"Aokiji~" Leo's gaze shifted to the Admiral, looking him over with interest. Until now, he'd never paid Leo much mind. Whether as Shiki's successor or the man who killed Crocodile, none of it had sparked his interest. Until... he saw Robin.
"Aokiji, are you just passing through, or did you come specifically for us?!" Leo greeted him with a cheerful laugh. Despite their opposing sides, Leo had a decent impression of the Admiral. He was one of the few Marines Leo actually liked.
Aokiji was taken aback, looking at Leo in surprise. He knew his identity, yet was so calm? Were rookie pirates this bold nowadays?!
"Of course, I'm here to take you all in. Especially..." Aokiji's tone turned lazy again, his eyes drifting unconsciously toward Robin.
Robin's pupils constricted, her face pale. If Aokiji captured her and handed her over to the World Government, her fate was unimaginable.
"Aokiji..."
"Robin!" Nami clenched her fists, instinctively stepping in front of Robin. "Trust Leo. He would never leave a single crew member behind."
"That's right, Sister Robin. We won't let anyone take you away," Kaya declared, her small face filled with determination. She was no mere花瓶 (ornament) now.
Robin was deeply moved. Even facing a Marine Admiral, everyone still protected her.
Leo took Robin's hand, comforting her gently. "Don't worry. None of you will be hurt." He turned to the others. "Nami, take everyone back to the ship. I'll be right there."
"Leo, I'll help you fight him!!"
"And me!!"
"Us too!!"
Nami refused, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Leo. The other girls echoed her support, over a dozen pale arms now coated in the black sheen of Armament Haki.
Leo sighed inwardly. Haven't spoiled them for nothing. Unfortunately, facing Aokiji, numbers were useless. Even Nami, their strongest fighter, was still significantly outmatched.
"Nami, take them back." Leo's tone hardened.
Nami bit her lower lip, giving Leo a complicated look. The next second, she hesitated no longer, summoning a cloud of island to carry the women up into the sky.
Aokiji didn't stop them, letting the women leave.
Leo chuckled softly. "You never really intended to take Robin back, did you?!"
Aokiji glanced at Robin on the cloud, his face impassive. "Capturing you is enough. As for them... they're not much of a threat."
Still putting on an act. A tough exterior but a soft heart.
"Perfect. I've been itching for a fight lately. Sparring with a Marine Admiral sounds good. How about we stop when one of us yields?" Leo looked at Aokiji, a grin on his face.
In truth, he could teleport away right now. But constant evasion wasn't a solution. Once they reached the New World and he aimed to recruit women from the major powers, he would have to face Admirals and Yonko-level opponents. Only through repeated battles could he fully integrate all his abilities. He also wanted to know how he currently measured up against an Admiral. Aokiji would be the perfect whetstone.
Aokiji looked at Leo, speechless. Kid, you're young and brash, no idea what a Marine Admiral truly represents. Stop when one yields?! I could end you in one move.
"Leo, pay for your arrogance!!"
"Ice Saber!!!"
A terrifying cold erupted from Aokiji's body, sweeping out like a hurricane.
Crackle~
Crackle~
The frigid air spread, freezing pirate ship after pirate ship solid, turning them into vessels of ice.
Aokiji crossed his arms, watching Leo calmly. Since becoming an Admiral, he'd captured at least a dozen pirates like Leo. Being able to defeat Crocodile meant he had some skill, but it wasn't enough.
"Freeze-Freeze Fruit powers?!" Leo frowned, feeling the temperature plummet. As expected of a Marine Admiral, a casual move is a large-scale area-of-effect attack.
But~
RUMBLE~
Huh?!
Just as Aokiji expected Leo to be frozen into an ice sculpture, his expression shifted dramatically. To his disbelief, arcs of silvery-white electricity materialized around Leo's body, dancing wildly.
"Lightning?!" Aokiji facepalmed, annoyed. "The Marines' intel on you is still far too lacking." One moment he thought Leo was a Cloud-Cloud Fruit user. The power of clouds and the power of lightning were worlds apart.
"Knowing now isn't too late." Leo flashed Aokiji a fierce grin.
"It seems I'll have to get a bit more serious. Ice Ball!!!"
As he spoke, five long pillars of ice shot from Aokiji's palm at lightning speed toward Leo. The very air along their path froze solid.
"Thunderbolt!!"
Leo pressed his palm down sharply. Guided by his Observation Haki, the silvery lightning struck the incoming ice pillars with pinpoint accuracy.
BOOM~
BOOM~
The ice pillars shattered one after another, the powerful shockwaves churning the air, sending shards of ice raining to the ground.
