Far from the bustling town of Ambri Island, on a desolate beach by the sea, Aokiji stood alone, waiting quietly. The sea breeze ruffled his white suit vest, making it flap in the wind.
A short while later, a violent wave of air roared from behind him, blowing the sand at his feet into undulating waves. Aokiji's eyes instantly sharpened. He didn't turn around, but simply said in his characteristic lazy tone, "He's here."
Takero's figure flew in from a distance, finally hovering in the air in front of him. He looked down at the Marine, who seemed to have been waiting for a long time, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Not running anymore?"
"Oh, well… no matter how fast I run," Aokiji said calmly, looking up, "…I can't outrun you, young man."
"That's certainly true," Takero nodded in agreement, a look of 'you're smart' on his face. "Your unfortunate colleague who only knows how to glow thought he could escape from me, too. In the end, he didn't get away."
Aokiji didn't have to ask who the "unfortunate colleague" was. He knew Takero was referring to Admiral Kizaru, who had been requesting paid leave every single day since returning from the North Blue, citing "immense psychological trauma."
"Speaking of which," Takero asked with interest, "why are you here this time? You people are always fixated on my territory. Don't you think it's annoying?"
"No comment," Aokiji replied indifferently. He then looked at Takero with a strange gaze and added, "But didn't I tell you last time? As long as that woman, Nico Robin, is by your side, and as long as you're trying to uncover the truth of the Void Century… the World Government will never let you go." He paused, his tone becoming even more playful. "Besides, with all the earth-shattering chaos you've caused in the North Blue these past few years… do you really think those old men in Mary Geoise would ignore you?"
"They're very concerned about you now. So concerned that they can't even sleep well."
Takero thought about it and realized he was right. It seemed to be the same in every world. As soon as powerful rulers perceive any sign that the people below might threaten their rule, they will use every method possible to completely eradicate that threat. At the moment, however, Takero didn't want to think about such complex matters.
He grinned, showing Aokiji a mischievous, childlike smile that was full of ill intent. "Since you dared to stop me here alone, you must have a lot of confidence in yourself."
"Oh, come on. What a joke," Aokiji immediately waved his hand, a helpless expression on his face. "When it comes to facing a monster like you, I have no confidence at all."
"But…" His eyes instantly turned cold and sharp. "…I do have a little confidence in stalling for time!"
"Ice Age!!!"
He held nothing back, slamming one hand down onto the beach beneath his feet.
"Crack! Crunch—!!!"
A terrifying wave of cold air, powerful enough to freeze the entire sea, instantly spread out from him like a white tide of death. Within a few breaths, the entire coastline and even the vast, boundless sea were completely covered by a layer of crystal-clear solid ice several meters thick. The biting cold felt like it could freeze a person's very soul.
Takero, suspended in mid-air, was instantly enveloped by the terrifying cold of absolute zero, transforming into a lifelike human ice sculpture.
"Hmph…" Aokiji slowly exhaled a plume of white air. Unleashing his most powerful technique without reservation had taken a toll on him, but the result was good. He looked at the huge ice sculpture frozen in mid-air and said to himself, "This should be able to stall him for a while, right?"
But in the very next moment… "Shh… rustle…"
Several extremely subtle cracking sounds, like a spreading spiderweb, suddenly came from within the giant ice sculpture.
"What?!" Aokiji's pupils contracted.
He watched in disbelief as the layer of solid ice on Takero's body—ice strong enough to freeze a volcano—began to crack inch by inch from the inside. Then, under Aokiji's horrified gaze, Takero merely moved his body casually.
"Crack—BOOM!!!"
All the ice covering him shattered like fragile glass, falling away in an instant. He was completely unharmed. Aokiji's full-power, ultimate attack hadn't stalled him for even a few seconds.
"Hmm, not bad," Takero said, crossing his arms and feeling the cool air. He nodded in satisfaction. "This temperature is just right. Very refreshing. Natural air conditioning is much more comfortable than those broken machines from Germa."
He looked at the completely stunned Marine and grinned.
"Alright, the appetizer is over. Do you have any other moves? Hurry up and use them all. Otherwise…"
Aokiji felt as if his heart was suddenly gripped by an invisible giant hand. A cold, ominous feeling rose within him.
'This time… it's bad!'
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