Luffy quickly caught up with Amu and Bubu Wang. Just as he was about to ask how Ace was doing, a chill spread around Amu.
Luffy's current strength could only be considered average, but the instincts Garp had cultivated in him helped at a crucial moment.
Luffy leaped behind Amu, spun around on the spot, and raised his hand, biting his thumb.
"Third Gear..."
Clang!
Shattered ice sprayed through the air, stinging Luffy's face. A sharp longsword pierced the ice sculpture in Aokiji's likeness, the tip only a few centimeters from Luffy's nose. The strike had been so fast that Luffy had no chance to dodge. If it had been meant to kill him, he might already have been dead.
The longsword flicked upward, shattering the ice sculpture. Icicles suddenly appeared around Su Xiao. He shifted his body and narrowly dodged them. Banishment transformed into a streak of blue light that darted around him, and the arm-thick icicles shattered.
"Thanks."
Luffy displayed considerable combat intelligence at that moment. He immediately ran toward Amu, preparing to protect Ace as they broke out of the plaza.
Su Xiao ignored Monkey D. Luffy and instead searched for the vanished Aokiji. Suddenly, he sensed danger coming from Dragon Slayer Flash in his hand.
A tiny patch of ice froze onto the blade. Though no larger than a fingernail, it suddenly exploded. Starting from Dragon Slayer Flash, the ice instantly froze Su Xiao inside.
With a crack, fissures appeared across the Ice Layer encasing Su Xiao. But Aokiji had already appeared behind him, one hand pressed against the Ice Layer.
Crack, crack, crack...
The ice sculpture expanded into a massive lump of ice. Just as Aokiji relaxed, he felt a stabbing pain in his elbow.
Splurt!
Banishment pierced through Aokiji's left arm. He immediately elementalized