"Bwahahaha... My turn!!"
Leo laughed loudly, compressing the lightning around him to its limit while infusing it with Armament Haki, condensing it into an ultra-high-density beam of lightning before his chest.
"Aokiji, try this! Divine Lightning Beam!!"
A dazzling pillar of light that stole the brilliance from the very sky, carrying annihilating power, shot toward Aokiji at extreme speed.
"Huh?!" Aokiji's expression finally changed, his Observation Haki screaming warnings frantically inside him. Danger!!
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!!!"
Aokiji reacted with incredible speed. As the lightning beam shot toward him, the cold air in front of his chest rapidly condensed, and he hurled it forward.
ROAR~
A giant ice pheasant took flight, roaring as it charged the lightning beam, leaving a trail of frost in the air.
The next instant, the two attacks met mid-air, entwining and consuming each other.
BOOM!!
A violent explosion shook the heavens. Lightning ravaged the ice pheasant. The ice pheasant fought back desperately, devouring the lightning. After a few seconds of stalemate, the lightning beam and the giant ice pheasant canceled each other out, both dissipating.
Leo's face remained neutral, but he sighed inwardly. His lightning should naturally counter ice, and his mastery wasn't low. The Divine Lightning Beam was one of his killer moves. Under normal circumstances, it shouldn't be an even match. The only explanation was his current Haki level was too low. Although it had reached an intermediate stage, it was still slightly inferior to Aokiji's, honed over decades. The wise words of "Teacher Kaido" surfaced in his mind again. It seems I'll only pose a threat to peak fighters like Aokiji after mastering internal destruction with Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki infusion.
For a moment, Leo felt frustrated. With so many abilities, it all still came down to Haki as the foundation.
"Huh?" Sensing Leo's fighting spirit receding rapidly, Aokiji frowned slightly. He hasn't even finished warming up. Giving up already?!
"Leo, planning to surrender?" Aokiji let his hands hang naturally, walking toward Leo.
Leo chuckled and shook his head, his interest waning. "Aokiji, if I want to leave, you can't stop me." He paused, looking seriously at Aokiji, enunciating each word clearly. "And... we are not enemies."
"Let's go!!!"
As the words left his mouth, Leo's figure vanished without warning.
Huh?!
Aokiji looked up at the sky. The flying ship traced a parabolic arc and whooshed out of sight beyond the horizon.
"Ah啦啦~ Looks like the mission failed." Aokiji scratched his head awkwardly. Leaving just like that? He really doesn't take this Admiral seriously. Remembering Leo's speed, he frowned deeply. That instantaneous burst was faster than Kizaru with his Glint-Glint Fruit. Absurd. Is this the standard for rookies now?!
"Gonna get chewed out again~" Reluctantly, Aokiji pulled the Den Den Mushi from his pocket and dialed Sengoku's number.
Marine Headquarters, Conference Room.
"What did you say?? Leo escaped?!!" Sengoku's face darkened as he listened to Aokiji's report. He was already planning Aokiji's victory celebration, and now this?!
"A Marine Admiral let Leo get away? Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?" Sengoku was furious.
The Den Den Mushi shrugged, perfectly mimicking Aokiji's innocent expression. "Fleet Admiral, hear me out..." Aokiji then relayed all the abilities Leo had displayed during their brief clash.
"Lightning power? Instantaneous speed faster than Kizaru?!" Sengoku was shocked. Aokiji, as a Marine Admiral, wouldn't lie. That meant their previous intel on Leo was completely wrong?!
Sengoku rubbed his temples in frustration. What the hell is the intelligence department doing?!
"So that's how it is," many Vice Admirals murmured in understanding. They had found it strange that a Cloud-Cloud Fruit user could kill Crocodile. But if it was lightning, that made sense. After all, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was renowned as the most destructive Logia-type Devil Fruit.
"Aokiji, where is Leo heading now?!" Sengoku pressed urgently.
Aokiji was taken aback. The Den Den Mushi shook its head. "Fleet Admiral, I only saw the ship heading roughly toward Enies Lobby, but..."
Enies Lobby?! Sengoku's heart sank. Is Leo going there for retaliation?! We can't take that risk!
"Kizaru! Garp! Take a few Vice Admirals and head to Enies Lobby immediately," Sengoku ordered, his gaze sharp and deadly serious. "If Leo doesn't show up, fine. But if you encounter him, you must bring him back. If this mission fails again, you know the consequences." He looked pointedly at Kizaru as he spoke. This guy was notorious for slacking off during missions. As for Garp, he wasn't worried. He had a personal vendetta against Leo!
