Chapter 236: Aokiji's Mercy and Compassion!
"Heh—heh—heh—"
Chinjao stood atop a massive Ice Cube, slightly bent over, using his chest like bellows to rapidly breathe in the frigid air.
At this moment, he no longer possessed the Aura he had six days ago, and the rage in his Gaze had long since extinguished, turning into fatigue.
Chinjao was very tired now, the fatigue seeping from his feet into his flesh, bone marrow, and spirit.
His Gaze was somewhat blurry, unable to see clearly, because the rapidly swirling Blizzard around him was too dense, reducing visibility to less than two meters.
But this was nothing; the existence of Observation Haki was enough to provide him with clearer perception. Only the white frost clinging to his Neck, beard, and Chest was the most uncomfortable and troublesome.
They were simply too cold, a constant invasion of coldness like fine hairs, continuously eroding the Defense of his Armament Haki. For such a long time, his fingers, joints, and Muscle had begun to feel stiff.
This white frost wasn't present initially; it only gradually appeared starting from the third day of the Combat.
It forced him to constantly maintain Armament Haki: Hardening, otherwise the continuously emitted ultra-low temperature would completely Freeze his Body in a short time.
Their current Position of Combat was actually still on the 'Jewel Iceberg'.
However, nothing emitting golden Radiance could be seen anymore, as they had long been buried beneath the large and small Ice Cubes piled up underfoot.
As early as the second day of the Combat, a majestic, giant Iceberg had risen from the ground here, but by the fourth day, it had been completely smashed into ruins during the intense battle.
At the same time, a fierce Blizzard enveloped the entire Battlefield.
Today was the seventh day of the 'Battle of the Two Qing'!
[Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!]
Suddenly, a series of three sharp whistling sounds tore through the Blizzard. Although Chinjao's Observation Haki was not as Strong as his Armament Haki, he still detected the direction of the incoming attack instantly.
His slightly dimmed but still firm Gaze glanced to the right, and indeed, he saw three Long Spears made entirely of Ice, flying rapidly in a wedge formation with aggressive Aura.
"Hasshoken!"
Chinjao, who had turned completely black due to maintaining Armament Haki: Hardening throughout his Body, raised his right arm, which was as thick as a cannon barrel, and swung it.
[Boom—]
The moment his fist made contact with the first Ice Spear, an expanding Shockwave erupted, crushing all the Ice Spears into powder with destructive force.
At the same time, Aokiji's figure silently appeared behind Chinjao under the cover of the Blizzard, using the irregularly shaped 'Black Blade' in his hand to cut through the already Frozen green Coat.
[Swish—Splurt!!]
"Hmph"
With a suppressed groan from Chinjao, his back's Armament Haki was breached, and Aokiji's Blade cut open a long Bloody Wound. The Hot Blood that splashed out was instantly Frozen into blood droplets by the low-temperature Environment the moment it left his Body, falling to the ground and shattering into even finer blood powder.
He had actually sensed the latter's appearance, but just as he was about to turn and counterattack, his legs suddenly became unable to move. Looking down, he saw they were bound by layers of Ice Cubes.
Was he careless?
It couldn't quite be said that, but rather Chinjao's Attention had become somewhat scattered under the double onslaught of fatigue and cold.
After all, after his 'Drill Head' was flattened by Admiral Garp's punch back then, he not only lost his strongest Weapon but also lost a lot of his fighting spirit.
Not to mention, he was engaged in a protracted, high-intensity war of attrition in an Environment like the Extreme Ice Continent against a Logia Ice-Ice Fruit User who was also an Admiral Candidate.
"Ice Time!"
At this moment, Aokiji, also panting heavily from excessive consumption, took advantage of Chinjao's temporary inability to move or dodge, releasing surging cold air to Freeze Chinjao entirely within a large Ice Ball.
Given the latter's current state, the possibility of him getting out was too low, which finally allowed Aokiji to let out a sigh of relief, watching Chinjao within the Ice and exhaling a white mist of cold air.
