Three days later
Aboard the Explorer, in the Training Room.
In the arena, there were still figures wielding flaming swords. There were still people practicing Two Sword Style techniques. The person wielding the flames was still Nojiko, but the one employing the Two Sword Style had been replaced by Golden Lion Shiki's sword shadow.
"Breath of the Sun: Thirteenth Form!"
With a fierce cry, her face covered with flames just like Ikki's, Nojiko, with Madara tattoos visible on her skin, swung her long sword to attack Golden Lion's sword shadow in the arena.
Suddenly, the entire arena was engulfed in intense flames.
Outside the dueling field, Ikki, Nami, Vivi, and Nico Robin watched closely as Nojiko challenged Shiki's swordsman shadow.
"The battle's been going on for two hours now," Vivi said nervously, clutching Ikki's hand. "Do you think Nojiko can win?"
"Don't worry, she's gotten really strong," Ikki reassured her with a squeeze of her palm. "Intermediate Armament Haki, those innate Demon Mark, and the Transparent World technique. With all that, plus the three days of training in here, she's got what it takes to beat the Golden Lion's Sword Shadow, even if her Zanpakutō isn't a combat type." He smiled confidently. "And don't forget, I've been showing her Golden Lion's moves these past few days. Though I didn't expect she'd awaken the Transparent World on her own at her limit. The Breath of the Sun is really something special."
After three days of training, Nojiko's life force had successfully exceeded S level. Ikki had also given her the "Intermediate Armament Haki Awakening Potion" that she obtained after breaking through to S level.
As if to prove Ikki's words, in the arena, Nojiko's flame-wrapped sword suddenly passed through the Golden Lion sword shadow's neck.
The severely injured Golden Lion immediately froze in place.
A few seconds later, the shadow's figure turned into pure energy and merged into Nojiko's body.
[Ding! Congratulations to Host's partner Nojiko for defeating 'Mountain-Cutting Swordmaster Shiki' and entering the 'Mountain-Cutting Realm' in swordsmanship.]
[Nojiko's personal attributes have been refreshed, please check it yourself.]
[Name: Nojiko]
[Age: 20 years old]
[Weapon: Minazuki Shikai]
[Life force: 30038, S level]
[Swordsmanship Realm: Mountain-Cutting Realm]
[Swordsmanship schools: Breath of Water, Breath of Sun, Tashigi One-Sword Style]
[Abilities: Intermediate Armament Haki, Intermediate Observation Haki, Innate Demon Mark, Transparent World]
'Her swordsmanship realm and life force have finally reached the standard,' Ikki thought with satisfaction as he watched Nojiko walk out of the arena. Then he glanced at Vivi and Nico Robin beside him.
After these past days of training, combined with the effects of the medicinal supplements, their strength had increased significantly as well.
'Vivi's at 25,000 points of life force. With an A-level supplement, she could break through to S level. Once she reaches the Mountain-Cutting Realm, Sode no Shirayuki will be able to perform all kinds of techniques.'
While Ikki was thinking, Nojiko had walked over with Nami supporting her.
"Congrats, Nojiko! You really pushed yourself," Ikki said with a grin, patting her shoulder. "Get some rest. Once you've recovered, we can leave this Sky Island."
Hearing this, Nojiko smiled and nodded. "Sure thing, Ikki."
Two hours later, Blue Sea
On Long Ring Long Island, the nearest island to Jaya Island in Paradise, the first half of the Grand Line.
A tall soldier wearing a Marine uniform walked toward a small sailboat on the coast.
On the sailboat, there were more than ten sailors also wearing Marine uniforms.
"Any news? Have you heard anything about Ikki?" an older sailor on the sailboat asked, standing up as his companion approached.
"Nothing about Ikki here either," the Marine soldier replied, shaking his head in frustration. "There are only some ordinary locals stranded on this island. Where the hell did Ikki go? Vice Admiral Gion's condition isn't looking good."
"Shh! Don't let Vice Admiral Tsuru hear that. She's not in a good mood right now."
