The slash tore through the twilight like vengeful spirit-fire, leaving a trail of eerie, crackling green energy in its wake.
***BOOM!***
The moment the flying slash connected with the ice wall, the formidable barrier was shredded as if it were parchment!
Aokiji crossed his arms, his **Busoshoku Haki** flaring to meet the attack head-on. The impact sent a jarring numbness shooting up his forearms.
The ice beneath his feet fractured radially, and the force of the blow pushed him back dozens of meters, his boots carving two deep trenches into the frozen desert.
The residual energy of the slash shot past him, hurtling toward a distant sand dune.
***Swoosh—***
With a whisper-soft sound, the hundred-meter-high dune was cleanly bifurcated. The cross-section was perfectly smooth, and the severed grains of sand glowed with a haunting green luminescence in the dying light, the energy lingering for a long moment.
Aokiji flexed his numb arms, a rare look of grave seriousness settling on his normally impassive face. "Ara~... I can't just tank those head-on..."
He adjusted his visor, his tone laced with genuine shock. "It seems you've comprehended something truly monstrous..."
Zoro slid his sword back into its sheath, exhaling a plume of turbid air. "Not enough..."
He looked at his slightly trembling right hand. "I'm still far from matching *that* slash."
But everyone present knew that what they had just witnessed was staggering enough.
The setting sun cast Zoro's shadow long across the sands; the figure standing tall in the desert already carried the unmistakable bearing of a future Great Swordsman.
Aokiji rolled his shoulders, the chilling aura around him intensifying. "It seems... I'll have to get a little more serious."
The Admiral launched another assault, ice coalescing into a storm of sharpened spears that rained down on Zoro. But Sanji flashed into the path, taking the barrage head-on.
***Bam! Bam! Bam!***
The ice spears shattered against his body, yet Sanji stood firm, a bloody grin spreading across his face. "Good impact! Again!"
In the brief window created by Sanji's defense, Zoro seized the opportunity, unleashing another vertical slash—identical to the last!
The ghostly green arc of energy shot forth with blinding speed, forcing Aokiji onto the defensive once more.
"Tch, that slash again!" Aokiji couldn't help but curse after blocking it. "Swordsman kid, is that the only move you know?!"
Zoro sheathed his sword, his expression unchanging. "For now, it's the only one I need to use."
"...."
A visible vein throbbed on Aokiji's forehead. He had never encountered such a frustrating duo.
One was an unkillable cockroach who thrived on punishment, and the other was a sinister swordsman who only repeated the same move, each time with greater power!
What drove Aokiji to the brink was the fact that Zoro, a mere rookie who showed no sign of Haki hours ago, had somehow mastered it after a single nap?
What kind of monstrous talent was that?!
It was downright absurd!
"**Ice Age!**"
Aokiji unleashed his power once more, plunging the hundred-meter area into a frozen hell. Sanji was instantly encased in ice, only to break free in under three seconds. Zoro stood steadfast on the glacial surface, the Haki on his blade growing even more concentrated.
"It's no use, Icy Uncle~" Sanji exhaled a puff of frigid air, the blue flames on his body blazing hotter. "Your cold can't extinguish my fire!"
Silently, Zoro shifted back into his now-familiar stance, clearly preparing to deliver the same devastating slash.
Aokiji felt his sanity fraying. "You two monsters! Can't be killed, can't be frozen!"
He rubbed his arms, which were numb and sore. The most infuriating part was that this rookie Zoro's sword could now genuinely harm him!
Each slash was only a minor injury, but they were accumulating. With Sanji, the immortal punching bag, constantly harassing him, Aokiji felt less like he was fighting and more like he was being slowly worn down by two madmen!
"Ara~!" Aokiji ran a hand through his hair, his Admirally composure completely lost. "Why did I have to run into you two?!"
Sanji and Zoro exchanged a glance and, with surprising synchronicity, both flashed identical,挑衅 (provocative) smirks.
One, bloodied but thriving on battle; the other, a one-trick pony whose one trick was lethal. The duo's coordination, in this moment, had one of the Marine's ultimate combat forces on the verge of a mental breakdown...
...
On the other side of the battlefield,
Kizaru held the gleaming **Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi**, its golden blade tracing dazzling arcs through the dim light. Yet, every single slash was stubbornly intercepted by the small, golden reindeer using his own body as a shield.
***Pafu!***
Another photon beam was perfectly absorbed by Chopper. Seizing the opening, Ace leaned out from behind his living shield and launched a **Hiken (Fire Fist)** sheathed in Armament Haki straight at Kizaru's face!
"Ooooh my~ This is truly troublesome~" Kizaru dissolved into light and rematerialized a safe distance away, his brow furrowed behind his sunglasses.
He found himself trapped in a bizarre loop:
When he let his guard down, Ace would launch a ferocious sneak attack. When he attacked in earnest, Ace would immediately retreat behind that strange little tanuki, using him as a meat shield to absorb all the light-based assaults.
