"Ice Age!"
Facing Cyrus who was charging out wreathed in flames, Aokiji raised his hand and unleashed his ultimate move, but his target wasn't Cyrus; it was the sea.
In the blink of an eye, the frost froze the entire surface of the sea.
In the distance, the boat Robin was on was frozen solid on the water.
"This is?"
Robin looked at the frozen sea, despair flashing in her eyes.
Did he fail?
Just as she thought this, flames ignited.
"City Scorching Flames!"
For Cyrus in his normal state, this move was a huge drain.
But since he had decided to go all out against Aokiji, there was no need to hold anything back.
Endless flames burned. The frost created by the sea, under these violently fluctuating flames, also began to melt.
When he realized the temperature of his flames wasn't high enough, Cyrus had already changed his methods.
The flames were in a constant state of rapid Flowing.
The intense movement raised the temperature significantly.
"This is our fight. It's not appropriate to drag others into it!" Cyrus said, looking at Aokiji, his sword clashing against the frost-condensed blade in a contest of strength.
"Your tone is quite arrogant, kid!"
Aokiji was also a little amazed.
He had actually heard a lot about Cyrus from Garp.
Even after coming to the West Blue, Garp had mentioned him during their communications.
But, he was too young.
And seemingly a bit too arrogant.
Then I'll teach him that there's always someone stronger in this world, and not to be blindly arrogant.
"Ice Ball!"
Several ice balls condensed in Aokiji's left hand and flew toward Cyrus's chest.
The ice balls passed right through his body.
In Cyrus's left hand, a violently spinning, condensed fireball smashed toward Aokiji's head.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Their fists and feet collided, and the massive sound echoed far and wide.
"You don't have to hold back!"
After a clash, Cyrus was knocked back, but a smile appeared on his face.
"Go all out. Let me see the true power of a Navy Admiral. And let me see how far I am from you all now."
"What an unlikable kid!"
Aokiji pressed his forehead, looking troubled.
He was starting to regret it now. He shouldn't have shown himself.
From the probing exchange just now, he had a rough understanding of Cyrus's strength.
At the very least, protecting Robin wouldn't be a problem, as long as someone of his level didn't interfere.
However, this guy seemed to have other intentions for Robin.
He flicked his wrist, sending out two ice spears.
Cyrus sidestepped to avoid them. On one of the dodged ice spears, Aokiji's body emerged.
Boom!
A foot wrapped in Armament Haki struck Cyrus's waist.
Cyrus's figure, trailing flames, fell from the sky and crashed onto the ground.
Even with Armament Haki hardening, that kick had taken off nearly twenty of his health points.
This was probably the first real attack the guy had made since the fight began.
Cyrus looked at Aokiji who had landed.
Aokiji, however, looked at Cyrus with suspicion.
Something's not right!
He hadn't held back with that kick. How was this guy completely fine?
At least on the surface, he looked completely fine.
Miscalculation?
Aokiji hesitated, wondering if his previous assessment had been wrong.
"A good strike!"
Although he planned to activate his indomitable will in this battle, Cyrus had no intention of being a passive punching bag.
Flames coiled around his blade.
The Armament Haki-wrapped blade, due to the influx of too much flame, had fiery patterns coursing over it.
"Fading Sun Hell Garment!" Cyrus's voice rang out.
But his body was already becoming difficult to see.
The super-condensed flames distorted the air around him.
The extreme temperature even caused the sea surface to evaporate rapidly.
The boats and cargo at the nearby pier instantly caught fire and then burned fiercely.
By pushing his abilities and Haki without regard for the cost, Cyrus had forced himself into this state.
The consequence of this recklessness was that his health was dropping on its own.
His natural regeneration could no longer keep up with this consumption.
Aokiji's expression was grave.
He sensed an immense threat.
Flame and Frost were natural counters to each other.
He had actually been handling it quite easily before.
Although Cyrus was also a Logia Type, the gap in their ability usage was still vast.
But now.
He felt that the indistinct, distorted figure behind the air, warped by the extreme heat, could truly injure him—or perhaps even worse.
Frost condensed on Aokiji's body.
The chill spread, blocking the encroaching high temperatures and flames.
Flame and Frost were locked in a frantic struggle.
Aokiji's mouth opened slightly, wisps of cold air escaping from his lips.
"I underestimated you!" Aokiji's expression was grave.
"Then let's get serious!" Cyrus's voice rang out.
Before the words had even faded, his body, wreathed in terrifying flames, seemed to teleport, appearing before Aokiji with a long tail of fire.
The terrifying blade slashed down at Aokiji.
As Flame and Frost collided, white steam had no sooner appeared than it was either vaporized or turned into ice crystals.
Swish!
Cyrus's sword-wielding figure was frozen in Frost, but Aokiji's expression did not relax in the slightest.
The ice lasted only for a moment before it exploded, and with it, even more intense flames erupted.
The wildly Flowing flames burned the very air.
Bang!
Aokiji's Armament Haki-clad right leg collided with Cyrus's flaming right leg.
Both were sent flying back.
Aokiji slid back, stopping only after several dozen meters.
Cyrus did much the same.
In that single exchange, they were evenly matched.
"That's enough. You're pretty strong, kid. Looks like I can't stop you!"
Aokiji looked at the figure still wreathed in flames and waved his hand dismissively.
He wasn't here to kill anyone.
This kid was clearly fighting with his life on the line.
In such a state, even if he did nothing, the kid would be finished after a while.
"That won't do. We haven't decided a winner yet!"
Cyrus's voice rang out as a series of Flame Slashes shot toward Aokiji.
Sidestepping the slashes, Aokiji felt a headache coming on.
This kid seemed to be a stubborn one.
In that case, he might as well end this quickly.
With that thought, Aokiji moved, his figure appearing behind Cyrus.
"Ice Glove!"
Frost gathered on his fist as he aimed a punch at the top of Cyrus's head.
Bang!
Before the fist could land, Cyrus's body suddenly dispersed into flames.
"Let me teach you something. When fighting an opponent of equal strength, don't use your Elemental Transformation so casually."
Changing his fist to a palm, Aokiji swatted to the side, striking the flames directly.
Cyrus's figure was sent flying sideways.
He plunged his longsword into the ground, sliding for over a hundred meters before crashing into the cliff wall behind him and finally coming to a stop.
"That should be about enough," Aokiji thought.
Then, he saw the figure prop himself up with his sword and get to his feet again.
"You're not so tough either!" Cyrus's exasperated voice sounded.