to this, Vice Admiral Kuzan! Show me the true power of a Marine 'Monster'," Doflamingo declared earnestly.
"Donquixote Doflamingo, you are a dangerous element. This time, I absolutely cannot let you escape," Aokiji retorted.
"Fuffuffuffu! Then let's fight! If you can catch me, that is."
Aokiji offered no further words. Five pillars of ice shot from his palm towards Doflamingo, attempting to encase him within a massive sphere of ice.
Seeing Aokiji resort to such minor techniques, Doflamingo grew impatient. "Useless. Try something else."
"God's Punishment!"
Aokiji watched, slightly surprised, as Doflamingo unleashed an attack reminiscent of Kizaru's light-based barrages. Shaking off the thought, he swiftly generated ice to counter.
The ensuing exchange was immense, a straightforward, unembellished clash as both rapidly produced vast quantities of ice and lightning, blasting away at each other.
A powerful wave of Doflamingo's area-of-effect lightning gradually shattered the ice landscape Aokiji had created, blanketing the area in thick steam. Both fighters vanished within the white mist, hidden from each other's sight.
As expected of lightning... such destructive power, Aokiji thought grimly. Witnessing Doflamingo's strength only solidified his resolve: Robin absolutely could not remain with him. This former Celestial Dragon, combined with Robin, the surviving "Demon Child" of Ohara—both were top-priority targets for the World Government. And there was no telling what Doflamingo, cast out by his own kind, might be capable of. Aokiji, feeling rather protective like a concerned father, simply couldn't allow it!
"Armament: Hardening!"
Doflamingo coated both fists in black Haki. He had no intention of dragging this out. While neither had taken significant damage, and Doflamingo even seemed to hold a slight edge, he knew his own limits. Unleashing wide-range Rumble-Rumble Fruit abilities like this was taxing and inefficient, a drain on stamina. Aokiji, clearly a master of his own fruit, had adeptly used Logia intangibility to evade much of the damage. Better to test their Haki and close-combat skills.
Locking onto Aokiji's position with Observation Haki, Doflamingo instantly teleported beside him, aiming to land a decisive blow while concealed by the steam.
Aokiji anticipated the move. Initially intending to phase through the attack, he sensed the powerful Haki coating Doflamingo's fist. Abandoning evasion, he rapidly hardened his own arms with Armament Haki and met the punch head-on.
Speed equals weight. Doflamingo's lightning-fast punch carried immense force, sending Aokiji reeling backward. Aokiji skillfully used the momentum, dissolving into the ice surface below. Suddenly, an intense chill surged from the ice, enveloping Doflamingo completely, threatening to freeze him solid where he stood.
A lifelike ice sculpture of Doflamingo materialized on the frozen sea. Aokiji reformed from the ice a short distance away.
Tsk. Still quite cold, came Doflamingo's internal thought from within the ice.
But it was useless. Blindingly bright lightning erupted from Doflamingo's entire body, melting all surrounding ice in an instant.
"Ice Block: 'Partisan'!"
Seeing Doflamingo break free, Aokiji immediately launched another attack, aiming to end his opponent's life.
Doflamingo saw the ice spears coming and instantly teleported away, causing Aokiji's attack to strike empty air.
These were minor skirmishes, however. The next wave was imminent. Having escaped, Doflamingo had no intention of letting Aokiji off the hook. He launched a flying kick imbued with Haki. This time, Aokiji didn't block; instead, he preemptively turned intangible, allowing the Haki-laden kick to pass harmlessly through him.
Impressive. He's mastered using his elemental form, Doflamingo mentally praised, seeing Aokiji dodge his Haki attack without even needing to counter.
While Aokiji could preemptively evade Doflamingo's attacks, Doflamingo could, in theory, do the same—though he admitted he wasn't yet as proficient as Aokiji. It was simply an application of Observation Haki: predicting attacks to avoid damage. Even Haki-infused strikes could be evaded this way; otherwise, how could Aokiji have emerged unscathed after taking that hit from Whitebeard during the Marineford war?
So you want to play the prediction game, huh? Fine, let's see whose Observation Haki is stronger! Doflamingo thought, his hands never ceasing their assault. His speed was indeed faster; even though Aokiji could sense the attacks coming with Observation, he often couldn't physically dodge in time and was forced to meet Doflamingo's blows head-on.
It had to be said, Aokiji's Armament Haki was undeniably stronger. Doflamingo recognized this after their several clashes. His own Armament Haki still lacked sufficient strength; compared to powerhouses like Aokiji, there was still a noticeable gap.
Their tactics shifted again. After another punch-for-punch exchange, Doflamingo used the recoil to launch himself high into the air, casually firing off a bolt of lightning as he ascended.
"Divine Judgment!"
"Ice Block: 'Pheasant Beak'!"
Lightning and ice clashed once more, ending in another stalemate.
