The surging cold of the underworld burst forth like ocean waves from both of Kaito's palms, instantly freezing everything around him.
In the blink of an eye, the entire world had turned into a frozen wasteland. Across from Kaito stood Aokiji, frozen solid, his face still locked in an expression of disbelief.
That's right—he, a user of the Ice-Ice Fruit, had actually been frozen!
Normally, as a Logia-type user, he could merge with the surrounding ice and escape, but the moment Aokiji was frozen, his consciousness was completely shut off.
To be precise, Aokiji's mind came to a standstill—along with time itself.
Mahāpadma—the ultimate move (T/N: from some Chinese movie) from a certain "healing anime." It had pushed ice-based abilities to the extreme, reaching absolute zero and freezing space and time.
Just now, Kaito had used the power of Takamimusubinokami embedded in his right horn to absorb Aokiji's "Ice Age," combining it with the cold of the underworld to replicate the effect of Mahāpadma.
Once hit by this technique, the target would instantly become completely helpless, at Kaito's mercy.
If Kaito wanted to kill Aokiji right now, all he had to do was wave his hand, and Aokiji would shatter into ice dust just like the surrounding frozen landscape. Not even his Logia intangibility would save him.
Of course, Kaito had no intention of killing Aokiji. Not only was Aokiji a good comrade of his, but he had also played a crucial role in the creation of Mahāpadma.
...
A streak of purple light flashed across the Rinnegan in Kaito's eyes. The boundless frozen sea transformed back into the cold of the underworld, rising into the sky and vanishing as if it had never existed.
Aokiji broke free from the ice, collapsing to one knee and gasping for breath. Although he had been unconscious while frozen, he was acutely aware now—he had just taken a step beyond the gates of death.
Kaito teleported in front of him and extended a hand to help him up.
Before Kaito could say anything, Aokiji blurted out,
"You really are a full-blown monster!"
This entire fight, from beginning to end, had been a one-sided beatdown. Aokiji had always known Kaito was strong—but not this strong. His power was simply beyond human comprehension.
Even any of the Four Emperors couldn't have pushed him to this extent. At this moment, Aokiji couldn't help but think—Kaito might be able to take on all four Emperors by himself.
Kaito just shrugged, offering no comment.
He examined Aokiji's condition and found him unharmed. After all, as the Ice-Ice Fruit user, he wouldn't suffer frostbite. With that reassurance, Kaito dismissed the idea of using Konohanasakuya-hime on him.
Then, he opened a Door-Door Space and released Robin.
Robin stepped out silently, but the look in her eyes said everything she wanted to express—it was the same as Aokiji's.
Aokiji's reaction was much more emotional. He had fought Kaito in the first place to give Robin a chance to escape. And yet she had come back herself!
Thinking of how close he had just come to death, Aokiji was filled with a despair so deep he could barely keep it together.
He couldn't help but glance at Kaito, unsure of what he was going to do to Robin now.
Kaito ignored Aokiji's nervous glances. Crossing his arms, he looked at Robin and said,
"Kuzan worked hard to buy you time to run, and you came back on your own? Do you really think I couldn't catch you if I wanted to?"
Aokiji winced at the bluntness. He hadn't expected his little scheme to be seen through so easily by Kaito.
Still, he was curious—how had Kaito figured out his connection to Robin?
Kaito shot him a sidelong glance.
Even if I hadn't watched the anime, the way you reacted to seeing Robin in the office was a dead giveaway. Anyone with a brain could see you care about her.
This time, Robin didn't look away. She gathered her courage and met Kaito's Rinnegan gaze. But her trembling voice betrayed her nervousness.
"I want to know why you said what you did earlier. Do you mean to…"
She was referring to Kaito's undisguised disgust for the World Government.
Robin was a smart woman. She knew Aokiji was present, so she didn't repeat Kaito's words, not wanting to bring him any trouble.
After all, Kaito had just saved her life. His actions in the office had also left a strong impression. Otherwise, she wouldn't have risked everything to get close to him.
But clearly, her good intentions were wasted. Kaito no longer held even a sliver of concern for the World Government. The only thing that made him wary now was the mysterious "Ōtsutsuki" known as Imu.
And Imu, for now, was content to let Kaito be. Until Kaito fully evolved, Imu would not intervene—so what was there to fear?
Kaito said bluntly,
"That's right. The World Government should have ceased to exist long ago. I will personally bring about its destruction."
"Nani?!"
The one most shocked by this statement wasn't Robin—but Aokiji. His whole body bristled with goosebumps.
What did he just hear? The strongest Admiral, Shikiryū, had just declared he was going to destroy the World Government!?
He smacked himself in the head, afraid he was hallucinating from oversleeping.
Robin was stunned too. Her wide eyes stared at Kaito, speechless.
Kaito wasn't surprised by their reactions. He shrugged and said nonchalantly,
"It's not the right time yet—but it won't be long."
Aokiji finally snapped.
"Are you insane, Kaito?! What the hell are you talking about?!"
Kaito turned to face him, his tone calm.
"Kuzan, I always follow through with what I say. The World Government is already rotten to the core. I will be the one to bring it all down."
Aokiji stared into Kaito's eyes and saw nothing but unwavering resolve. He realized Kaito wasn't joking—he was dead serious.
By all logic, as a Navy Admiral, Aokiji should arrest Kaito right now for making such extreme statements.
But in the face of those Rinnegan eyes, all he felt was an overwhelming sense of helplessness. He knew that compared to those eyes, his own strength was a joke.
Kaito looked at Aokiji's pale face and patted him on the shoulder.
Aokiji lifted his head, dazed, meeting Kaito's gaze. Robin's eyes never left Kaito either. They both waited for what he would say next.
Kaito finally spoke.
"Kuzan, I don't want to talk too much about the World Government. But don't think defying them means defying Justice. They don't represent Justice. Spread my words as you please—I won't stop you."
Aokiji's expression turned complicated. He stared at Kaito for a long moment, then finally lowered his head and let out a long, heavy sigh.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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