"Sorry, you're right."
The tall sailor apologized and stepped onto the sailboat.
But suddenly, his eyes widened as he stared at the horizon in disbelief.
"What... is that? Why is there an octopus flying in the sky?" he gasped. "Wait, that's... Ikki's Explorer flag!"
The tall soldier who had already pulled out his telescope exclaimed in surprise.
"Ikki's Explorer?" The older soldier immediately turned around, grabbing the telescope. Through it, he saw a large octopus in the sky being pulled toward the island where they had landed.
A smile immediately spread across the older soldier's face. "Haha, great! Ikki actually showed up! We need to tell Admiral Aokiji and Vice Admiral Tsuru right away."
The older soldier quickly pulled out his Den Den Mushi, planning to call Admiral Aokiji.
Neither he nor the other soldiers on the sailing ship noticed the pirate ship approaching from the other direction.
Back with Ikki's crew
"That's one interesting way to get back down," Nojiko remarked with amazement as the Explorer returned to the sea. She watched as the balloon octopus, now much smaller, fell into the ocean, its tentacles waving as if saying goodbye.
"Pretty cool creature, right?" Ikki said, walking up to Nojiko with a smile. "Saved us from having to use your shikai to land."
Although he'd seen Sky Island's landing octopuses in the anime, experiencing them in person was completely different.
"By the way, I just spotted a pirate ship over there," Ikki said, turning to look at the island not far away.
"It's flying the flag of the Foxy Pirates," Nico Robin announced as she jumped down from the observation deck, putting away her telescope.
"Foxy Pirates?" Nojiko recalled the bounty posters she'd seen in the captain's cabin. "Their captain has a bounty of 24 million berries, right?" she asked Ikki with slight uncertainty.
"Yep, and he's also a Devil Fruit user," Ikki confirmed with a grin, slipping his arm around Nojiko's waist. "Let's go, Nojiko. Time to liberate your Zanpakutō."
He turned to the others. "Robin, everyone, sail the ship to that island. You're free to explore until the Log Pose records the island's magnetic field."
With that, Ikki jumped off the deck with Nojiko, using Moonwalk to rush toward the location of the Foxy Pirates that he had sensed.
"Boss, what are we going to do with these Marines?"
On Long Ring Long Island, a man who looked like a hamburger walked up to Foxy and asked.
Behind him, several Marine soldiers lay scattered on the ground.
"Marines are useless, and they can't play our Davy Back Fight games, so just toss them aside," Foxy replied with his signature laugh, turning to his crew.
But the next moment, he stared at the sea with wide eyes.
"Hey! What is that?" he exclaimed. "How can people fly in the sky?"
After hearing Foxy's words, the crew members of the Foxy Pirates turned their heads to look.
"Whoa, there really are two people flying in the sky!"
"I wouldn't call it flying... more like walking on air, right?"
"Wait a minute, Captain, they seem to be heading right for us!"
Foxy's mouth split into his characteristic laugh as he walked to the front of his pirate crew.
"Don't panic, they're just people who can walk on air," he said confidently. "Don't forget my abilities. Those two look special - I'll use my powers to make them join our crew, fehfehfeh!"
Though he didn't know who Ikki was yet, just seeing his ability to walk on air was enough for Foxy to want to recruit him.
His words reached the ears of Ikki, who had just arrived at the coast.
Ikki smiled and kicked the air behind him with his legs. The sudden burst of speed made Ikki's figure disappear from the sight of the Foxy Pirates.
When he reappeared, Ikki was already standing right in front of Foxy.
"Huh?!"
Foxy's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but take a few steps back.
"You... when did you get here? Are you a ghost?" Even the usually fearless Foxy felt a little scared when confronted with something he couldn't understand.
When the surrounding Foxy Pirates heard the word 'ghost,' they instantly came to their senses and ducked directly behind their captain.
"Ghost? No, no, I'm a living human being," Ikki said with a wave of his hand.
"What? If you're human, you should have said so earlier!" Foxy exclaimed, recovering his composure. "Hey, what's your name, and why can you fly through the air? By the way, are you a pirate?"