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Kizaru shed his usual nonchalance. "Don't worry, Fleet Admiral. Mission guaranteed," he responded seriously. Marine Admiral Kizaru was officially on duty.
"WAHAHAHA! Sengoku, just wait here. If I run into that brat, I'll definitely drag him back!" Garp laughed, clashing his fists together.
Sengoku nodded. No one on the seas could withstand the combined force of Kizaru and Garp. Now, he almost hoped Leo would go to Enies Lobby, so they could wipe out his crew in one fell swoop.
"Aokiji, you go to Enies Lobby too. Regroup with them and return together."
"Understood."
In Water Seven, Aokiji looked at the slumped Den Den Mushi with a pained expression. Another day, another dollar. If Leo really goes to Enies Lobby, there's only one outcome: being thrown into the impenetrable Impel Down. He paused. Wait... and Robin. Aokiji slapped his forehead, quickly mounted his bicycle, and pedaled furiously toward Enies Lobby.
Meanwhile, following the original plan, the flying ship's next destination was indeed Enies Lobby.
On the deck, the women swarmed Leo the moment he returned.
"Leo! Are you okay?!" Vivi circled him, checking for injuries.
"A Marine Admiral came... I was so scared," Makino said, patting her chest in relief.
Nami let out a sigh of relief. "You're back safe." Despite their usual bickering, she knew she couldn't live without him now.
"Captain, did Aokiji hurt you?!" Robin looked at Leo, full of guilt. It was all because of her.
"I'm fine, don't worry." Leo gave them a reassuring look. He had a faint feeling that after seeing Robin, Aokiji's hostility toward him had lessened considerably.
"You all rest up. I'm going to check on Kalifa." After instructing the women, Leo entered the room where Kalifa was being held.
"You sexually-harassing bastard, untie me this instant!!" Kalifa shouted angrily. Her wrists were bruised from the cloud restraints.
Leo ignored her protests, walking up to her and summoning a Submission Brand in his palm. He didn't have time to slowly win over Marine and World Government agents. The Brand was simple, crude, and effective.
"You... what are you doing?!"
Under Kalifa's terrified gaze, Leo pressed his hand to her forehead with practiced ease. With his previous experience, the process was even smoother. Combined with Kalifa's weaker willpower, after a brief period of shifting expressions, a dark shadow flitted through her pupils. When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was clear.
"Captain, aren't you going to untie me? How long do you plan to keep me locked up?!" A seductive voice escaped her lips as Kalifa looked at Leo with a埋怨 (complaining) gaze. Keeping her locked up for so long, without a hint of怜香惜玉 (cherishing the fairer sex). Wait... Why did she feel absolutely no hatred for Leo, even though he'd imprisoned her? Seeing him, all she felt was an urge to submit and obey.
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully recruited crew member Kalifa. Claim your reward?!!]
While releasing the cloud restraints, Leo mentally confirmed, "Claim."
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the personal strength reward: Internal Destruction (Armament Haki).]
??
Leo froze. Did the system just peek at my fight with Aokiji?! Ask and you shall receive?! It wasn't speaking it into existence, but thinking it into existence. He left too early. I wonder if Aokiji is still gone? Is it too late to go back for a rematch?!
As the system notification faded, Leo felt a surge of power flood his limbs. It felt as if this power had always been hidden deep within him, only now fully awakening.
"Captain, what are you thinking about?!" Seeing Leo呆呆 (spaced out), Kalifa waved her slender hand in front of his face.
Leo remained motionless. She followed his gaze downward, landing directly on her ample D-cup assets.
Kalifa's face flushed red as she shot Leo a coquettish glare. Is this my future captain?! So lewd.
Leo cried injustice internally. He was busy sensing the new power within him; he had no time to stare at her chest! Only when the strange sensation subsided did Leo snap back to reality.
He raised his right arm and focused his mind.
Hum~
A flowing, crimson substance instantly coated his arm.
"Ryou?!" Leo frowned, unconsciously uttering the term. But this was just the Wano name for it; it was simply the Internal Destruction application of Armament Haki. More lethal, more destructive! With Ryou, he wouldn't be helpless against top-tier fighters like Aokiji in the future. Before this, while he wouldn't lose, winning would have been very difficult.
Leo lifted Kalifa's chin, looking down at her, a playful smirk curling his lips. "You've given me quite a pleasant surprise."
A flicker of panic crossed Kalifa's face. "Captain, you... this is sexual harassment!!"
"Go take a shower and wait for me in your room." After giving the order, Leo teleported directly to the deck, looking down at the island below.
Enies Lobby. They had arrived.
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T/N :
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