Training and the Injured Momonga

"Don't lift your feet too high. Counterattack now!"

"You should've crouched to dodge at that moment. Run? Do you think you're faster than me?"

"Too many unnecessary movements! When you use a move, it has to be fast and concise!"

In the plaza, two figures fought fiercely. Dull impacts and shattering sounds rang out from time to time. Ice fragments scattered across the plaza like bullets, while thick layers of frost covered the stone tiles and walls, making the place resemble a snowy wasteland.

Following the instruction, Loa crouched down. His hands, slightly spread to maintain balance, swiftly came together as cold air began to gather.

"Ice Make!"

Bang!

Kuzan kicked out, knocking Loa's hands aside and preventing him from using his ability. Then he twisted his waist, pivoted on one foot, spun around, and drove a side kick into Loa's forehead, sending him flying.

"When your move gets interrupted, react immediately! Were you standing there waiting to die?"

Kuzan shouted toward the dust-shrouded wall.

At that moment, a massive surge of energy shot into the sky. Through the smoke, a pair of ice crystal wings could faintly be seen.

"Ice Dragon's Wing Attack!"

Before the ice wings even arrived, the biting chill had already swept forward. Even the dust along its path froze in place. It carried immense force, yet was as silent as a dark domain.

Facing the attack, Kuzan nodded in rare approval. "Against an enemy faster than yourself, if you can't land a precise hit, a wide-area attack is indeed a good choice. But!"

He spread open his right hand, aimed his palm at the ice wings, and gripped his right wrist with his left hand.

"If it lacks enough power, then it has no meaning at all!"

"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!!"

Chirp!

A giant bird made entirely of ice detached from his right hand, its spread wings stretching dozens of meters wide. With a piercing cry, the ice bird shot straight toward the ice wings.

Boom!

The collision was followed by a tremendous explosion that half of Marineford could hear. Frigid air spread everywhere, and Marineford's temperature suddenly plummeted. Marines near the plaza could see white mist when they exhaled.

Sengoku, who was sorting documents in his office, trembled, and a sheet of paper slid off the desk.

Baa~

The goat beside the desk thought its master was giving it something to eat again, so it opened its mouth and bit down on it.

Sengoku's expression changed dramatically as he reached out to snatch it back. "Hey, give that back! That isn't a document meant for destruction!!"

With a smoking pipe in her mouth, Ms. S looked toward the plaza through the window and complained, "Those two really can't keep things quiet."

Back in the plaza, the howling cold wind gradually dispersed. The ground had only been covered in ice before, but now even the ice was gone. During the clash of those attacks, the frozen stone slabs had finally failed to withstand the pressure and shattered under the blast of air.

Kuzan flickered away to create some distance. Just as he was about to use Observation Haki to take a look, a blue figure lunged at him like lightning. Blue markings appeared across Loa's shoulders and face, identical to those that had emerged during his upgrade.

The diamond-shaped mark on his wrist pulsed with a rhythmic glow, boosting Loa's speed even further.

"Hm? Is that the unfinished move the kid mentioned? His speed has actually become this fast. But if it can't reach the level of Soru, it's meaningless."

Kuzan was slightly surprised, but he quickly regained his composure. He opened his large hand and casually caught the frost-covered kick.

Loa froze. That makes no sense! My speed is three times faster than before! Can't you at least give me some credit?!

Before Loa could react, Kuzan's left hand transformed into ice. Its front end widened like a horn and clamped down hard around Loa's waist before rapidly spreading to envelop him.

This is bad!

One second before the ice blocked his vision, Loa's pupils contracted and he swallowed hard. The next moment, Kuzan's cool voice reached his ears.

"What was that move you developed called again? Oh, I remember. Icefall Burial, right?"

Creak!

"Put what you learn into practice. You said that yourself, but clearly, you haven't grasped its deeper meaning."

Kuzan picked up his coat and draped it over his shoulder, speaking to Loa, who was lying on the ground and sucking in cold breaths.

"And this move works even better when used by an ice man like me. You merely control it. When it comes to details, you can't compare to me."

Loa only wanted to slap himself hard across the face. Why the hell had he tried to show off?

As a Naruto fan, how could he not know Gaara's Sand Waterfall Funeral? So he had imitated it and created Icefall Burial. A few days ago, when he had used it for the first time, he had successfully caught Kuzan with the help of the terrain and left him looking thoroughly disheveled.

And now karma had come for him~

Lying on the ground, Loa felt his ribs. Great, three more broken ribs. And that was with Kuzan holding back.

"There's someone on duty in the infirmary. We'll continue tomorrow."

After checking the time, Kuzan slipped one hand into his pocket and left the plaza.

