"Jiang Lin! Charge!!"
Inside the bay, everyone turned toward the plaza's edge, eyes full of anticipation at the sound of Jiang Lin's voice.
"Jiang Lin, I'm coming to back you up!"
Luffy shouted encouragement while clashing fiercely with Kizaru.
"Brat… let me shatter that confidence of yours!"
Aokiji emerged from the icy mist, half of his shoulder caved in from their earlier clash. Clearly, Jiang Lin had gotten the better of him momentarily, leaving his face twisted with restrained fury.
"Aokiji! My invitation to you still stands—seriously!"
Jiang Lin flashed him a grin and launched forward again. With each exchange, his mastery over the Devil Fruit cards had grown more refined.
The more cards he possessed, the more tactics he could employ.
Just moments ago, he had suddenly switched cards mid-battle, using the Dark-Dark Fruit to land a surprise strike that collapsed part of Aokiji's shoulder—a small but impressive victory.
Such unpredictable tactics would become one of Jiang Lin's signature ways of fighting.
"Gura Gura no Mi loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
With the Ice-Ice Fruit removed, Jiang Lin swiftly swapped in the Tremor-Tremor Fruit card.
"Dark Water!"
A crushing pull surged out, dragging Aokiji's body helplessly toward Jiang Lin.
"Ice Partisan!"
Four jagged ice spears materialized at Aokiji's sides, stabbing toward Jiang Lin with a killing chill.
Crack!
The air seemed to split as Jiang Lin raised his left hand, instantly shattering the spears with quake force.
A heartbeat later, his right hand—wreathed in black mist—snatched Aokiji by the shoulder and slammed him hard into the frozen ground.
Boom!
The violent tremor rocked the ice. Aokiji's face went pale, blood erupting from his mouth.
But even while coughing blood, his right hand coated in Haki drove forward, aiming to pierce Jiang Lin's body.
Faced with an attack clad in Armament, Jiang Lin had no choice but to retreat a step—then instantly switched cards again.
"Suna Suna no Mi loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
As the system's voice rang, a swirling sandstorm formed in Jiang Lin's palm and whipped straight at Aokiji.
"Ice Time Bird!"
Aokiji roared, unleashing a giant bird of ice that spread its wings and dove straight at him.
"Mera Mera no Mi loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
Discarding the Sand-Sand Fruit, Jiang Lin called forth a new card.
"Fire Fist!!"
A blazing giant fist burst from his arm, swelling as it hurtled forward until it matched the size of Aokiji's ice bird head-on.
BOOM!!
The impact exploded, shaking the battlefield with deafening force.
Hiss… hiss… hiss…
The air sizzled violently as heat clashed with frost. White steam billowed upward, filling the plaza and spreading across the bay, stinging the air with its acrid smell.
"Run!!"
Marines and pirates alike, already keeping their distance, panicked and fell back dozens of meters more as chunks of ice and scalding steam blasted outward.
"Has the visual feed been cut yet?"
On the execution platform, Sengoku paced anxiously. His eyes were locked on Jiang Lin, who was only steps away from the plaza, his face tightening with strain.
"Not yet, please wait just a little longer!" a marine reported, fumbling for his Den Den Mushi. "Hello? Still haven't found it?"
"Yes, we're searching with everything we have!" crackled the frantic reply.
Meanwhile, at the battlefield's edge, Buggy the Clown was gleefully broadcasting his own "live show" with the help of fellow Impel Down escapees.
"Bwahaha! Witness the great Buggy's magnificence!"
Watching Buggy flaunt his "glorious background" into the Den Den Mushi, Jiang Lin nearly doubled over laughing.
"Maybe I should recruit him, too. He'd be a riot aboard ship."
In that instant, Jiang Lin finally understood why the Pirate King had once taken Buggy as an apprentice—this fool could light up any crew.
But the thought passed quickly. His focus returned to Aokiji, who by now was burning with anger, his glare locked on Jiang Lin.
"Damn it! I told you to cut that ridiculous broadcast! At this rate, the entire operation is falling apart!"
Sengoku, no less furious than Aokiji, clenched his fists on the execution platform. Veins bulged across his forehead as he shouted at his subordinates.
"Th-the Den Den Mushi… the prisoners from Impel Down stole one of them!"
"What?! What are you saying?!" Sengoku roared. His bellow carried over the square: "Stop them at once!!"
Cannon fire roared as marines desperately tried to silence Buggy and his gang, smoke and debris shrouding their position.
Crack!!
A sudden wave of cold swept over Jiang Lin. Turning, he saw Aokiji now fully encased in frost, his entire body radiating deadly chill as he glared back at him.
"Aokiji! This fight is pointless. You can't stop me!"
Melting the frost with a blazing punch, Jiang Lin turned his gaze toward Luffy's position.
But then his eyes froze in shock.
"Wait… why is he there?!"
On the deck of the Moby Dick stood the last person he wanted to see—Squard.
"Jiang Lin, you've got your eyes all over the place…"
Aokiji's cold voice cut in from behind. A jagged ice spear pierced straight through Jiang Lin's chest, blood spraying into the air.
"Gahhh!!"
Vomiting blood, Jiang Lin staggered but lashed out with a quake fist, forcing Aokiji back. Then, without pause, he shot toward the Moby Dick.
"No… no way. Does history really refuse to change?"
His face twisted in dread. He had warned Whitebeard back when Garp had knocked him aside. He hadn't spoken clearly, but surely a man as sharp as Whitebeard should have understood.
And yet, before Jiang Lin's eyes, Whitebeard stood unguarded as Squard crept closer and closer.
"Whitebeard! All of you—stop Squard now!!"
His body transformed into a blazing blue phoenix, blood raining from his wounds as he cried out desperately.
His shout finally caught the Whitebeard Pirates' attention.
But it already felt too late.