Chapter 262: The Straw Hat Crew, Each and Every One Loyal and Righteous!
To be honest, Kuzan truly didn't take the Straw Hat Crew seriously.
In his impression, his combat power was overwhelmingly superior to that of the Straw Hat Pirates.
His purpose in coming here today was to see how the little girl he had spared all those years ago was doing now.
Whether the Straw Hat Crew were a group of worthy companions to entrust her to.
Overall, after his assessment, they were doing quite well so far!
As expected of Garp's granddaughter, the pirate crew she leads!
Each and every one of them is full of loyalty and righteousness!
But since this is a test, he had to get a bit serious!
Thinking this, Kuzan bent down and plucked a handful of grass from the ground.
His freezing ability activated.
The blades of grass were instantly covered in a layer of ice, forming an ice sword.
Using grass as the core, ice as the blade.
Zoro's eyes immediately lit up.
"A Marine Admiral who uses a sword?"
He took a step forward, "Couldn't slay a god on Skypiea, but slaying an Admiral isn't bad either!"
Three Sword Style, swords drawn.
Sanji moved almost simultaneously.
How could he lose to Zoro?
The two of them charged at Kuzan from left and right.
Zoro's slashes were imbued with Armament Haki, and Sanji's kicks were similarly coated with Haki.
Their attacks arrived almost at the same time.
Kuzan's pupils contracted slightly.
The strength of these two exceeded his expectations.
As expected of Garp's granddaughter, were all the crew members she led of this caliber?
It seemed he had to treat them a bit more seriously!
Instantly, he coated his ice sword with Haki, raising it to block Zoro's slash.
But Sanji's kick struck the side of the ice sword, the force shaking his arm.
The ice sword flew out of his hand.
Yet Kuzan wasn't flustered in the slightest.
Because this was merely a deliberate opening he had revealed.
His now-free hand grabbed Zoro's sword-wielding arm, while his other hand seized Sanji's kicking leg.
A burst of cold erupted.
The expressions on both Zoro and Sanji's faces changed simultaneously.
Their Armament Haki could block slashes, could block bullets, but it couldn't block this pervasive, invasive cold.
Ice began spreading from the points where they were grabbed. In the blink of an eye, their arms and calves were frozen solid.
Just as Ralph had once complained.
Haki is strong, but it can't block Ace's fire, and naturally, it can't block Aokiji's cold either.
Haki can enhance defense, but elemental advantages and disadvantages still exist.
Aokiji's cold, Akainu's magma, Kizaru's lasers—these couldn't be blocked by their current level of Haki.
Of course, except for those with freakishly powerful Haki.
Just as Kuzan's arms were occupied, leaving his center wide open, Lufia's powerful, Haki-coated fist struck toward his midsection.
If Kuzan continued holding Zoro and Sanji, he would definitely be hit.
But letting go was already too late.
Because he felt a chill on his neck.
Tilting his head slightly, he caught a glimpse of that Nameless Ralph, who had somehow flashed behind him without him noticing.
Transforming his palm into a blade, a single horizontal slash aimed at his neck.
Damn, that's ruthless!
Bang!
Before the fist and hand blade could make contact, Kuzan's body exploded into a shower of shattered ice.
Lufia's punch hit empty air, causing her to stumble a step.
Ralph's hand blade also sliced through nothing.
The two of them turned their heads.
Kuzan's figure reformed in another direction.
Gathering from ice crystals, he appeared before Robin.
Robin reacted quickly, crossing her arms.
"Seis Fleur—"
But her attacks were ineffective against a Logia.
Her arms, lacking Haki, simply passed through Kuzan's body, scattering a few ice shards.
Kuzan merely gently embraced her.
Cold spread.
Robin began freezing from the point of contact, rapidly spreading across her entire body.
She didn't even have time to make a sound before she turned into an ice sculpture.
"Robin!"
Lufia's eyes turned red.
Her fist was about to strike again.
Ralph grabbed her.
"Don't touch her!"
"Robin can still be saved. If you attack now and shatter her, she'll truly die."
Lufia froze, her fist hanging in mid-air.
Kuzan glanced at Ralph again.
This guy... how does he always manage to anticipate my thoughts?
Kuzan raised his fist, aiming at the ice sculpture.
"That's right! Just one punch like this, and Robin will never recover."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kuzan's fist shot toward Robin.
And Lufia charged forward.
Not to attack.
But to rescue.
She threw herself beside Robin, skidding to a sudden stop, using her rubber body as a cushion to lay the ice sculpture flat.
Usopp and Chopper rushed over, lifted the ice sculpture, and ran toward the Going Merry.
"Leave it to us!"
Usopp shouted, "Robin will be fine!!"
Chopper nodded frantically.
Kuzan did not stop them.
He watched the group's reaction, his expression somewhat complicated.
Then he looked around and realized he was surrounded by four people.
Ralph, Lufia, Zoro, Sanji.
Zoro and Sanji were severely frostbitten, but they gritted their teeth and stood their ground, refusing to fall.
Zoro held his sword with his still-functional left hand, while Sanji switched legs to support his body and maintain balance.
The four of them had him surrounded.
No, not just four.
In the sky, a small thundercloud had formed at some point.
Kuzan looked up.
Nami stood in the distance, holding her improved Clima-Tact.
At the tip of the staff, a ball of lightning was gathering.
The new-style Clima-Tact, modified with Sky Island Dials, was being used by Nami today!
Kuzan raised an eyebrow.
This little pirate crew... not many in number, but each one is formidable.
All four fighters know Haki.
This one, proficient in meteorology and even capable of creating thunderclouds, must be the Navigator, right?
And the other two, their roles are unclear, but they must not be weak either.
With a lineup like this, they would dominate in the first half of the Grand Line and still rank among the notable crews in the latter half, the New World.
As a Navy Admiral, I shouldn't be defeated here, should I?
Just then, a loud roar echoed from the beach nearby.
Munch-Munch.
The Heat Dial and Flame Dial inside its body had been generating heat all along.
Its frozen body began to thaw from the inside, and cracks expanded across the surface ice.
Finally, with a loud explosion, the ice sculpture shattered.
Munch-Munch broke free.
It shook off the ice shards, then opened its mouth, swallowed itself, and spat itself out again.
This time, what it spat out was a sword.
A long sword, its blade menacing, with Munch-Munch's red eyes faintly visible on the hilt.
Ralph reached out and caught the flying long sword.
The next moment, a new function activated.
The Famous Blade Taotie, flames surged!
Kuzan was shocked once more.
Not because of the flames—those could only scare amateurs.
Kuzan was shocked by the aura of unity between man and sword the moment that man gripped the hilt!
It was a feeling he had only seen among the Navy's master swordsmen.
Was this the complete form of the nameless swordsman, Ralph?
He looked at the sword, at the man holding it, and then at the four imposing young Pirates surrounding him.
"Interesting."
He raised his hand and removed the eyepatch from his forehead.
"Then let's have a serious fight."
Kuzan's lazy demeanor finally vanished completely.