"Soru!" Lucci vanished in a blur, reappearing behind Loya. His finger, now a deadly claw, aimed for the back of Loya's head. "Shigan!"
But Loya didn't even flinch. "I told you, the gap between us is vast. You want to compete in speed? Fine."
In an instant, Loya too disappeared.
Lucci's eyes widened. 'Such speed!'
A chill ran down his spine, instinct screaming danger. He lunged forward without thinking.
An ice spear pierced the space he'd just occupied, its freezing aura shattering a few strands of Lucci's hair.
"Tch. You dodged?" Loya's voice, eerily calm, came from behind. "Then let's expand the range. Ice Make: Icefield!"
A wave of frigid air exploded outwards, freezing everything in its path.
Lucci smirked, leaping skyward. "Too slow!"
But Loya's answering grin was predatory. "Oh? But are you as fast in the air, Rob Lucci? Icefall Funeral!"
The frozen ground came alive. Ice tendrils shot upwards, bypassing the fallen Elite Battalion members, reaching for Lucci like the hands of the damned.
"What the—!" Lucci's shock was palpable. He'd assumed the ice was just ice, not a secondary trap. Too late, he felt the cold grip around his ankles.
The Elite Battalion members watched in awe. This wasn't just a fight – it was a demonstration of power beyond their wildest dreams. Loya wasn't just matching Lucci; he was toying with him.
As the ice crept up Lucci's legs, a chill that had nothing to do with temperature ran through the CP agent. For the first time in years, Rob Lucci felt something he'd almost forgotten:
Fear.
Lucci was no amateur. Using Geppo in rapid succession, he broke free of the ice and ascended higher.
"Can you still reach me now?" Lucci taunted, masking the numbness in his feet.
Loya's smile turned predatory. "Who said I was after you?"
With a sudden clench of his fist, the spreading ice engulfed the other CP agents, forming a massive sphere.
"What are you doing?!" Lucci's composure cracked.
"Guess," Loya's voice was chillingly playful.
The ice sphere contracted violently. Muffled screams erupted from within.
"My targets were always your comrades," Loya's eyes gleamed with a controlled madness. "Did you think I'd only come after you for beating my friends? You said weakness is a sin, right? I'm just helping you dispose of this 'trash' so they won't hold you back."
The realization hit Lucci like a Sea King to the gut. That oppressive aura, the cold calculation – from the start, Loya had marked them all as prey.
For the first time since he was a child facing down cannons, Rob Lucci felt fear.
With a casual gesture, Loya shattered the ice sphere. CP agents rained down, broken and frostbitten. Alive, but thoroughly incapacitated.
"They'll live," Loya's voice was devoid of empathy. "Though I imagine the World Government will find it more cost-effective to train new agents than to heal these."
The Elite Battalion members watched in stunned silence. This wasn't just victory – it was annihilation. Loya hadn't just beaten CP; he'd broken them, body and spirit.
Lucci, still airborne, faced a chilling truth. He wasn't fighting a Navy recruit. He was facing a force of nature.
Kaku, his feet encased in ice, could only cower in terror. "He'll kill him! Loya's really going to kill him!"
Even with his comrades down, Lucci refused to give up. "If I can't defeat you with speed, then I'll overwhelm you with Rokushiki!"
"Shigan: Madara!" Lucci's fingers blurred, unleashing a barrage of lightning-fast thrusts.
The Elite camp members watched in awe as the air itself seemed to scream, the clashing attacks creating the illusion of a natural disaster.
Loya did not retreat. Instead, he met the assault head-on, his own strikes effortlessly parrying and deflecting Lucci's.
Lucci's face betrayed his growing desperation. His mastery of Rokushiki was unparalleled, yet Loya toyed with his most powerful techniques as if they were child's play.
Then, in the blink of an eye, came a sickening crunch. Two of Lucci's fingers, severed at the knuckle, fell to the ground.
"I'm sorry," Loya's voice was devoid of emotion.
Lucci stared at his mangled hand, his legendary composure finally cracking. This wasn't just a fight – it was the systematic dismantling of everything he prided himself on.
The Elite camp watched in horrified silence. Loya was no longer just winning – he was systematically breaking Lucci, body and spirit.
As Lucci's index and middle fingers hit the ground, the realization sank in. Loya had not been aiming to defeat, but to utterly destroy. This wasn't a battle; it was an execution.
And there was nothing any of them could do to stop it.
Lucci's remaining fingers curled into a fist, his rage and desperation evident. But Loya showed no mercy. He had made his decision, and now he would see it through to the bitter end.
The elite members braced themselves. This was no longer a clash of martial arts – it was a brutal, one-sided slaughter. And they were powerless to intervene.
"Damn it!" Lucci retreated, cradling his bleeding, mutilated hand. The pain was excruciating, but more than that, he felt a creeping sense of regret.
As a CP9 agent, he should have stayed in the shadows, ferreting out the location of Pluton. Instead, he was here, fighting a losing battle on the Navy's behalf. And for what? The whims of the Celestial Dragons?
Even Zephyr had warned them - the Celestials were behind this, and the World Government couldn't afford to push too hard. Yet Lucci had been arrogant enough to think he could handle some Navy prodigy.