Foxy, who was keen on stealing crew members from other pirates through Davy Back Fights, was already planning how to make Ikki lose to him in one of his games.
"Pirate? I'm not that kind of being. If you insist on a label, I'm your mortal enemy," Ikki said softly, gently restraining Nojiko's hand as she reached for her knife.
After shaking his head slightly at Nojiko and whispering something in her ear, he continued addressing Foxy:
"Foxy, user of the Slow-Slow Fruit ability. I'm somewhat interested in your powers. Would you mind using your ability against me?"
Hearing this, Foxy was stunned.
"You know me? And my abilities? Then why would you want me to attack you?"
"I just want to test whether your ability works on me," Ikki replied with a smirk.
It was knowing the abilities of the Slow-Slow Fruit that made Ikki want to test it. In the world of One Piece, there were fruits like the Slow-Slow Fruit, Love-Love Fruit, and even the Hobby-Hobby Fruit that had quite broken powers.
These Devil Fruits made Ikki think they operated on a conceptual level of cause and effect.
Similarly, Law's Op-Op Fruit's teleport swap could also be considered in this category. Even Doflamingo could be easily swapped by Law's Op-Op Fruit.
However, when facing Emperors like Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, Law was unable to switch their positions because of their overwhelmingly powerful Haki.
It seemed that with strong enough Haki, one could resist the effects of the Op-Op Fruit. Given this, Ikki wanted to see if Haki could work against abilities like the Slow-Slow Fruit.
"Are you a fool for actually asking me to attack you?" Foxy looked at Ikki in disbelief.
"Boss, run!! He's that bounty hunter who fought Golden Lion - the one from the newspaper!" one of the pirates behind Foxy called out, his voice trembling with fear.
Bounty hunters were mortal enemies to pirates like them.
"What? Ikki?!" Foxy and the other pirates' eyes widened in shock.
Although they hadn't known about Golden Lion before, they'd read about Ikki and Golden Lion's battle in the news. They'd even learned that Golden Lion was a pirate with a bounty of 4.8 billion berries.
And now, the bounty hunter who defeated Golden Lion was standing right in front of them.
How could Foxy and his crew not panic? Everyone swallowed nervously and began to retreat.
Just as they were about to flee, Ikki's eyes narrowed, and powerful Conqueror's Haki surged from his body, instantly knocking out all the pirates except Foxy.
"What... what happened? Why did everyone faint?" Foxy stared in horror at his crewmates who had dropped like wheat.
"Enough stalling, Foxy," Ikki said as he walked toward him. "I'm giving you a chance. If you don't act, I'll come for you."
Foxy backed away, but Ikki kept approaching.
"Damn it, you're forcing my hand!" Foxy gritted his teeth, made strange gestures with his hands, and shouted, "Slow-Slow Beam!"
He fired a pink beam of light at Ikki.
Ikki's eyes focused, and as the beam approached, a large amount of Armament Haki immediately condensed around his body where the beam was about to hit.
The Slow-Slow Beam penetrated Ikki's clothes, and when it touched the skin covered by Armament Haki, its invasion of Ikki's body slowed down. Despite this, the beam continued to move toward Ikki's body and had even penetrated his Armament Haki-hardened skin.
A trace of strange power began to spread through Ikki's body.
Seeing this, Ikki frowned and immediately maximized his Armament Haki, even activating his Conqueror's Haki.
The high-level Conqueror's Haki suddenly spread. Foxy, slightly affected by it, widened his eyes and fell to his knees.
"Tch!" Ikki grunted, and drove his fist, infused with both Armament and Conqueror's Haki, into the beam.
The fist, surrounded by a black and red aura, twisted the Slow-Slow Beam and finally destroyed it.
"Ikki, are you okay?" Nojiko asked worriedly, looking at him as he caught his breath.
"I'm fine," Ikki nodded, dispersing his Haki. "That Slow-Slow Beam is really troublesome. If it's not necessary, it's better not to try countering this kind of power head-on. Although strong enough Haki can offset it, the drain on your Haki is too great."
