The blooming ice lotus exuded a breathtaking, terrifying radiance. Vice Admiral Stainless charged forward in a swift dual-blade assault, only to meet Shiraishi—who also held twin blades—head-on.
Guided by Observation Haki and fueled by endless freezing power, their weapons clashed with a resounding boom, sending a surge of bone-chilling frost straight into Stainless's body.
As a veteran Vice Admiral, Stainless's expression turned grim. In that brief exchange, countless freezing currents had pierced his skin, causing a noticeable delay in his neural reflexes. What kind of Mythical Zoan is this? How can its absolute cold be this terrifying?
Lotus Dance: Instant Flash Kill!
As their blades ground against each other, Stainless could clearly feel the ice crystals emitted by the young man rapidly expanding into freezing currents, wreaking havoc inside his blood vessels and meridians.
Despite having wrapped himself in Armament Haki, he was still impacted—a testament to how refined Shiraishi's Devil Fruit mastery was.
Is this guy truly just a greenhorn pirate making his debut?
Realizing Shiraishi's overwhelming dominance, Stainless swung his twin blades down in a rapid arc, but Shiraishi soared back into the sky. Snow and ice showered down like a dense, relentless storm.
Suddenly, a razor-sharp gleam flashed from behind. Shiraishi swiftly snapped his ice wings around, blocking a surprise attack from Vice Admiral Doberman!
"Surprise attacks aren't very polite, you know."
"For pirates, politeness is unnecessary—there is only execution!"
"That certainly makes sense..."
In a blur, Shiraishi materialized directly behind Doberman. Simultaneously, his numerous ice wings disintegrated into a storm of icy feathers that shot out in every direction. As Doberman hastily swung his blade to parry and dodge, Shiraishi—transformed into a blue frost bird—exuded an undeniably tyrannical aura.
The raging frost swept across the frozen sea, merging with the blizzard above to form a terrifying winter offensive. While Doberman poured all his effort into resisting the extreme cold, Shiraishi unleashed his true hidden killer move!
With a flick of his finger, Shiraishi seamlessly swapped to Nihilego's power. Concentrating a massive amount of toxin onto his fingertips, Shiraishi dropped into a low crouch and lunged forward with blinding speed, executing a One-Finger Spear strike!
BOOM!
The instant Shiraishi's finger pierced the side of Doberman's torso, a heavy dose of neurotoxin flooded his system, seizing control of his neural cells and causing the Vice Admiral's face to twist in shock.
The neurotoxin rapidly commandeered the Marine Vice Admiral's body. By deliberately concealing his secondary Fruit ability, Shiraishi had caught Doberman completely off guard.
"Doberman! What are you doing?!"
His eyes bloodshot and crazed, Doberman drew his longsword and began slashing wildly at the surrounding Marines, throwing the Marine ranks into total chaos. His blade went on a rampage, cutting down several of his own men in seconds.
"What did you do to me?!"
Compared to Stainless's caution, Doberman was far more reckless, allowing Shiraishi's neurotoxin to take hold. However, as an elite Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters, Doberman's Armament Haki offered a degree of resistance against such status abilities, allowing him to regain his senses shortly after.
Looking at the bodies of his fallen subordinates strewn across the ice, Doberman froze in complete disbelief.
Shiraishi let out a mocking laugh: "How foolish... slaying your own men..."
"Pirate... keep your mouth shut!"
Seeing his colleague lose his composure and charge at Shiraishi once more, Stainless knew Doberman had been completely goaded: "Doberman, you need to calm down!"
As Doberman came rushing in with wild blade swings, Shiraishi stepped forward. The clash between his silver blade and Doberman's sword lasted only a fraction of a second, yet to Doberman, it felt like an eternity.
The residual Nihilego toxins inside his body flared back to life, erupting into a wave of terrifying purple energy that thoroughly corroded his nervous system.
Paralyzed once more, Doberman was defenseless as Shiraishi blasted a surge of icy energy straight into his chest.
He felt rolling currents of extreme cold pour into his body, freezing his arms solid in an instant before sweeping across his entire frame. It felt as though he were standing stark naked in sub-zero blizzard conditions, enduring a freezing night.
Involuntary tremors wracked his body, his lips turning a deep shade of purple as a single, overwhelming thought echoed in his mind:
So cold...!
Doberman's teeth chattered uncontrollably. He felt his core body temperature plummeting at an alarming rate, his heart beating violently in a desperate attempt to resist the invading frost.
Before anyone realized it, a brilliant silver light condensed on Shiraishi's finger—Articuno's ultimate technique, a truly fatal, terrifying strike.
"Absolute Zero!"
With a low roar, Doberman was completely encased in a massive block of ice.
In that exact instant, Vice Admiral Garp—who was rushing toward the scene at high speed—watched in utter disbelief.
Underneath the ice, Doberman attempted to break free, but under the terrifying power of Absolute Zero, his body rapidly settled into an eerie, motionless state.
Doberman's heart had stopped beating!
"Brat, you've gone too far!"
Having taken down Doberman with a single strike, Shiraishi didn't halt his offensive. Freezing the surrounding water vapor, he turned the falling snowflakes into razor-sharp crystals, momentarily bringing the world to a standstill. Swelling the muscles in his arm, he swung a heavy, upward fist like someone heaving a massive weight, meeting Garp's incoming punch head-on!
Hardened Frost Punch!
A terrifying shockwave of freezing air exploded in mid-air...
Garp looked like a furious wild beast, delivering a enraged, downward hammer-fist. Wrapped in invisible Haki that demonstrated the absolute pinnacle of his mastery—requiring no visible black hardening—he unleashed a raw, devastating punch.
Where their fists collided, a brief, misty haze blurred the air as white frost turned into a thin fog. Both men trembled visibly from the sheer impact, their facial muscles twitching under the strain.
In terms of pure Haki, Garp undeniably overwhelmed Shiraishi. However, the terrifying frost emanating from Shiraishi's body forced even Garp to exhale a cloud of freezing vapor.
Watching this play out, countless Marines stared in absolute shock. In their minds, Vice Admiral Garp was invincible—yet his full-force, rage-fueled punch had just been forcefully blocked?!
After being pushed back by the force of the collision, Shiraishi used the momentum to leap backward. As he did, a surge of golden light erupted from Nihilego's power, shaping itself into a golden dragon of pure venom.
The liquid gold dragon lunged violently toward Stainless. Stainless executed a specialized defense pattern with his dual blades, but beneath the dragon's assault lay a true, hidden killing intent.
The golden dragon detonated mid-flight, scattering a rain of toxic liquid. Stainless spun his twin blades to deflect the spray, only to discover that the toxin could invade through the air itself!
As the potent neurotoxin entered his system, Stainless's face twitched violently before he collapsed unconscious onto the ice. His nearby subordinates scrambled forward, hurriedly lifting Vice Admiral Stainless's unconscious body and carrying him away from the battlefield.
In a matter of minutes, two Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals had been effortlessly neutralized—and the pirate captain had even traded a direct blow with Garp?!
Who on earth is this Aoki Shiraishi? How can someone be this terrifying?!
"Heh... brat, it seems this old man underestimated you, kids. So, are you ready for the real fight now?"
Thick clouds of smoke rolled off Garp's fists, signaling that "Fist" Garp was unleashing an unprecedented, terrifying stance. An endless torrent of Haki surged forth from every direction!