Kizaru's Resolve

"Damn it!" Aokiji roared in agony, then tried to get up. "Nightmare, I will kill you!"

Kizaru swiftly grabbed him and stopped him, advising, "Don't be impulsive. Your abilities won't be of much use against that monster. On the contrary, we can't deal with these Giant Sea Kings here without you. Do you want to see those marines devoured and repeat the tragedy of before?"

"But..." Aokiji took a deep breath, his face showing reluctance. "If this continues, let alone revenge, it will be difficult to even maintain the current situation. That monster is just too strong!"

"How long can you hold out here by yourself?" Kizaru hesitated for a moment before finally making up his mind.

"If I keep activating my ability, I can only maintain it for a maximum of fifteen minutes. What do you want to do?" Aokiji asked, his brows furrowed.

"Now that things have come to this, this is the only way." Kizaru turned his gaze to the Seven Star Sword embedded in Sengoku's body.

"Wait, you mean...?" Aokiji's expression changed slightly.

"Since physical wounds have no effect on Nightmare, what about wounds on the soul level?" Kizaru stared intently at the Seven Star Sword. "If we pierce his body with this Demon Sword that can burn the soul, perhaps..."

Aokiji thought about it seriously for a moment and felt that this method was worth a try. "Unlike most Devil Fruit Ability that require physical strength to use, Nightmare's Dream-Dream Fruit relies more on the power at the soul level. If we can tear his soul apart, we might be able to temporarily disable his Devil Fruit Ability. In that case, he would no longer be immortal!"

"However," Aokiji looked at Kizaru with a surprised expression, "Are you really sure? Nightmare is not like the enemies we've faced before. Your abilities may not be very effective against him. If you make even the slightest mistake, you could end up like Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

"Why don't I go instead?"

Kizaru's lips twitched slightly; it seems his consistent impression on people is that he's unreliable.

"Given the speed and reflexes of that Nightmare monster, I'm the only one here who could possibly stab him."

"Besides, if Mr. Sengoku can go to such lengths for the navy, surely I, as Marine Admiral, wouldn't be afraid to take even the slightest risk?"

"Then it's up to you!"

Kizaru took a deep breath, gripped the hilt of the sword on Sengoku's back, and was about to pull it out when a piercing pain shot through his hands, causing him to cry out in pain. He quickly released his hands and looked at the Seven Star Sword with horror, as if the hilt was covered with poisonous thorns, making people afraid to approach.

"What's wrong with you?" Aokiji asked, seeing Kizaru's monkey-like face turn purplish-red in an instant.

"Phew, how terrifying!" Kizaru exclaimed with a crooked mouth, "As expected of the legendary cursed sword that brings disaster and misfortune, it is ferocious and tyrannical. Perhaps only a monster like Nightmare can suppress its power to devour its master!"

"Devouring to its master?"

"The moment I grasped it, an endless sea of blood assaulted my will. Countless Vengeful Soul spirits and ghosts danced before my eyes, telling tales of slaughter and bloodlust. If I couldn't stay conscious, I would soon be controlled by it and become a monster who only knew how to kill. I really don't know how Nightmare could remain conscious under such extreme and insane thoughts!" Kizaru with a crooked mouth, clearly wary of this Demon Sword.

"What should we do then?" Aokiji gasped upon hearing this. Although Kizaru was usually unreliable, his status as the Marine Headquarters' top combatant was enough to show that his will was among the most resilient in the Navy. Even Aokiji found it hard to bear. How did Nightmare use it in battle? No wonder that guy had no bottom line and was probably already on the verge of madness.

"By the way, if I seal the hilt with ice, it might weaken the effect of this Demon Sword on you."

"It's worth a try; it might work."

Aokiji blew an extremely cold breath towards the hilt of the Seven Star Sword, instantly covering the hilt with a thick layer of ice armor that reflected a rainbow of colors under the sunlight.

Kizaru grabbed it, his eyes widening suddenly and he gasped.

"What's wrong? Is it still not working?" Seeing this, Aokiji hurriedly asked.

"Phew, it's cold!"

Aokiji's concerned expression froze on his face. In his heart, he thought, "You, a Marine Headquarters Admiral, are actually afraid of the cold?"

"As for the soul impact, although it still has an effect, it has indeed weakened a lot and is now within my tolerance range." Kizaru pulled the Seven Star Sword from Sengoku's body. The sword was not stained with blood as expected. It had a cold and sharp light and ancient patterns. Judging from its appearance alone, no one would believe that this was a Demon Sword stained with the blood of hundreds of thousands or even millions of living beings.

"Careful!"

In the sky, Garp and Zephyr were in a very sorry state, covered in sword wounds, with blood splattering everywhere, and their bodies covered with scabs left by dried blood.

Even though the opponent had lost the Demon Sword that possessed the power to cut through everything, their strength was still beyond what the two of them could handle.

Especially for Zephyr, although his strength is still great, the loss of his arm has had a significant impact on him. These effects may not be visible in normal times, but when fighting against enemies of the same or even greater strength, the aftereffects of these effects will become apparent.

Light and shadow intertwined, sword flashes pierced the air.

Roy, wielding a longsword, appeared behind Zephyr like a ghost, unleashing a sword strike that stirred up wind and thunder.

Garp and Zephyr were clearly prepared, using Armament Haki to protect their vitals while their iron fists clashed with the attack.

After sending the two flying with a single sword strike, Roy's figure vanished instantly. Zephyr and Garp huddled together, wary of any possible attack.

"Hey, Zephyr, are you still holding on?"

"Don't worry, it's still early!"

Garp remained silent. He had already noticed that Zephyr's face was frighteningly pale. The aftereffects of excessive blood loss were gradually taking effect, and he was now having difficulty even speaking. Clearly, he was at his limit and wouldn't last much longer.

"Damn it, what the hell is this monster going to do?" Garp cursed inwardly. Suddenly, a bright light shone on his face from the sea, sweeping across him, but it still made him squint and glance sideways. "That is..."

Seeing Kizaru grasp the Demon Sword that had left such a deep impression on them, Garp's pupils contracted sharply. He understood Kizaru's plan and subtly returned a Navy-style hand gesture to indicate he was aware. He then calmly considered how to create an opportunity for Kizaru. 11