The design of that katana is... eye-catching.
Literally eye-catching.
Naruto's description of it as a 'decoration' is not an exaggeration at all.
The blade was completely transparent, like crystal. Even when coated with Armament Haki, it couldn't be fully dyed black. Instead, it resembled a galaxy shimmering with infinite starlight.
To put it simply, it looked like a glass sword… always giving off the illusion of being sharp yet extremely fragile.
The Vice Admirals who had been smashed into the ground saw Naruto make a drawing motion. Then, without any visible process, the blade completed a horizontal slash.
The ice spears in midair, along with Aokiji himself, were cleanly bisected by this draw cut that surpassed reaction speed.
"So fast."
After his upper and lower body separated, Aokiji's expression didn't change. He merely muttered those words softly.
For top-tier fighters like the three Admirals, Armament Haki wasn't necessarily enough to injure them.
That was because they could often predict their opponent's movements and actively split their bodies through elementalization to avoid direct hits from Armament Haki.
But all he had time to say was that one sentence before Naruto's other hand clenched into a fist and solidly connected with his head.
Boom!
The point of contact between the two in midair instantly produced a shockwave that rippled outward.
Aokiji was sent flying toward the distant sea by that punch, barely managing to adjust his posture just before hitting the water.
"Ice Age."
Two thin ice spikes extended from his palms downward. The moment they touched the sea's surface, the ice rapidly spread.
In just a few seconds, the surrounding expanse of sea had completely frozen over.
Only then did Aokiji, now with his lower half regenerated, plant his feet firmly on the ice, finally completing his deceleration.
Rubbing his right cheek, which still bore a clear fist mark, Aokiji grimaced slightly.
"Observation Killing, huh..."
Observation Killing is a combat technique specifically designed to counter Observation Haki.
Observation Haki allowed its users to briefly predict their opponent's movements or detect activity within a certain range.
And masters of this skill can even 'predict the future' to a certain extent.
When facing an opponent who is proficient in Observation Haki, Observation Killing becomes a 'trump card'.
Its principle is very simple to explain. In fact, it is to suppress one's own presence and use Conqueror's Haki to block the enemy's Observation Haki.
Of course, executing it in practice wasn't nearly as easy. At the very least, the number of people in this world who had mastered this ability could be counted on one hand.
"Ice Time."
Aokiji suddenly raised his hand, and two invisible waves of freezing air instantly surged forward. Bolstered by the glacial environment, they raced toward Naruto's position at terrifying speed.
Seeing the long-range attack, a hint of amusement flashed in Naruto's eyes.
'It's just right, let me show you the Ninjutsu I've learned.'
In the past, he had only mastered a few Ninjutsu, so while he had a huge amount of Chakra, he had no way to utilize them effectively.
But this time is different.
Since returning to Konoha, he has memorized quite a few Ninjutsu… though most were C-rank, it was still better than his previous reliance on spamming shadow clones.
The power might not necessarily be greater, but the style points were definitely off the charts.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."
Naruto formed hand seals and shamelessly stole his teammate Sasuke's signature move.
However, the fireball he unleashed was terrifyingly large, its diameter even surpassing that of the warships.
This was only due to the limitations of the technique itself. If Naruto had learned a higher-level Fire Ninjutsu like Great Fire Annihilation, the effect would have been entirely different.
The fireball collided with the freezing air, the fine ice crystals instantly vaporizing into white mist under the intense heat.
After a brief stalemate of a few seconds, the fireball overwhelmed the freezing air and continued its advance.
But that short delay was enough for Aokiji to react.
He didn't foolishly stand still but instead leaped into the air in two quick steps.
The moment he reached the sky, the fireball exploded below, instantly vaporizing the frozen seawater into scorching steam.
"Uzumaki Naruto, did you eat a Devil Fruit too?"
Two long swords formed from ice rapidly condensed in Aokiji's hands, instantly hardening to an unbreakable degree under his Armament Haki.
Then, like a hawk diving for prey, he swooped down, asking questions at the same time.
"It's Ninjutsu, Ninjutsu~"
Naruto grinned playfully before raising his glass-like katana once more, slashing upward in a sweeping arc.
The shockwaves from their battle quickly began affecting the surrounding area. The Vice Admirals, who are now fully recovered, immediately realized what was happening.
"Quick! All soldiers, evacuate to the other side of the island! Prioritize civilian evacuation!"
The first to speak was Vice Admiral Momonga.
This Vice Admiral had a strong sense of responsibility, even among the most experienced in the Marine Headquarters, so he was the first to consider the potential devastation caused by the battle's aftermath.
The other three Vice Admirals weren't fools either. They immediately began directing the soldiers while simultaneously blocking stray attacks from the battlefield.
Soon, everyone in the area had relocated, leaving only Momonga and Yamakaji behind, watching as the two continued their sword clash.
"You two, leave as well."
Suddenly, Aokiji seemed to make a mistake and was hit by Naruto's fist again, sending him crashing down from midair and landing right in front of the two Vice Admirals.
When Momonga heard this, he wanted to say something, but in the end, he obediently followed the order.
Only when everyone had completely retreated did Naruto leap down from the sky, landing less than two meters in front of Aokiji.
At this distance, a fight could erupt at any moment.
Click.
Surprisingly, Naruto suddenly sheathed his sword, then completely ignored Aokiji's threatening stance before plopping down onto the ground with an easygoing attitude.
The serious expression on Aokiji's face opposite him also disappeared instantly, and at the same time, the coldness on his body also dissipated.
"You really didn't hold back, huh? Were you actually trying to kill me just now?"
Though his words sounded reproachful, Aokiji didn't hesitate to sit down beside Naruto, casually taking the flask of sake from his hand.
He took a deep swig, savoring the taste before commenting, "Not bad. Did you get this from Baratie earlier?"
"Oho, a connoisseur, I see."
Naruto gave him a thumbs-up before pulling out a small flask and taking a sip himself.
The two even clinked their drinks together in a strangely harmonious moment.
If any outsiders had seen this, they would've been dumbfounded.
Just moments ago, the two had been locked in a fierce battle, but now, they were completely disregarding their allegiances, drinking together like old friends.
Aokiji had always been a heavy drinker, and some might even say he rivaled the likes of Kaido and Shanks in terms of alcohol tolerance.
Naturally, he enjoyed Zeff's fine sake very much.
Of course, business was still business. After taking another sip, Aokiji's face suddenly twisted into a disgruntled expression as he shot Naruto an annoyed glare.
"So, why did you suddenly show up in the East Blue? Do you have any idea how much extra work you've caused me?"