"Sabaody Archipelago... we're almost there."
Aomori wanted to say those words, but they had to pass the trial standing right in front of them first.
On the sea not far away, a tall man dressed in white was leisurely pedaling a bicycle toward them. A path of ice extended across the water beneath his wheels. His pace seemed slow, but he was moving remarkably fast.
"That's..."
"Admiral Aokiji!"
Both Crocodile and Ace wore solemn expressions. Robin's pupils contracted, and she looked utterly lost, as if a giant ice sculpture had appeared before her, freezing her heart solid.
"Why is he here? This is trouble," Crocodile said, looking at Aomori. "Unlock our Seastone cuffs. Otherwise, we're all going to end up dead right here."
"He's right. As much as I hate to admit it, facing him requires everything I've got." Ace's face was a mixture of tension and excitement.
"No need. I'll handle him alone," Aomori said, shaking his head. "Besides, I'm a law-abiding citizen. A Marine Admiral has no right to lay a hand on me."
Even if you're a law-abiding citizen, the three of us are high-priority criminals in his eyes! Crocodile and the others couldn't help but retort in their heads.
Ignoring their internal commentary, Aomori leaped into the air. He walked across the sky as if stepping on invisible stairs, intercepting Aokiji well away from the ship.
"Admiral Aokiji. Your reputation precedes you."
Aokiji stopped his bicycle and dismounted. He looked up at Aomori suspended in mid-air, then glanced at the Blood Flag ship continuing its course. "You look unfamiliar. Are you a pirate new to the Grand Line?"
"You're mistaken. I'm not a pirate. I'm a hero." Facing the nearly three-meter-tall Aokiji, Aomori stepped up a few more air-steps to maintain a slight downward gaze.
"A hero?" Aokiji pulled up the sleeping mask on his forehead and studied Aomori seriously. "It's been a long time since I've heard an introduction like that. So, am I to understand that Sir Crocodile, Fire Fist Ace, and the 'Devil Child' Nico Robin on that ship have been captured by you and are being sent to Marine Headquarters?"
He already knows? His Observation Haki is quite strong, Aomori thought. Oda really can't be trusted on power scaling.
If the Four Emperors were the pinnacle of Haki usage, then the three Marine Admirals were top-tier powerhouses who had pushed their Devil Fruit abilities to the absolute limit. Just because they specialized in fruits didn't mean they didn't know Haki; in fact, their proficiency was a hundred times better than the half-baked skills of Ace or Crocodile.
The internal complaint passed in an instant. Aomori replied without changing his expression, "Sorry, you're wrong. I don't intend to hand them over to the Marines."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't trust you. I don't trust a Marine force led by such a rotten World Government. You aren't heroes of the people; you're just tools used by the Celestial Dragons to maintain their rule. Why would I hand such important people over to a tool? Isn't it better to keep them for myself?" Aomori spoke bluntly.
If this were Admiral Akainu, Aomori would have started fighting without a word. But with the man in front of him, he saw a possibility for reform.
"Is that so? Is that how you see the Marines? That's a shame. There are still many in the Marines who truly work hard to protect the citizens," Aokiji said, lowering his eyes.
"And so? Are you satisfied with just that? Can you smugly stay in the cage of 'Justice' you've built for yourselves? Even if you kill more pirates, as long as the root of the problem isn't addressed, new pirates and new Emperors will keep appearing. The struggle will never end, and the people will never know true peace. I don't believe you don't realize this."
"I understand everything you're saying. But I also know that reckless action only destroys what little order this world has left, making it darker and more chaotic. What the world lacks now is someone who can turn the tide, someone with the power to change this era. No such person exists in the Marines, the Revolutionary Army, and certainly not among the pirates." Aokiji's usual lazy gaze turned incredibly sharp.
The reason he practiced "Lazy Justice" was that he disagreed with certain Marine methods yet saw no hope for true world peace.
If I'm not mistaken, that 'tide-turner' is the protagonist of this era, the legendary Joy Boy, Sun God Nika, Monkey D. Luffy. But he's only just started his journey and needs a few years to grow. I didn't expect Aokiji to see through it so clearly.
It made sense why he would choose to leave the Marines after losing the duel for Fleet Admiral; he knew that under Akainu, the Marines could never be the force for true peace he dreamed of.
"That is why I have appeared." Aomori broke into a sincere smile and spread his arms as if embracing the sea. "I, Aomori, have descended here to end this chaotic world. Kuzan, why don't you join me and do something big!"
"You?"
"What, don't I look the part?"
"To be honest, no." Aokiji slowly took off his coat and hung it on his bicycle. A faint white mist rose from his body, and a layer of thin ice covered half of him. He exhaled a breath of cold air. "Since you're so confident, let me see what you're made of. If you happen to get killed, don't blame me."
"So it comes down to a fight after all?"
"Of course. If you can't even defeat me, how can you take on the world?"
"Fair point. Then let me show you my power."
As he spoke, Aomori converted all his internal energy into lightning. Purple electrical discharge wreathed his body like a suit of thunderous armor.
Feeling the numbing sensation spreading through the air, Aokiji's expression turned grave. "Lightning?"
On the other side, Crocodile, who was closely monitoring the situation, smiled as he sensed the growing pressure from the battlefield.
They're really going to fight. No matter who wins, neither will be in top shape. That will be the perfect time for me to strike. Nico Robin, you will return to my hands after all.
Crocodile glanced at the still-shivering Robin with a cold sneer, then took out a monocular to observe the details.
"Ice... and lightning?! How does Aomori have so many abilities? What kind of Fruit did he eat?" Crocodile recalled the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia; nothing seemed to fit perfectly. "Could it be the Rumble-Rumble Fruit? Did he develop it to the point of flight and teleportation?"
