Robin froze when she heard that familiar voice. Both she and Creed turned to see the source. A tall man with curly hair, wearing an eyepatch, was slowly riding a bicycle. Beneath the bicycle, a thin path of ice formed, stretching across the sea.
Curly hair, ice forming at will, riding a bicycle freely on the sea—there was only one man in the world who matched this description: Admiral Aokiji!
Creed smiled. "Kuzan-senpai, it's been a while."
Aokiji, who had a good relationship with Garp, wasn't immediately hostile, and Creed respectfully greeted him. Robin, however, turned pale. Her mind replayed the darkest day of her life and the words Aokiji had said when he let her go. Could it be that today he had come to arrest her personally?
But Aokiji's eyes were fixed not on her, but on Creed. "My luck is really good. Just like that, I've picked up a 2-billion belly bounty. Even without a salary, I could live comfortably for the rest of my life."
Creed shook his head. "Admiral Aokiji, with all due respect, you can't claim this 2 billion yet."
"Is that so?" Aokiji smiled, and thin trails of cold smoke began rising from his body.
Robin's vigilance spiked, and she suddenly felt her lower body freeze. She looked down—most of her body was already encased in ice, freezing her in place. The attack had traveled silently through the seawater.
Though Robin had trained her Devil Fruit powers over the years, in front of Aokiji she was instantly overwhelmed. Despair filled her heart. She glanced toward Creed, only to see that he was frozen solid, encased in an even thicker layer of ice, turned into a solid block.
"The strength of an Admiral… truly terrifying. This is the highest combat power of the Marines!"
Robin's heart sank. She thought about making excuses for Creed, but then remembered his bounty—tens of times higher than hers. Both of them were wanted criminals. What excuse could possibly work?
Suddenly—
Zzzzt! Crackle!
Sparks of lightning burst forth, and in an instant Creed shattered the ice binding him. The crackling electricity even melted the ice that held Robin.
On Creed's shoulder, Falkor roared in anger at being frozen, spewing a lightning-charged dragon breath that blasted Aokiji back dozens of meters.
"This little beast… a Vice Admiral couldn't withstand even a single strike from it!" Aokiji muttered in shock.
"You should go. This isn't your battle," Creed said as he sent Robin onto a nearby merchant ship with a wave of his hand.
"You meddle too much. Ice Ball!"
Cold light flickered in Aokiji's eyes. His hands surged with power as five streams of freezing air burst forth, rushing to encase Creed once again. This technique was powerful enough to freeze even Whitebeard momentarily!
"Rairyuu! (Thunder Dragon!)"
Creed's fist erupted with light, unleashing a dragon of lightning as thick as a barrel. The roaring thunder beast charged forward, meeting the five streams of freezing air head-on.
This technique was modified from Akainu's Meigou (Dark Hound), but Creed's version was stronger, and unlike Enel, he didn't need to strike taiko drums to summon lightning.
Boom! Crackle!
The lightning dragon clashed with the freezing currents. Lightning and frost burst apart in all directions, and incredibly, some bolts of lightning were frozen into crystalline shards of ice that fell sparkling into the sea.
"He can even freeze lightning… Aokiji's Ice-Ice Fruit has begun awakening?"
Creed's expression hardened. He quietly scanned Aokiji's stats:
[Name]: Kuzan
[Attributes]: Strength: SSS, Agility: SSS+, Endurance (Defense): SSS, Spirit: SSS-
[Abilities]: SSS Armament Haki, SSS+ Observation Haki, SSS- Martial Arts, SS+ Rokushiki, SS- Swordsmanship
[Devil Fruit/Abilities]: Ice-Ice Fruit SSS+ (initial awakening)
[Overall Strength]: SSS+
As expected, awakened! But compared to Akainu, he was still slightly inferior. No wonder he lost the Fleet Admiral position.
"Robin! Who told you to leave? Ice Age!"
Aokiji thrust both hands into the sea, unleashing his strongest technique.
In an instant, the frigid cold spread across tens of miles. The sea and the merchant fleet froze solid.
"Kuzan! You won't succeed! Reiza! (Laser!)"
Creed traced with his fingers, firing a golden beam like a laser that severed the ice and freed the merchant ships.
"This… that's Borsalino's ability! You—!"
Aokiji was stunned.
"Room!"
"Jinraizan! (Thunderclap Slash!)"
Before Aokiji could react, a sword of pure lightning cleaved down from above, its speed like teleportation, its power enough to make even him shudder.
"Ice Blade!"
"Ice Block: Partisan!"
Aokiji formed a sword of breath and two spears of ice to intercept.
Boom!
The clash shattered the thick ice sheet that could have lasted a week without melting.
Coughing, Aokiji rose from the sea on an ice pillar. "To think you've grown this powerful. I'm sure Garp is proud of you."
Creed had knocked him dozens of meters underwater in one strike.
"Five or six-tenths of my power," Creed replied calmly, sheathing Rinne as Falkor pawed restlessly on his shoulder, wanting to continue fighting.
He could see Aokiji was holding back. This was only a test, not a true attempt to capture him.
"I came to take command of G-K Branch. Big Mom is moving personally to erase it. I hope you understand."
Creed was stunned, then bowed slightly in a knight's salute. "Thank you."
Falling under Aokiji's command was indeed a good outcome for G-K Branch. Creed suspected this might even be Garp's arrangement.
"If you're truly grateful, then let me capture you and hand you to the World Government. Twenty billion belly is worth more than words."
Aokiji turned toward G-K Branch with a wry smile, leaving Creed speechless.
The next instant, both froze, staring in disbelief.
"Big Mom!"
On the horizon, a massive ship made of cakes, ice cream, and sweets was rapidly approaching Sea West Island. Its flag bore the lipsticked skull insignia.
The Queen Mama Chanter, flagship of the Big Mom Pirates!
(End of Chapter)
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