After Kuzan left, Loa rested for quite a while before he managed to get up and limp toward the infirmary, grimacing with every step.

Why am I so stupid? Loa stared dead-eyed as he pondered the question. He had known his opponent was Kuzan, yet he had never considered that Kuzan might learn his move from him. He had suffered a huge loss because of it.

There was someone familiar in the infirmary. An old acquaintance.

"Vice Admiral Momonga! You're hurt?"

Loa stared in surprise at the man sitting on the hospital bed. Momonga sat bare-chested, with the white bandages around his waist and abdomen soaked in blood. He looked listless. Hearing Loa's voice, he turned around and forced a smile.

"Oh, Loa. What are you doing in the infirmary?"

Before Loa could answer, the old doctor spoke for him. "You're Loa, right, kid? He comes here every few days. Considering he's trading moves with Admiral Aokiji, it would be strange if he didn't get hurt."

"Yes, exactly." Loa spread his hands at Momonga, then found a chair and sat down. Lifting his shirt, he turned toward the old man. "By the way, Doctor Oliver, I think I broke three ribs this time. Could you take a look?"

The old man called Oliver glanced at Loa and paused at his chest before turning back to continue treating Momonga. "You look this lively, so it can't be anything serious. Besides, your body heals quickly. Later, take some special medicine, both orally and externally. You'll be fine in two or three days."

Can you be more serious?! I'm a Dragon Slayer, not Deadpool!

Loa grumbled inwardly, but he still waited obediently. While waiting, he looked at Momonga. "By the way, Vice Admiral Momonga, how did this happen to you?"

Loa knew that Momonga had gone out on a mission a few days ago, but he had not expected him to be injured so severely. This was one of Marine Headquarters' elite vice admirals, a formidable expert even across the vast seas. Who could have beaten him into this state? Judging from the wound, it looked as though he had been struck by a heavy weapon.

Who out at sea uses a hammer as a weapon? Loa wondered.

Faced with Loa's question, Momonga sighed. "Normally, I shouldn't tell you about this. But since you're a disciple of Instructor Zephyr and Admiral Aokiji, there's no harm in telling you."

After a pause, Momonga held his breath as he waited for Doctor Oliver to cut away the bandages stuck to his torn, bloodied flesh. Only then did he continue, "A few days ago, Fleet Admiral Sengoku sent me to investigate Doflamingo. The mission went smoothly, and we found some leverage against Flamingo. But on the way back, assassins from the Underworld ambushed us. We suffered heavy losses. Dozens of Marines died. In the end, I stayed behind to cover the retreat, allowing the warship to escape."

"The Underworld! Doflamingo!"

Loa silently repeated the two names.

Right, he had nearly forgotten. The world of One Piece did not consist solely of the Marines and pirates. There were also forces such as the World Government and the Revolutionary Army. Among them, the Underworld was also a colossal force. Even Big Mom, one of the Yonko, had many dealings with it.

"Then how did you escape?" Loa asked.

At those words, Momonga's expression became extremely complicated. Anger and sorrow alternated across his face as though he were changing masks. After a long while, he finally said, "If I told you Doflamingo saved me, would you believe it?"

Loa said, "I believe it! Because it was Doflamingo."

For no other reason than that he was the infamous "Young Master" Doflamingo. That unruly, ruthless man was fully capable of playing such a cat-and-mouse game.

Momonga stared steadily at Loa, then suddenly broke into a smile. "Yes, because it was Doflamingo."

The things the Donquixote Family had done could be hidden from most people in the world, but never from the World Government and the Marines. The World Government needed balance, or perhaps had deeper reasons and had made some kind of deal with them, so it had always turned a blind eye to Doflamingo's actions.

But the Marines were different. They had always wanted to seize evidence against him and abolish the Shichibukai system. That was why Momonga had gone through this ordeal.

This time, Doflamingo clearly wanted to teach the Marines a lesson. He still needed the Shichibukai title to conduct his activities, so he would not completely fall out with the Marines. That was why he had spared Momonga.

It was that brazen and that insane. There was only one reason: he was a Shichibukai, a legal pirate. No matter the reason, if the Marines moved against him first, they would be violating the agreement. He had the moral high ground.

P.S.: I saw the comment from reader ~Yi Xiangkai~. Honestly, that was my oversight. Previously, I only considered the boost brought by Dragon Slayer Magic. In order to keep Maker Magic from becoming too powerful and disrupting the balance, I set it so that it could not match Dragon Slayer Magic. However, in my later setting, the protagonist will be able to strengthen Maker Magic, so it will not affect the reading experience. I'll pay more attention to these details next time.