Aokiji was about to respond when a feathered arrow suddenly whizzed past his head.
"Ah la la, the Tengu sniper king?" Aokiji murmured.
He glanced up at Usopp in the air and instantly fired two jagged ice spears, which collided with the incoming feathered arrows. To Aokiji's surprise, the ice spears shattered on impact, yet the feathered arrows continued their trajectory toward him.
He dodged the arrow with a sidestep, his estimation of Usopp rising a notch.
Just then, several spinning circular blades appeared before Aokiji, circled him rapidly a few times, and then zipped back into Jango's hand.
Aokiji, puzzled, maintained his grip on the ice sword and slashed at the four wax figures of Luffy. However, upon striking them, he found that the four figures multiplied into eight.
"What's going on? Not good! It's Hypnosis!"
Realizing Jango's earlier actions, Aokiji vigorously shook his head, trying to break free from the hypnotic suggestion.
The moment his head cleared, he saw Luffy's fist hurtling towards him, and he was sent flying backward. After crashing through several trees, as he was about to regain his footing, he felt the sky darken, and a massive claw slammed down.
"Roar!"
Luffy brought his giant paw down, smashing Aokiji into ice shards.
In the next instant, Aokiji reformed from the shattered ice, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. This was the third time he'd been punched in the face today.
"Ah la la, the Straw Hats are truly formidable. I'm at a disadvantage facing you all alone," Aokiji remarked, though his tone lacked urgency.
Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Law, Usopp, Jango, Mari, and Ricky continued to encircle Aokiji, while the others surrounded Robin.
Suddenly, Carl spoke up, "Luffy, let me handle this one!"
Luffy looked surprised. "Mr. Carl?"
Carl said with a serious expression, "If I don't beat this guy into the ground, I'll be furious. So, let me do it!"
Luffy and the others exchanged surprised glances before silently backing away, clearing the space for Carl. Robin instinctively grabbed Carl's skirt, and he gently patted her head with a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, don't worry. I'm just going to fight the bad guy, and I'll be right back."
Robin immediately released his skirt, her eyes following Carl's retreating figure.
Aokiji couldn't help but roll his eyes. He was clearly a righteous Marine, and Carl, a pirate, was hardly a villain.
Nevertheless, Aokiji remained silent, watching Carl with a solemn gaze.
Carl stood directly opposite Aokiji, slowly drew his sharp black sword, Obsidian, and swung it directly at the Admiral.
Aokiji didn't meet the attack head-on, choosing to dodge. But in a flash, Carl was behind him, and Obsidian pierced his chest without hesitation.
"Puck!" Aokiji reacted instantly, firing five sharp icicles.
Carl swiftly cut down the icicles with a backhanded slash, then surged forward, driving his elbow into Aokiji's chest, sending the Admiral crashing into the sea.
"Ice Age!"
As Aokiji plunged into the water, he immediately froze the sea's surface. The ice spread rapidly, instantly encasing an area larger than the small island. Blood still trickled from Aokiji's mouth, a clear indication of the impact of Carl's elbow.
"Ah la la, the Lightning Great Swordsman! His strength is truly extraordinary!"
"Storm Pheasant's Beak!"
Aokiji gathered all the cold air into his right arm and unleashed a massive ice bird.
The ice bird moved with incredible speed, tearing through the air with a piercing sound, the air itself seeming to freeze in its wake.
Carl gripped Obsidian with both hands, electric arcs crackling along the blade. He swung the sword in a sweeping arc, cleaving the ice bird in two. The slash continued its path towards Aokiji, tearing the ice surface as it went.
Aokiji was cleanly split in half by the attack.
"Yoshi! He got hit by a Haki-infused slash! He's dead!" Usopp couldn't help but shout triumphantly.
"Usopp, be quiet! A Marine Admiral doesn't go down that easily!" Sanji snapped.
True enough, the two halves of Aokiji merged seamlessly back together, without a trace of injury. Such was the nature of a Logia Devil Fruit user; as long as they could transform into their element beforehand, any physical attack would pass right through them.
Sanji lit a cigarette, muttering to himself with a scowl, "Damn Carl, knowing Robin-chwan's secret and not telling me, and now showing off in front of Robin-chwan... Hmph! If I wasn't temporarily concealing my Devil Fruit ability, I'd personally teach that green pheasant a lesson for daring to bully my Robin-chwan!"
The others glanced at Sanji, but they didn't catch his words, assuming he was just lost in his usual fantasies.
Tashigi looked bewildered and conflicted.
Having just learned the World Government and Marine's actions against Robin, she was still reeling in disbelief. Aokiji hadn't denied it, only offered a justification. But in Tashigi's mind, such actions were undeniably against justice, yet the Marines had carried them out and even covered them up.
Even a Marine Admiral was complicit!
At that moment, Tashigi felt utterly confused. The righteous Marines she had trusted... were they like this?
Pirates are evil, Marines are justice – was it really that simple?
"Look with your own eyes, think with your brain. It's easy enough to tell the difference between good and evil!" Zoro's voice suddenly cut through her thoughts, making her flinch.
Yes, it was easy to tell the difference between good and evil!
Whether something was just or not had nothing to do with one's title. Pirates sometimes helped others, and there were bad apples among the Marines too. You had to see for yourself, think for yourself, and distinguish between true justice and evil!
"Thank you, Roronoa Zoro!" Tashigi said sincerely.
"...683...Hmph! I just didn't want to see you being fooled!" Zoro blushed slightly and looked away.
Everyone else continued to watch the intense battle between Carl and Aokiji.
The two traded blows, each unleashing a barrage of powerful techniques.
Fortunately, the fight had moved onto the frozen sea, otherwise, the island would have been devastated long ago.
Carl was now locked in a fierce swordsmanship duel with Aokiji.
Aokiji was a disciple of the former Admiral Zephyr.
He was incredibly powerful in all aspects, and his swordsmanship was far from weak.
Moreover, Aokiji skillfully integrated his Devil Fruit powers into his swordsmanship, each swing of his ice blade carrying a biting chill, attempting to freeze Carl's very being.
But Carl was no pushover. His entire body crackled with electric arcs, rendering him immune to the freezing temperatures.
Bang! Obsidian clashed against the ice blade once more.
But this time, the impact was different. The ice blade shattered, and Aokiji felt a tremendous force slam into him, sending him hurtling backward. At the same time, a sharp pain coursed through his body, and his brain rattled from the impact.
Fortunately, Aokiji possessed strong willpower. He flipped in the air, landing back on the ice, instantly erecting a thick ice wall for protection.
Despite his efforts, he couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood.
"Ah la la, I didn't expect you to be able to use Conqueror's Haki coating along with Armament Haki. You're so young, yet you've already reached this level. I severely underestimated your strength!"
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