This Combat was truly exhausting!
To be fair.
Compared to the previous generation's Top Experts like Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Admiral Garp, Admiral Zephyr, Golden Lion Shiki, Whitebeard Edward Newgate, Pirate King Roger, and others whom Chinjao had directly clashed with and successfully survived to this Era, his Haki, Martial Arts, and Combat Experience were all significantly stronger than Aokiji's. A direct head-on confrontation was simply impossible.
But the final outcome of a Combat isn't necessarily determined by who appears Stronger; it's closely related to the situation, Mindset, age, Ability Compatibility, and other factors.
With his Ability Awakening and the complete Extreme Ice Environment, it took him a full seven days to finally wear down this tough Opponent!
"Alala la, sorry, we'll be taking your Treasure. I believe they will be used for more important Matters."
Aokiji knew that Chinjao inside was actually Conscious and could hear what he was saying. However, although he apologized verbally, he didn't truly feel guilty in his Heart.
After all, Chinjao's vast amount of Treasure was ultimately plundered during his decades as a Pirate; it was entirely Ill-gotten Gains that couldn't be cleaned. As a Marine, confiscating them was completely justified.
At the same time, the Ice-Ice Fruit Ability was activated again. The Blizzard covering the entire 'Jewel Iceberg' quickly dissipated, and the bright, beautiful Sunlight once again poured down from the Sky, illuminating the dense, broken Ice Cubes, making them crystal clear and sparkling.
[Crack—Crack—Crack—]
Suddenly, without Aokiji seeming to make any movement, all the surrounding residual Ice and broken pieces automatically shifted outwards in all directions, merging and converging in the process.
Soon, a ring of Ice about ten meters high, enclosing a large Zone, formed. This made the entire Environment clean again, and countless dazzling golden Radiance shone through the transparent, water-like Ice Layer.
The 'Jewel Iceberg' was once again presented before the two of them.
That's right.
Chinjao, Frozen and unable to move within the Ice Ball, could also see all of this. However, the Ice Aokiji created was clearly not as pure as the Ice Layer in front, causing his view from inside to be somewhat blurry.
But when Aokiji walked a few steps forward, then slowly squatted down with his back to him, placing his right palm on the transparent Ice Layer, Chinjao's Heart trembled.
Because the old Leader of the Happo Navy felt a strong sense of unease.
"Could it be that he's going to...!"
The next moment, the entire Icy Ground began to shake violently, as if a great Earthquake had suddenly occurred.
Soon, under Chinjao's similarly trembling Gaze, his longed-for 'Treasure Jade Ice Bed' began to split apart to both sides at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Suddenly, the seemingly endless Gold and Jewels saw the light of day again. The surging radiance of Treasure and Precious Jade almost formed a tangible Radiance that burst forth.
"My Treasure!!"
Chinjao's emotions soared to their peak. He tried to exert force again to break free from the Ice Ball's confinement, and indeed, fine cracks gradually began to appear on the Ice Ball.
Unfortunately, Aokiji wouldn't just watch him. He turned around and added another blast of cold air to strengthen the Ice Ball's intensity.
"Alala la, can you just stay put? I'll let you see the last moment these Treasures disappear. Consider it saying goodbye to them. It's the last Mercy I can give you."
Kuzan, with both hands in his white Pocket, looked up at the Sun in the Sky and sincerely mused to himself. Hot Blood as he was, he still couldn't be as ruthless as Sakazuki; he could still hold a certain degree of kindness, even towards Pirates and enemies.
For this, he had to thank Tsuru. It was Tsuru's earnest teachings that allowed him to retain a sense of Compassion.
Inside the large Ice Ball behind him, Chinjao's Frozen face watched Aokiji's back with a blank Expression, listening to Aokiji's words.
"..."
He was so angry he couldn't speak.
(End of this chapter)