Facing the approaching storm tsunami, Aokiji ordered everyone to stop.
He had Sengoku, the three Marine Admirals, and the two Admiral candidates come to the rear to face the incoming storm tsunami.
"We can't avoid it anymore!"
"I'll hold it back first. Mr. Sengoku, please continue leading everyone in retreat," Aokiji quickly said to Sengoku.
"Alright!" Sengoku nodded, then turned and headed toward the main force.
Aokiji then quickly said to Fujitora and the others, "We'll take turns holding back the storm while retreating."
"Understood!" Everyone nodded, their expressions turning alert.
Rumble!
The storm struck.
Just as the storm tsunami was about to sweep over and catch up to Aokiji and the others—
"Ice Age!" Aokiji shouted, thrusting both palms forward.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...!
An enormous ice wall hundreds of meters tall, over ten meters thick, and more than a thousand meters long formed in an instant, blocking the storm tsunami.
Bang! Rumble!
Like towering tsunami waves, the storm tsunami was blocked by Aokiji's massive ice wall and split apart toward either side.
Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Under the continuous battle between the Masked Man and the Sea King Army, the storm tsunami had become unending, crashing against Aokiji's ice wall over and over as if it would never end.
One minute later!
Rumble!
The storm tsunami that had gone around the ice wall suddenly closed in before the main force, blocking their path.
By then, the main force had only advanced a few hundred meters!
If they wanted to continue forward, Aokiji had to retreat to the main force and hold back the storm tsunami, allowing it to split apart.
"Mr. Aokiji, leave the rest to me!" Fujitora said to Aokiji from a hundred meters behind him.
The others stood behind Fujitora, ready to deal with any unexpected developments.