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Aokiji frowned, quickly stepping back while raising his arm, now infused with Armament Haki, to protect his neck.
Simultaneously, he released a wave of cold air from his arm to form an ice shield, blocking the path of Nojiko's incoming blade.
WHOOSH!!
A cold wind swept past, and Aokiji was shocked to find that the ice shield he had constructed was easily sliced through by Nojiko's sword, quickly turning into a pool of flowing blood. It was as if the ice had been infected by the blood on Nojiko's blade.
Not only that, but when the knife touched the Armament Haki covering Aokiji's arm, he felt himself losing control of his Haki.
Aokiji quickly retreated another step and pulled back his arm to avoid further contact with Nojiko's sword.
"Even Armament Haki... turned into blood?" he muttered in disbelief. "What kind of ability is this?"
Aokiji stared in confusion at his arm where the Armament Haki had transformed into blood and was now flowing to the ground. Even the typically cool-headed "Ice Man" was visibly surprised.
Normally, Armament Haki was used to counter Devil Fruit powers. But now, Nojiko's blood—which he suspected might be a Devil Fruit ability—was eroding his own Armament Haki. How could this not surprise him?
"This blood... is it an awakened Devil Fruit ability? Or is it just the power of that sword?"
As Nojiko charged at him again with her blade, Aokiji dodged while recalling how Robin's sword had transformed into thousands of cherry blossom petals. He also thought about Ikki's rumored Zangetsu that could change its form.
"This is really troublesome," Aokiji sighed quietly. "This woman's strength is no longer comparable to that of an ordinary Marine Vice Admiral."
He glanced at Robin, who stood at a distance, nervously holding a Den Den Mushi.
"It would be terrible if Ikki misunderstood the situation."
Aokiji's eyes narrowed, and the cold air around him intensified as he rushed toward Nojiko. He intended to use his ice powers to freeze her first.
However, he soon discovered that when his ice touched the blood flowing on the ground, it was quickly assimilated. By the time the ice reached Nojiko, there wasn't much left.
After smashing through what remained of the ice, Nojiko rushed toward Aokiji again, an eerie smile on her face.
Aokiji frowned and quickly formed a long sword of ice to block Nojiko's slash.
But Nojiko's figure suddenly blurred, and the next moment she appeared behind him.
'She got faster?' Aokiji thought with surprise, quickly using Soru to move aside.
Until he understood Nojiko's abilities better, he didn't want to test her blade against his body.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield:
"So, what's happening here?" Ikki's voice suddenly sounded beside Robin, who had been waiting anxiously.
"Ikki?" Robin's eyes widened in surprise as she put away the unanswered Den Den Mushi. "You came!"
"With all this commotion, I could feel it," Ikki nodded.
In truth, when Minazuki activated, Ikki had felt a special telepathic connection in his heart. Sensing something was wrong, he'd immediately used Observation Haki to locate Nojiko and Robin.
"I'm sorry, Ikki," Robin said, her face filled with concern. "There's trouble. Aokiji suddenly appeared and discovered who I am. Nojiko started fighting him to keep him away from me." Her expression grew somber. "My identity has been exposed. I might not be able to stay with your crew anymore..."
Before she could finish, Ikki gently placed a finger on her lips.
"What are you talking about? You practically begged to join my crew at the beginning. Are you planning to just leave like that now?"
"But... I've broken our agreement! I let the Marines discover my identity!"
"You didn't intentionally reveal yourself to Aokiji, so you haven't broken any agreement," Ikki countered.
"If I stay on the ship, I'll bring trouble to everyone," Robin insisted.
"Let's not even discuss whether that's true or not. I don't want to lose an excellent model because of this incident." Ikki shook his head and continued, "I've been looking forward to your workplace formal wear sketches tonight. Were you planning to leave me hanging?"
"Ikki, really... you're thinking about that at a time like this?" Robin said in disbelief. "Are you planning to go against the entire Marine Corps because of me? That can't be what you want."
"Maybe not what I want, but if that's what it takes, what can I do?" Ikki replied, patting Robin on the shoulder. "Even Nojiko is willing to fight Aokiji for you. Of course I can do the same."
Ikki walked toward Aokiji, drawing Zangetsu from his waist.
"You've been my crewmate for a while now," he said. "If reasoning doesn't work, maybe we'll just have to silence Aokiji here."
THUMP! THUMP!
Robin felt her heart racing and pressed a hand to her chest. She never imagined that Ikki would actually consider fighting a Marine Admiral for her sake.
"What a captain," she murmured, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed Nami's location.
"Hey, Ikki, are you planning to fight me too?" Aokiji asked with a deep frown as Ikki approached Nojiko, Zangetsu in hand.
It wasn't that Aokiji doubted his ability to defeat both Ikki and Nojiko, but if the conflict escalated further, Gion would truly be beyond saving.
"That depends on what you're thinking, Admiral," Ikki replied with a shrug, glancing at Robin. "If you insist on fighting, there's not much I can do about it."
Hearing this and seeing Ikki's expression, Aokiji sighed again. Though Ikki hadn't mentioned Robin directly, his intention to protect her was clear.
"Have that crazy woman next to you stand down," Aokiji said. "I didn't come here to fight. We actually need your help with something, and I hope you'll agree."
At this point, Aokiji decided to set aside the issue of Nico Robin temporarily. Getting Gion back to health was the priority.
"The Marines need my help?" Ikki asked with surprise. "Are you asking me to teach swordsmanship to another Marine?"
Ikki placed a calming hand on Nojiko's shoulder, signaling her to relax, then looked at Aokiji with confusion.
"No, I'm not asking you to teach swordsmanship," Aokiji replied, shaking his head. "It's about Gion. She activated the Demon Mark."
"Her life force has been severely weakened," he continued. "Vice Admiral Tsuru would like to ask if you could help her using your methods. Since the Demon Mark are connected to your swordsmanship techniques, you must know a way to alleviate their side effects."
After saying this, Aokiji looked at Ikki uncertainly. After all, Ikki had seriously warned both Gion and Hina not to attempt unleashing the power of the Demon Mark. He'd told them that to safely open the Demon Mark without endangering their lives, they could only do so under the influence of Ikki's innate Demon Marks.
Aokiji wasn't sure if Ikki could still help Gion, given that she had already activated the Demon Mark on her own.
"What? Gion activated the Demon Mark?" Ikki's brow furrowed in concern. "How is that possible? With her abilities, she shouldn't have accidentally triggered them."
He thought for a moment, then said, "Aokiji, tell me exactly what happened."
After considering his options, Ikki decided to hear what Aokiji had to say.