Marine Admiral Kuzan, code name "Aokiji," killed in action!

One of the Night Owl Guard whispered, "Withdraw first."

The injured Night Owl Guard did not refute.

He knew that staying here would only be a burden.

He retreated backwards under the cover of his companions, his right arm hanging stiffly at his sides, his face filled with resentment.

Kuzan did not pursue.

He stood there, the ice beneath his feet rapidly crumbling, the chill dissipating from his body to reveal a battered and almost unrecognizable body beneath.

His uniform was already frozen to pieces, his skin was covered with frostbite and knife wounds, and the wound on his left rib was constantly oozing blood, but the blood was frozen into dark red ice crystals by the cold air around him before it could flow down.

His right leg finally gave way, his knee buckled, and he half-knelt on the broken ice.

He braced himself against the ice with his hands, his fingertips drawing shallow lines on the surface, his breathing heavy like that of a bellows.

The three Mangekyo Sharingan Night Owl Guard retracted their Susanoo and stood around him.

They didn't immediately finish him off; they just watched him silently.

The three maintained their defensive stance, their Sharingan still slowly rotating. After a few breaths, and confirming that there were no more Chakra fluctuations around Kuzan, they finally lowered their guard.

As enemies, they show no mercy; but as adversaries, they admire those who fight to the very last moment, knowing they will die.

The Uchiha Clan has never been afraid of the strong. On the contrary, they admire and respect the strong, especially those who face and defeat them fair and square!

As enemies, they cannot let Kuzan; that would be irresponsible towards the safety of the Uchiha Clan.

However, as opponents, they were willing to give this adversary, who was determined to fight to the death, the final respect and dignity.

The Night Owl Guard, whose right arm was frostbitten, leaned against the pile of rubble and looked down at his stiff right arm.

Although Frost was stabilized by the Mystical Palm Technique, she had completely lost all feeling in her arm.

He looked up at Kuzan's back as he knelt on the ice.

There was no hatred or pleasure in his eyes, only an extremely complex silence, like looking into a mirror.

Kuzan knelt on the shattered ice, his face upturned to the sky.

His lips moved slightly, as if he were saying something, but his voice was so soft that no one could hear him.

His gaze passed over the three indifferent faces looking down at him, over the frost-covered ruins, over the broken skyline of the Sabaody Archipelago, and looked towards a distant direction.

That's the direction of Marine Headquarters New Marineford.

As his breathing grew weaker and weaker, Kuzan began to see his entire life unfold before his eyes.

From the initial excitement of joining the Navy to becoming a monster among the new generation of Navy personnel, he joined the Navy training camp presided over by Marine Admiral Black Arm Zephyr, and later met his master, Mr. Garp, and trained under his tutelage.

In his youth, fueled by Burning Justice, he believed he could achieve his ambitions, repeatedly apprehending pirates, capturing criminals, and protecting the region.

It wasn't until after the Ohara Incident that he clashed with that bastard Sakazuki, and when he finally learned the truth, he backed down, choosing silence and escape in the face of the powerful World Government.

Burning Justice has turned into Lazy Justice...

But over the years, has everything I've done truly been just?

His gaze gradually blurred, and Kuzan saw the final image of his friend Haguval D. Sauro, his weeping face.

"Luo... Bin... I'm so sorry... I owe you one..."

Before he could finish speaking, as his life force was completely extinguished, Kuzan's tall figure slowly fell backward to the ground.

Marine Admiral Kuzan, codenamed "Aokiji," was killed in action.

Seeing Kuzan lying on the ground, the three Night Owl Guard members remained silent for a moment before one of them slowly stepped forward, took out a sealing scroll, covered Kuzan's corpse, and sealed him inside.

"A respectable opponent, but unfortunately, any enemy who stands in the way of the Uchiha must die! You chose the wrong path..."

From a distance, Garp saw it the instant Kuzan fell.

He saw Kuzan's back as he knelt on the ice, saw the way his lips moved as he looked up at the sky, and saw his last glance towards New Marineford.

He saw the extremely rare, calm look on Kuzan's face as he fell, a look that seemed to indicate he had finally let go of something.

Garp did not move immediately.

He stood still, his arms enveloped in dark Armament Haki, and a black aura of Conqueror's Haki swirled around him.

He glanced at Sengoku, Sengoku was also looking at him.

Neither of them spoke, yet they both saw the same thing in each other's eyes.

That thing was deeper than anger, heavier than sorrow; it was something that hadn't appeared in Garp's eyes for many years.

Then Garp threw a punch that sent Uchiha Fugaku flying.

"Kuzan!!!"

His voice was so hoarse it was almost inhuman, and something hot, almost overflowing, welled up in his aged eyes. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few broken syllables.

"Ah----!!! Damn it!! Damn it! Damn it all!!"

Uchiha Fugaku, who had been repelled, looked at the enraged Garp and said coldly, "For Ace's sake, I don't mind giving you a chance to live. If you give up resisting now, at least I'll let you live."

"You little brat!! Do you take me for one of those despicable pirates?!" Garp roared, his eyes blazing with fury, "I don't need a pirate's pity!!"

"Fist Bone - Meteor Strike!!!"

On the other side, Sakazuki was also facing an attack from three Night Owl Guard who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.

His condition is not much better than Kuzan's.

The deep, bone-revealing knife wound on his left shoulder was still bleeding, the flesh of his right arm was charred and peeling from the Lightning Release, and the two blunt wounds on his chest caused excruciating pain with every breath.

But he didn't quit. He never quit in his life.

He was visibly startled when he saw Kuzan fall.

Has that despicable guy who's been at odds with me since Ohara finally fallen?

But he couldn't feel happy at all.

Although he was dissatisfied with Kuzan, it was only because he thought the other man was too weak and merciful, but he never denied the other man's persistence and desire for justice.

Over the years, what has made him more dissatisfied with Kuzan has never been these things, but rather the latter's confusion about justice. In Sakazuki's view, justice that is not firm is not justice at all.

Whatever kind of justice it is, as long as you persevere, it is justice.

But that bastard Kuzan became confused and even lazy because of the Ohara Incident, and even used some kind of "Lazy Justice" as his belief, which is simply a desecration of justice.

But now, this guy he disliked the most had fallen right before his eyes.

"Kuzan..."