As he spoke, Ikki took a long look at Foxy, who was kneeling before him.
Although Ikki's Armament Haki had only reached the intermediate level and his life force was only at S level, Foxy was just a pirate with a 24 million berry bounty. Yet the beam fired by such a pirate had given Ikki pause.
No wonder Vice Admiral Momonga had stabbed his own palm to prevent being turned to stone by Boa Hancock's Love-Love Fruit. For someone of Hancock's level, even if Haki could defend against her ability, the user's personal strength would need to be significantly higher than Hancock's.
"Stand up, Foxy. Let's try again," Ikki said, drawing Zangetsu from the scabbard at his waist and releasing its Shikai form.
This time, he planned to test Zanpakutō's abilities.
"Again?" Foxy looked at Ikki fearfully.
When he saw Ikki's cold expression, Foxy had no choice but to stand up and fire another Slow-Slow Beam.
"Getsuga Tenshō!" Ikki shouted, swinging Zangetsu. His physical strength was automatically converted into spiritual power by Zangetsu, forming a crescent-shaped energy wave that rushed toward the beam.
When the Slow-Slow Beam hit the crescent wave of the Getsuga Tenshō, it instantly collapsed and dissipated in the air. Foxy himself was swept into the sky by the strong wind generated by the crescent wave rushing past his body.
'The power of a Zanpakutō seems very effective against this type of Devil Fruit ability,' Ikki thought with a surprised smile as he felt the weight of Zangetsu's Shikai form in his hand.
"Ikki, do we need to keep this guy alive?" Nojiko asked, holding her Zanpakutō Minazuki in hand as she stood over Foxy, who had fainted after falling to the ground.
"Let's get rid of him," Ikki replied with a slight smile. "We can't let outsiders know that our blades can absorb Devil Fruit Powers."
Ikki turned and began walking toward the interior of Long Ring Long Island.
"Nojiko, welcome the others when they arrive," he called over his shoulder. "Have Vivi take photos of these pirates with bounties on their heads. I'm going to explore the island for a while."
Nojiko turned her head and looked down at Foxy.
"Die without pain," she murmured, raising her blade and stabbing directly into Foxy's heart with Minazuki.
Minazuki sensed Foxy's death and immediately began absorbing the Slow-Slow Fruit. After a few seconds, Nojiko clearly felt a hint of enlightenment in her heart. It was as if the warmth of Minazuki in her hand had established an extra connection with her.
"Can I perform Bankai now?" Nojiko wondered, glancing at the sword in her hand. She thought about the terrifying appearance of Unohana Retsu, whom she had seen using Minazuki to perform all kinds of attacks, and she shuddered involuntarily.
"Better try it in the Training Room later," she decided, shaking her head as she resheathed her blade. She turned to see Nami, Vivi, and the others docking the Explorer on the coast.
"Nojiko, have you freed your Zanpakutō?" Nami called as she trotted up to her. "Also, what's Ikki up to?"
"Minazuki can use its release now, but its ability might not be convenient to demonstrate here," Nojiko replied. "As for Ikki, he's just exploring."
As she spoke, Nojiko glanced at Nico Robin, who had put on a cloak and was eyeing the Marines lying unconscious nearby.
"Robin, there are Marines here. Why don't I go shopping with you?" Nojiko suggested.
Hearing this, Nico Robin smiled at her. "Sure!"
Robin nodded and walked with Nojiko in the opposite direction from where Ikki had gone.
She knew that Nojiko wanted her to avoid running into Marines as much as possible, so she happily accepted the suggestion.
Vivi and Nami also understood this concern, so they stayed behind to clean up the battlefield and take photos of the pirates with bounties on their heads.
After finishing all this, the two leisurely fished from the boat.
Meanwhile, at the other end of Long Ring Long Island, in the direction where Nojiko and Nico Robin were heading, a tall man with an icy aura surrounding his body was quickly approaching the island on a path of ice he'd created over the sea.
