"Damn it! The Marines, why are the Marines here?!"
Clutching his cruciform sword, Elroy stared in shock at the Marine soldiers darting through Port Florent. He had been on the run, using his Speed-Speed Fruit to its full potential. In just over an hour, he had crossed mountains, traversed several towns and villages, and covered over 300 kilometers to reach the port.
Elroy had expected a clean escape, but instead found the entire port transformed into a blazing inferno. Amidst the visible flames and flowing lava, a large number of Marines were hunting down members of his own pirate crew and the soldiers of the Barrid Kingdom.
"There are no volcanoes here, and as for lava..." Elroy's face turned grim.
The only person in the Marines with the ability to create lava was that monster with the nickname "Akainu." That terrifying figure was an existence that filled countless pirates in the New World with dread—a ruthless and utterly cold-blooded monster.
"Admiral Akainu... they even deployed a Marine Admiral!" Elroy muttered, his face dark.
"There's a pirate here! Kill him!"
A Marine soldier spotted the stunned Elroy and yelled, raising his blade to attack. It's a common saying that a general's character shapes his soldiers. Sakazuki was unyielding, showing no mercy to criminals like pirates. If a pirate took an innocent civilian hostage, he would destroy both the pirate and the civilian without hesitation. As a result, his soldiers were fiery and fearless. Well, those who were cowards were executed by him anyway.
Being fearless is a good trait, but against overwhelming power, courage alone is useless.
"What a nuisance," Elroy grumbled, his hand resting on his sword hilt.
Clang!
Swoosh!
A flash of sword light, and the Marine soldier's head was instantly sent flying into the air, a gush of hot blood spurting from the severed neck. The nearby Marines froze at the sight.
Clang!
"Hm?"
Elroy sheathed his sword, his brow furrowed as he looked ahead.
"Stand down. He's not someone you can handle," a lazy voice rang out. A tall figure appeared from around the corner of the street.
"Admiral Kuzan!"
The Marines cheered with joy at the sight of the newcomer.
"Marine Admiral Aokiji!" Elroy's heart sank, a bad feeling rising within him.
"Garfield Pirates' First Mate, Bounty of 530,000,000 Berries, 'The Speedster' Elroy." Kuzan scratched his head, staring at the pirate in confusion. "By all accounts, you should be on the battlefield at Fort Respler. Why are you here?"
"How should I know?!" Elroy's heart turned bitter. He seemed to have guessed something, but while he spoke, his eyes darted around, searching for a chance to escape.
"Arara~ Let me take a guess. Though using my brain is a pain," Kuzan continued, lazily scratching his head again. "As the first mate, you're a crucial fighting force for the Garfield Pirates, especially during wartime. And yet you've come here, looking as though you've traveled a long way. This could only mean two things: either you won, or... you lost!"
As he spoke the last sentence, Kuzan's expression turned serious. A wave of chilling air radiated from him, instantly cooling the oppressive heat of the surroundings.
"Hey now, don't underestimate us. You Marines must be rushing over here because of Shiki the Golden Lion. Do you really think they stand a chance against that legendary figure?" Elroy's pupils constricted slightly, but he spoke without a change in expression.
In truth, this was something he couldn't understand either. How could a legendary figure just inexplicably be defeated? Was the Shiki he saw a fake?
"Arara~ That's what I thought, too. But even so, someone of your status and power shouldn't have left the battlefield on your own." Kuzan narrowed his eyes. "So, would you be so kind as to tell me your reason for being here, Elroy-san?"
"Tch~ Sorry, I can't say," Elroy's face was gloomy as he rested his hand on his sword hilt.
"Well, if you won't tell me, I'll just have to capture you and ask later. 'Ice Saber!'"
Kuzan scooped up a handful of small pebbles from the ground and tossed them into the air. He exhaled a cold breath, and a clear, crystalline ice blade quickly formed in the air, with seven or eight pebbles embedded inside. He grabbed it by the hilt.
"Kuzan, you talk too much..."
Suddenly, a firm voice rang out. A tall man with magma-covered arms and a Marine cap walked over from the other side of the street. "A criminal of this caliber should be locked up in Impel Down!"
"Tch... damn it! Marine Admiral Akainu!" Elroy's forehead broke out in a cold sweat. He screamed internally, "Two Admirals! I'm definitely finished if I don't run!"
"Arara, I was just about to make my move," Kuzan said helplessly before charging forward and swinging his ice blade at Elroy.
Clang!
Clang!
Elroy's long sword flashed from its sheath, parrying Kuzan's ice blade. The clash of sword and ice erupted in a powerful shockwave.
"Take this! High-Speed Sword Shadow Slash!"
After deflecting the ice blade, Elroy swung his sword, creating a flurry of light and countless flying sword shadows that engulfed Kuzan.
"What a fast sword! Ice Block: Partisan!" Kuzan retreated, swinging his left arm. Four ice spears rapidly formed beside him and shot forward.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…
In a flash, as the sword shadows vanished, the four ice spears had been reduced to a pile of shattered ice.
"Pirate! Great Eruption!"
At that moment, Sakazuki closed in, his magma-covered fist smashing down on Elroy.
Elroy quickly turned, holding his cruciform sword in front of his chest to block Sakazuki's fist.
Boom!
With a loud bang, the spattering magma melted small craters into the ground tiles. Elroy felt a massive force surge through his sword, causing it to tremble violently. He was sent sliding backward, his feet gouging two long marks into the ground.
"Damn it! I have to find a way to escape!" Elroy gritted his teeth, and his body moved, disappearing from his spot.
"Arara~ You can't just run away like that. It would make us look bad!" Kuzan touched the ground with his hand, and the surrounding oppressive heat dropped sharply.
Crack, crack, crack...
Starting from Kuzan's hand, a sheet of ice rapidly spread outward. The ground instantly froze, turning an area of 100 meters in all directions into a white, icy domain.
ICE AGE!
Dozens of meters away, an ice sculpture of a man holding a cruciform sword stood perfectly still.
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