"Ice Cross!"
Moisture in the air condensed into two sharp icicles, stabbing toward Borsalino from different directions. Upon impact, the ice did not shatter from the force; instead, it merged into an ice cross.
Sharp icicles pierced out from Borsalino's chest, making it appear at first glance as if he had been skewered like a gourd.
"Kuzan, you're really heartless. Attacking with such ruthlessness."
Floating in mid-air, Borsalino weakly raised his arm, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He couldn't believe that his former comrade had attacked with such ruthlessness, completely disregarding past bonds. At the same time, there was a trace of annoyance in his gaze.
"Cut the act. You love performing so much, why don't you just resign."
Looking at Borsalino, who appeared extremely weak and seemed on the verge of death, Kuzan's expression didn't show the slightest ripple. If anything, the frost on his face became even more pronounced.
He had already arrived in front of Borsalino and waved his right hand toward Borsalino's face.
"Ice Time!"
A surge of sharp freezing energy rushed towards Borsalino, and soon, an ice sculpture in the form of Borsalino appeared on the cross. However, this ice sculpture was just an empty shell. The moment Kuzan's ability began to take effect, Borsalino had already escaped to a safe area through elementalization.
At the same time Borsalino disappeared, the ice cross created by Kuzan also began to fall. Ice blocks can't fly. Kuzan's Pheasant Peck and Phalanx could hover in midair only due to the influence of his power, and even then, only for a brief period, not lasting long.
The reason the ice cross floated in midair just now was due to Borsalino's own ability holding it up. He had avoided damage through elementalization, faked being impaled, and put on a show in front of Kuzan.
A stream of cold surged out from beneath Kuzan's feet, and the surrounding temperature dropped even further.
As the falling cross descended, it was re-frozen midair, allowing Kuzan to stand on the tall ice pillar he had created, now level with the airborne Borsalino.
"It's been a long time, but you haven't changed a bit, Borsalino."
"I can say the same for you. You know, Sakazuki recently got a tattoo. You left him quite a few scars."
"Compared to my leg, those wounds are nothing."
Kuzan lifted his pant leg, revealing a prosthetic made of ice. Unlike a body created through elementalization, the smooth surface of the ice leg reflected sunlight, clearly visible in Borsalino's sunglasses.
"Maybe so. But Kuzan, what exactly are you trying to do?"
Borsalino's tone still carried a playful lilt, but Kuzan, who knew him well, understood he had gotten serious. Before Kuzan could respond, Borsalino had already transformed into a dazzling light.
"Yasakani Sacred Jewel!"
A barrage of dense laser beams shot out in all directions, and Vegapunk's sea beast weapons suffered an unexpected disaster. After being frozen by Kuzan, they were now blown into pieces by Borsalino's lasers. Even if they could be thawed, they were already beyond repair.
Amidst the intense bombardment, the giant robot piloted by Lilith remained unscathed. In fact, the high heat from the laser explosions began thawing it out.
Although it may seem as if his attacks lack precision, Borsalino's attacks are actually extremely measured. He could blast someone full of holes with deadly precision, or fire off thousands of shots that didn't even graze the target, showcasing what it truly means to "Outline Jade." [TN: It's a Chinese fan-coined nickname for Kizaru's signature move: Yasakani no Magatama. Fans coined this term to poke fun at the fact that despite the attack's impressive scale and speed, it frequently fails to hit its intended targets, instead just "tracing" or "outlining" them with light.]
As the robot thawed, its internal systems reactivated. The cockpit warmed up, and Lilith, previously frozen into an ice sculpture, regained her freedom.
"Phew…was that Aokiji? What's he doing here? Looks like this robot's system still isn't complete. Got frozen just like that. I'll need to reinforce it later."
From the internal monitors, Lilith saw the ongoing battle outside. She then noticed several more sea beasts getting blasted into pieces by Kizaru's attacks.
"Hey, hey! Watch it, will you?! Those things cost money! You'd better reimburse me for breaking them!"
Vegapunk had always been short on funding. Though his six clones were his own creations, each possessed an independent consciousness. Among them, Lilith, representing evil, was the least bound by rules and such.
Among all the Vegapunks, she's the most concerned about funding.
After all, the World Government isn't entirely made up of fools. They provide Vegapunk with funding in hopes that he'll develop something useful to them.
Pacifistas, wyverns—these are the kinds of weapons they actually want.
However, Vegapunk himself doesn't like researching weapons of mass destruction. His dream is to create a source of eternal energy that all of humanity can use endlessly.
Things like Island A.C. and food production machines are byproducts of this pursuit. As for the funding for these projects, it naturally came from siphoning off the World Government's money.
But 99% of what Vegapunk creates can't be mass-produced due to technical limitations. Only he can manufacture them. As a result, he's unable to profit directly from his inventions and is constantly short on funds.
Lilith robs nearby pirates daily for funding. Seeing the sea beast weapons completely wrecked by Kizaru really pained her.
Lilith's voice came through the loudspeaker into Kuzan and Borsalino's ears, but neither of them paid it any mind.
"Kuzan, it seems that ice and light are evenly matched."
"That doesn't matter. Just stay here and talk about the old times with me."
It's inherently difficult for Logia users to decide a victor; especially the stronger they are, the more it is so. But Kuzan's goal wasn't to win; once Shayna and the others finished their task, this operation would naturally conclude.
"I'd like to, but I can't, Kuzan. Since you've made your choice, that makes us enemies now. Scared Yata Mirror."
Borsalino, transformed into a flash of light, refracted multiple times in quick succession. He had no intention of fighting Kuzan. His mission was to ensure Vegapunk's safety, everything else was secondary.
As for Vegapunk's clone Lilith, what happens to a clone in the end didn't concern Borsalino in the slightest.
Besides Kuzan, two other equally dangerous individuals had already made it to Egghead. He needed to take care of that. Although he didn't know the exact purpose behind the Beasts Pirates' appearance here, doing the opposite of the enemy's intention was usually the right move.
If there was no other option, then his mission… might turn into killing Vegapunk. Anyone they couldn't control absolutely must not fall into enemy hands.
Having temporarily shaken off Kuzan, Kizaru picked up his Den Den Mushi to contact headquarters. Dealing with Kuzan alone was enough trouble, and with Shayna and Zeraora involved, he couldn't handle it all by himself.
But for some reason, his Den Den Mushi wasn't receiving any signal at all.
"Strange. I didn't use the Black Den Den Mushi this time, why can't I get through?"
Borsalino did have a habit of using Black Den Den Mushi, but that was more of a persona he'd built for himself. If he frequently used the wrong Den Den Mushi, it gave him a plausible excuse when others couldn't reach him.
When necessary, he could still tell the difference between a regular Den Den Mushi and a black one. But no matter how many times he tried, all he heard through the receiver was a busy tone.
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