Admiral Aokiji

"Hey, hey, hey~ The intelligence never said there were two incredible guys here~"

A chilling aura rapidly spread through the tavern, and the temperature plummeted. Admiral Aokiji looked troubled as he watched the two men before the bar.

"Hahaha, I'm just a retired old man. This has nothing to do with me." Rayleigh removed his reading glasses and wiped them, as though he truly were just an ordinary old man.

"Admiral Kuzan!" Just as Aokiji was about to say something else, the Marines outside had already assembled. "We've surrounded the entire area!"

"Let's go somewhere open and fight!" Cifer drained the wine in his bowl in one gulp. "No matter how many fodder there are, they'll only add to the casualties!"

"Let's do it here. Since Silvers Rayleigh has no intention of making a move..."

Frost began to form all around them. Before Aokiji could finish speaking, Cifer had already risen to his feet and vanished from his sight in an instant.

The next moment, Aokiji crossed his arms before his chest, just barely blocking Cifer's powerful punch. The boundless force, like a vast ocean, blasted him straight out of the tavern. He flew dozens of meters before crashing into a large tree, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Admiral Kuzan!"

The Marines surrounding the tavern stared in disbelief at Aokiji, who had been sent flying. They gripped their rifles tightly and watched Cifer step out of the tavern.

"What a monster~" As the dust settled, Aokiji casually brushed himself off and walked out. In truth, his arms had gone numb from blocking that punch.

"All Marines, withdraw from the scene," Aokiji said with a wave of his hand. "The battle ahead isn't something you can take part in."

The Marines wanted to support Aokiji, but that strike alone had made them realize that staying would only be a burden. They quickly retreated as ordered, leaving only the two of them behind.

"Ice Lance!"

Two thorned ice spears condensed out of thin air and shot toward Cifer. With a single punch, Cifer shattered them into pieces.

"Whew~"

Aokiji blew cold air onto his hand. In the blink of an eye, it condensed into an ice blade.

Cifer did not waste any time either. Spiritual Pressure gathered in his hand and formed a Moonlight Sword.

"Clang!"

Sound Step and Soru activated at the same time. Blade and sword collided, and neither of them held back any longer. Astonishing auras spread through the air as they exchanged over a hundred blows in mere moments.

"That guy can actually trade blows with Admiral Kuzan!" The Marines watching the battle through binoculars in the distance could not help swallowing, grateful that they had not joined the fight.

Amid the clash of blades, Cifer borrowed the force to retreat, followed by a Garganta. Aokiji sensed the immense power within it and used Geppo to leap into the air.

"Ice Ball!"

A burst of cold light flashed in his hand, and Aokiji swiftly hurled it at the retreating Cifer. At the same time, the Garganta missed and struck the massive tree behind him marked with "13."

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion rang out. As everyone watched, the massive tree crashed down, and the lingering shockwave even caused a localized earthquake.

"That level of destructive power is truly astonishing!" Rayleigh, seated in the distance and watching the battlefield, remarked to Shakky. "Looks like this old man has absolutely no need to intervene!"

"What a terrifying guy!" Sweat had already soaked through the Marines' uniforms, but their leader was excited. "But Admiral Kuzan will still be the one to win!"

They had already seen Cifer frozen into an ice block by Aokiji. What they did not see was Aokiji's grave expression.

"Crack~"

With a soft sound, the ice block began to fracture inch by inch, and Cifer calmly stepped out.

"For top-tier powerhouses, Garganta really is difficult to land," Cifer could not help but sigh.

"Honestly, how could a strong person like you remain unknown?" The temperature continued to drop over a wide area as frost began to cover Aokiji's body and face. "If you hadn't killed a Celestial Dragon, I'd really want to recruit you into the Marines."

"I only killed a pig. Could it be that you're loyal to it?" Cifer's words were full of mockery. "Even as a Marine Admiral, you're still controlled by the World Government like a puppet."

"Why not leave the Marines and become my companion? In the future, we can overturn this world together!"

Cifer extended his right hand toward Aokiji. He admired Aokiji—or rather, he admired the three Admirals and many Marines. No matter what paths they had chosen, in the end, they were all pursuing justice!

"You really are looking down on me!" Aokiji scratched his head out of habit and did not answer Cifer. Perhaps he disdained the offer, or perhaps he simply did not know how to refute it.

