A Rematch with Aokiji

The appearance of the Pacifista shocked the Whitebeard Pirates and everyone watching the broadcast. They looked almost identical to the Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma, and since hardly anyone had seen them before, it was easy to mistake them for him.

Countless Shichibukai appearing at once was far more terrifying than the sum of their numbers. Nearly every enemy felt a crushing pressure, as though they stood no chance at all.

"Beep! Beep! Beep! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

After a brief silence, the Pacifista that had just entered the battlefield began their relentless assault on Sentomaru's orders. Countless yellow beams flashed, setting off violent explosions outside the Bay and leaving devastation in their wake.

"You don't even care about your own casualties?" Whitebeard's brows drew together. He raised Murakumogiri and roared, "Don't back down, boys! Push into the Square in one charge!"

"All units, get off the ice immediately! Do not let the pirates reach the Square!"

As Whitebeard ordered an all-out assault, Sengoku picked up a Den Den Mushi and set the next stage of his plan in motion. From their respective positions, the two commanders directed the battle toward their own ends.

"Fall back!"

At the order, the Marine Soldiers began retreating. What had been a deadlock on the ice turned into a one-sided advance.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Just as the battle reached a critical point, two of the live feeds on the Sabaody Archipelago abruptly went dark. Of the broadcast that had covered every angle from the start, only the feed trained on Whitebeard remained.

"Once every feed is cut, activate the Encircling Wall. Then execute Ace immediately and wipe out the enemy in one sweep!"

Sengoku's voice came through steadily. His goal was clearly no longer just Ace's execution. Now that Whitebeard had appeared on the battlefield, taking down him and the pirate crew behind him had become another objective of the war.

"Yes, sir!"

As the Marine Soldiers acknowledged the order, the wheels of battle rolled toward an abyss no one could stop.

"Here I come!"

Standing at the edge of the Square, Jiang Lin watched the Marine Soldiers retreat and muttered in disbelief.

They withdrew into the Square in wave after wave, passing on either side of Jiang Lin. Not one of them dared come over to stop him.

They could hardly be blamed. Jiang Lin's current ability was simply too terrifying.

Against anyone else, a Marine Soldier might die upholding justice. Against Jiang Lin, he might not die, but he was almost certain to become a girl.

And so every Marine Soldier avoided Jiang Lin like the plague.

"Phew!"

Just as Jiang Lin planted one foot against the wall, ready to push himself up into the Square, Aokiji—who had spent most of the battle taking it easy—slowly emerged from the other side and fixed his gaze on him.

"Aokiji! Perfect timing. I've still got a long way to go on my Awakening task. Want to help me make up some time?"

Jiang Lin smiled and turned toward him. He knew that if he entered the Square with his current strength, Garp would only send him flying again. He had been waiting for Luffy to get up there and "deal with" Garp before they rescued Ace together.

If Aokiji wanted to pick a fight now, Jiang Lin was more than happy to oblige. Devil Fruit Awakening would give him another trump card. If he Awakened certain powerful Devil Fruits, his strength would increase enormously.

"By the way, Aokiji! Any interest in joining my pirate crew? We're still short on members. I'd be delighted to have you!"

Jiang Lin smiled as he walked toward Aokiji. His name had begun to draw a little attention, but his crew was pitifully small. The Empress was its only member so far, and he desperately needed new blood.

"Heh! You're inviting me to join a pirate crew?"

Aokiji gave a cold laugh and rushed straight at Jiang Lin.

Clang!

Two Ice Spears met amid the biting cold, sending a fierce gust of wind through the air.

"The Ice-Ice Fruit (Glint-Glint Fruit enhancement) has been loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."

Jiang Lin unloaded the Glint-Glint Fruit and loaded the Ice-Ice Fruit instead. An Ice Blade gleaming like diamond met the one in Aokiji's hand and sliced straight through it.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The instant his blade broke, Aokiji raised an Ice Wall before him to block Jiang Lin's attack. A shrill scraping sound rang across the battlefield as blade met wall.

"Your ability does more than copy mine, doesn't it? That blade is far harder and sharper than mine."

Aokiji raised an eyebrow. When he had faced Jiang Lin at Impel Down, he had sensed no fundamental difference between their abilities. Now that they had crossed blades again, he could clearly feel that Jiang Lin's ice was harder and sharper than the ice he created himself.

"You could say that." Jiang Lin shook his head without confirming anything, then cut through the Ice Wall and grinned. "Come on. Let's have a proper fight!"

Jiang Lin's eyes burned with fighting spirit. He knew his raw strength might still fall short of an Admiral's, but that did nothing to dampen his desire to challenge one. Only by fighting strong opponents could he grow stronger.

"Gladly!"

Aokiji smiled and attacked without hesitation. He wanted to fight Jiang Lin too.

Jiang Lin might not be at his strongest right now, but that did nothing to lessen Aokiji's desire to face him.

Their eyes blazing with fighting spirit, Jiang Lin and Aokiji charged at each other.

Boom!

A violent explosion erupted in front of the Square. Shards, dust, and mist of ice billowed outward, engulfing the perimeter and a large section of the Square itself.

"What happened?"

Sengoku frowned at the site of the explosion. His plan had reached a critical point; he could not afford any surprises.

"Heh. That ability must be Jiang Lin's. Go on, kid. Make this the start of a glorious life."

Whitebeard smiled as he looked toward the ice-shrouded area, his eyes full of affection and expectation.

"Hahaha... Aokiji! Let's have a real fight!"

Jiang Lin's shout burst from the swirling ice. He leaped out of the mist, his eyes locked on the dense haze before him.