Now, looking at the broken bodies of his teammates - Kaku, cowering in terror; Jabra, clinging to life - Lucci realized how catastrophically wrong he had been.
The World Government had sent their best, and Loya had dismantled them with ruthless efficiency. No CP0 reinforcements, no grand display of the World Government's power. Just utter humiliation.
Lucci grimaced, activating his Tekkai to stop the bleeding. The tissue damage was too severe for his basic healing abilities. Loya hadn't just beaten him - he'd crippled him in a way that would take weeks, maybe months to recover from.
And by then, who knew if the undercover mission would still be salvageable? The Celestials wouldn't tolerate failure, not when their precious immortality was at stake.
Lucci's fate hung in the balance. Fail this mission, and he would be discarded, cast aside like the broken "trash" Loya had so callously dismissed his agents as.
Staring at his mangled hand, Lucci steeled his resolve. He couldn't afford to lose here. Not when the consequences were so dire.
He had to find a way to turn this around, no matter the cost. Loya had made a grave mistake in underestimating the lengths the World Government would go to in defense of the Celestial Dragons' interests.
Lucci would make him pay for that error in judgment. One way or another, he would emerge victorious from this encounter. Failure was not an option.
A domineering figure stepped between Loya and the battered Lucci. The blood-red suit and aura of justice could only belong to one man - Admiral Akainu.
Loya's eyes narrowed. "When did he get back?"
The admirals were usually occupied with pressing matters, especially in these turbulent times. For Akainu to appear now, of all times...
Loya steeled himself. He may have surpassed Lucci, but Akainu was a different beast entirely. That casual glance had sent a shiver down his spine, the admiral's sheer power palpable even in a fleeting moment.
Loya took a step forward. "Admiral Akainu, are you here to protect him?"
The implication was clear - if the fight continued, Lucci would be utterly destroyed. Akainu's presence signaled his intent to intervene.
Akainu's eyes narrowed as he regarded Loya. Suddenly, a tremendous surge of Haki flooded the area, causing Loya's skin to prickle. Sweat beaded on his brow as the admiral's undisguised power threatened to crush him.
Just a glance, and Loya felt like he was mere moments from annihilation. Involuntarily, the dragon's scales crept up his face, a desperate attempt to withstand the admiral's oppressive aura.
The display passed in an instant, Akainu's Haki receding. "Enough," he said coolly. "This is Fleet Admiral Sengoku's order."
Turning to the battered Lucci, Akainu's voice took on a warning edge. "If you continue to fight, I won't protect you. You can die here if you wish."
Lucci, shaken by the admiral's raw power, could only salute stiffly. "Yes, sir."
As an agent of CP9, he held no obligation to defer to Akainu. But after witnessing Loya's overwhelming strength, and now facing Akainu's undisguised might, Lucci knew continuing the fight would be suicide.
Defeated and humiliated, Lucci could only accept the admiral's intervention. The gap between him and Loya was truly insurmountable. And now, with Akainu's arrival, any chance of victory had been extinguished.
The Elite Battalion members watched in stunned silence as the confrontation reached its conclusion. The fearsome CP agents had been brought to heel by the sheer presence of a Navy Admiral. It was a stark reminder of the true power structure within the Marines.
With their defeat made clear, the battered CP agents could only acquiesce. Akainu regarded Lucci's grudging salute with satisfaction. He nodded, signaling the agent to gather his comrades and depart.
Even with Sengoku's orders, Akainu couldn't fully condone the methods used against his own subordinates. However, he acknowledged the necessity. As a man of unwavering justice, Akainu respected Loya's decisive action.
Unlike the more pragmatic Aokiji or the aloof Kizaru, Akainu's justice was absolute. He seethed at the Celestial Dragons' blasphemous pursuit of immortality, yet he would still assist them if that was the World Government's will. His identity demanded it.
But if they had truly gone through with their twisted experiments, the justice burning within Akainu would have compelled him to intervene, consequences be damned. He may be a loyal soldier, but his principles came first.
In this instance, he counted it a mercy that he need not take action against these intruders. Loya had dispensed his own brand of justice, and Akainu would not stand in his way.
As Lucci led the incapacitated CP agents away, Akainu turned his gaze to Loya. For the first time that day, a smile quirked the admiral's stern features.
"Well done," Akainu appraised, looking the young man up and down. "Though the World Government will be most displeased with your actions."
His expression hardened. "As a soldier, however, I must say - you've upheld the Navy's honor admirably. Any who dare challenge our dignity will be severely punished."
Loya felt a surge of relief. It seemed the most dangerous figure in the Marines was satisfied with his performance. As long as Akainu didn't take issue, he likely wouldn't face repercussions.
After all, Zephyr had only tasked him with teaching Lucci a lesson, not annihilating the entire CP squad. And just as the CP agents had been constrained by their identities, Loya supposed the Marines had their own considerations.
The outcome may have been more excessive than intended, but it seemed Akainu was willing to overlook that. Loya allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. He'd upheld the Navy's dignity, and emerged unscathed. Perhaps this day wouldn't end in as much trouble as he'd feared.