Powerful—
despairingly powerful.
That was Gion's first impression.
No wonder Kuzan had been so wary of this man, who did not even look that old. In terms of Haki mastery alone, he surpassed everyone present.
"Ara ara, don't pretend I'm not here, Black Spear!!!"
Crack, crack, crack, crack...
Almost the instant Tokikake was sent flying, a man covered in frost made his move.
He tried to catch Austin during his recovery.
Clusters of ice crystals spread through the air, freezing the moisture in the atmosphere and forming dazzling flowers of ice. Austin, who still held his kicking posture,
was frozen into a massive ice sculpture in that instant.
"Your movement ability is indeed bizarre, Dotol Austin. But when you attack, you have to become tangible, don't you? Unless all you do is evade."
Teleport away, and you could not attack.
Do not teleport, and you had to be frozen by him.
Austin had to admit it—Kuzan really did have some talent for combat.
At this level,
he had even managed to dirty the hem of Austin's clothes.
Within the clear, transparent ice crystal, Austin remained frozen in his outstretched kicking pose, like a statue.
At that very moment, Gion endured the pain of her dislocated hand bones and forcibly pulled her wrist free from Austin's grasp. She retreated several steps to Kuzan's side.
"As expected of a crew member from Pirate King Roger's ship. We couldn't fight back at all!"
Gion gripped her sword in one hand, her expression grave as she watched the handsome, long-haired man within the ice.
"The ice can't keep him frozen for long, can it?"
Kuzan actually agreed with that. Cold air continued to billow from his hand, constantly reinforcing the ice crystals as he stared intently at the figure inside.
Taking advantage of the brief respite, Gion continuously adjusted herself while recalling everything she knew about Austin.
Previously, she had only occasionally heard Sister Tsuru mention him. He was someone Fleet Admiral Kong had specifically emphasized, one of the Navy's major future threats, whose bounty had repeatedly been raised beyond all precedent.
At the time, she had believed Austin was merely a young man living off the name of being a Pirate King's crew member, famous without merit.
As members of the New Era, she had believed that the Navy's new generation, trained by Teacher Zephyr, were geniuses who lost to no one their age.
Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, Tokikake, and herself, for example...
Yet only today, upon meeting this so-called rookie from Roger's ship,
did she realize just how vast this sea truly was!
If she remembered correctly, he was only fifteen, even younger than every new-generation Navy officer.
What had she been doing at fifteen? She probably had not even become a swordsman yet.
"A monster like this must be kept at Marineford today!" Gion said through gritted teeth.
"Who did you say you were keeping?"
"What?!"
Who could have expected that, in the brief gap of a single blink, the figure inside the ice would vanish outright?
A chilling sense of dread instantly swept over them. Without thinking, the two attacked behind themselves, but naturally struck nothing.
With a flash, Austin appeared atop a distant residential building. He lazily rested both elbows on the balcony, watching the two below as though they faced a great enemy, the calm expression on his face unchanged.
"Hey, you two, how about we just pretend you never saw me? I'm only here sightseeing. I haven't done anything bad.
I even paid honestly for my meal here.
You could say I contributed to Marineford's GDP."
Naturally, Austin's answer was a Raging Phoenix Beak wreathed in cold air.
"Black Gun Austin!! What do you take Marineford for? This is Marine Headquarters, the fortress of justice!
This is absolutely not a place where pirates like you can come and go whenever you please!"
Gion shouted righteously, but she understood in her heart that the other side's mobility was simply too high, and he possessed extremely troublesome high-level Observation Haki.
With just the three... two of them, keeping him here was practically impossible.
Therefore, even if it was somewhat underhanded, she had to use provocation to stall Austin until Sengoku, Garp, and the others arrived.
Only then could they possibly capture him and send him to Impel Down, letting Austin share the same fate as his captain.
"As a crew member of the Pirate King, is running around all you know how to do?
Answer me! Dotol Austin!"
Gion shouted loudly, as if she had forgotten who had just been effortlessly restrained.
Austin merely smiled at that.
Of course, he could tell it was a little Chicken-chan tactic, but he had to admit that her words had piqued his interest.
He wondered whether a future Marine Admiral and an admiral candidate could truly let him have some fun.
So, he extended one hand.
And curled his finger slightly.
"True enough, I haven't fought anyone head-on in a long time.
The two of you can come at me together. I think I should be able to finish this before Garp arrives."
Austin exposed the girl's scheme in one sentence, making her flush with anger. Kuzan beside her was likewise instantly enraged by Austin's arrogant attitude.
"Don't get too cocky, Black Spear!!!"
Ice crystals instantly spread over Kuzan's body once more. Enormous ice spears gradually formed, carrying tremendous kinetic force as they shot forward.
Following close behind were waves of incomparably sharp sword energy.
At this moment, around the outskirts of the battlefield,
many low-ranking officers had already noticed the situation and rushed over to provide support.
After swiftly arranging for the residents to evacuate, they saw that the person fighting Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral Kuzan and Commodore Gion was actually a pirate from a Wanted Poster, and they immediately joined the battle.
But facing the completely enraged Kuzan and his wide-area freezing attacks, they could not approach this high-level battlefield at all. They could only watch from afar.
At the same time, they dialed the Den Den Mushi connected to the Marine Headquarters command center.
"Beru beru beru..."
"Click."
"This is Sengoku. What is it?"
"Admiral Sengoku, in the southern residential district of Marineford, Rear Admiral Kuzan and Commodore Gion are fighting remnants of the Roger Pirates! Requesting reinforcements!!!"
"What?!"
Did they have to choose the moment Fleet Admiral Kong went to the Holy Land to report for duty?
Those bastards!
Upon hearing this, Admiral Sengoku, who had been handling official business, immediately rose to his feet and smashed the desk before him to pieces. "How arrogant can pirates be? That Roger fellow's crew members dare to trespass into Marine Headquarters? Are they still unwilling to give up?!"
"Is it Rayleigh or Gaban?"
"Uh... neither of them... It's Black Gun Dotol Austin!"
"Black Gun?"
Hearing that, Sengoku froze, somewhat dumbfounded.
If he remembered correctly,
that brat was only an intern with the Roger Pirates, wasn't he?
How did he dare?
Before you continue