Boom—!
The instant Luffy raised his head, a thunderous roar like a god's fury erupted across the sky.
Black-red lightning rained down from the heavens.
At the center of the crimson mist and dark red thunder, a domineering will—supreme and absolute—erupted outward as a tangible shockwave, sweeping across miles.
Conqueror's Haki—awakened!
The low-hanging clouds were split apart into a massive circular void, revealing the blue sky beyond.
Shattered rocks and frozen waves across the ice field could not withstand the pressure of that spiritual force—they crumbled into dust.
Even Aokiji, at the moment that aura exploded, had to raise his hand to shield his face. His usually lazy eyes were filled with undeniable shock.
"Hey… Conqueror's Haki?"
"This level of presence… awakening under these conditions?"
He muttered, a rare bead of sweat forming on his temple.
"What a monster… Though… if they're thawed properly, they shouldn't die…"
But Luffy had already shut himself off completely.
In his senses, only one thing remained—
The source of all this pain.
Aokiji.
"I'm going to… kill you!!!"
Luffy let out an inhuman roar.
Behind him, black-red lightning condensed into a pair of blood-colored wings.
His body turned into a streak of crimson light and vanished.
"This oppressive power…"
Zoro gripped his sword tightly. Even with his iron will, the surge of Conqueror's Haki made his very soul tremble.
"So this is what Ronan meant… the 'king's disposition' found in one in a million…"
Ronan stood firm with his spear, his expression grave.
"Conqueror's Haki has awakened… but Luffy has lost control."
"Driven by extreme rage, his Diamond Inner Energy has entered a 'combustion' state. Every punch now burns his life force."
"Now's not the time for that!" Sanji shouted anxiously beside the ice sculptures. "What about Nami and the others?! Ronan, think of something!"
"Stay calm!"
Ronan's voice was steady, anchoring everyone.
"From Aokiji's tone, this freezing is more like a state of 'suspension.'"
"As long as we thaw them gradually and gently, they won't die!"
"Our only task now—end this fight as quickly as possible!"
At that moment, Luffy charged Aokiji.
His six-meter form carved a scorched trail across the frozen ground.
With his compressed body and awakened state, his speed had already surpassed the speed of sound.
"Gomu Gomu—Armed Thunder Kong Gun!"
As Luffy's punch came crashing down, Aokiji no longer held back.
Both hands thrust forward.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak Shield!!"
A massive ice wall surged up instantly between them, thick enough to withstand battleship artillery.
The moment Luffy's red lightning-wreathed fist made contact—
A grating, bone-chilling crack echoed through the air.
There was no explosion.
Only pure physical penetration.
Luffy's fist punched straight through the dozens-of-meters-thick wall, blasting a massive hole through it.
Aokiji flickered across the battlefield, shifting rapidly across the ice.
But Luffy's attacks had become chaotic, relentless, and unstoppable.
Each punch carved a crater over a hundred meters wide into the frozen terrain.
Watching the crimson lightning-wrapped "demon god" before him, Aokiji's last trace of laziness was replaced with helpless seriousness.
He exhaled cold air, a decision flashing in his eyes.
"This is… completely different from what I expected."
"Garp's grandson… and this group with their bizarre techniques… if this continues, it'll get out of hand."
Facing Luffy's next berserk charge, Aokiji clenched his right hand.
"Ice Ball!!"
Five streams of freezing energy, like dragons exhaling frost, instantly locked onto Luffy's six-meter form.
With a dull impact, layers of thick ice sealed him once more into a perfect sphere.
But not even a second passed—
Crack—!! BOOM!!!
With a deafening roar, Luffy's red lightning-covered fist exploded outward from within, shattering the ice instantly.
Like a primordial beast breaking its chains, Luffy burst free—eyes blood-red—locking onto Aokiji once again.
Aokiji's pupils shrank.
He realized—
Against a Luffy who had awakened Conqueror's Haki and descended into madness, simple elemental evasion was no longer effective.
In fact, Armament Haki would turn it into a liability.
His body flashed upward, stepping into the air with Geppo, ascending over a hundred meters.
"Ice Block—Two Spears!"
Two massive ice spears, several meters long, shot through the sky with piercing shrieks toward Luffy.
"Get… lost!!!"
With a hoarse roar, Luffy's Haki-coated fist smashed forward, obliterating the mountain-piercing spears into powder midair.
Aokiji hovered high above, arms spread wide.
Within miles, all heat was drained instantly—the terrifying might of an Admiral at full power.
"This move… should calm you down."
"Ice Block—Pheasant Beak!!!"
With his shout, the airflow above the island erupted violently.
From the boundless cold, a colossal ice bird took form.
Its wings spanned hundreds of meters, blotting out the sky.
Its crystal body shimmered with a chilling blue deathly glow.
Each flap of its wings scattered frost capable of freezing forests in an instant.
Compared to it, the six-meter Luffy looked like an insect.
With a piercing cry, the ice bird dove—
Like a collapsing frozen mountain—toward Luffy.
Facing this monstrous force capable of freezing entire seas, Luffy did not retreat.
Instead, his blood and energy burned to their absolute peak.
The crimson steam around him, under extreme heat, transformed into a strange dark-purple flame.
His Thunder Diamond Inner Energy raged like a dying star, squeezing out every last ounce of potential.
"I'm going to… kill you!!!"
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