Ice and Fire, Growing Stronger to Protect

New World, Punk Hazard.

This island was once a research base for the Navy and also held some prisoners from the World Government. Two years ago, due to M. Caesar Clown's experiments, a large amount of poison gas was released on the island, turning it into a dead island.

Although a small number of prisoners were still alive, they had lost control of their lower limbs and could only eke out a living on the island.

Now, this island has welcomed two world-class top-tier combat forces.

"Kuzan,"

Akainu, dressed in a dark red suit, wearing a navy cap and black leather gloves, with Marine Admiral's Akainu draped behind him, spoke first.

"After serving Admiral for so many years, you should have seen through the true nature of this sea by now, right?"

"One after another, ambitious individuals flock to the sea, acting recklessly under the guise of 'dreams,' slaughtering villages and towns at the slightest provocation! They only see 'freedom,' but have they ever seen the suffering of ordinary people?"

"Beneath every pirate crew's ship lie the corpses of hundreds or even thousands of ordinary people! Every black pirate flag is stained with the blood of civilians!"

Akainu, with his fiery red body, is just like his nickname suggests—a true hardliner among soldiers.

"Once I succeed as Fleet Admiral, I will move the Marine Headquarters to the New World! And end this twisted world completely."

"Power is worthless to me. All I want is for the world to be free of pirates!"

I do not desire titles and honors; I only wish for peace on the seas.

Tall and slender, wearing a white suit vest and a dark blue shirt, Aokiji, who was also wearing a navy coat, sighed.

"Sakazuki, you're being too naive."

Even without pirates, where can this world go under the watchful eyes of those eyes?

"Don't just focus on the harm caused by pirates—the reason why pirates are so difficult to eradicate isn't simply because of 'dreams.' It's the decay of this world..."

"So what?!"

Akainu's roar interrupted Aokiji's words.

"I know what you're going to say, but no matter what, that can't be an excuse for burning, killing, and looting! If you choose to fly the skull and crossbones flag and act recklessly, you must bear the consequences!"

"Evil is evil! Don't use 'there is evil greater than me' as an excuse! Kuzan, you have disappointed me greatly. You actually placed your hopes on those who have gone astray."

Once I've conquered the sea, my next goal will be—

Glug glug~~

Crimson magma surged and boiled from Akainu's arm, and a drop that fell to the ground instantly melted a huge hole in the earth!

"If we don't see eye to eye, then let's—"

Let's see who's truly capable!

Once Akainu made up his mind, he made no move.

A torrent of magma suddenly erupted from beneath his feet, rushing and engulfing everything in all directions! It painted the once overgrown, desolate island into a dark red expanse, devoid of any other colors.

Ten meters, a hundred meters, a thousand meters, ten thousand meters!!!

In an instant, half the island was transformed into a sea of lava! Like a black and red carpet laid out for a king's procession, the churning lava swallowed all vegetation, the earth, and buildings. A true testament to what a 'natural disaster' really is!

Then lava gathered on Akainu's arm, and as it rolled, a hideous black-red dog head emerged, baring sharp, scythe-like fangs and dripping lava.

The dog's head was enormous, but where the eyes should have been, two blazing flames were burning, creating an eerie and chilling sight.

Then, a whooshing sound suddenly arose! The two blazing flames transformed into two streaks of light that tore through the sky, and the enormous fangs fiercely devoured the enemy opposite them!

Although the magma made no sound, the officers watching from all around heard a domineering roar deep in their souls, a roar that carried the murderous intent to destroy everything and made their hearts tremble.

"Hellhound's Crimson Lotus!"

However, this fierce attack missed its mark, because in an instant, the temperature in the air plummeted as if it were diving! Even the flames that filled the sky froze in an instant.

The ice crystals that solidify all of this do not have any smooth and flat ice surface. Instead, they present a fierce and raging form like a blazing flame, showing a burning, rising, and blazing beauty in their crystal clarity.

As water molecules in the air were instantly frozen into frost, Aokiji fearlessly threw a punch! Layers upon layers of ice crystals wrapped around his arm, refracting a dazzling array of colors.

But just a glance from afar is enough to send a chilling, bone-chilling coldness crashing into your mind, as if if you look at it for another second, your eyes will freeze and shatter!

As Aokiji unleashed his full power, an infinitely cold aura that could freeze everything emanated from his entire body. Wherever it went, the noise subsided and the heat vanished. The magma, which was as turbulent as the sea and as fiery as the sky, solidified in the air in front of his fist.

Ice Age!

Admiral who lets his hands run wild is truly terrifying.

If Roman hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he would never have imagined that the moment the two of them joined forces, the devastating lava and ice that swept across the island would turn it into a world of fire and ice!

And judging by this momentum, this terrifying, world-shattering power will remain forever! Compared to this, Crocodile, whom we've seen before, is completely insignificant. Even Enel...

"Little Roman is wondering why the two of them started with such a spectacular attack?"

Garp, standing nearby, offered Roman some answers.

"On the one hand, they are very familiar with each other, and ordinary probing has long been meaningless."

