Hakusei was undeniably powerful, but raw strength alone didn't mean everything, after all, in this era, powerhouses were as common as cattle. Not every strong person could reach the top.
What shook Aokiji the most wasn't just Hakusei's strength, it was his terrifying presence of mind.
Just like moments ago, one advance and one retreat revealed that Hakusei not only possessed the explosive drive of youth but also the composure of a seasoned veteran.
What kind of overconfident, battle-hardened young man would abandon a golden opportunity to strike because of an unknown threat?
But Hakusei did exactly that.
Aokiji was convinced, Hakusei couldn't have known what his counterattack entailed, because he had retreated even before Aokiji activated it. That meant Hakusei had chosen to give up his advantage based on nothing but a flicker of suspicion.
What did that say?
It said this youth, who wasn't even twenty, had a level of mental clarity far beyond his peers.
Hot-blooded young elites who gained overwhelming power often underestimated people, techniques, and dangers. That recklessness often came at a great cost, injury, capture, or even death.
But Hakusei's retreat had shown Aokiji one thing clearly: this man would never strike unless he had a 100% guarantee. That trait alone made Aokiji raise Hakusei's danger level by several notches.
And just as Aokiji stood there slightly stunned, Hakusei's Observation Haki finally picked up movement beyond the frozen sea created by Ice Age.
"Mira, I'm here to save you all!"
A voice like a spirit's whisper rang clearly in Hakusei's mind through his Haki.
At the same time, Kizaru launched a light-speed kick straight at Redfield's blade, Raindagger, which he raised to block.
Boom!
The hit didn't seriously harm Redfield, but the sheer force behind that light-speed kick was shocking. Redfield's entire body vanished from his spot, blasted backward toward Crocodile and Waldo.
Coincidentally, he flew straight toward the five Vice Admirals currently going in for the kill on those two.
That's right, two of the support Vice Admirals had already joined the siege against Crocodile and Waldo once they saw them faltering.
The situation for those two had already been dire, backs pressed together, barely hanging on. Suddenly, an unexpected twist of fate appeared.
Clang!
Using the momentum from Kizaru's kick, Redfield slashed five times in an instant, intercepting the Vice Admirals' attacks and throwing them off.
The ambush caught the Vice Admirals completely unprepared. While none were injured, they were forced into an awkward retreat.
"Perfect!" Hakusei's eyes lit up at the sight of his crewmates regrouping. Without hesitation, he stomped down, channeling Armament Haki into his leg and kicked a massive slab of ice toward Aokiji.
Boom!
A gigantic block of ice flew straight at the admiral.
Aokiji reacted immediately, turning his body into ice and allowing the block to slam into him.
Crash!
The ice shattered as Aokiji reformed moments later, clearly unharmed by the distraction.
But, huh?
When he looked again, Shiranami Hakusei and the others had already bolted.
"Run! The ship's coming to pick us up!"
Hakusei took the lead, dashing toward the source of that voice.
The others looked baffled, but after the past few days, they'd gotten used to their eccentric captain doing inexplicable things. Without a word, they followed him.
What the hell?
Now it was the seven high-ranking Marine officers who looked dumbfounded.
Why were they suddenly fleeing mid-fight?
Are they stupid? The entire area was surrounded by Marine ships, how were they going to escape?
On the distant battleships, all the grunts who had long since retreated to avoid the Ice Age clash erupted in cheers.
They couldn't clearly see the battle, only faint silhouettes of eleven figures clashing. When they saw the pirates retreating, they assumed the Admirals had won.
Victory! The Marines cheered as if the enemy had been routed.
On one of the two Marine ships directly in the path of the fleeing pirates, a Lieutenant bellowed with his nose in the air:
"Soldiers! The enemies have been driven back by our commanding officers! This is our chance to earn merit, capture them and you'll be handsomely rewarded!"
"ROAAAR!!"
The Marine grunts were ecstatic, dreaming of rapid promotion. Hundreds leapt into the sea, weapons in hand, charging at the four escapees.
Aokiji's eyelid twitched at the sight.
Are you serious?!
He'd explicitly told them not to get involved, to stay away, and now they were jumping in like they could actually stop these monsters?
The remaining Vice Admirals were just as panicked. While chasing, they waved frantically and shouted in desperation.
"Huh?"
"Hey, what are the commanding officers doing?"
"Oh, isn't it obvious? They're cheering us on, pumped up with excitement to motivate us!"
"Yeah! Let's go! Show them what we've got!"
"CHARGE!"
"… …"
The seven commanding officers were utterly speechless. If those pirates retaliated, how many of these reckless fools would survive?
Only Kizaru could catch up and stall them with his light-speed mobility, but he alone wasn't enough. Redfield and Hakusei were monsters on their own, together, they were lethal.
Waldo, meanwhile, kept throwing Armament Haki-infused ice chunks at him from a distance, forcing Kizaru back after just a few exchanges.
The group of Marine grunts finally arrived on the scene, only to witness Kizaru getting beaten back in real-time.
They froze, shocked.
What the hell? Weren't these guys supposed to be on the verge of defeat?
Why was their Admiral getting absolutely pummeled?
This… this isn't right. That's not how the story's supposed to go…
Looking at the ferocious expressions of the pirates, the Marine soldiers felt a chill down their spines. They gulped hard, legs shaking uncontrollably.
Then, like a synchronized retreat, they all began stepping backward, muttering internally:
This isn't grabbing merit. This is walking into our own deaths!
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