If Ikki had been there, he would have immediately recognized this person as one of the Marine Admirals, Aokiji Kuzan.
"This is Kuzan," Aokiji said into a Den Den Mushi as he walked toward the interior of the island.
"Kuzan, have you arrived at Long Ring Long Island?" Vice Admiral Tsuru's slightly anxious voice came through.
"That's right, I just got here. I was planning to find out why the Marine scout's communication was cut off," Aokiji replied. "As for this Ikki they mentioned, I'll find out as soon as possible if he's here. Please rest assured, Vice Admiral Tsuru."
"I'm counting on you, Kuzan," Tsuru said. "Our warships will arrive at Long Ring Long Island soon. We hope to receive good news from you by then."
As soon as she finished speaking, the Den Den Mushi went silent.
"What a pain," Aokiji sighed, putting away the Den Den Mushi. He then spread his Observation Haki around him.
After a moment, he sensed a figure with a powerful aura. Beside this powerful presence was another figure with a slightly weaker aura.
"Could it really be him?" Aokiji looked in the direction of the two auras, stepped forward, and rushed ahead at incredible speed.
Not long after, he saw a blue-haired girl wearing an orange T-shirt, and beside her, a woman in a cloak that covered her entire face.
"That's... Nico Robin?" Aokiji frowned.
Although Robin had covered her face, Aokiji, who had been observing her for years, still recognized her at a glance.
By now, Nojiko had also sensed Aokiji's presence. She turned to look directly at him, her thumb pressing against the handle of her Zanpakutō.
"What's wrong, Nojiko?" Nico Robin asked, glancing at her companion with concern. She followed Nojiko's gaze and froze. 'Marine Admiral Aokiji?!'
Robin's eyes widened slightly, and her right hand instinctively reached for the Zanpakutō Senbonzakura at her waist.
"Well, well, I didn't expect to see you here, Nico Robin," Aokiji said casually. "Care to tell me where you've been all this time?"
Aokiji stopped about three meters away from them, turning to glance at Nojiko standing beside Robin. A flash of recognition crossed his eyes.
"Are you sailing with this woman now?" he asked.
Seeing Aokiji call Robin by name, Nojiko frowned. "You know him?" she asked quietly.
Robin gritted her teeth. Though Nojiko hadn't called her by name, she knew the question was directed at her.
"This man is Aokiji, one of the three Marine Admirals," she replied tensely.
Hearing this, Nojiko's frown deepened. Meeting a Marine Admiral was bad enough, but if he knew about their connection to Nico Robin, that was worse.
"Aokiji, what are you doing here?" Robin asked, taking a deep breath. She stood straight, as if having made some decision, and moved closer to Nojiko.
"That's what I wanted to ask you, Nico Robin," Aokiji replied. "Why are you here? And that person beside you is Ikki's companion, isn't she? Are you actually with Ikki now? Is that man your partner?"
Although Ikki and his group weren't officially pirates, Ikki had defeated Sir Crocodile. Portraits of Ikki and his companions had already appeared on the meeting tables of Marine executives. As a Marine Admiral, Aokiji could naturally recognize Nojiko.
Now Aokiji began to understand why Nico Robin had been able to escape the Marines' search in Alabasta and leave safely. With Ikki's team as cover, the Marines wouldn't have conducted a rigorous search of the Explorer.
"No, you misunderstand. I have no connection to Ikki," Robin insisted. "If you're here to take my life, you can do it now, Aokiji."
Robin pursed her lips and took a step toward Aokiji.
But as soon as she took two steps, Nojiko's hand came to rest on her shoulder.
"Stop it. There's no point," Nojiko said firmly.
"Nojiko, you... let go, this situation..."
"Stop talking, Robin. I won't let you leave without Ikki's permission."
Nojiko's grip on Minazuki tightened, her eyes filled with determination.
"This is... really troublesome," Aokiji sighed, rubbing his forehead.