"On the other hand, the 'Awakening' of Logia Devil Fruit not only permanently alters the natural environment, but also gives the user a Devil Fruit advantage. By utilizing natural magma and ice, they can even replenish their stamina and heal injuries..."

I see. Speaking of which, Roman remembers an island in the New World where lightning strikes relentlessly. Could it be that a user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit once Awakening their powers and fought with all their might there?

While everyone was watching the Admiral duel, on the other hand:

In a corner of Marine Headquarters,

This area falls under Vice Admiral Tsuru's 'sphere of influence' because she leads the navy's only all-female army, so a separate training ground is essential.

After all, in training, physical altercations and clothing damage are unavoidable. The result of mixed-gender training is a bunch of old fogies with their attention completely scattered...

Now Nami is facing:

Observation Haki training ground!

This is a dense array of giant hammers, all of which are slowly and erratically moving, crashing and colliding with astonishing force. They vary in height and size, constantly undulating and colliding with each other, producing unexpected changes, yet miraculously remaining within a single area.

Clearly, this giant hammer without any mechanisms or chains is a creation of some kind of Devil Fruit ability. Once someone enters it, they will immediately be surrounded by hammer shadows from all directions, equivalent to being besieged by a dozen fearless enemies without stopping for a moment.

"Are you really going in?"

When faced with the crane's question, Nami tied her increasingly long orange hair into a dashing ponytail.

"Certainly,"

"In this world, if you lack power, you can only kneel on the ground and cry in vain."

Fortunately, someone overcame her at that time and tore apart the nightmare that had been hanging over her life! Nami saw light and freedom again.

So:

Stepping into this 'training ground', the speed of the giant hammers around us immediately increased!

Nami focused her attention, keeping her eyes and ears open, while concentrating on recalling the Observation Haki taught by Roman. She moved back and forth, and when the hammer came at her, she would either leap into the air, lie low on the ground, twist her waist to dodge, or lie on her back!

As she moved forward, the hammer shadows from all directions became increasingly dense! Nami's own strength was soon insufficient to dodge them.

Thump!

A massive iron hammer, which Nami couldn't dodge, hurtled towards her, instantly disrupting Nami balance! And the only consequence of losing one's balance in such a barrage of attacks is:

Thump thump thump thump!!!

Arms, shoulders, back, head, abdomen, legs... a dense barrage of attacks rained down on him in an instant! Amidst the intense pain Vice Admiral Tsuru's calm voice could be heard from the sidelines.

"As a soldier, you must have a body of steel and an indomitable will, and be able to stay calm after being hit hard! If you fall, you lose. Immediately regain your balance and continue to dodge."

Yes!

However, Nami didn't even have time to reply; she could only try her best to protect her head and steady herself amidst the barrage of attacks. She then began dodging the attacks once more.

This is where the Navy trains 'Observation Haki', and it is especially important for women (except for one person) whose physical abilities are naturally inferior to men to master Observation Haki.

After a while, the giant hammers in the air all slowed down. Isca, who was practicing swordsmanship nearby, immediately used a shave to enter the training ground and dragged Nami, who was lying in the bloodstains, out.

"Ahem, is this what naval training is like?"

Nami wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and stood up unsteadily. She took off the "The Art of the Thief" from her waist and opened it. As balls of blue flame entered her body, her wounds healed rapidly.

"Xiao An, using your abilities to heal will make your body forget 'pain' and also forget the instinct to dodge."

Nami chuckled at the words of Vice Admiral Tsuru, whose hair was now gray.

"It's okay, then let's use more 'pain' to solidify the dodge effect."

?!

"Now that your injuries have healed, let's continue."

Seeing Nami stride back towards the training ground, even Isca instinctively reached out his hand.

"An, training should be done gradually..."

"It's alright, as long as I have this—" He waved the book in his hand. With the abilities contained in this book, "It's just a minor training injury; how could it possibly be as dangerous as a bullet from an enemy with murderous intent?"

Frowning, Isca realized why An (Nami) was acting this way.

"Ann, are you still upset that Colonel Roman took a bullet for you?"

"Right."

Nami nodded, making no attempt to hide anything.

"I want to become stronger!"

"Thinking back carefully, from the moment we met until now, in every battle, Roman has always been at the forefront. Although everyone has their own roles, I'm still unwilling to forever hide behind Roman, so:"

Nami turned around and gave Isca a confident smile.

"I want to one day stand in front of Roman and say:"

"I'll protect you!"

······

"Hehe, what an ambitious young lady. But, Xiao An—"

Tsuru walked over and gestured to Nami.

"Boys' pride makes them not want to hear their loved ones say such things."

"Yeah,"

Nami touched her chin with one finger and thought for a moment.

"Then I'll say, 'Please let me protect you'— Roman will surely accept that."

······

Ah, youth is so wonderful.

Watching the girl once again charge into the shadows of the hammer, Vice Admiral Tsuru smiled and shook his head.

P. S.: Ahem, that's all for now~~~ By the way, Usopp is desperately trying to lose weight...