Aokiji didn't realize that all his efforts to distract Chiga so Robin could escape had ultimately failed.
At this moment, he and Chiga stood facing each other in the vast Alabasta desert.
Even though Aokiji had always known that Chiga's strength was terrifying, this was the first time he had confronted him directly. A flicker of excitement sparked in his usually laid-back demeanor. He couldn't deny his curiosity—he wanted to know the true strength of the man the world hailed as the strongest Navy Admiral.
Chiga, on the other hand, looked entirely relaxed. He wasn't concerned with competing for the Fleet Admiral position; he simply wanted to test the extent of his Yomi Fruit's ice-based abilities.
Looking at Aokiji, he said casually,
"Kuzan, go all out. Don't hold back."
Aokiji gave a nod and slipped into a combat stance.
He decided to open with a probing attack. Stretching one arm forward, he muttered in a low voice,
"Ice Time Capsule."
A shockwave of freezing air burst from his palm. As it surged through the air, glittering crystals of frost formed in its wake.
Robin arrived just in time to witness the start of the battle. The moment she saw Aokiji's technique, a familiar figure flashed through her mind—Jaguar D. Saul.
The giant Vice Admiral had once been instantly frozen by this very move. She was all too aware of how terrifying it was.
Her gaze shifted to Chiga, anticipating his response.
But Chiga didn't even flinch. Wisps of Yomi Chill floated around his Rinnegan, and at the point where his gaze locked, a burst of chill condensed mid-air, directly intercepting Aokiji's attack.
Boom!
The space between them suddenly crystallized into a towering iceberg that slammed into the desert floor with a thunderous crash.
Robin's eyes widened. The iceberg was far larger than even the giant Saul had been.
Taking a step back, she quietly retreated to a safer distance. The space she'd originally chosen now seemed far too close to these two "monsters."
Aokiji's eyes narrowed as he studied the massive formation of ice. Chiga's freezing power… it's more intense than I imagined.
Not wasting time, Aokiji launched another strike. He extended his arm like a blade, conjuring a colossal ice bird.
"Ice Age: Pheasant Beak!"
This time, Chiga moved.
He raised his arm, allowing the Yomi Chill to wrap around it like spectral serpents. Then, with a clenched fist, he released it all in one swift motion.
"Ice Extreme: Emperor Dragon!"
From his fist burst a wave of Yomi Chill that instantly took the form of an enormous ice dragon, larger and fiercer than Aokiji's ice bird. It let out a roar and charged.
The two forces collided in mid-air. Within seconds, the ice bird was shredded, disintegrating into glittering shards of frost. The ice dragon roared once more before dissolving into vapor.
Aokiji's expression turned stiff. As a user of the Ice-Ice Fruit, he was supposed to be the pinnacle of ice powers. Yet his attacks had been effortlessly neutralized—twice.
Chiga called out,
"Kuzan, stop holding back. Show me your full strength."
With a silent nod, Aokiji bent down, placing his hands on the ground. Chiga instantly recognized the pose—it was the start of Aokiji's ultimate technique, Ice Age.
In the anime, this technique had once frozen an entire sea. But this time, something was different.
There was no dramatic buildup. No grand visual cue. Just a wave of pure, bone-chilling energy erupting from Aokiji's body.
Ice spread rapidly over the desert, coating everything in its path, stretching beyond the horizon.
Even Robin, who had moved a considerable distance away, suddenly felt her feet freeze in place.
Something's wrong, she thought, trying to move—but her legs were already sealed to the ground.
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, Chiga appeared beside her. Without a word, he pushed her into a pocket of Door-Door Space for protection, then vanished, returning to face Aokiji.
He'd known she was there but hadn't acted because she was still far enough away. But Aokiji's technique had turned the entire desert into a glacier—he couldn't take the risk.
Now back in place, Chiga glanced around at the transformed terrain. The once-scorching desert had become a frozen wasteland. In front of him stood an ice statue—Aokiji's final move had encased him completely.
Chiga muttered,
"Awakening, huh? Now that's impressive."
He was right. Aokiji had entered his Devil Fruit Awakening state.
In the anime, his battle with Akainu at Punk Hazard had reshaped the island's climate. That was the kind of power granted by the awakening of a Logia-type Devil Fruit.
Logia users had high base potential, but awakening was rare—even more so than Paramecia or Zoan types. Once achieved, though, it elevated the user to the level of a natural disaster.
Haki alone wasn't enough to stop them anymore.
Just then, the frozen head of Aokiji slowly tilted upward. He exhaled a wisp of freezing breath.
"Ice Hell."
Boom!
The ground shook. Ice spikes the size of mountains surged upward, wave after wave, blanketing everything. The temperature fell so fast that birds flying overhead turned into frozen statues and shattered in midair.
Alabasta's vast desert had become a deathly sea of ice.
At its center, another frozen sculpture—this one shaped like Chiga—stood silently.
Aokiji rose and looked at it, a faint trace of pride flickering in his eyes. But before he could fully admire his handiwork, the sculpture's right horn began to glow with a soft, icy-white light.
The thick ice over Chiga's body melted into threads of icy-blue energy that flowed into the horn.
He stepped forward, completely unharmed.
The only difference now was the steady flicker of that glowing horn, pulsing with power.
Aokiji froze in disbelief.
Chiga rolled his neck and gave a calm smile, then mimicked Aokiji's earlier stance by lowering his hands to the ground.
The horn flashed once again, and Yomi Chill surged through his body. The air around him seemed to halt—time itself felt like it paused.
Lowering his head slightly, Chiga whispered,
"Maha Padme."
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