Centered on Aokiji, ice covered the ground for hundreds of meters in every direction. Just as Cifer was about to walk forward, he discovered that his feet had already been frozen to the ground.

"Ice Block: Violent Pheasant Beak!"

Cold air gathered around Aokiji's right arm, and a giant ice bird burst forth from it. Its powerful impact was as fierce as a sea train!

Cifer pushed off with both feet and leapt upward, shattering all the ice that had pinned him down. He hurled the Moonlight Sword in his hand toward the Violent Pheasant Beak.

Like fire and water that could not coexist, the giant bird could no longer advance. Cracks spread across its body, while the Moonlight Sword grew increasingly dim. In the end, the two completely canceled each other out.

"If you want to decide victory and defeat against me, one Admiral won't be enough!" Cifer formed another Moonlight Sword in his hand, his gaze sharp and threatening.

"I really should have brought those other two..."

Seeing that the Violent Pheasant Beak had been ineffective, Aokiji could only condense another ice blade and step forward.

The two resumed their swordsmanship duel. The sounds of blades clashing rang out repeatedly, and they moved so quickly that the Marines observing through binoculars in the distance could not even follow their motions.

"Aokiji! You shouldn't obey the rotten World Government!" Even as they traded blows, Cifer continued trying to persuade him. "Unless the rule of the Celestial Dragons is overthrown, the tragedy of Ohara will only repeat itself!"

"Shut up!"

Ohara had always been a hurdle in Aokiji's heart. That mission had also been the first time in his life that he had questioned "justice." Even after becoming an Admiral, he had never been able to let it go.

In an instant, the enraged Aokiji erupted with astonishing strength and speed. The moment he knocked aside the Moonlight Sword, he found an opening in Cifer's defense!

The ice blade slashed viciously forward, but Cifer caught it barehanded with his other hand. Dark green blood dripped onto the frozen ground, yet the ice blade seemed stuck and could not cut any farther.

"You're the one who exposed an opening."

Before Aokiji could react, the Moonlight Sword pierced through his shoulder. Cifer forcefully threw the sword lodged in Aokiji's shoulder forward, and the tremendous strength carried Aokiji flying backward with it.

It was actually dark green?

As Cifer watched his wound rapidly regenerate, he finally noticed the color of his own blood. Was Ulquiorra like this?

Cifer had thought he had simply transformed into Ulquiorra, but now it seemed that was not the case. This body still held many unknowns waiting for him to discover.

"What a troublesome opponent!"

In front of Cifer, the ice on the ground slowly spread upward until it finally took Aokiji's form.

Aokiji was no longer as spotless as he had been during their previous exchanges. Blood from his shoulder had stained his clothes red, and his Justice Cape had long since been destroyed.

"Looks like you used elementalization to avoid the Moonlight Sword's explosion." Cifer hit the nail on the head. If Aokiji had taken the Moonlight Sword's explosion directly, his injuries would have been far worse. "Still want to continue?"

Aokiji looked at Cifer's fully restored right hand and shook his head. He no longer had any desire to fight. With such powerful regeneration and overwhelming strength, there was no way to determine a victor in a short time. Besides, his chances of winning were not particularly high.

A Celestial Dragon had been harmed, so an Admiral had been dispatched. That was all. Aokiji would not risk his life fighting someone he somewhat admired for those bastards. Whether he won or lost, it was not worth it.

"Let's leave it at that. There's no point in continuing, and these injuries are enough to make me rest for a while." Aokiji waved his hand, then pointed at his shoulder. "I imagine news that a Marine Admiral was defeated by you will soon spread everywhere. You'd better be careful!"

Cifer watched Aokiji depart and released his Resurrección. At the same time, he sensed quite a few people spying nearby, and the sound of camera shutters reached his ears.

This was all within Cifer's expectations. By tomorrow, he would probably become a notorious villain!

What Cifer failed to notice was that the blood he had dripped onto the ground earlier was now evaporating away like boiling water!

New World, on a certain island.

"Speed it up! This is huge news!" Morgans listened to the report from the Den Den Mushi and continuously urged his subordinates to hasten the newspaper's production. "You killed a Celestial Dragon and defeated a Marine Admiral! You truly are my lucky star, Cifer!"