"Oh?"
"Your hand‑to‑hand skill is extraordinary…"
Even Aokiji Kuzan couldn't help but voice his admiration.
Standing almost three meters tall, he had forged an ice saber nearly two meters long—huge and heavy, yet razor‑sharp.
And yet, when it crossed with the lightning blade in Chiyu's hand, he found himself at a slight disadvantage.
Chunks of the ice saber shattered at once, spraying countless shards into the air.
Chiyu, too, felt a heaviness in his chest.
So this is the Navy's top fighting power…
Although Aokiji was not famed for close combat, his strength was peerless and his swordsmanship consummate—flawless in every respect.
But—
Chiyu would not lose to anyone in taijutsu or swordplay.
Combining the best of both worlds, he had fused ninja taijutsu, Uchiha‑style kenjutsu, and the Marines' Rokushiki into one seamless art. The techniques and power he unleashed had likewise reached an extreme pinnacle.
Bang—
Bang bang bang!
In a heartbeat, the massive ice saber and the dazzling blade of lightning collided madly, leaving streaks of lightning and fountains of ice fragments hanging in mid‑air.
Electric arcs flared; shards of ice scattered!
Though the battle was fiercely intense, it carried a peculiar beauty…
For a moment, led by Rear Admiral Hina, everyone present—Nami, the Marines, even the pirates frozen in ice—watched, wide‑eyed and overwhelmed.
The two fighters grew faster and faster; the crowd could no longer see what was happening.
They saw only bolts of lightning and occasional flashes of clashing blades, while the combatants themselves became blurred after‑images, impossible to track.
Of them all, Rear Admiral Hina saw the most clearly.
To her eyes, Chiyu's speed suppressed his foe, yet Admiral Aokiji's raw power had the upper hand.
As for technique—both were seamless and perfect.
Yet there was a difference.
Aokiji's movements showed no trace of form; they were simple, straight, honed until "effortless" became miraculous.
Chiyu, by contrast, gave the sense of containing everything—after mastering all styles and fusing them together, he wielded power that felt formless, defeating form with formlessness.
Either level would be a lifetime's pursuit for ordinary people.
And now she was witnessing both at once.
Hina did not blink, locking every sense on each exchange.
Nami, seeing nothing, could only pray silently, worrying for Chiyu-sama.
Bang—
At last Chiyu's lightning blade found a tiny opening; he thrust through and pierced Admiral Aokiji's shoulder!
Puff—
A soft sound—an icy gash opened on Aokiji's shoulder.
He had partially elementalized in advance, avoiding real harm.
Even so, in pure taijutsu he had lost.
Aokiji leapt back; his ice saber shattered instantly.
"So you can overpower me in close quarters?"
"As expected—your reputation is no empty boast…"
Chiyu showed no arrogance.
In truth, Aokiji's style held no flaw; the opening appeared only because their Observation Haki clashed, each reading the other's moves, while Chiyu's Sharingan granted him a slight edge.
To Chiyu, this was a victory of insight, not of technique.
Still, Aokiji conceded the melee.
He hesitated not at all.
From a distance he hurled a storm of absolute cold—
"Ice Age!"
The freezing blast streaked forward, so fast it produced a shockwave; everything it swept over was sealed in ice.
Even as a vice admiral he had one‑shot Vice Admiral Saul with this move.
Now, at his peak, it was deadlier still.
The chill reached Chiyu in a blink!
But Chiyu was no longer the man he once was.
Since gaining the Rumble‑Rumble Fruit, his power had soared.
Without moving, he unleashed a torrent of lightning.
Rumble…
Thunderbolts roared out like spears and cannon fire!
They crashed head‑on into Aokiji's freezing air!
Cold could not freeze lightning,
Yet lightning could not dispel cold.
They pierced through each other and kept flying!
Chiyu was instantly frozen solid.
Aokiji, likewise, was swallowed by lightning!
"Chiyu-sama!"
Nami and the rest cried out.
Foxy and his men, in turn, worried for Aokiji.
"Admiral Aokiji, don't lose!"
Then—
Chiyu shattered the ice in an instant, reappearing like a lightning flash.
