The southwestern coast of Punk Hazard had completely transformed into a frozen wasteland, with even the nearby sea frozen solid.
A biting wind howled as frost and snow filled the air.
"It's so cold!!!"
The marines had retreated to their warships, bundled in thick coats, yet they still shivered uncontrollably from the frigid air emanating from the island.
"That girl... she's actually fighting evenly with Admiral Aokiji!"
"Admiral Aokiji seems to be at a disadvantage!"
"Are we dreaming...?"
The marines stared blankly at the coastline.
Within the battlefield of ice, Kaido's daughter clashed repeatedly with Admiral Aokiji. Every collision between her spiked club and his ice blades sent waves of piercing cold surging outward.
Countless ice cones shot through the air.
"Why isn't Admiral Aokiji using his freezing abilities?!"
The marines couldn't comprehend it.
The admiral's fighting style was completely different from usual.
As a Logia Type User, large-scale elemental attacks were his strongest advantage. With his power, even the most massive Sea Kings could be frozen solid in an instant.
He could even freeze the ocean itself!
Even if he didn't use wide-range attacks, Aokiji's usual combat style involved freezing opponents the moment he touched them.
Yet now, he showed no intention of using his freezing abilities at all, relying purely on martial arts and Haki.
When he did use his powers, it was only to create ice spears or projectiles for physical attacks, relying on their hardness and sharpness rather than their freezing properties.
Fighting like this meant abandoning his greatest strength.
"It's not that he won't use it—it's that it doesn't work."
Vice Admiral Dore, wrapped in a fur coat, took a deep drag from his cigarette before explaining Aokiji's predicament to his subordinates with a grave expression.
"That girl can't be frozen."
She couldn't be frozen!
Not only that—she could manipulate ice as well!
This was the power of a Mythical Zoan. Not only did she possess physical prowess far beyond ordinary fighters, but she also wielded additional supernatural abilities.
Kaido's daughter controlled ice!
As an ice-based Mythical Zoan, her elemental attacks might not surpass those of a Logia, but she was nearly immune to freezing—something Aokiji had already confirmed in their first exchange.
Aokiji had no choice.
Moreover, the extreme cold generated by their battle was so intense that even a vice admiral couldn't endure it, making support impossible.
The officers struggled to accept this.
"Vice Admiral Dore, even if Admiral Aokiji's freezing powers don't work, with his combat abilities—"
"Don't be foolish!"
Dore snapped.
"That girl is Kaido's daughter!"
The mere fact that she was Kaido's daughter was enough to make the world take notice—let alone the fact that she possessed a powerful Devil Fruit ability.
There was no way she could be weak!
At the center of the battlefield—
An ice blade blocked the spiked club.
Aokiji used the force of the impact to swiftly retreat, then activated Shave to propel himself into the air, raising both hands high.
"Ice Meteor!"
A massive block of ice, the size of a small mountain, came crashing down!
Yamato bent her knees, gathering strength before leaping straight toward the falling meteor.
The battlefield was already surrounded by towering ice formations—there was no space to dodge.
Then she would smash it!
"Oraaa!!!"
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
The colossal ice block flashed before exploding into countless fragments with a deafening boom!
The girl stood at the center of the destruction!
Aokiji had anticipated this. Floating around him were numerous ice spears, their edges gleaming with deadly sharpness.
In the midst of the fierce battle, he had already sensed that Kaido's daughter possessed strength surpassing his own, with Haki equally formidable. Victory could only be achieved through combat experience!
"Ice Multi-spiked Spear!"
Countless streaks of light shot down from above!
Yamato, suspended mid-air with no leverage, forcefully twisted her body, slipping through the gaps between the ice spears.
"Thud!"
A gash appeared on her cheek, while blood trickled from her waist and thigh—clearly, she hadn't dodged completely.
"You're really strong, old man!"
Landing on a floating ice block, Yamato licked the blood dripping from her wounds as she stared at the incoming barrage of light points, her body trembling with excitement.
The pain was intense!
But it felt amazing!
She hadn't felt this exhilarated in a long time!
"God Leg!"
The girl transformed into a blur, darting at high speed between shattered ice fragments, evading the ice spears while closing in rapidly on Aokiji!
Like a colossal white serpent coiling upward!
"So fast!"
Aokiji's pupils darted left and right, tracking the girl's movements, but in an instant, she was right in front of him!
"White Snake Strike!!!"
The spiked club came crashing down!
Aokiji crossed his arms above, ice crystals spreading over them for defense—yet the club didn't strike his body but instead slammed into the air!
"Crack!"
Black-red lightning erupted, shattering the ice on Aokiji's arms instantly. The unstoppable Haki shockwave pierced straight through him!
"Guh!"
Aokiji coughed up a mouthful of blood as his body plummeted like a cannonball, piercing through the iceberg before crashing into the ground with undiminished force.
"Conqueror's Haki Infusion!"
The thought flashed through her mind!
"BOOM!!!"
The earth trembled as a towering plume of dust erupted into the sky!
"Haah... haah..."
Yamato landed atop the iceberg, panting heavily, her sharp gaze scanning the smoke below for any sign of her enemy.
It wasn't over yet!
She could still sense his presence!
As the dust settled, a massive crater came into view.
Almost simultaneously, a hand emerged from the pit, gripping its edge as frost-white ice rapidly spread outward.
Aokiji reappeared.
The moment before impact, he had cushioned his fall with ice covering his back, mitigating the crash.
Yet the injuries were still severe.
"Even Conqueror's Haki Infusion..."
Aokiji looked up at the girl, his heart sinking.
Conqueror's Haki Infusion—an ultimate attack nearly impossible to defend against. Even in a world teeming with Haki masters, only a handful could wield it.
What terrifying talent!
And at such a young age. If Kaido's daughter wasn't eliminated here, she would undoubtedly become a second Kaido in the future.
"There's no other choice."
Aokiji reached into his coat.
His abilities were almost ineffective against her, rendering him severely weakened. While he wasn't at risk of defeat, prolonging the stalemate was disadvantageous.
If Earth Calamity returned, he'd face a two-on-one scenario.
His chances of victory would plummet.
"What a miscalculation!"
Aokiji sighed helplessly. Had one of the other two Admirals led the mission, the situation would've been different.
But there were no what-ifs.
Given the current circumstances, the capture operation had failed.
Then, this was the only option left!
Aokiji's eyes turned icy as he pulled out the Golden Den Den Mushi. Punk Hazard was now an uninhabited island—no innocents would be caught in the crossfire.
Buster Call, activate!
Naval Headquarters!
The highest-level alarm blared across the skies!
"Admiral Aokiji has issued a Buster Call!"
"Location: Punk Hazard!"
"Dispatch ten warships immediately and mobilize five nearby Vice Admirals!"
"Move quickly!"
Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sengoku and Garp were having tea and snacks together when the Buster Call alarm sounded. Their expressions changed drastically, and even the rice crackers in their mouths fell out.
"What's going on? With Aokiji's strength, he shouldn't need a Buster Call to deal with an Earth Calamity. Unless—!"
If Aokiji had issued a Buster Call, there must be an even more troublesome enemy than an Earth Calamity—especially that man.
"The Strongest Creature"—Kaido!
"Contact Aokiji at once!"
However, the intelligence division couldn't reach Aokiji's fleet.
Aside from the special Golden Den Den Mushi, all other Den Den Mushi had entered hibernation due to the extreme cold.
No one knew what was really happening!