BOOM!!!
A blinding blaze shot straight into the sky, turning the entire horizon blood red!
In the blink of an eye, Luffy, swinging his arms back, erupted in a massive burst of fire, and had already arrived directly above Aokiji!
Leaping perfectly above him—neither an inch too far, nor an inch too close—Luffy's body was a living missile of heat and force.
The flames exploded!
His body spun sideways in mid-air!
Legs wrapped in Armament Haki shot out, aiming a crushing kick at Aokiji's curly-haired head!
Aokiji's eyes didn't flicker with the slightest panic.
Using Admiral-level Observation Haki, he anticipated Luffy's move and raised his right arm just in time!
Luffy's full-powered strike, aided by the flames, collided with Aokiji's body as the Admiral chose to meet it head-on, testing strength against strength.
BANG!!!
A massive shockwave erupted from the two of them, roaring outward in all directions!
The custom ice beneath Aokiji's feet began to crack outward like a spiderweb, centered on his legs.
Aokiji's expression suddenly shifted, eyes filled with disbelief.
In the next instant, his form streaked forward like an ice-blue meteor, crashing toward the Gate of Justice behind him!
CLANG!!!
The massive steel gate shuddered under the impact, ice frozen between the panels cracking apart.
"Ugh…"
Aokiji grimaced, clutching his elbow.
For the first time, he had completely lost the calm composure expected of an Admiral, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at Luffy approaching over the ice.
"This… this is impossible!!!"
"How… how could your power—"
Luffy interrupted Aokiji's astonishment with a soft laugh, grinning:
"Surprised at how strong I've become… huh?"
With more allies and greater strength, Luffy's attributes had skyrocketed.
Now, each stat exceeded 10,000, fully entering Emperor-class combat levels.
[Monkey D. Luffy]
Stamina: 10500
Strength: 10145
Agility: 10625
Mental Power: 11610
This is Luffy's current stats!
By Luffy's own estimate, every attribute now surpassed Aokiji's by over a thousand points!
But don't underestimate that "mere" 1,000-point advantage.
In this world, attribute points aren't just numbers—they express the tier of power one can wield.
They indicate the potential ceiling of strength a person with different talents can reach, even if modified by race, Devil Fruit, or other factors.
The world of pirates has a ceiling.
It's like lifting weights in the ordinary world: moving from 10kg to 20kg is easy, but from 40kg to 50kg requires effort.
The same principle applies here, only the ceiling is magnified hundreds or thousands of times.
Even the Admirals, like Aokiji, had plateaued at 9,000–10,000 points for years.
Geniuses like them grow constantly, but the pace is slower than what Luffy's system provides.
Even if Zoro and others have talent, Luffy's Merry's attribute facilities and system functions give him a path to push beyond.
…
On the battlefield, Aokiji's torn uniform revealed his injured elbow, dark-purple and bruised over his not-so-muscular arm.
He lowered his arm slowly, eyes wary, staring at Luffy's playful grin.
The Monkey family… truly monsters!!!
As if reading Aokiji's surprise, Luffy casually asked:
"Want to keep going?"
After a brief pause, Aokiji glanced at his injured arm, sighing:
"Ah… although the situation isn't great, as a Marine, this is unavoidable!!!"
With a sharp shout, Aokiji extended his uninjured arm, forming a magnificent ice bird!
It flapped its wings and grew instantly, expanding into a massive bird dozens of meters across, soaring high.
Everywhere it passed, the freezing air turned into ice crystals, falling like glitter from the sky.
Even before reaching Luffy, the frost emanating was intense enough to chill him.
Luffy extended his right hand, still smiling:
"Oh? Now this is interesting!"
WHOOSH!
Another blaze erupted from Luffy's hand, shooting skyward.
The flames twisted into a ferocious crimson dragon under Luffy's control, eyes glowing with a bloodthirsty glare.
The massive ice bird charged, while the fire dragon hovered midair, roaring, meeting the ice attack head-on with a deafening clash.
Hiss…
Tiny droplets fell from the ice bird's wings.
"What!!?"
Aokiji's pupils shrank.
The radiant heat of Luffy's dragon was melting the ice attack he had crafted with all his power!
This meant the flames had far surpassed his ice abilities.
But Aokiji, well aware of Luffy's age as Garp's grandson, could hardly believe it.
A seventeen-year-old boy—physically, Devil Fruit powers, Haki—had reached such a terrifying level!
Even as Garp's grandson, this talent was monstrous beyond reason!
At this moment, Aokiji finally understood how his teachers and classmates must have felt.
…
The ice bird and fire dragon collided, filling the sky with mist, obscuring the battlefield.
"Admiral Aokiji!"
A rough shout echoed.
Five Vice Admirals, each having arranged ten warships, rushed to the center with steps comparable to the Marine Six Powers "Soru" technique.
Just as they were about to enter the battlefield, a teal flame suddenly erupted, separating them from the mist!
"Yohohoho~"
"I'd advise against moving any further."
"Luffy doesn't like being disturbed…"
"If we accidentally kill you, there'd be even fewer…"
"…forces of justice in this sea!"
With eerie, glowing eyes, Brook appeared before the five unaware Vice Admirals, brandishing his slender bone sword to block them.