"Clang—!!!!"
A deafening clash echoed throughout the entire coliseum.
On the stage, Fisher Tiger's straight punch, imbued with immense power and coated in dark Armament Haki, collided fiercely with Aokiji's "Ice Block: Partisan," an unbreakable spear of ice that had materialized in an instant. A violent shockwave erupted from the point of impact, causing spiderweb-like cracks to spread across the hard ground of the stage.
"Hoo… hoo…" Tiger panted heavily, his forehead covered in sweat. A faint layer of frost was beginning to coat his red skin. This battle was even harder than he had imagined. The Marine before him was like an insurmountable, ancient iceberg. No matter how fierce his attacks were, they were easily neutralized by his opponent's seemingly lazy yet flawless ice abilities.
"Fishman Karate… a truly impressive martial art," Aokiji said, standing perfectly still. Half of his body had already transformed into translucent ice. He looked at the injured Fishman, whose fighting spirit remained unbroken, and a hint of admiration flickered in his lazy eyes. "However, buddy," he advised, "this is just a martial arts duel, not a life-or-death struggle. I think it's about time we wrapped this up."
"As a Marine, you wouldn't understand," Tiger gasped, an unwavering flame burning in his deep eyes. "I have a reason to win!"
"Ah, how troublesome…" Aokiji scratched his head, a bit annoyed. He had no grudge against this Fishman and didn't want to kill him. "Sorry, buddy," he said, his own gaze becoming serious. "But I also have a reason to win."
Tiger's expression turned incredibly sharp. "If that's the case, then let's fight!"
…
From the stands, Takero watched the Fishman who seemed to grow stronger with each clash, a look of undisguised appreciation in his eyes. He liked men with that kind of backbone.
"Keep an eye on him," Takero instructed Tesoro. "If he gets knocked down, immediately get the best medical team to treat him. Don't let him die."
"Understood, Boss," Tesoro replied immediately. He could tell his boss was taking an interest in Fisher Tiger.
In the center of the arena, Aokiji sighed helplessly. "In that case, then…"
But before he could finish his thought, an extremely violent, muffled roar, like a thunderclap, suddenly came from somewhere outside the coliseum. The terrifying sound wave caused the entire massive structure to tremble.
"What's going on?!"
"What was that sound?!"
The tens of thousands of spectators in the arena instantly fell into a panic. In the stands, Tesoro's eyes sharpened. "Boss!" he said urgently. "Judging by the direction of that sound… it seems to be coming from the secret laboratory in the back mountain!"
Upon hearing this, Takero slowly nodded. There was no trace of panic on his face; instead, a playful, "just as expected" smile appeared. "Interesting." He turned to Tesoro. "You stay here. I'm going to see which ignorant little bugs are stirring up trouble on my turf."
Takero stood up, about to fly toward the laboratory, but suddenly—
"Partisan!"
A pair of sharp ice spears, shimmering with a deadly cold light, shot silently and swiftly toward his back like two white bolts of lightning. Takero didn't even bother to turn around. He simply raised his hand.
"Bang!"
The two ice spears, capable of piercing steel, shattered upon contact with his body as if they had hit an unmovable mountain, exploding into a shower of ice crystals.
He slowly turned his head and looked down at the arena. Aokiji remained in his throwing posture, two fingers still pointed at him from a distance.
"Sorry, kid," Aokiji said in his characteristic lazy tone. "My orders from above are… you must stay with me."
"So that's how it is." Takero instantly understood everything. He smiled. "It seems you guys are behind this. You Marines, and that damn World Government, why are you as annoying as undying cockroaches? Always pulling these petty little tricks in the dark."
Aokiji didn't seem to care about the insult. "Ara la," he said. "Even little bugs… can sometimes bite people to death, you know?"
"Interesting," Takero found it even more amusing. He looked down at Aokiji with a disdainful gaze. "Do you really think you alone can stop me?"
As he spoke, a terrifying, invisible aura erupted from his body, instantly sweeping through the entire coliseum. The soul-stirring pressure made everyone present feel a shiver from the depths of their being. Directly facing this aura, Aokiji felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down his temple. Although he had prepared himself, this power… was truly astonishing.
He sighed. This was the man who had easily defeated both Zephyr-sensei and Kizaru. But Aokiji would not give up. His goal was never to defeat Takero, only to stall him long enough for CP9 to complete their mission. Besides, after their previous failures, the World Government had studied Takero's abilities. They had a plan.
Suddenly, Aokiji launched an attack. "Pheasant Beak!"
He spread his hands, and a giant, lifelike ice bird let out a crisp cry, flapped its wings, and swooped toward Takero in the stands. Immediately after, Aokiji turned and ran out of the coliseum at an incredible speed.
Takero looked at the retreating figure and smiled. "Heh… Trying to lure the tiger out of its den?"
Although he saw through the clumsy trick, Takero decided to play along. He was curious to see what the World Government had planned. 'Alright, I'll give you a little more time to set the stage.'
He turned to Tesoro. "You manage the situation here. Send some people to check on the laboratory." He then looked in the direction Aokiji had fled. "I'm going to go 'play' with that Marine. I'll be back in a bit."
After speaking, he transformed into a crimson streak of light and unhurriedly chased after Aokiji.
"Bo…" Tesoro started to say, but Takero was already gone, leaving him speechless. He sighed and turned to maintain order as the panicked spectators screamed and chose to flee.
Soon, the once-packed coliseum began to empty, and on the vast, damaged stage, only Fisher Tiger remained. He stood there dumbfounded, a blank expression on his face.
'…W-what just happened? Are we still fighting?!'
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