Ikki had always been active in these waters as a bounty hunter. The Marines generally had a good impression of people like him. Aokiji knew that his old friend Smoker thought highly of Ikki. It was partly because of Ikki's positive relationship with the Marines that they had considered asking him to help treat Vice Admiral Gion.
But if Nico Robin was part of Ikki's crew, everything changed.
After thinking for a moment, Aokiji shook his head and addressed Robin:
"Nico Robin, you're a wanted criminal with a bounty from the World Government. Though I don't know why you're following Ikki, I hope you'll leave his ship."
Before Robin could respond, Nojiko stepped in front of her protectively.
"Sorry, Admiral Aokiji, but you can't make decisions for her," Nojiko stated firmly.
"Blue-haired girl, you must be Nojiko," Aokiji replied. "The woman behind you is known for betrayal and using others. I think it's best you stay away from her."
"Whether we should stay away or not is something for our captain to decide," Nojiko countered with a polite smile. Despite the sword in her hand, she looked like a gentle, kind-hearted young woman. "Please, Admiral, don't make decisions on your own. Why not talk to our captain first?"
"I think we should hear from Robin herself," Aokiji said, ignoring Nojiko's suggestion as he looked past her at Robin.
At this point, even for Gion's sake, he couldn't attack Nojiko recklessly. If Ikki refused to treat Gion because Aokiji had attacked his crew member, Aokiji could imagine Tsuru's reaction. So for now, he needed to hear Robin's thoughts.
"I... I..." Robin gritted her teeth. "I'm sorry, Nojiko. I should leave—"
"Robin," Nojiko interrupted with a smile, "Ikki cares about you a lot. He'd be really disappointed if you left like this. Who'd be his model for drawings then?" She turned back to Aokiji. "Without Ikki's permission, I won't let anyone take her away – not even a Marine Admiral."
Aokiji scratched his curly hair and sighed deeply. "Why make this difficult? I just want to talk to Nico Robin."
"Sorry, but I can only ask you to stay put for now."
Aokiji stepped forward, and a streak of ice rushed toward Nojiko along the ground beneath his feet.
Nojiko raised her eyebrows and, with a swift movement, slashed out a blazing sword energy that collided with the ice. The extreme temperature difference instantly formed a mist that enveloped all three of them.
Taking advantage of the mist, Aokiji quickly moved in front of Nojiko and reached for her shoulder.
At that moment, a gleaming metallic blade came swinging from the side, forcing Aokiji to stop and look toward the attack.
Robin was moving her sword in a complex pattern, delivering nine consecutive slashes from four directions, covering both Aokiji's outstretched hand and the man himself.
The slashes bloomed like flowers, with pink cherry blossom petals scattering from the blade itself.
"Flower Breathing: Fifth Form - Peonies of Futility!" Robin called out instinctively as she attacked Aokiji, keeping her eyes fixed on his to prevent him from continuing his assault on Nojiko, who had just stood up for her.
As someone who had witnessed the tragedy of Ohara, she couldn't bear to see any of her companions attacked by Aokiji again.
'Armament Haki, and that sword technique... she really has become part of Ikki's crew,' Aokiji thought with a frown. Cold air dispersed from his body, directly freezing Robin's slashes and her Zanpakutō.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura," Robin whispered.
Her Zanpakutō instantly dissolved into hundreds of cherry blossom blades that shattered the ice freezing her attack.
Seeing this, Aokiji looked at the flower blades surrounding Robin's body with curiosity. With his keen eyesight, he could clearly see how razor-sharp each petal was.
"Nojiko is right," Robin said, regaining her composure. "Now that we're here, let's wait for Ikki to arrive and talk, Admiral Aokiji."
Robin didn't continue her attack. She knew her strikes wouldn't be effective against someone of Aokiji's caliber. More importantly, she didn't want to worsen the conflict between Ikki's crew and the Marines. She knew Ikki had no intention of breaking ties with the Marines right now, and that he had several close friends among them.
"Robin, you're really making this difficult for me," Aokiji sighed, shaking his head.
Seeing this standoff, Nojiko placed her hand on Robin's shoulder. Robin glanced at her, confused, and the next moment Nojiko pushed her back with a gentle shove, giving her a reassuring smile.
