On the ice plain outside Frost Flower City.
Andy and Kizaru's figures flickered in and out of view, each clash shattering the surrounding ice and sending shards flying, the immense roars making eardrums ache.
Kizaru's body glowed with an intense radiance, the light from the sword in his hand reaching a blinding intensity that was difficult to look at directly.
His gaze was no longer languid; instead, it held the focus and sharpness of a leopard on the hunt.
"Brat, take this!" Kizaru roared, his figure instantly vanishing, leaving only an afterimage.
Andy gripped Demon Blade Zhu Chi tightly, the crimson glow of the blade becoming even more dazzling in the wind and snow, like a burning flame.
His eyes held a look of determination; despite facing a formidable enemy like an Admiral, his fighting spirit remained undiminished.
"Come on!" Andy roared in a low voice, a powerful aura erupting from his body, blowing away the surrounding ice shards.
When Kizaru reappeared, he was directly above Andy's head, his light sword descending with destructive force.
Andy reacted swiftly, instantly raising Zhu Chi to block.
"Clang!" With a loud crash, the powerful collision caused the ice beneath their feet to instantly collapse, forming a massive ice cavern.
Andy's arm went numb from the force, but he gritted his teeth and endured the blow.
"Not bad, your physical strength is quite impressive." Kizaru's lips curved slightly, revealing a hint of admiration. "But this is just the beginning."
No sooner had Kizaru finished speaking than his body suddenly transformed into countless rays of light, shooting towards Andy from all directions.
Andy's heart jolted; he could feel the deadly danger contained within these light rays.
He swiftly wielded Zhu Chi, the blade flashing as he tried to block all the light rays.
However, there were simply too many light rays, and their speed was extremely fast, causing Andy to gradually feel overwhelmed.
"Pfft!" A ray of light struck Andy's left arm, and blood instantly stained his sleeve.
"Hmph!" Andy grunted, enduring the pain, his gaze becoming even more resolute.
He suddenly let out a loud roar, all the power within him erupting, his killing intent spreading outwards like a surging tide.
"Break for me!" Andy swung Zhu Chi, and a massive crimson slash swept towards Kizaru.
Kizaru's eyes narrowed, and he quickly held his light sword horizontally in front of him, forming a light shield.
The slash collided with the light shield, creating an earth-shattering roar, and the powerful energy impact completely destroyed the surrounding ice plain, forming a massive void.
Kizaru retreated a few steps from the impact, his clothes somewhat torn, and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
"This brat is truly troublesome," Kizaru muttered, his eyes filled with caution.
Andy was no better off; he had numerous new wounds, and blood continuously seeped out, staining the ice beneath his feet.
His expression was indifferent; fighting an Admiral-level opponent drained his stamina very quickly, but his gaze remained firm, and Zhu Chi was still gripped tightly in his hand.
The ice plain beneath their feet groaned under the immense pressure, and the golden orb of light condensed at Kizaru's fingertips suddenly exploded into thousands of light projectiles.
Andy's pupils reflected the meteor-like onslaught, and Demon Blade Zhu Chi spun into a crimson vortex in his palm.
"Yasakani no Magatama—"
The moment the rain of light fell, Andy's figure suddenly split into seven afterimages.
"Red Shadow · Thousand Feathers!"
Each of Andy's seven afterimages rapidly swung Zhu Chi, and the crimson blade lights unleashed by each afterimage wove a blood-colored spiderweb in the air.
Crimson sword energy collided with golden light projectiles, exploding into countless dazzling light specks.
The ice layers were peeled back by the surging shockwaves, revealing the permafrost below, from which flowed an eerie, icy blue aura.
"Speed is power, isn't it~" Kizaru's voice came from within the light curtain, and his golden figure suddenly appeared behind Andy's true body.
The trajectory of the light sword left scorching marks in the air, but the blade Andy swung back shattered the illusion.
But the real attack came from above!
As Andy leaned back, the light sword grazed past his nose, and a few strands of black hair curled and charred in the high heat.
He spun with the momentum, kicking up ice shards, and the blade of Zhu Chi suddenly burst forth with dazzling blood-red light.
