Swain vs. Kuzan!

"If you hurt my crewmate like this, it'll make me lose all face."

Swain appeared in front of Norton.

Hovering one hand in the air, he instantly conjured a mirror surface made of seawater.

Gathering his strength, Swain punched the seawater mirror.

Afterward, a powerful shockwave radiated outward, seeming capable of tearing Kong itself apart.

It smashed the dense barrage of ice arrows to pieces in one go, turning them into a pile of shattered ice chips.

Yet the shockwave did not seem to stop, and as it passed over the sea surface, it tore the frozen ocean apart as well!

"Another extraordinary fellow has turned up!" said Kuzan.

"Though you look rather unfamiliar to me."

"Is that so? I'm certainly not unfamiliar with you, Admiral Aokiji!"

"So you know me."

"Am I that famous now? That's quite a cool thing to be!" Kuzan said with a smile.

Norton, who was recovering behind Swain, was also shocked to hear that the other man was a marine admiral!

"An admiral, of all people?" He couldn't help but look at Kuzan.

At that moment, Kuzan also turned his head to glance at Norton.

"The person behind you is not an easy one to deal with." Kuzan now slipped his other hand into his pocket as well.

Yet deep, bitter coldness still billowed from his body, making it clear that he had not yet chosen to stop.

"Hand him over to me! You can't protect him, and he'll only get you killed."

Hearing this, Norton and Swain both fell silent.

The scene grew tense in an instant.

Kuzan couldn't see Swain's expression right then, as the brim of his hat covered his eyes.

Still, he figured Swain would hand Norton over, seeing as an admiral was present.

Suddenly, Swain burst out laughing.

"Asshole, what kind of nonsense are you babbling?"

"How could I possibly hand Norton over to you!"

Swain flatly refused.

Kuzan pulled both hands from his pockets, and the ground began to freeze outward.

This battle could not be avoided!

Though Swain had no certainty in his heart, right now he was truly excited.

He wanted to see what level his own strength belonged to on this vast sea!

He stood suspended in Kong, stamping his foot lightly against the void.

He kicked up a splash of spray that shattered instantly, and immediately following that, the frozen sea ahead cracked apart rapidly, surging up into waves dozens of meters high from beneath the ice!

The massive waves rushed toward Kuzan's somewhat slender figure.

Just as they were about to submerge him,

he parted his lips slightly, a wisp of chill venting from his mouth as he spoke: "Ice Age!"

Sizzle-sizzle-sizzle!

The sound of seawater being frozen echoed from all directions.

The surrounding temperature dropped by dozens of degrees, and even at high noon, Swain could feel the bitter cold.

Moreover, he discovered that he had lost control over the frozen seawater!

The freezing was even more violent than before.

As expected, he counters me quite a bit! Swain thought silently to himself.

However... he didn't rely solely on his Devil Fruit ability.

He instantly used Teleportation to appear in front of Aokiji, coating his fists in Ryuo.

Then he punched Aokiji in the abdomen, shattering him to pieces.

"He anticipated it!"

Aokiji had naturally transformed beforehand, anticipating his move.

Then he gradually reformed into a human shape in the distance.

Swain gazed at Aokiji with a heavy expression.

He truly lived up to the title of admiral!

The Marines were able to place bounties on the Four Emperors and powerful pirates across this sea precisely because these three admirals deserved the utmost credit!

A single strike failed? Then he would try again!

Swain catapulted forward, his fist carrying an irresistible might.

Kuzan's fist was also coated in Armament Haki, and both men struck out at the same time.

The collision was like two meat grinders, and the resulting impact caused cracks to appear in the surrounding ground.

Swain let out a roar, channeled Conqueror's Haki into his hand, and delivered a punch that drove Aokiji back!

Meanwhile, Swain stumbled back several steps himself before coming to a halt.

Evenly matched!

And this was an admiral! Someone truly ranked among the powerhouses of this vast sea!

Aokiji put away his lazy demeanor and said, "Such powerful Haki, truly impressive!"

"To have reached this stage at such a young age. But the last powerhouse like this is still locked away in prison!"

Naturally, he was referring to Bullet, a former crewmate of the Pirate King Roger.

