Although they were puzzled by Hakusei's claim that a ship would come to pick them up, after spending several days together, the three had come to trust their captain.
Since he had already spoken, they didn't hesitate any further. They got into position, ready for an all-out battle.
Seeing that the enemy was eager to fight, Aokiji was slightly stunned. He stretched out his arm and pointed toward the Gate of Justice behind him.
"See that? There's an old saying, fallen leaves return to their roots. So next up, you're going back to where you came from."
Shiranami Hakusei naturally knew that the gate led straight to Impel Down.
He let out a sneer and replied, "Admiral Aokiji, if you have the strength, then enough talk. Come and claim the credit for yourself."
"Arrogant! This brat's so arrogant!" scoffed Doberman, who hadn't witnessed Hakusei's power before.
"And who the hell are you to talk down to my captain?" Waldo snapped, his temper flaring. His tone dripped with mockery.
"You!"
Aokiji waved a hand, cutting Doberman off.
"Enough talk. Let our fists do the talking."
Hakusei chuckled. "Well said. But the space here's a little cramped. How about it, Admiral Aokiji? Shall we make ourselves a proper battleground?"
"Gladly."
Aokiji's pupils shrank. His face turned stern.
With a leap, he extended his arms wide, and a chilling cold spread out, as if the very seasons had changed.
Though it was midsummer, the air felt like the heart of winter—bitter and bone-chilling.
"Ice Age!"
A low shout rang out as the sea around them crackled and froze in seconds.
In just a few breaths, the area for miles turned into a massive frozen plain—a majestic battlefield forged from ice.
But it wasn't just for show—this marked the official start of a grand battle.
"Whoa! Move!" Waldo glanced down and saw the Bridge of Justice beneath his feet frost over. He leapt away, barely avoiding being turned into an ice sculpture.
Hakusei and Redfield easily dodged. Crocodile, being a bit slower, got his ankle frozen. But as a Logia user, he wasn't bothered—his body dissolved into a swirl of sand and reformed elsewhere.
Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!
With Aokiji's grand move, the formation on Hakusei's side was momentarily disrupted. As soon as they landed, they were swarmed by the waiting Marines.
Waldo and Crocodile were immediately surrounded by three Vice Admirals and mercilessly beaten down.
Redfield faced off against Kizaru. Hakusei confronted Aokiji. The battlefield was instantly split into three fronts.
Two other Vice Admirals remained in the center, ready to reinforce wherever needed.
Their role was threefold:
To quickly reinforce any of their own falling behind.
To overwhelm any of the enemy once a weakness was found.
To prevent the enemy from regrouping their forces.
It had to be said—this was no ragtag squad. This was the Marine backbone. Their coordination, execution, and combat awareness were miles above the cannon fodder Hakusei had encountered before.
Even from this brief deployment, it was clear that these Marines were seasoned veterans.
Waldo and Crocodile were caught completely off guard. Though both were powerful Devil Fruit users, they were barely holding on—dodging, evading, and barely able to retaliate. Waldo's speed and Crocodile's Logia form weren't enough to turn the tide under such pressure.
But Redfield and Hakusei stood firm. From the start, they'd used Observation Haki to anticipate Aokiji and Kizaru's every move. They weren't rattled at all.
When Kizaru pulled out his light blade, Redfield had already drawn his sword, Thunderstorm.
Clang!
Kizaru's sweeping slash was parried effortlessly by Redfield.
"Oh my, you're tougher than I thought."
Aokiji's Twin Pheasant Spear was similarly blocked by Hakusei's lightning shield.
"Huh? Just like Magellan said. That shield of yours is something else."
After a few exchanges, it was clear the four were evenly matched.
"Redfield, it's an honor to fight you," said Kizaru, striking again at light speed.
Redfield parried and laughed. "You're way more fun than those weaklings earlier."
With a flash, he countered with eight blinding slashes, driving Kizaru back.
Kizaru's eyes sharpened with rare seriousness. "My my, your speed's terrifying."
Though his words were casual, his hands were already moving as fast, meeting each strike with one of his own.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
In a blur of light, Kizaru appeared behind Redfield, a light-speed kick aimed at his ribs.
Redfield's pupils contracted. The sudden burst of pressure awakened a long-dormant battle spirit in him.
Boom!
Hakusei shattered another of Aokiji's killing moves with a single punch. Calmly, he said, "Is this really all an Admiral is capable of?"
Aokiji's face turned grim as he stared at Hakusei's jet-black, Haki-hardened arm.
"Who are you, really? How could someone this strong appear in the first half of the Grand Line?"
Hakusei smiled. "Thanks for the compliment."
"Strongest Spear: Four-Finger Piercing!"
Zzzzzzap!
Hakusei's figure vanished in a bolt of lightning, blackened arm crackling with thunder as he launched toward Aokiji like a living weapon.
Aokiji didn't dare underestimate the attack. Even as a Logia user, Haki could still strike his real body.
Chilling mist gathered on his right arm.
Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!
A massive ice phoenix soared into the air to meet Hakusei's devastating spear.
BOOM!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The Strongest Spear of the Third Raikage—infused with Armament Haki—was absolutely unstoppable. The ice phoenix shattered into pieces.
But then Hakusei's instincts screamed danger.
This is too easy…
The instant he saw the ice fragments flying in all directions, he abandoned his attack, deployed his lightning shield, and leapt back.
Sure enough, an instant later, the seemingly harmless shards suddenly reversed course, raining down like ice blades on where he'd just stood.
A wide crater was gouged into the frozen ground.
Aokiji froze, stunned. This kid… really was dangerous.
If he wasn't dealt with now, he might become an incredible threat in the future.
/////////////////////////
Support me by adding this fic into your library!
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter
For Advance Chapters, please visit and consider joining me on P(a)treon!
p(a)treon.com/Lnee
1-2+ Chapters daily on P(a)treon, will go up depends on the powerstone extra chapters.
You can also access my other translated fics on P(a)treon!