"Ice Spike Cross!"
The moisture in the air condensed into two sharp ice spikes, stabbing at Borsalino from different directions. After their collision, the ice didn't shatter from the impact but instead formed into an ice cross.
Sharp ice spikes protruded from Borsalino's chest, making it seem as if he had been skewered like a gourd.
"Kuzan... you're really ruthless, going so hard on me..."
In mid-air, Borsalino weakly raised his arm, disbelief in his eyes.
Unwilling to fathom how a former comrade could be so ruthless, with no consideration for the past, and with a hint of regret.
"Stop acting. If you love acting so much, why not just quit?"
Looking at the frail Borsalino, who seemed on the verge of death, Kuzan's expression didn't change; if anything, the frost on his face grew even colder.
At this moment, he had already approached Borsalino, swinging his right hand toward Borsalino's face.
"Ice Capsule!"
The sharp cold surged toward Borsalino, quickly creating an ice sculpture in Borsalino's shape on the cross, but this sculpture was just a shell. As soon as Kuzan's ability began, Borsalino had already elementalized and moved to a safe area.
As Borsalino disappeared, the ice cross created by Kuzan began to fall. Ice cannot fly. Kuzan's Fezanto Bekku and two ice spikes could hover in the air only due to his ability, but that was only for a short time, not permanently.
The ice cross hovered in mid-air because of Borsalino's ability, avoiding damage through elementalization, pretending to be pierced, then putting on a show before Kuzan.
A large amount of cold current swelled from beneath Kuzan's feet, further lowering the surrounding temperature.
The falling cross was re-frozen during its descent, allowing Kuzan to stand atop the tall ice pillar he created, level with the airborne Borsalino.
"It's been so long, and you're still like this, Borsalino."
"Same to you, you know, Sakazuki recently got a tattoo. You've left quite a few scars on him, huh?"
"Compared to my leg, those scars are nothing, right?"
Kuzan tugged up his pant leg, revealing an ice prosthetic beneath. Unlike the elementalized body, the sunlight was reflected off the smooth ice leg visible even on Borsalino's sunglasses.
"Maybe so, but Kuzan, what exactly are you trying to do?"
Borsalino's voice still carried a hint of playfulness, but knowing him well, Kuzan understood that Borsalino was getting serious. Before Kuzan could speak, Borsalino transformed into a dazzling light.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Dense laser beams shot in all directions. Vegapunk's Sea Beast Weapons suffered the unfortunate disaster, having been frozen by Kuzan and now bombarded into pieces by Borsalino's laser; even if they could thaw, they were already scrapped.
Under the intensive firepower, the giant robot piloted by Lilith remained unscathed and even started to thaw under the high temperatures from the laser explosions.
Though seemingly lacking precision, Borsalino's attack was very controlled. He could accurately turn someone into a sieve or avoid them entirely even with thousands of shots, showing the meticulous Magatama.
As the machine thawed, the internal systems of the robot began to operate again. The temperature in the cockpit rose, allowing the ice-sculpted Lilith to regain her freedom.
"Phew... was it Aokiji? How could he be here? It seems that this robot's system is still not perfect, being directly frozen like this; I'll have to enhance it later..."
From the internal monitors, Lilith had already seen the people fighting outside and saw several Sea Beasts being shot to pieces by Kizaru's attack.
"Hey, hey! Be more careful! Those are all funded items! If they're damaged, you'll have to reimburse me!"
Vegapunk has always been short on funding. Although he created six avatars, they have their independent consciousness. Lilith, representing evil, had the least concerns about rules and such.
Among the many Vegapunks, she cared most about funding.
After all, the World Government isn't entirely foolish. They fund Vegapunk to hope he can research things beneficial to them.
Peacekeepers and Dragons are the kinds of weapons they need.
But Vegapunk himself dislikes researching large-scale destructive weapons; his ideal is to create a sustainable eternal energy for all humanity.
Whether it's island-wide air conditioning or food manufacturing machines, these were products made during this process, and the funding came naturally from skimming off the World Government.
However, 99% of what Vegapunk makes cannot be mass-produced due to technical issues, leaving him the sole manufacturer, which means he can't directly profit from his inventions, and funding is always insufficient.
Lilith robs nearby pirates for funding every day and feels heartbroken seeing the Sea Beast Weapons completely scrapped by Kizaru.
Lilith's voice echoed through the loudspeaker into Kuzan and Borsalino's ears, yet neither paid it any mind.
"Kuzan, it seems that ice and light can't determine a victor."
"That's not important. Just stay here and catch up with me."
It's difficult for Logia-type Ability Users to determine a victor, especially for the stronger ones, but Kuzan's goal wasn't to win. Once Shaina and the others finish their tasks, this operation would naturally end.
"As much as I'd like to, I can't, Kuzan. Since you've made this choice, we're now enemies. Yata no Kagami."
Transforming into a flash of light, Borsalino refracted multiple times, not intending to fight Kuzan. His mission was to protect Vegapunk, and nothing else mattered.
Like Vegapunk's avatar, Lilith's ultimate fate was not something Borsalino was interested in.
Besides Kuzan, two other dangerous people had already stormed Aeghede. He needed to resolve that issue, though he didn't know the Hundred Beasts' intentions for being there. Most of the time, going against the enemy's plans was correct.
If there was no other way, then his mission... might become killing Vegapunk. Anyone who can't be controlled must not fall into the enemy's hands.
Having temporarily shaken off Kuzan, Kizaru picked up his Radio Snail to notify the Headquarter. One Kuzan was enough to keep him busy; adding Shaina and Zeraora, he couldn't handle it alone.
But oddly enough, his Radio Snail couldn't receive any signal at all.
"Strange, I didn't use the bugged Radio Snail this time; why can't I get through?"
Borsalino indeed has a quirk for using the black Radio Snail for communication, but that's more of a persona he created for himself. By often using the wrong Radio Snail, he could provide a reasonable explanation when others couldn't reach him.
At critical moments, he could still distinguish between a normal Radio Snail and a bugged one, but no matter how many times he tried, all he got from the Radio Snail's receiver was a busy signal.