Akainu used almost the exact same words to rebut Aokiji.
Just as Aokiji viewed Akainu as a madman, Akainu's opinion of Aokiji was no better.
How could a lazy man become the highest commander of the Marines?
Wouldn't that be pushing the Marines straight into a pit of fire?
How could lazy Marines protect the peace of the world?
"Enough talk."
Akainu's body began to transform.
Molten magma gradually assimilated the surrounding ground.
Even the earth itself was forced to burn beneath the intense heat of the magma.
"Agreed."
Aokiji gave a straightforward answer.
A serious look appeared in his eyes.
There was no possibility of either of them convincing the other.
The only solution was to fight.
The winner would take everything.
The loser would step aside.
There was no second option.
"We've already come this far."
"If we don't fight now, none of this would make any sense."
Aokiji's body also began to change.
Boundless cold radiated from him, penetrating deep into the earth.
Ice crystals started spreading outward from beneath his feet.
In an instant, the western side occupied by Aokiji transformed into a frozen world.
Meanwhile, the eastern side controlled by Akainu became a scorching hellscape.
"Fight!" ×2
With perfect synchronization, Akainu and Aokiji attacked at the same time.
Magma and ice erupted under their control.
For a moment, even the sky seemed unable to endure the destruction they unleashed.
The climate shifted wildly between scorching heat and bitter cold.
"Among Devil Fruit users, there are probably very few people in the world who can match the level of development those two have achieved."
Out at sea, watching the battle between Aokiji and Akainu, Sengoku spoke with a serious expression.
There were three categories of Devil Fruits.
Natural Logias, Zoans, and Paramecias.
The easiest to awaken were Zoans.
After all, their awakened forms had a clear direction to evolve toward, which was why they could often achieve awakening more easily.
Paramecias came next.
And the most difficult were Logias.
The challenge for Paramecias was the lack of a clearly defined awakening state.
As for Logias, their awakening was even more elusive.
How exactly was one supposed to awaken natural elements like Aokiji's ice, Akainu's magma, or Kizaru's light?
Of course, some Paramecia fruits were so absurdly powerful that their awakening difficulty was no lower than that of Logias.
"That's right."
Tsuru nodded from beside him.
"Both Akainu and Aokiji have devoted decades to their Devil Fruits."
"Whether it's their mastery of their abilities or their understanding of them, they're already standing at the very peak."
"Among all current Devil Fruit users, there probably aren't many who can surpass them in that regard."
As she spoke, her gaze remained fixed on the battlefield.
The collision between ice and magma was only the beginning.
The true battle between the two Admirals had just begun.
"Just in terms of Devil Fruit development, Akainu and Aokiji are undoubtedly at the forefront of the world."
Garp, however, was unconvinced.
"Devil Fruits are flawed powers."
"Relying too heavily on a Devil Fruit only causes your body to grow rusty."
"To deal with people like them, all you need is some seawater or Seastone."
"The moment those things appear, they'll be forced to devote part of their attention to avoiding contact with them, or they'll lose most of their power."
"Rather than that, it's better to focus on strengthening yourself."
If anyone else had said those words, they would have been laughed at.
After all, while that logic sounded reasonable, Devil Fruit powers were often so strange and overwhelming that actually getting close enough to use seawater or Seastone was far easier said than done.
But these words came from Garp.
No one present questioned him.
"You say it so easily because you're Garp."
The moment Garp finished speaking, Sengoku immediately shot him a disdainful look.
"And if you're really that amazing, how come you never got much of an advantage over Roger or Whitebeard?"
"Ahem."
Garp coughed awkwardly after being exposed.
"But those two old bastards never got much of an advantage over me either."
[You picked up a Devil Fruit Growth Attribute!]
[You picked up a Busoshoku Haki Comprehension Attribute!]
[You picked up a... ]
On the battlefield, Renji followed behind Onigumo's unit.
Although he couldn't collect every attribute dropped during Akainu and Aokiji's battle.
After all, his automatic pickup range was only one meter, while his active collection range extended merely around one hundred meters.
Even so, the harvest was enough to make him happy.
A single attribute orb from either Admiral was worth more than what he could gain from training the Whitebeard Pirates for two thousand six hundred and eighty days.
"Magma..."
Akainu and Aokiji had already exchanged hundreds of blows.
Magma froze.
Ice melted.
The two fought back and forth, neither capable of gaining a decisive advantage.
Eventually, Akainu retreated slightly.
His right arm transformed into a hellish hound.
"Inugami Guren!"
"Freezing..."
Seeing Akainu's posture, Aokiji also began preparing his attack.
The freezing aura surrounding his right arm rapidly condensed.
A massive ice bird materialized before him.
"Pheasant Beak!"
At the same moment, both Admirals unleashed their attacks.
The ice pheasant and the hellhound collided directly at the center of the battlefield.
"BOOOOM!"
A deafening explosion echoed across the island.
At the very center of Punk Hazard, a gigantic crater visible to the naked eye was blasted into existence by the clash between the two attacks.
"Impressive."
Renji couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration.
Even by his standards, the destructive power displayed by the two Admirals was extraordinary.
The shockwave alone was enough to make the surrounding Marines stagger backward.
The air itself seemed to split between scorching heat and freezing cold.
One side of the battlefield resembled a volcanic inferno.
The other looked like a frozen wasteland.
And this...was only the beginning of the battle between Akainu and Aokiji.
Seeing this, Renji's eyes lit up.
[You picked up a Devil Fruit Growth Attribute!]
[You picked up a Busoshoku Haki Comprehension Attribute!]
[You picked up a... ]
As he actively collected the attributes, he couldn't help but marvel at what he was witnessing.
Both Aokiji and Akainu possessed extraordinarily high levels of Devil Fruit mastery.
Combined with the fact that they were both Admiral-level powerhouses, their strength was nothing short of terrifying.
The clash between ice and magma was dazzling to behold.
Every attack and counterattack was executed flawlessly, with virtually no openings or weaknesses.
One could even say that the battle possessed an incredible level of spectacle.
"Damn."
At the center of the battlefield, Akainu paid no attention to the enormous crater their clash had created.
Instead, he looked at Aokiji and felt a trace of regret.
Having an opponent of this caliber was truly unfortunate.
If becoming Fleet Admiral didn't require this battle...
If he could still obtain the position without defeating Aokiji...
Akainu would have been perfectly willing to keep him around as a valuable subordinate.
"You really are a troublesome opponent."
"The same goes for you."
Aokiji's brows remained tightly furrowed.
Both of them were Logia users.
Their Devil Fruits weren't far apart in overall quality, and their elements were complete opposites.
As a result, their battle had become exceptionally deadlocked.
Deciding a winner would not be easy.
"These two idiots..."
Watching Akainu and Aokiji, Garp let out a helpless sigh.
As one of Zephyr's close friends, Garp had always paid attention to Zephyr's students.
Among them, Akainu and Aokiji had always been two of Zephyr's greatest sources of pride.
"If only they could work together."
A hint of regret appeared in Garp's eyes.
In terms of talent, strength, and dedication, both men were among the finest Marines of their generation.
Yet now, because of the Fleet Admiral position, they stood on opposite sides of the battlefield, determined to fight until only one remained.
What a waste.
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