"Instead of leaving decisions to others, let's take control ourselves," Nojiko said. "Robin, please find Ikki. I'll handle things here for now."
Nojiko stood facing Aokiji, sword raised high. She had expected Aokiji might not agree to wait, and she'd decided to use all her strength to stop him if necessary.
'Ikki will definitely notice if I use Bankai,' she thought, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly. Under the guidance of Minazuki in her hand, a blue-white brilliance began to gather around her body.
"I don't want to fight you..." Aokiji frowned, trying to stop Nojiko from escalating the situation.
But before he could finish speaking, a shocking aura erupted from her.
"Bankai: Minazuki!"
WHOOSH!
With an otherworldly sound, the clear sky suddenly darkened, startling Aokiji. The surrounding greenery transformed instantly into what looked like a blood-filled prison.
A large amount of crimson liquid filled an area hundreds of meters around Nojiko.
Aokiji stared intently at her and saw that her sword had become more slender, with blood constantly flowing from the blade.
For a moment, he thought he glimpsed a skeletal figure wrapped around Nojiko's body.
Just as he tried to focus on this apparition, Nojiko had already lunged at him, swinging her blood-wrapped blade.
"Die!" she cried, her mouth twisted into a crazed expression he'd never seen on her before as she slashed at his head.
Aokiji frowned, quickly stepping back while raising his arm, now infused with Armament Haki, to protect his neck.
Simultaneously, he released a wave of cold air from his arm to form an ice shield, blocking the path of Nojiko's incoming blade.
WHOOSH!!
A cold wind swept past, and Aokiji was shocked to find that the ice shield he had constructed was easily sliced through by Nojiko's sword, quickly turning into a pool of flowing blood. It was as if the ice had been infected by the blood on Nojiko's blade.
Not only that, but when the knife touched the Armament Haki covering Aokiji's arm, he felt himself losing control of his Haki.
Aokiji quickly retreated another step and pulled back his arm to avoid further contact with Nojiko's sword.
"Even Armament Haki... turned into blood?" he muttered in disbelief. "What kind of ability is this?"
Aokiji stared in confusion at his arm where the Armament Haki had transformed into blood and was now flowing to the ground. Even the typically cool-headed "Ice Man" was visibly surprised.
Normally, Armament Haki was used to counter Devil Fruit powers. But now, Nojiko's blood—which he suspected might be a Devil Fruit ability—was eroding his own Armament Haki. How could this not surprise him?
"This blood... is it an awakened Devil Fruit ability? Or is it just the power of that sword?"
As Nojiko charged at him again with her blade, Aokiji dodged while recalling how Robin's sword had transformed into thousands of cherry blossom petals. He also thought about Ikki's rumored Zangetsu that could change its form.
"This is really troublesome," Aokiji sighed quietly. "This woman's strength is no longer comparable to that of an ordinary Marine Vice Admiral."
He glanced at Robin, who stood at a distance, nervously holding a Den Den Mushi.
"It would be terrible if Ikki misunderstood the situation."
Aokiji's eyes narrowed, and the cold air around him intensified as he rushed toward Nojiko. He intended to use his ice powers to freeze her first.
However, he soon discovered that when his ice touched the blood flowing on the ground, it was quickly assimilated. By the time the ice reached Nojiko, there wasn't much left.
After smashing through what remained of the ice, Nojiko rushed toward Aokiji again, an eerie smile on her face.
Aokiji frowned and quickly formed a long sword of ice to block Nojiko's slash.
But Nojiko's figure suddenly blurred, and the next moment she appeared behind him.
'She got faster?' Aokiji thought with surprise, quickly using Soru to move aside.
Until he understood Nojiko's abilities better, he didn't want to test her blade against his body.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield:
"So, what's happening here?" Ikki's voice suddenly sounded beside Robin, who had been waiting anxiously.
"Ikki?" Robin's eyes widened in surprise as she put away the unanswered Den Den Mushi. "You came!"
