"Veteran fighters really do have an instinct for danger… she managed to sense it and burned through a ton of Armament Haki to dodge my finishing strike."
Aaron looked at Yashika, who had just been sent flying by his blade, a faint note of regret in his voice.
A moment ago, he had deliberately limited his Soku Soku no Mi acceleration to only double-speed, using it to press her with relentless swordplay. Once she began to adapt to his sword speed and rhythm, he suddenly boosted it fourfold, intending to finish her in one decisive blow.
Unfortunately, the attack had only dealt a grievous wound to her neck, not a clean kill.
No mercy. No hesitation.
Aaron never allowed his enemies room to breathe. If one strike didn't finish the job, he'd simply follow up with several more. His blade, Onikiri, once again became wreathed in Armament Haki as he prepared to strike
but instead of cleaving Yashika, he abruptly swung to the right, intercepting a massive, spiked flail hurtling toward him.
"Couldn't you just stay down and play dead?"
Aaron tilted his head slightly, his cold gaze shifting toward the newly transformed hybrid form of Winters, a mocking smile curling at his lips.
The taunt struck home. Winters' face twisted in embarrassment and anger, but he said nothing, merely fixing his eyes on Aaron, muscles tensed, ready for any sudden attack.
As a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, his vitality was monstrous, he had already recovered from Aaron's earlier crushing stomp. He had been biding his time, watching the duel unfold, intending to let both Aaron and Yashika wear each other out before swooping in to finish the survivor.
The two of them had never truly been allies. Their "partnership" was only temporary, a truce of convenience so neither would gain the upper hand unfairly. Their true plan was simple: defeat Aaron first, then turn on each other to decide how to divide his territory.
But things hadn't gone as planned. In just two short months, Aaron's strength had grown at an absurd rate. He had quietly mastered Armament Haki, and not just the basics, his mastery was substantial. And more terrifyingly, he hadn't even used his Devil Fruit powers yet; his swordsmanship alone had utterly overwhelmed Yashika.
He'd nearly killed her outright.
The truth was clear now: Aaron had reached a level where he could kill them both.
Winters hated to admit it, but unless he and Yashika truly worked together, neither would leave here alive at least, not until their boss arrived.
Aaron, unfazed, raised his left hand slightly.
"Yuki Yuki: Snow Prison."
Instantly, the snow beneath Yashika surged upward like a living thing. The heavy white blanket of snow formed a gaping maw that swallowed her whole before hardening into a towering white pyramid.
The snow falling from the sky thick, endless wasn't natural. Aaron had conjured it himself, crafting storm clouds with the Yuki Yuki no Mi. Every flake that fell was under his complete control.
Now that the ground was blanketed deep enough, he could finally unleash the full potential of his power.
The Snow-Snow Fruit was unlike most Logias. Snow itself wasn't particularly destructive and melted easily. Without a proper environment an abundance of snow, it was difficult to use the Fruit's abilities effectively.
Until awakening, a Snow Logia user had to create the battlefield before they could dominate it.
That was why Aaron hadn't relied on his powers at the start. The natural snow here hadn't yet accumulated enough for him to manipulate effectively.
"Like hell I'll let you!"
Winters' expression twisted as Aaron trapped Yashika in ice and snow. He roared and hurled his flail, hoping to break her free.
He knew her well, her resilience as a Fish-Man hybrid was incredible. Given time, she'd recover and rejoin the fight. But if she remained trapped in that conjured snow, things could turn fatal.
He also understood that the snow Aaron used wasn't ordinary, it was alive with Devil Fruit power, just as a Paper-Paper Fruit user's paper wasn't mere pulp.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Three snow walls instantly rose before Aaron, intercepting the flail. The massive spiked head smashed into the first two walls, breaking through with a metallic ring but the third held firm, stopping it cold.
The snow had hardened to steel under Aaron's will.
"Pathetic. You can't even save your partner. Why don't you worry about yourself instead?"
Aaron shook his head slightly, his eyes sharp and cruel as they fixed on Winters.
Being underestimated like that sent rage surging through Winters' veins. With a furious bellow, he once again transformed into a gigantic boar and charged straight at Aaron.
But halfway there, the snow beneath him erupted, giant serpents of snow coiled up and wrapped around his legs, slamming him face-first into the ground.
In the next moment, tons of snow piled over him, swallowing his enormous frame. Another snow pyramid rose swiftly from the earth.
Winters wasn't about to die quietly. As the cold gnawed into his body, draining his strength and body heat, he desperately switched back to his hybrid form, coating his body in Armament Haki to fight back against the freezing prison.
Finally, with a mighty roar, he burst free
but his face was pale blue, his body trembling uncontrollably, skin covered in frostbite. His breath came in ragged gasps.
Then, before he could recover, the snow pyramid behind him shifted, reforming under Aaron's control into a five-meter-tall snow construct shaped exactly like Labon, Aaron's loyal beast.
The Snow Labon roared like its living counterpart and swung a massive fist toward Winters.
Still numb from the cold, Winters barely managed to roll aside as the snowy behemoth's punch cratered the ground.
The shockwave rattled the battlefield. The Snow Labon wasn't just for show, its strength was monstrous, and even when Winters shattered it with his flail, the creature instantly reformed. As long as Aaron stood, it could not be destroyed.
For a moment, Winters could only curse between blows, scrambling desperately to dodge as the Snow Labon battered the terrain.
Around them, the onlookers watched in silent awe, chills running down their spines.
Aaron had only begun to show the true might of his Logia, and already he had reduced a once-feared Regis Gang officer to a battered, gasping mess.
It was clear now: Aaron could finish this any time he wanted.
But he wasn't rushing.
He was testing his powers, experimenting with the Yuki Yuki no Mi and making sure everyone watching understood exactly how terrifying it could be.
Then, suddenly, Aaron's pupils flashed red. His senses sharpened, and his control over the Snow Labon stopped abruptly.
His gaze shifted toward the distant snow pyramid imprisoning Yashika.
A moment later, cracks began to spread across its surface.
BOOM!
The entire structure exploded outward in a flurry of snow and light.
From within, Yashika emerged once more, her eyes now glowing with a feral, vertical slit, like a Sea King driven to madness.
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