Admiral Aokiji

"Hey hey hey~ the intel didn't say there'd be two terrifying guys here~"

The frigid aura spread rapidly through the tavern, the temperature plummeting. Admiral Aokiji looked troubled at the two people by the counter.

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

"Admiral Kuzan!" Just as Aokiji was about to say more, the Marines outside had already assembled. "The area is now surrounded!"

"Let's go outside and find an open space to fight!" Cifer downed the rest of his bowl of sake. "Any more small fry will only add to the casualties!"

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

Frost began to condense around them. Before Aokiji could finish his sentence, Cifer stood up and vanished from his sight in an instant.

The next moment, Aokiji crossed his arms in front of his chest, just barely blocking Cifer's powerful punch. The force, like an endless 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 tightened their grips on their rifles as they watched Cifer step out of the tavern one slow step at a time.

"What a monster~" The dust cleared, and Aokiji brushed himself off, walking out as if nothing had happened. In truth, his arms were still numb from blocking that punch.

"All Marines, withdraw from the scene," Aokiji waved his hand. "The fight from here on out is beyond your ability to participate in."

Though the Marines wanted to support Aokiji, they knew from that single blow that staying would only cause trouble. Following orders, they quickly retreated, leaving only the two of them.

"Ice Lance!"

Two spear-like ice lances materialized out of thin air and flew toward Cifer. With a single punch, he shattered them into pieces.

"Hoo~"

Aokiji breathed cold air onto his hands, and in the blink of an eye, an ice blade formed.

Cifer didn't waste time either. Spiritual Pressure condensed in his hand, forming the Moonlight Sword.

"Clang!"

Sound Step and Soru activated simultaneously. Sword clashed against blade. The two no longer held back their power, and an astonishing aura spread through the area. In mere moments, they had exchanged over a hundred rounds.

"That guy can actually go toe-to-toe with Admiral Kuzan!" The Marines watching from afar through binoculars couldn't help but swallow hard, grateful they hadn't joined the fight.

Amid the clash of blades, Cifer used the force to leap back, following up with a Garganta. Sensing the immense power within it, Aokiji used Geppo to launch himself into the air.

"Ice Ball!"

A flash of cold light gathered in his hand, and Aokiji quickly hurled it toward the retreating Cifer. Meanwhile, the Garganta missed its mark, striking the massive tree marked with a "13" behind him.

"Boom!"

An earth-shattering explosion rang out. Everyone's eyes followed the sound to see the giant tree topple over. The residual force even triggered a localized earthquake.

"Such destructive power is truly astonishing!" Rayleigh, watching the battle from a distance, remarked to Shakky. "It seems this old man has no need to step in at all!"

"What a terrifying guy!" The Marines' shirts were already soaked with sweat, but their leader was excited. "Still, victory will belong to Admiral Kuzan!"

They had already seen Cifer frozen into an ice block by Aokiji. What they didn't see was the grave expression on Aokiji's face.

"Crack~"

With a soft sound, the ice began to splinter and break apart. Cifer stepped out calmly.

"For top-tier fighters, a Garganta really isn't easy to land," Cifer remarked with a hint of admiration.

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

"I just killed a pig. Are you loyal to it?" Cifer's words dripped with mockery. "Even as a Marine Admiral, you're nothing but a puppet controlled by the World Government."

"Why not leave the Marines, become my ally, and join me in overturning this world?"

Cifer extended his right hand toward Aokiji. He genuinely admired Aokiji—or rather, he admired all three Admirals and many Marines. No matter what path they chose, at the root of it all, they fought for justice!

"You really look down on me, don't you?" Aokiji scratched his head out of habit, not responding to Cifer's offer. Perhaps out of disdain, or perhaps because he didn't know how to refute it.

With Aokiji at the center, ice covered the ground for hundreds of meters in every direction. Cifer tried to step forward but found his feet frozen to the ground.

"Ice Block: Violent Pheasant Beak!"

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

Cifer exerted force with both legs and lifted upward, shattering the ice that had held him in place. He hurled the Moonlight Sword straight at the Violent Pheasant Beak.

Like oil and water, the giant bird could advance no further. Cracks spread across its entire body, while the Moonlight Sword grew increasingly dim. In the end, the two forces completely canceled each other out.

"If you want to settle this with me, one Admiral isn't enough!" Cifer formed another Moonlight Sword in his hand, watching intently.

"I really should have let those two come instead..."

Seeing that the Violent Pheasant Beak had no effect, Aokiji could only condense another ice blade and step forward.

The two clashed in swordsmanship once more. The sound of blades crossing rang out repeatedly. Their speed was so fast that the Marines watching through binoculars from afar could barely track their movements.

"Aokiji! You shouldn't be taking orders from a rotting World Government!" Between exchanges, Cifer kept persuading him. "If the Celestial Dragons' rule isn't overthrown, the tragedy of Ohara will only repeat itself!"

"Shut up!"

Ohara had always been a scar in Aokiji's heart. That mission was the first time in his life he had doubted "justice." Even now, as an Admiral, he still couldn't let it go.

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

The ice blade slashed down fiercely, but Cifer caught it bare-handed with his other hand. Dark green blood dripped onto the frozen ground, yet the blade seemed stuck, unable to cut any deeper.

"You left an opening."

Before Aokiji could react, the Moonlight Sword pierced his shoulder. Cifer hurled the blade forward with force, dragging Aokiji along as he flew backward.

Dark green?

Cifer stared at his wound as it regenerated at superhuman speed, only now noticing the color of his own blood. Was Ulquiorra like this?

He had assumed he'd simply become Ulquiorra, but now it seemed otherwise. This body held many unknowns waiting for him to uncover.

"Troublesome indeed!"

Before Cifer, the ice on the ground slowly crept upward, eventually taking Aokiji's form.

This time, Aokiji was no longer immaculate as in their previous exchanges. Blood from his shoulder stained his shirt, and the Justice Cape had long been destroyed.

"It seems you used elementalization to evade the Moonlight Sword's explosion." Cifer hit the mark. If he'd taken the full blast, the wounds would be far worse. "Still want to continue?"

Aokiji looked at Cifer's fully healed right hand and shook his head. He had lost the will to fight. With such overwhelming regenerative ability and power, a decisive victory was impossible in a short time—and his odds weren't great anyway.

A Celestial Dragon was attacked, so an Admiral was dispatched. That was all. Aokiji wouldn't risk his life for those scumbags against someone he actually respected. Win or lose, it wasn't worth it.

"Let's call it here. No point fighting further. This injury is enough to keep me resting for a while." Aokiji waved his hand, then pointed at his shoulder. "Word that a Marine Admiral couldn't defeat you will spread across the world soon. You'd better be careful!"

Cifer watched Aokiji leave and deactivated his Resurrección. At the same time, he sensed several onlookers spying from a distance, accompanied by the sound of shutters clicking.

This was all within Cifer's expectations. By tomorrow, he would surely be branded a notorious villain!

What Cifer didn't notice was that the blood he'd spilled on the ice was now boiling away like hot water, evaporating into nothing.

New World, a certain island.

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