Aokiji, too, stood unharmed.
"Arara… as expected, lightning can't be frozen…"
Chiyu frowned slightly.
"Elementalized ahead of time, huh?"
"Indeed—against Logia users we need Haki to settle it."
Aokiji had the same thought.
"Then let's see—"
"Whose Haki is stronger!"
In an instant,
Aokiji's body was wreathed in Armament Haki; a huge ice spear formed in his hand, likewise coated in Haki.
Chiyu likewise turned his famed blades Hanashū and Yamazame jet‑black with full Armament.
The two figures crashed together again!
Black ice spear versus black twin swords!
Rumble—
Wild power and aura exploded outward, shockwaves ripping Long Ring Long Land apart!
This head‑on crash was a pure contest of Armament.
Of course, this was not true combat; it meant setting aside their Devil Fruit powers.
But they were not mortal enemies—merely comrades with subtly different stances…
The outcome would decide who was stronger, not who lived.
BOOM!!!
Power burst yet again!
The ground shook, the sea heaved!
Tidal waves pounded the coast.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded.
Such a clash was beyond imagination.
Chiyu's black blades suddenly rang—
Even his Armament Haki began to peel away…
"Hmm?"
His brow creased.
Aokiji's lips curved in a faint smile.
"Arara… seems my Armament Haki still wins in the end…"
Naturally so.
Chiyu had trained Observation and Armament only a few months,
Far less than Admiral Aokiji's decades of tempering.
True, the Sharingan and his innate perception let Chiyu edge ahead in Observation,
But Armament—built by years of combat and experience—was another matter.
The two flashed apart,
Then returned to their original spots.
Chiyu admitted frankly: "Indeed, I can't match your Armament Haki."
Aokiji, hearing such honesty, had nothing to add.
"For only a few months' practice, this level is miraculous."
"At this rate, next time we meet, I may not be your equal…"
"You're a frightening man."
Chiyu said nothing more.
"At least, this round—I lost."
Aokiji shrugged.
"I never said that."
"You won in taijutsu, you won in Observation. I won only in Armament."
"And this wasn't a real fight."
"Whether my Ice‑Ice Fruit is stronger, or your so‑called Lightning Fruit…"
"We never truly settled it."
Chiyu understood.
He still was not Aokiji's match,
Yet defeating him would be no easy task.
If they fought to the death, the island would vanish.
That was not Aokiji's goal.
Chiyu said, "A win is a win."
"These pirates are yours to handle."
Aokiji was mildly surprised.
"Oh?"
"The so‑called God of Slaughter is sparing pirates?"
Chiyu replied calmly, "Unspoken though it was, our duel was about principles."
"You won, so I've no right to execute these scum."
"But…"
"One day, I'll kill them myself."
Aokiji smiled faintly.
"What a terrifying man…"
"So obstinate it's almost admirable."
He said no more. He refroze the remaining pirates, hitched them to his bicycle, and lazily pedaled toward the sea.
Foxy's crew exhaled in relief—
Yet Chiyu's words and that chilling gaze still left them trembling.
Still, it beat dying on the spot.
Thus, though frozen and dragged like sleds, they felt oddly elated.
Aokiji never looked back.
"Uchiha Chiyu, I've seen your resolve."
"But I still cannot accept your brand of justice."
Chiyu said, "Likewise."
"One day I'll storm Impel Down and slay every villain inside!"
Aokiji's face darkened.
"I won't allow that."
Chiyu answered, "We'll see."
Aokiji nodded, froze a path across the sea, and rode off, towing the pirates behind him.
Only then did Rear Admiral Hina, Nami, and the rest breathe easy.
A peaceful journey had been upended by an admiral's sudden assault—
Yet, in the end, no harm was done.
Chiyu, however, stared at the pirates who had escaped his hand, clenching his fist.
In that moment he understood: his enemies were not only pirates…
They included the Marines—and the World Government itself!
Rear Admiral Hina asked, "Vice Admiral, what now?"
Chiyu said in a low voice, "We keep moving!"
Nami glanced at the chart.
"Our next stop is…
Water 7?"
~~~
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