"Ace! That was another hour's worth of sunlight!" Chopper reported excitedly, holding up his little hooves, utterly thrilled with his role as a living battery.
"Good job!" Ace grinned, ducking even further behind Chopper. "Let's get a few more!"
A bead of sweat trickled down Kizard's temple. He had no idea that Chopper could only absorb light-based energy and had no special defense against pure Haki strikes.
The problem was, he had grown so accustomed to resolving conflicts with his Devil Fruit's speed and lasers that he rarely resorted to pure, Haki-inflicted close-quarters combat.
"This is... profoundly troublesome..." Kizaru's attacks gradually became more perfunctory.
He hadn't wanted to fight seriously in the first place, and now he had even less motivation.
As long as he ensured the Poneglyph itself wasn't physically taken, he could report that only Nico Robin had read its contents and no one else had managed to lay a hand on it. That way, he could fulfill his duty while avoiding a deadly struggle with these troublesome rookies.
More importantly, he could still collect his per diem...
With this in mind, Kizaru's assaults grew even more lackluster. He'd occasionally fire a few beams, "accidentally" hitting Chopper, watch the little reindeer cheer, and privately conclude the creature was utterly insane.
He then exchanged a few token blows with Ace, their clash resembling a poorly rehearsed stage play.
"**Yasakani no Magatama~**" Kizaru lazily released a spray of light beads, most of them deliberately aimed wide. "Ooooh my~ Missed again~"
"Missed? Not on my watch."
Ace promptly chased after those stray beams, making sure Chopper took the hit squarely.
Witnessing this, Kizaru became even more convinced these rookies were not playing with a full deck.
The two sides continued their exchange, their battle as dazzling and harmless as fireworks.
Only the earnest little reindeer, Chopper, continued diligently tallying his gains. "Ace! My sunlight reserve is almost full! I want more!"
Kizaru: "..."
Just then, a brilliant golden light erupted from Chopper's body, and the system's chime echoed in his mind.
**[Ding! 48-Hour Sunbathing Mission Complete!]**
**[Reward: Savage Growth Unlocked!]**
**[Savage Growth: Temporarily break size limitations, gaining the ability to Gigantify!]**
**[Note: Size is directly proportional to stamina consumption. The larger the form, the greater the stamina drain!]**
"Ace, stop! My mission is complete!" Chopper shouted, buzzing with excitement.
Seeing this, Ace gently set Chopper down. "You did great!"
He then turned his gaze to Kizaru, a sly smirk playing on his lips. "Now... it's time to execute *my* plan."
"Oh? Ace has a plan too? Do you need help?"
"Thanks, Chopper, but I've got this. You should get to safety."
"Okay, okay!"
At that moment,
Kizaru was just contemplating how to gracefully conclude this farce when he saw Ace suddenly stumble, clutch his chest with dramatic flair, and collapse in a heap right before him!
"Argh! I'm done for!" Ace's cry of agony was so over-the-top it was comical. "Admiral Kizaru is... too powerful! I surrender!"
Kizaru's sunglasses slid straight to the tip of his nose, revealing his wide, bewildered eyes. "???"
He looked at his Ama no Murakumo, which hadn't come within three meters of Ace, then back at the "mortally wounded" 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, his mind utterly blank.
"What is this? A feigned injury?" Kizaru's voice cracked in disbelief. "A pirate... faking an injury in front of a Marine?!"
Protocol demanded he make the arrest now! The man had surrendered right in front of him!
Kizaru stood frozen. "But... my sword was nowhere near you!"
His frustration mounted when Smoker walked over with a pair of Seastone cuffs. Seeing them, Ace immediately raised his hands in a show of "weak" surrender. "No need for the Seastone... I wish to turn over a new leaf..."
Smoker looked utterly perplexed until Ace leaned in and whispered a few quick words into his ear. The marine's expression instantly shifted through a spectrum of complex emotions before settling into a stoic mask. He proceeded to clap a pair of... perfectly ordinary, non-Seastone handcuffs onto Ace's wrists.
"Oi! Smoker!" Kizaru fumed, smoke practically rising from his head. "What are you doing?! He's clearly faking! There's a scheme here! Are you in on this?!"
Smoker reported with a deadpan expression, "The prisoner has lost the will and ability to resist, Admiral."
He then added, with heavy implication, "It is for the sake of... global stability."
Kizaru's face darkened as if he'd swallowed a lemon. His heart sank: *Now that old man Whitebeard will definitely come for my head, won't he? This is a disaster! Why risk my life for a monthly salary?!*
To make matters worse, Ace, now being "escorted" away, turned back and gave Ron a cheerful wave, looking anything but a captured prisoner!
"What a crime..." Kizaru sighed, looking skyward in despair. "What did I do to deserve this..."
....
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