While he was thinking, a hand reached out and snatched the monocular. Ace pressed his eye to the lens and exclaimed, "What a spectacular scene! I really want to join in!"
"Go if you want to. I won't stop you. But give back the monocular first."
"Tch, why are you so stingy?"
"Rumble-Rumble Fruit?"
Facing Aomori, who looked like a god of thunder, Aokiji had the same suspicion as Crocodile.
"A Logia type? No wonder you have such confidence. But strength is proven in battle." Aokiji put his hands behind his back. Amidst the swirling ice mist, he created two ice spears and hurled them at Aomori.
"Ice Block: Partisan!"
Aomori raised his right hand, pointing his index finger upward to condense a massive thundercloud. He then pointed down at Aokiji. "Million Volts: Thunderfall!"
Spheres of lightning trailed like meteors from the cloud, easily shattering Aokiji's ice spears and crashing downward. Aokiji calmly crouched and slammed both hands onto the ice. A thick wall of ice rose from the surface, blocking all the lightning orbs.
Troublesome. Since he's in the air, many of my moves can't reach him. Being forced into passive defense is a disadvantage. Aokiji wasn't worried about Aomori running away; doing so would be an admission of defeat. How do I force him down?
While thinking, his hands didn't stop. The moment the ice wall shattered, Aokiji released all the frigid air gathered in his right arm. It transformed into a translucent ice bird that flapped its wings and flew toward Aomori.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Peck!"
The air seemed to freeze in its wake. Aomori raised his right hand again, pulling the remaining thundercloud into his palm. He punched outward, the lightning forming a vivid dragon that bared its fangs and bit into the ice bird.
"Million Volts: Azure Dragon Crash!"
The larger lightning dragon shattered the ice bird in one bite, but the escaping cold air continuously weakened the dragon. By the time it reached Aokiji, it was smaller than an arm and easily blocked by a chunk of ice.
"An attack like that won't—" Before he could finish, Aokiji was startled. He quickly condensed an ice blade and parried behind him, just barely blocking Aomori's strike.
However, he underestimated Aomori's strength. The hastily made ice blade shattered in less than a second. A fist flashing with purple light slammed into his arm. Aokiji lost his footing and was forced back uncontrollably.
He actively engaged me in close combat? And was that Armament Haki just now? It felt strange. Having suffered a small setback, Aokiji looked at Aomori rushing toward him. His face remained calm as he created another ice blade.
This time, his arm turned a glossy pitch-black, and even the ice blade became black.
Armament Hardening? Seeing this, Aomori smiled and used lightning energy to create a blade of thunder, infusing it with his own willpower. The two shared a look and charged.
BOOM!
The blade and sword collided with a deafening roar. Pervasive cold air crept toward Aomori, while domineering lightning flowed into Aokiji's body. Both of their movements became stiff simultaneously. However, a white light cycled through Aomori's body, dispelling the cold and allowing him to recover first.
Seizing the opening, he delivered a kick.
Crash! Aokiji's body shattered into shards of ice on the ground before rapidly reforming.
He used elementalization to dodge the attack? Logias are such cheats. Aomori curled his lip and threw the lightning sword at Aokiji. At the same time, he dashed forward, his fists launching a relentless assault.
The Grandmaster-level Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist was a total "dimensional strike" here. His superior technique suppressed Aokiji in an instant. Fists fell like a tide. Even though Aokiji used Armament Hardening, the pain was still intense.
His melee combat is even better! Aokiji gritted his teeth and used his fruit power to release an intense chill. "Ice Age!"
Aomori, who had been wary, flashed away instantly. The cold hit nothing but empty air.
Is it high-speed movement brought by the lightning? Too persistent. Aokiji felt this was his most frustrating fight yet, like facing a reinforced version of Kizaru. Not only was the opponent equally strong in ranged and melee combat, but he also had incredible speed and Haki.
In that case, I'll have to drag this out and exhaust him. Aokiji decided to switch to a defensive stance.
Little did he know, Aomori was also feeling the headache. One Piece characters have insane stamina, and with the cheat-like abilities of a Logia, no wonder he and Akainu fought for ten days and nights.
Compared to Ace's flames, Aokiji could freeze ice to block attacks, making his defense superior and much more annoying. Unless Aomori used an ultimate move to destroy the thick ice layer below and pin him in the sea, or simply teleported him into the ocean.
But doing that wouldn't demonstrate his true power. Defeating him fairly would be far more impactful.
Hmph, bring it on. It's rare to find a master to practice with; I'm enjoying this. Aomori decided to wear Aokiji down. When it came to recovery, he feared no one. He was determined to win this man's respect!
"Come on, Aokiji! Let's go for another round!" Aomori grinned. He hadn't fought this satisfyingly in a long time.
"If you say so." Aokiji's lips twitched slightly as frost billowed out.
…
Five days later.
This stretch of sea was now covered in solid ice. The Blood Flag was frozen fast. The three on the ship watched the unending battle with numb expressions.
"When are they going to finish? This is insane," Ace said, leaning his chin on his hand.
"What, does this scare you?" Although equally shocked by Aomori's performance, Crocodile maintained his outward calm.
"I admit I'm not their match right now, but I'll catch up soon. I'll challenge them eventually!"
"Heh."
"You got a problem? You want to fight instead?"
"GET OUT!"
Robin ignored the bickering beside her and gazed blankly at the distant battle. The childhood trauma that had haunted her seemed to dim. The figure who once represented a living nightmare no longer seemed invincible.
"Chairman... please win."
————
NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]