As the first light of dawn crawled across the horizon, a tiny black speck appeared on the distant sea, bobbing rhythmically within Drake's line of sight.
"Kenshin, someone's coming."
"Really?" Kenshin rushed to the shore, squinting into the distance. He hesitated, his brow furrowing. "That... doesn't look like a ship."
"Could it be...?" As the silhouette grew clearer, a possibility struck Drake, and his face paled instantly. "Kenshin, don't mention we're pirates. From this moment on, we are just ordinary people stranded by a shipwreck."
Drake took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart. He couldn't believe his luck. With the war looming, why on earth was a Marine Admiral wandering out here?
The man approaching was none other than one of the Marine Headquarters' "Greatest Military Powers"—Kuzan, codenamed Aokiji.
The signature sign of his arrival was that flamboyant bicycle, rolling effortlessly across the waves. As a "Frozen Man" who had consumed the Hie Hie no Mi, Aokiji could flash-freeze anything he touched. The moment his tires met the water, a thick path of ice solidified beneath them, creating a private highway across the ocean.
Aokiji soon noticed the two men on the island and steered his bicycle directly toward them.
"Who are you two? What are you doing on a deserted island like this?" Aokiji asked lazily, coming to a halt and looking the young men over.
"He's... he's riding a bike on the ocean..." Kenshin's voice trembled. His eyes were wide enough to pop out of his skull. "Who the hell are you!?"
Drake couldn't blame him. He still remembered the sheer shock he felt watching Aokiji for the first time in the anime. His only thought back then had been a simple, Holy shit.
Aokiji glanced at the wreckage of their boat. "Shipwrecked, I take it?"
"We're pirates! Who are you?" Kenshin demanded, his expression turning solemn as he gripped his sword.
Drake felt his soul leave his body for a second. What happened to the plan, Kenshin?!
"Aokiji!" Drake barked, giving up on the act. To hell with it; he was a pirate, after all. "What are you doing all the way out here?"
"Oh? Pirates, huh?" Aokiji scratched his head. "In that case, I really shouldn't let you leave. But then again..." He looked around at the empty horizon and the broken wood. "Well, it's not like you can leave. Forget it."
He turned around, preparing to cycle away.
Drake stood there dazed. God, he really is as laid-back as they say!
However, Drake's hand tightened around the hilt of his Spirit Sword. He couldn't just let him go—if Aokiji was the "person" the system mentioned, this might be his only ticket off the island. He couldn't rely solely on that damn system; he had to take initiative.
"Isn't it a bit pathetic for a Marine Admiral to just ignore pirates?" Drake shouted. In a flash, he lunged forward, swinging his blade directly at Aokiji's back!
A crisp, crystalline sound echoed. The moment the Spirit Sword touched Aokiji, a layer of thin ice began to crawl up the blade, racing toward Drake's arm.
"Arara... you're quite ruthless, aren't you?"
"A Marine Admiral!?" Kenshin gasped, realizing they were in over their heads.
[Ding! Warning: Host has engaged a powerful foe. Side Mission Triggered: Survive against Admiral Aokiji for the duration of one incense stick. Reward: Unknown. Difficulty: Hard!]
"Dammit! An incense stick!?" Drake leaped back, hisiding his teeth against the numbing cold radiating from the sword. Though the ice hadn't reached the hilt, the chill was bone-deep.
Clang! With a sudden hum of energy, the sword vibrated violently, shattering the encasing ice into a thousand shards.
"This..." Drake looked at the glowing blade. For a split second, he felt a soul-level connection with the weapon.
A Spirit Sword indeed... A smirk played on his lips. This wasn't just a sharp piece of metal; it had a will of its own.
"From today on, your name shall be—Rainbow's Remnant!" Drake hoisted the blade, channeling every ounce of his new strength into a singular strike. "Let's go!"
"My, my..." Aokiji picked up a handful of grass, blew on it, and watched as it transformed into a jagged blade of ice. He parried Drake's strike with ease.
"Ice Saber!"
BOOM!
This time, Rainbow's Remnant did not freeze.
Drake's eye twitched as he saw the ice sword. Seeing Aokiji's "grass-to-blade" trick in person made him realize just how broken Logia-type Devil Fruits really were.
"Are you really pirates? I don't recall seeing a face like yours on a wanted poster," Aokiji remarked, a hint of genuine surprise in his tone. He hadn't expected a nameless rookie to be able to shatter his ice with raw swordsmanship.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As they traded blows, Drake's movements became more fluid, his mastery over his new "Swordsman Master" cultivation deepening with every clash.
"Hah!" Drake spotted an opening and unleashed a heavy overhead slash, his blade wreathed in a sharp, visible aura of sword intent!
The ground beneath them groaned and cracked from the pressure.
Kenshin watched in awe. This was the first time he had seen Drake truly fight—to think his captain could hold his own against the Marines' highest tier of power!
"Arara..." Aokiji's expression sharpened. He tossed the ice saber aside and crossed his arms. "Ice Block: Partisan!"
Two spears of ice materialized and shot toward Drake with the speed of a lightning bolt.
Drake's pupils dilated.
"Drake, watch out!" Kenshin yelled, drawing his own blade and rushing Aokiji, but he was a fraction of a second too slow.
Clang! Drake swung his sword to deflect the projectiles, but the sheer cold of the impact flash-froze the blade and his hand instantly.
Simultaneously, Kenshin's sword tore through Aokiji's chest.
CRASH! Aokiji's body shattered into a pile of jagged ice chunks.
"Drake, are you okay?" Kenshin reached his side, panting.
Drake didn't answer, staring grimly at the pile of ice. He knew better. This was the terror of a Logia user. To hurt them, you needed another Logia power or—Haki!
[Ding! Mission Complete. Please claim your rewards!]
The system's voice sounded like a choir of angels in Drake's mind.
"Open it, now!" Drake shouted internally. This was his lifeline.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have received: The Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit), a choice of one of the Three Colors of Haki, and a High-Tech Submarine!]
"Summon Submarine!" Drake roared.
Suddenly, a sleek, medium-sized submarine—shimmering in white and pale blue—breached the surface near the shore.
"Kenshin, move!" Drake grabbed Kenshin's arm and hauled him toward the vessel.
[Ding! Welcome aboard the 'Protector'. Initializing biometric recognition...]
"Hurry, we need to get out of here!" Drake paused, realizing he had no idea how to pilot a high-tech sub.
[Ding! Identity Confirmed: Captain Vale D. Drake. Voice command active. The Protector will submerge in ten seconds.]
"Ten seconds!?" Drake's jaw dropped.
Outside, the shattered shards of ice began to swirl and converge, slowly reforming into the tall, lanky silhouette of the Admiral. Aokiji was back.