Prison · Iron Fortress

Sig's transformed "Prison · Iron Fortress" was as massive as Capone Bege's "Castle-Castle Fruit" ability, "Castle · Big Boss."

However, instead of being built from bricks and stone, it was constructed from thick iron plates everywhere. Beyond resembling a fortress forged from steel, its anthropomorphic form was similar in size to a gorilla. Its forearms were adorned with massive black iron gates, forming an iron barrier in front of it!

Calling it a fortress was a misnomer; it immediately gave off the feeling of a prison cell, instinctively making one believe that its defenses were absolute, both inside and out.

Not only could it not be breached from the inside, but it could also defend against external attacks.

Its defensive capabilities felt far more reliable than Capone Bege's "Castle · Big Boss," but it lacked the ability to coordinate with allies, as no one could inhabit it.

Capone Bege had spent a long time developing his Devil Fruit ability before he could unleash "Castle · Big Boss," whereas Sig was clearly more exceptional. Despite having used his Devil Fruit ability only a few times, he could already manifest numerous techniques.

Once Sig transformed into his full size, he towered over the two rows of ordinary houses surrounding him. He was so wide that he even pushed aside some of the street!

However, the colossal tidal wave that surged towards them was twice as tall as Sig...

In reality, at this point, it was impossible to block the waterline. At best, it could only temporarily slow down the force of the tidal wave rushing towards this path, giving the people on the main road behind them a slightly better chance of survival.

With the torrential rain pouring down and seawater already flowing at their feet, Sig could barely do anything after transforming. If he were to revert and not use the "Prison-Prison Fruit" ability, he could move freely.

Naturally, they couldn't just stand by and watch Sig get crushed. On the side, Fisher Tiger and Jinbe moved simultaneously...

"Fish-Man Karate Secret Technique: Budōken!"

Jinbe's palm first conjured a water sphere. Then, with a seemingly ordinary punch, he struck the tidal wave. Despite it being just a small water sphere, the moment it contacted the colossal wave, the wall-like surge was blasted open with a massive gap...

However, the thickness of the tidal wave revealed through this gap caused Jinbe's expression to falter!

"Fish-Man Karate Secret Technique: Giant Whirlpool!"

Fisher Tiger's muscles bulged. If he were at 100% muscle now, he must have been at only 30% before. His previously agile appearance now seemed somewhat cumbersome.

Simultaneously, Fisher Tiger slammed a fist down towards the water surface below. Instantly, the surrounding water level dropped significantly—the water gathered where Fisher Tiger's fist struck!

A massive whirlpool erupted from the depths, like a dragon drawing water, and surged towards the even larger tidal wave that was approaching them.

The two collided. Sig felt the "sheen" on the surface of the tidal wave become chaotic, clearly disturbed by the "Giant Whirlpool"...

Fortunately, this caused the tidal wave to break apart into scattered "water." Although it still slammed forcefully against the "Prison · Iron Fortress," Sig merely felt a wave of powerlessness.

Under the immense thrust, Sig was pushed back a considerable distance, but he managed to maintain his footing.

As a result, while water still surged from the sides onto the main road, it was no longer a direct tidal wave.

However, before Sig could breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly sensed something was wrong and realized... a tidal wave twice as high as the previous one was now surging towards them, blocking out the sky.

This... was it taller than even the highest shelter in Water Seven?

"Sig! Stop using your Devil Fruit ability and revert!" Jinbe shouted urgently.

If they were hit by that, Sig probably wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Of course, Fisher Tiger and Jinbe hadn't given up yet and were still preparing to weaken it as much as possible...

But at that moment, a chilling coldness swept over them. The colossal tidal wave before them gradually began to freeze, solidifying into a massive ice wall.

"Wh-what?" Jinbe's pupils contracted involuntarily.

Even the mere dispersed cold current caused ice to form all over Sig's body. He quickly reverted to his human—no, Fish-Man—form.

Fisher Tiger and Jinbe also became fully alert.

The previously surging waves suddenly fell silent. Amidst this silence, the "creaking" sounds became particularly noticeable.

A bicycle climbed up the crest of the wave. Pedaling the bicycle was a long-faced man with shoulder-length wavy curls, wearing a round hat and a pair of small sunglasses perched on his nose.

"I've heard for a long time that the Vice Admirals of this generation are called the strongest, and those with codenames are no weaker than Admirals... They truly live up to their reputation," Fisher Tiger said grimly.

From this display of "Ice Age," one could already guess the identity of the person.

Sig suddenly understood—the Prison Demon's feeling... it must have been directed at this Aokiji.

Although he was currently only a Vice Admiral, he already had considerable fame at sea, far beyond that of an ordinary Vice Admiral.

"Is there such a saying? That's truly humbling. Teacher Zephyr must have spoiled us students too much," Aokiji said, his voice cold yet lazy.

After his initial surprise, Sig gradually calmed down.

Looking at the timeline of the original work, just over a decade later, Jinbe's combat power, even if not on par with an Admiral, was already close to that tier. While the current Jinbe was certainly not as strong as he would be in a decade, Aokiji now was also not the Admiral Aokiji of a decade later!

Moreover, with Fisher Tiger on their side in the Sun Pirates, facing Aokiji... they shouldn't be at a disadvantage? Sig thought to himself.

This was much more exciting than arguing about combat power on forums...

It was just that Aokiji's ability was troublesome. Fish-Men generally had an advantage against any Devil Fruit user, and even if things went south, escaping wouldn't be a problem.

However, Aokiji's ability could freeze seawater. As the scene before them showed, Fish-Man Karate might actually be countered by him, making escaping into the sea unsafe!

"I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly... This isn't the treatment someone with a 160 million bounty deserves," Fisher Tiger remarked sarcastically.

That's right, Fisher Tiger's current bounty was only 160 million. After all, the World Government didn't want to fully disclose the events that transpired in Mary Geoise. According to the official reports, Fisher Tiger had merely hijacked a slave ship belonging to the Celestial Dragons.

"No, I just happened to be passing by," Aokiji's tone also carried a sense of weariness. If he took off his sunglasses, he might look sleepy.

Of course, it could also be because his previous move had consumed a lot of stamina. Such a wide-ranging "Ice Age"... The current Aokiji was not yet at the strength he possessed during the Summit War a decade later!

Sig observed Aokiji carefully, trying to see through his thoughts and gauge his true strength.

This caused Aokiji to frown slightly. Although he couldn't be seen turning his head from his elevated position, and he was wearing sunglasses, Sig keenly sensed that this guy was looking at him.

"Is that some strange Observation Haki?" Aokiji seemed to mutter to himself.

Although Sig's nascent Observation Haki had a stealthy characteristic starting from the "Spectator" stage, the mere concealment of the "Mind Reader" at sequence eight wasn't enough to make Aokiji unable to detect it.

"According to the old men's orders, arresting you should be the top priority, but... you're making things difficult for me like this." Aokiji looked up, seemingly scanning the entire city at the Sun Pirates' crew members who were rescuing people everywhere.