Reaching this point, Doflamingo felt the urge to withdraw. Fighting like this could drag on for three days and nights without a clear victor. Unwilling to waste more time, he decided to go all out, entering his ultimate attack mode. If Aokiji likes dodging with his Logia form so much, let's see how he handles an all-out lightning bombardment.
"200 Million Volt: Amaru!"
Soaring high above, Doflamingo's form swelled dramatically, transforming into a colossal figure made of pure, blinding lightning. Anyone approaching too closely would be instantly incinerated by the sheer electrical intensity radiating from him.
"Take this, Kuzan!" Doflamingo roared from the heavens. "Amaru's Wrath!"
Immense, wide beams of concentrated lightning shot relentlessly from Doflamingo's hands down towards Aokiji.
Aokiji's expression turned grave. He knew Doflamingo was betting everything on this final assault and didn't dare be careless.
"Ice Age!"
An unbelievably terrifying chill gathered rapidly around Aokiji, coalescing into a massive defensive shield meant to withstand the fury of Amaru's Wrath.
Heaven-shattering collisions and explosions echoed continuously. The ice surface below vibrated violently, cracking apart, freezing over, only to shatter again in a repeating cycle. Robin, watching from afar, was utterly dumbfounded. Battles can be fought like this? In her eyes, Doflamingo resembled an ancient thunder god—sacred, majestic, inviolable. Aokiji was completely engulfed by the lightning, his status momentarily unknown.
Doflamingo used his Observation Haki to monitor the situation below, refusing to lower his guard.
"200 Million Volt Amaru: Thunder Blast Annihilation!"
The lightning composing Doflamingo's giant form began to morph, taking the shapes of various animals that rained down destruction onto the battlefield below. Seizing this opportunity, Doflamingo quickly raised his right hand, directing a massive bolt of lightning high into the clouds above, intending to create a thundercloud. He decided to use his ultimate trump card, Raigo, to teach Aokiji a lesson. Even without the Ark Maxim, the resulting Raigo might be weaker, but it should be enough.
Below, Aokiji was relentlessly bombarded by lightning. Trapped within such a massive area of effect, and lacking Kizaru's speed, he had no choice but to rapidly generate ice to counteract the onslaught, trying to negate the lightning's power. Not only that, but he constantly had to repair the shattering ice beneath his feet. Aokiji exerted himself tremendously, but Doflamingo's attacks came wave after wave, giving him no respite. Colossal clouds of steam billowed upwards, shrouding the entire area in white.
Below Doflamingo lay a sea of white mist; above him churned black, ominous clouds. He floated between the two realms, resembling a deity.
Robin, and the civilians who had escaped to the distant island, watched this spectacle with faces full of awe. On Robin's face, however, there was an added layer of fierce pride.
High above, a massive, perfectly spherical ball of black lightning rapidly took shape. The power contained within was terrifying, crackling arcs of electricity dancing around its circumference, attesting to the storm of raw, untamed lightning raging inside.
"Raigo!"
Doflamingo's voice, though not loud, carried with divine authority, clearly heard by both Aokiji and Robin across the distance.
Robin stared up at the colossal sphere of lightning, her legs trembling. She stumbled and sank to the deck, whispering, "Is... is this the power of a god?"
On the distant island, the onlookers watched in stunned silence, before cries of terror erupted. "That... that is the power of a god!"
Down on the ice, Aokiji naturally sensed the terrifying energy coalescing above him. He knew this was incredibly bad. If that thing hit, it would truly be game over. But the attack's range was too vast; escape was impossible. His only option was to grit his teeth and endure.
"Ice Block: 'Pheasant Beak'!"
Aokiji rapidly created more ice constructs, desperately trying to counteract Raigo's power. Unfortunately, the disparity in force was too great; his attacks couldn't destroy the descending sphere. It continued its inexorable fall.
Damn it, damn it! My beloved bicycle is done for! Aokiji thought with helpless resignation.
"Ice Age!" Gathering every last bit of power, Aokiji erected a colossal mountain of ice as a final shield against Raigo.
Seizing this moment while Aokiji was fully committed to defense, Doflamingo instantly reverted to his normal form. In a flash, he appeared beside Robin, scooped her up, and prepared to flee.
"Are you alright, Big Brother?" Robin asked worriedly.
"I'm fine," Doflamingo replied, though his face was pale. Unleashing such massive techniques consecutively had clearly taken a toll.
"Kuzan, enjoy your lightning baptism! Farewell!" Doflamingo called back, leaving those final words hanging in the air as he vanished with Robin.
Aokiji, pinned down and unable to disengage, could only watch them go, forced to confront Raigo head-on. Pursuit was impossible, both due to the immediate threat and Doflamingo's speed.
BOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!
A cataclysmic explosion rocked the very foundations of the sea, shaking the world as if announcing the apocalypse.
In the aftermath, the whereabouts of both Donquixote Doflamingo and Aokiji became a mystery. No one knew where they had gone. However, news of this monumental battle inevitably spread across the seas, adding another layer to Doflamingo's burgeoning infamy.
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