"Red Shadow · Blade Shattering Grace!!" Andy roared.
In an instant, the ice surface within a thousand meters simultaneously exploded, and crimson sword energy, carrying thousands of ice blades, formed a blood-colored tornado.
Kizaru's elementalized body flickered within the ice blade storm, golden particles constantly being torn apart by the sword energy and then reassembling.
When the storm ceased, his cloak of justice on his shoulder had turned to rags, and trickles of blood slowly seeped from his body.
"I got hurt, huh~" Kizaru wiped away the blood beads from his face, the languor finally fading from his eyes.
The moment he clasped his hands together, the entire ice plain suddenly brightened like day, and a gigantic Ama no Murakumo descended as if cleaving space.
Andy's hands, with their bursting tiger mouths, gripped the hilt tightly, and all his muscles bulged as Haki was infused.
The instant Zhu Chi's blade collided with the light sword, a circular shockwave pulverized the ice within a thousand meters.
Eerie blue cold air erupted from the ground, solidifying into a bizarre icy mist around the two of them.
"Cough!" Blood foam overflowed from Andy's mouth, and the ice beneath his feet cracked like a spiderweb.
Kizaru's light sword, however, suddenly softened, transforming into golden chains that wrapped around Zhu Chi's blade.
Hot light particles burned his palm along the hilt, the smell of charring mixed with blood being particularly pungent in the cold air.
In that moment of life and death, a ruthless glint flashed in Andy's eyes. He instantly stored Zhu Chi into his spatial storage, allowing the light chains to pierce his left shoulder, but his right hand, with fingers pressed together like a sword, stabbed towards Kizaru's heart.
The pitch-black Haki condensed at his fingertips tore through the Admiral's coat, carving a deep, bone-revealing gash across the opponent's chest.
Both grunted simultaneously and retreated.
Andy staggered a few steps before stopping, the charred wound on his left shoulder sizzling; Kizaru stroked the wound on his chest, his torn inner shirt revealing skin stained with blood.
"What a desperate fighting style, huh~" Kizaru raised his hand and condensed a new light sword, his tone, however, carrying a hint of respect.
"Admiral Kizaru, do you get paid for this business trip and overtime?" Andy looked at Kizaru with a serious expression, but then suddenly quipped.
The next second, Demon Blade Zhu Chi reappeared in his hand, and a drop of blood dripping from the blade's tip burned a small crimson hole in the ice.
Upon hearing Andy's words, Kizaru's expression stiffened.
Just then, Kizaru's Transponder Snail rang. After some fumbling, he finally found the incessantly ringing Transponder Snail on his wrist.
"Moshi moshi, Borsalino, what's the situation?" Sengoku's voice came from the Transponder Snail.
"It's a bit troublesome, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I won't be able to take him down in a short time," Kizaru replied with a languid expression, scratching his head.
But his attention never wavered for a moment.
"If that's the case, then come back for now.
Queen Ella has already put pressure on the World Government, stating that an Admiral and a pirate engaged in a fierce battle in their Floran Kingdom, causing significant destruction to their Floran Kingdom.
If this spreads across the seas, we, the Marine, will be at a great disadvantage in public opinion, and other allied nations will also become dissatisfied," Sengoku said calmly.
"I understand," Kizaru said, and the Transponder Snail was hung up.
From the direction of the distant palace, hurried footsteps could be heard, as Queen Ella approached with her guard army.
Kizaru glanced at the sky, which was beginning to darken, and his body gradually transformed into light particles: "Next time we meet, I won't go easy on you~"
The final light projectile exploded into a sky full of ice mist, and when the cold dissipated, only Andy's figure remained, leaning on his blade.
"Kizaru… he's really troublesome, huh~" Andy murmured, looking in the direction Kizaru had left.
Just then, Ella arrived in a hurry with the Kingdom Army. Seeing Andy's blood-stained and torn clothes, Queen Ella immediately became anxious.
"Red Hawk must be seriously injured! Quick! Seize this heinous pirate and bring him back to the palace!" Queen Ella cried out urgently.
"Yes, Queen Ella!"
...
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