A violent gale swept through, tearing wood chips into the sky as Aramaki and Dragon clashed in a battle of elemental fury. At the same time, Aokiji and Garp collided head-on.
Both of Aokiji's hands were wrapped in an icy blue glow, haki-infused lightning crackling around them. Garp, on the other hand, relied purely on the sheer force of his Armament Haki fists.
In this timeline, Aokiji had never been Garp's direct subordinate—hadn't even gone on missions with him—so he didn't carry the same emotional burden. As a result, he fought without hesitation, unleashing his full icy power.
Now locked in a clash of fingers interlaced, lightning born from haki surged around them, radiating waves of raw power.
Aokiji stared into the void of Garp's empty eyes and said in a low voice,
"Old man Garp... I'll help you find release, quickly."
Garp didn't reply—he simply poured more haki into his strikes. Veins bulged along his forearms, and explosive power surged like relentless waves. The chill creeping across his body couldn't break through the iron wall of his haki.
Stripped of consciousness by Joy Boy, Garp fought purely on instinct. Decades of refined combat experience were all but erased.
A glint of cold flashed in Aokiji's eyes. He suddenly forced Garp's hands down, using the leverage to leap upward. A knee cloaked in thick ice smashed into Garp's chin.
The impact made Garp's grip falter. Aokiji seized the moment, letting a powerful burst of freezing energy erupt from his body—and in a single breath, Garp was encased in solid ice.
Aokiji followed up with a heavy punch, aiming to shatter both Garp and the block of ice containing him. But Garp, the embodiment of top-tier physical might, lived up to his reputation. The instant Aokiji's fist connected with the ice, it shattered with a thunderous explosion—and Garp, wreathed in haki lightning, burst free and countered with a devastating punch of his own.
Crack!
Aokiji exploded into a shower of icy shards, scattering across the sky like snow. The pieces drifted down and gathered on a dandelion below, slowly reforming into Aokiji's body until it was fully reconstituted.
Half-kneeling on the soft dandelion fluff, Aokiji wiped the blood from his mouth and looked up at the oncoming Garp, a wry expression on his face.
"Ah la la..."
Before he could finish the thought, Garp had already arrived. Somehow, Aokiji now held a slender white flower petal in his hand. Encased in frost, it instantly transformed into an ice blade.
Without hesitation, Aokiji thrust the blade upward. The tip of the ice blade and Garp's fist didn't collide directly—instead, at the center of the space between them, a ball of red and black lightning condensed from their haki.
The shockwave roared. Lightning surged and howled.
The dandelion beneath Aokiji disintegrated into dust, unable to withstand the pressure.
Now unsupported, both Aokiji and Garp plummeted. Yet neither halted their attacks. As they hurtled toward the Black Sea below, Aokiji let out a furious roar. His body erupted with dazzling blue light, and frost spread from beneath his feet, forming a massive ice bird that caught them mid-air and pushed them back upward.
The ice blade pierced into the red-black lightning orb. A violent burst of energy shattered the Armament Haki coating on Garp's fist, sending plumes of white vapor gushing from the cracks.
Another ice bird formed beside them, slamming hard into Garp and sending him flying over a kilometer.
Now the entire area around Aokiji had turned into an icy-blue domain. The temperature dropped sharply, and shimmering crystals filled the air.
Aokiji opened one hand. The ice crystals from all around gathered into his palm. In the next instant, he hurled the collected energy at Garp.
Awakening: Final Ice Dome.
A long streak of blue light tore through the sky. Garp was completely sealed within it. This time, he didn't break free.
Aokiji exhaled deeply. For Logia users like him—especially those who rely on control-based elements like ice—pure physical powerhouses like Garp were a nightmare to fight.
Fortunately, Garp lacked his own consciousness. That gave Aokiji the window he needed to seize victory in one decisive move.
...
Above them, the so-called "dutiful son" Dragon was still locked in battle with Aramaki. Seeing Garp fall, his rhythm faltered. Entangled in vines, he shouted anxiously:
"Father!!"
"Eh~?"
Aramaki's voice responded seamlessly. His face emerged from a tree trunk with a smug, infuriating grin.
"My good son, did you need something from your dear old dad?"
Already on edge, Dragon's fury boiled over. He spat out a thick breath of white mist, his body flickering with instability.
Aramaki wasn't about to let that moment slip. With a flick of his will, a dense tangle of vines surged forth, engulfing Dragon.
Jagged spikes coated in black haki sprang from the vines, aiming to skewer Dragon through. Dragon didn't dare delay—he spun rapidly to avoid them.
Blue wind blades shot out from the spiraling air currents around Dragon, shredding the approaching spikes into mulch.
Aramaki hadn't expected this move to finish Dragon off anyway. Above him, countless vines interwove into a colossal treant. The tree giant raised a massive fist and brought it down with brutal force.
Still spinning, Dragon barely had time to react. He was slammed like a volleyball toward the ground.
During the rapid descent, Dragon clenched his jaw and deployed a wind barrier, slowing himself in midair.
Thankfully, the Wind-Wind Fruit was one of the rare Devil Fruits that allowed true flight. He wasn't Joy Boy—if he fell into the Black Sea, his Nika-infused body would've been devoured by the dark.
Hovering midair, Dragon ground his teeth in rage at Aramaki. But instead of retaliating, he spun around and rushed toward Garp's position—clearly intending to rescue him.
Seeing this, Aramaki curled his lip and launched off, riding atop a rapidly spinning dandelion in pursuit.
"My good son, don't run! Come back and let your father show you some love!"
As he flew, Dragon hurled back a barrage of wind blades while cursing furiously:
"Aramaki! One day I'm going to tear that rotten mouth of yours apart!!"
Aramaki howled with laughter.
"Then come do it! I'll be right behind you!"
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+150 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg