Aboard the 'Crocodile'.
Foxy lay slumped on the deck in complete despair, looking like a pathetic fox waiting for the executioner's blade. He knew exactly what fate awaited him.
The Marine before him had already shown more than enough strength, and not long ago, Foxy had finally learned his true identity: Marine Admiral Kojin. The legendary Marine who had captured the Pirate King, Roger, and defeated the Golden Lion, Shiki.
How had he never heard of a man like that before? It made no sense! If he had known who this monster was from the start, he never would have ordered his men to open fire. He would have dropped to his knees on the spot and begged for his life.
No one else on the ship paid him any attention; everyone was busy with their own tasks. Fisher Tiger stood at the helm, humming a cheerful tune, clearly in a fantastic mood.
Nearby, Rosinante, Buggy, and Smoker sat cross-legged on the deck, frowning at the cards in their hands, while Doflamingo stood behind Rosinante with an amused smile, peeking at his little brother's hand.
The members of Baroque Works were hard at work cleaning the ship with mops and rags. Daz Bonez carried a bucket of water, his expression shifting constantly. His eyes never left the man sitting casually in a chair just ahead, back turned to him. Respect, excitement, longing, one emotion after another flashed across his face before finally giving way to hesitation, as though he were struggling to make a momentous decision.
Crocodile exhaled a ring of smoke and glanced at Daz Bonez. Seeming to understand exactly what was on the man's mind, a faint smile appeared on his lips, though he said nothing.
Meanwhile, Kuina and Tashigi stood on either side of Kojin, carefully wrapping the wound across his chest.
"How did it feel," Kojin asked with a smile, "facing the world's strongest swordsman?"
The question was clearly directed at Kuina. She trembled slightly, took a deep breath, and answered seriously, "I gained a lot. I finally saw just how wide the gap between us really is. I've sparred with Sensei many times before, but we're master and student, we've always held back to some extent."
Kojin nodded before looking down at her empty waist. "You really do need a famous blade."
Kuina's expression darkened. Having her sword break during a battle against the strongest swordsman was a humiliation, and losing the blade she had used for so many years broke her heart. Finding another famous blade wouldn't be easy, either.
Most weapons of that caliber already belonged to powerful swordsmen, while forging a new one required one of the world's greatest smiths. 'Wado Ichimonji' was one of them... but it already belonged to Zoro.
"I do happen to have two famous blades," Kojin suddenly said.
Kuina's whole body stiffened as she looked at her master with shining eyes. How could she not want a famous blade?
"Though they're in the West Blue."
As he spoke, Kojin turned toward Crocodile. "Crocodile."
Crocodile nodded. "I know what you're thinking. You want to get in touch with the West Blue?"
A nostalgic smile appeared on Kojin's face. "It's been a long time since I've seen Bullet."
"I'll contact him," Crocodile replied.
Among everyone serving under Kojin, only he and Bullet belonged to the same generation. Buggy, Rosinante, Smoker, and the others were all juniors by comparison. If those youngsters tried contacting Bullet, that proud man probably wouldn't even bother answering.
Still smiling, Kojin looked back at Kuina. "Those two blades were once famous throughout the world. After I killed their owners, I left them in the West Blue."
Kuina immediately bowed deeply. "Thank you, Sensei!"
"I've done all I can for you," Kojin said with a smile. "The rest is up to you."
"I won't let you down. I'll become the world's strongest swordsman!" Kuina's voice rang out with determination.
Kojin laughed heartily. "Focus on recovering first."
Kuina nodded solemnly. Her battle against Hawk Eyes Mihawk had left her badly injured. Unlike her master, she didn't possess absurd regenerative abilities; until she healed, her strength would be greatly affected.
---
The sea breeze swept across the deck. For some reason, everyone suddenly felt the temperature drop as a refreshing chill spread through the air.
"Huh? It suddenly got freezing," Bon Kurei muttered from the lookout post. Holding a pair of binoculars, he scanned the distant sea until a strange figure entered his sight.
Across the endless ocean, waves rolled one after another beneath the shimmering sunlight. Every so often, a large fish leaped from the water before splashing back down, sending ripples spreading across the surface. A moment later, two bicycle wheels rolled straight over those ripples.
Wherever they passed, the disturbed water instantly froze, leaving behind a perfectly straight trail of ice stretching across the sea.
Bon Kurei's eyes flew wide open. "My goodness! Someone's riding a bicycle across the ocean!"
His shout immediately caught everyone's attention, and they all turned to look in the direction he was pointing. Soon enough, they saw it clearly: a lone figure calmly riding a bicycle across the sea, leaving behind an endless trail of ice that disappeared into the horizon.
Kojin turned his head toward the side. In that instant, it was as if space itself had been compressed; the distant figure riding across the water suddenly came into perfect focus. A smile appeared on his face.
"Kuzan," he spoke the name softly.
The cyclist gliding over the ocean was none other than Marine Headquarters Admiral Aokiji. At almost the same moment, Kuzan sensed something and slowly turned his head. The instant he saw the figure sitting at the bow of the ship, his pupils shrank. He immediately squeezed the brakes.
The bicycle, which had been moving leisurely, came to a halt on the sea. He looked over at the warship sailing alongside him, taking in the familiar faces standing aboard.
"Well, well..." he muttered to himself before fixing his eyes on Kojin once more. "What an unpleasant reunion."
"Five years... six? No... eight. That's not right either. It's been ten years, hasn't it? I've already forgotten. And it doesn't really matter." Shaking his head, Kuzan's expression turned serious. After a brief pause, he let out a sigh. "I really didn't want to run into you."
The air around him instantly turned freezing cold. An overwhelming wave of frost burst from his body and surged toward the warship ahead.
'Crack... crack...'
The sea froze over. Fish leaping from the water were instantly trapped in ice, becoming frozen sculptures in midair. An icy storm swept across the ocean as the temperature plunged below freezing.
Before anyone aboard the 'Crocodile' could react, a layer of white frost spread across their bodies. Within a single breath, they had all become ice statues. Even Bon Kurei froze solid atop the lookout before he could do anything. In an instant, the entire ship was encased in ice, glittering beneath the sunlight.
"Haa..." Kuzan exhaled a cloud of white mist as cold air swirled around him. One foot rested on the frozen sea while one hand leaned casually against his bicycle's handlebars, his eyes remaining fixed on the frozen warship ahead.
'Crack!'
A faint sound echoed. The ice surrounding Crocodile shattered apart. His expression remained calm as he casually exhaled a puff of smoke. Then Rosinante, Doflamingo, Smoker, Buggy, Kuina, and the others broke free from their icy prisons one after another.
A cold wind swept across the frozen sea, carrying flurries of white snow.
"That's a pretty rude way to say hello, Kuzan," a voice full of amusement rang out.
Still sitting in his chair, Kojin gave a slight shake, and the snow clinging to his clothes vanished. From beginning to end, he hadn't been frozen by the cold at all.
"Hm? And who might you be?" Kuzan replied with exaggerated surprise. "All I see is a ship full of vicious pirates."
Kojin burst into laughter as he slowly stood up. "You've forgotten me? That's fine. I'll make sure you remember."
The moment he finished speaking, he stepped forward.
'Whoosh!'
A streak of blue lightning flashed across the frozen sea, instantly crossing the distance between them. In the blink of an eye, Kojin was already standing before Kuzan, his tall, powerful figure emerging from the lightning. Without any fancy moves, he simply threw a straight punch at Kuzan's face.
"You really don't hold back," Kuzan muttered. His right fist tightened, Armament Haki coating it before he swung just as ruthlessly toward Kojin's face.
'Boom!'
The two punches collided at the exact same moment, merging into a single, deafening impact. Both men shuddered, their feet sliding slightly across the ice. A moment later, Kuzan was forced backward, blood trickling from his nose.
Kojin grinned. "Not bad. You've gotten stronger."
Kuzan wiped away the blood from his face and answered with a serious look, "So have you." Inside, though, he couldn't help but grumble. 'This monster actually got even stronger...'
"I heard you and Garp-sensei used battleships as punching bags," Kojin said as he burst forward again. "You even spent some time training the Rokushiki. You weren't this strong back then. Looks like you haven't slacked off all these years."
In an instant, he was right in front of Aokiji. He leaped high into the air and slammed another punch downward. Kuzan flashed aside, narrowly dodging the attack.
'Boom!'
The frozen sea exploded beneath the blow. The ice within a radius of nearly a kilometer caved in, crackling with arcs of electricity.
"That's the strength of a wild beast," Kuzan muttered, his eyes narrowing in amazement. "I'd really like to know how someone like you trains."
That had only been a probing attack using nothing but raw physical strength, yet it had produced such terrifying destructive power. He bent slightly at the waist and suddenly blew out a sharp breath.
"Whoosh!"
The moisture in the air instantly condensed into countless razor-sharp ice blades, which shot toward Kojin.
Kojin laughed loudly and stomped the frozen sea beneath him.
"Lion Majesty: Royal Ground Roll!"
(End of Chapter)
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