This time, it was Aokiji's turn to take the initiative.

After trading blows several more times, even though every one of Swain's attacks was aggressive, Aokiji still managed to dodge them all.

This made him feel a bit helpless.

Actually, by rights, Swain's Observation Haki should have been stronger than Aokiji's, but Aokiji had been tempered through a hundred battles!

Every step of his growth had progressed amidst thrilling danger, whereas Swain had simply grown through Woli's guidance.

This was somewhat similar to why Luffy was tortured by Katakuri two years later; the things Rayleigh taught him were always just theory on paper, and true strength still had to rely on actual combat!

"Ahahaha, this is a bit embarrassing!" Kuzan grew somewhat dissatisfied.

After all, being fought to a draw by an unknown kid like this—how was he supposed to show his face in the Marines anymore?

"Ice Block: Partisan!"

A massive ice bird rushed toward Swain.

"Sea: Great Tentacle Spike!"

Several massive tentacles emerged behind Swain, charging forward simultaneously to clash with the ice bird.

Exchanging blows once more, they remained evenly matched.

Watching the battlefield over here, Norton was also absorbing combat experience.

Although Aokiji's fruit ability somewhat countered Swain, Swain's Haki was likewise far more formidable than Aokiji's!

Neither side could do a thing to the other.

In the blink of an eye, dozens more rounds passed, and Swain's weakness gradually exposed itself.

His combat experience was too lacking!

Between experts, details decided victory or defeat, and the winner was whoever could avoid revealing openings. But clearly, Swain did not yet possess the qualifications for that.

Kuzan seized a Kong opening in Swain's defense, sending frost cascading from his legs down to the ground.

"Ice Age!"

The tide of battle shifted in the blink of an eye.

Swain felt unprecedented danger and hastily flipped his body backward.

Yet the moment he landed, Kuzan arrived right beside him, his body already pressing close to Swain!

"Stand right there quietly!" said Kuzan.

Sizzle-sizzle-sizzle! Swain was instantly frozen into an ice sculpture.

He didn't even have time to use his Conqueror's Haki to resist.

"You're too young! Strong as you are, this is the end of the line for you!" Kuzan judged mercilessly.

He could not tolerate Swain continuing to grow; the boy would inevitably become a great pirate in the future and a hidden hazard for the Marines!

He was going to nip this bud in the cradle.

"Captain!" Norton shouted in a panic.

Seeing that Swain was about to be killed by Kuzan, in his desperation, the wings on his back flapped with extreme speed, blurring beyond the capture of the naked eye.

Within a single breath, a sharp cry rang out—it was actually the sound of the air being torn apart by his sheer speed.

Norton's speed was so blindingly fast that he seemed to vanish entirely, and even Kuzan's Observation Haki failed to perceive him.

"How could I let you touch my captain!" Norton raged.

Blazing flames grew on his feet as he kicked Kuzan away, separating him from Swain.

"Great!"

Frozen as an ice sculpture, Swain saw that Norton had bought him time.

The very next moment, he shattered out of the ice!

He wasn't dead! That truly had been a close shave, and although he desperately wanted to ask the reason for Norton's incredible speed, clearly he still had to deal with the formidable enemy right in front of him!

"Thanks a lot!" Swain said to Norton.

Norton nodded in response, then sat down to the side to rest. He had just expended all his strength to push his speed to the limit.

Fortunately, it worked, and he managed to rescue Swain.

"Ahahaha, what a headache! You guys are far too troublesome!" Kuzan couldn't help sighing in resignation.

"Get to a safe place!"

Swain told Norton to stay farther away so he wouldn't get hurt later on.

A fierce anger burned in his gaze; although Aokiji was the admiral he admired most, the man had just tried to take his life, turning that admiration into fury!

He was going to use his ultimate trump card! This move was something he had comprehended during the three years before setting out to sea, and it was also the pinnacle of his Devil Fruit development.

He steadied his breathing, and the next moment, he said in a deep voice:

"Blessing of the Sea God!"

Three wave rings appeared around his wrists and legs, beginning to swirl and revolve the moment they manifested, etched with several flowing Ripple patterns across their surfaces.

His Haki was also coated onto them, giving off a sense of endless, regenerating vitality.