"With all this commotion, I could feel it," Ikki nodded.
In truth, when Minazuki activated, Ikki had felt a special telepathic connection in his heart. Sensing something was wrong, he'd immediately used Observation Haki to locate Nojiko and Robin.
"I'm sorry, Ikki," Robin said, her face filled with concern. "There's trouble. Aokiji suddenly appeared and discovered who I am. Nojiko started fighting him to keep him away from me." Her expression grew somber. "My identity has been exposed. I might not be able to stay with your crew anymore..."
Before she could finish, Ikki gently placed a finger on her lips.
"What are you talking about? You practically begged to join my crew at the beginning. Are you planning to just leave like that now?"
"But... I've broken our agreement! I let the Marines discover my identity!"
"You didn't intentionally reveal yourself to Aokiji, so you haven't broken any agreement," Ikki countered.
"If I stay on the ship, I'll bring trouble to everyone," Robin insisted.
"Let's not even discuss whether that's true or not. I don't want to lose an excellent model because of this incident." Ikki shook his head and continued, "I've been looking forward to your workplace formal wear sketches tonight. Were you planning to leave me hanging?"
"Ikki, really... you're thinking about that at a time like this?" Robin said in disbelief. "Are you planning to go against the entire Marine Corps because of me? That can't be what you want."
"Maybe not what I want, but if that's what it takes, what can I do?" Ikki replied, patting Robin on the shoulder. "Even Nojiko is willing to fight Aokiji for you. Of course I can do the same."
Ikki walked toward Aokiji, drawing Zangetsu from his waist.
"You've been my crewmate for a while now," he said. "If reasoning doesn't work, maybe we'll just have to silence Aokiji here."
THUMP! THUMP!
Robin felt her heart racing and pressed a hand to her chest. She never imagined that Ikki would actually consider fighting a Marine Admiral for her sake.
"What a captain," she murmured, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed Nami's location.
"Hey, Ikki, are you planning to fight me too?" Aokiji asked with a deep frown as Ikki approached Nojiko, Zangetsu in hand.
It wasn't that Aokiji doubted his ability to defeat both Ikki and Nojiko, but if the conflict escalated further, Gion would truly be beyond saving.
"That depends on what you're thinking, Admiral," Ikki replied with a shrug, glancing at Robin. "If you insist on fighting, there's not much I can do about it."
Hearing this and seeing Ikki's expression, Aokiji sighed again. Though Ikki hadn't mentioned Robin directly, his intention to protect her was clear.
"Have that crazy woman next to you stand down," Aokiji said. "I didn't come here to fight. We actually need your help with something, and I hope you'll agree."
At this point, Aokiji decided to set aside the issue of Nico Robin temporarily. Getting Gion back to health was the priority.
"The Marines need my help?" Ikki asked with surprise. "Are you asking me to teach swordsmanship to another Marine?"
Ikki placed a calming hand on Nojiko's shoulder, signaling her to relax, then looked at Aokiji with confusion.
"No, I'm not asking you to teach swordsmanship," Aokiji replied, shaking his head. "It's about Gion. She activated the Demon Mark."
"Her life force has been severely weakened," he continued. "Vice Admiral Tsuru would like to ask if you could help her using your methods. Since the Demon Mark are connected to your swordsmanship techniques, you must know a way to alleviate their side effects."
After saying this, Aokiji looked at Ikki uncertainly. After all, Ikki had seriously warned both Gion and Hina not to attempt unleashing the power of the Demon Mark. He'd told them that to safely open the Demon Mark without endangering their lives, they could only do so under the influence of Ikki's innate Demon Marks.
Aokiji wasn't sure if Ikki could still help Gion, given that she had already activated the Demon Mark on her own.
"What? Gion activated the Demon Mark?" Ikki's brow furrowed in concern. "How is that possible? With her abilities, she shouldn't have accidentally triggered them."
He thought for a moment, then said, "Aokiji, tell me exactly what happened."
After considering his options, Ikki decided to hear what Aokiji had to say.