Marine Admirals are good in various aspects of strength, regardless of offence, defence, and combat skills at a top-tier level. However, a commander like Marco is good mainly in one aspect.
Of course, this is also limited by the abilities of Devil Fruits. While Marco's Phoenix Fruit provides strong resilience, this resilience doesn't carry as much weight against top-tier powers.
The same is true for Jozu. Although his diamond fruit is strong, it is mainly for defense, and it is not very other area such as attack, or even very lacking.
So, even with developed abilities, Jozu remains inherently disadvantaged in overall strength.
Charles Vane's match on the field ended just as Whitebeard expected, with Kuzan defeating him in one decisive blow. Now it was Tesla's turn to take the stage.
"Come on, Tesla, give it your best shot"
Jinbei encouraged.
"I'll do my best"
Tesla replied, feeling the pressure.
Charles Vane watched as Tesla entered the field, feeling frustrated. He clenched his fists, muttering to himself, "I was defeated in one blow... How did this happen? Tesla, you and Jinbei are the only ones left. We have to earn some respect back."
Seeing the determination on Tesla's face, Charles Vane started cheering him on. He noticed Tesla's serious expression as he faced Kuzan head-on. Without wavering, Tesla replied: "Don't worry, I'll show our strength."
Kuzan observed Tesla, noticing the unwavering determination in his eyes. It struck Kuzan that Tesla seemed to possess a unique resolve compared to the others.
However, Kuzan didn't hesitate. He immediately launched an attack on Tesla, causing him to slide across the ground.
Kuzan appeared in front of Tesla at an extremely fast speed, and then directly grabbed Tesla with both hands.
At that instant, Kuzan unleashed a torrent of cold air, freezing Tesla into a towering ice sculpture.
However, the freezing didn't go as Kuzan expected. Tesla's body remained unfrozen; nothing happened.
"What's going on?"
Kuzan frowned slightly, surprised by the unexpected outcome. His Freezing abilities had never failed before.
"Since you've come this close, that works for me,"
Tesla smirked. With Kuzan right in front of him, it saved him the trouble of closing in for the attack.
He noticed the power of Tesla's Devil Fruit surging within him. Small bubbles started to form on the ground beneath Kuzan's feet. Soon, a massive bubble emerged slowly from the ground.
"This is..."
Kuzan sensed something unusual on the ground. He quickly stepped with his left foot, releasing a freezing force once more. Kuzan aimed to isolate these abnormalities with ice.
However, to Kuzan's surprise, the huge bubble ignored his ice layer and continued to rise, seemingly wanting on completely trapping Kuzan within it.
Almost instantly, Tesla defended against Kuzan's freezing abilities and prepared for his counterattack.
However, despite the unexpected turn, Kuzan's reflexes were sharp. He immediately stepped back, leaving the area just as the huge bubble rose up.
"The Bubble Film Fruit actually has such an effect. It seems you covered yourself with a layer of bubble film to resist my Freezing abilities,"
Kuzan remarked, he became interested in Tesla's ability
"Exactly."
Tesla nodded and said.
"Interesting. Well, then I'm eager to see what else you have up your sleeve,"
Kuzan said with a hint of curiosity.
The brief exchange just now isn't enough to gauge Tesla's strength fully. He holds the advantage with his Bubble Film Fruit, which provides 100% defense against Kuzan's freezing ability.
Now, Kuzan wanted to test Tesla's true strength. He rushed over in an instant and summoned five ice birds, ready to attack.
The ice bird exuded a chilling air, causing temperatures to plummet wherever it flew. Faced with this formidable attack, Tesla wasted no time. He activated his ability, summoning a bubble barrier to shield himself from the assault.
Instantly, the five ice birds collided with Tesla's bubble barrier, creating a thunderous crash. The freezing gusts seemed to erupt, spreading a wave of cold air that caused Tesla to shiver uncontrollably.
"It's freezing! I didn't realize it would be this cold just from the impact. If I take a direct hit, it might be all over."
Tesla felt a surge of caution. Carrying the mantle of Whitebeard's Pirate Captain, he had to be ready for the fight.
Luckily, despite the intense explosion and vibrations from the five ice birds, Tesla's bubble barrier held strong. Kuzan noticed something odd: Tesla hadn't made any moves yet.
Kuzan had released the five ice birds while rushing towards Tesla, and he himself was still in action. By the time Tesla came to his senses, Kuzan had already stretched out his palm towards him. Seeing Kuzan state, Tesla's heartbeat quickened subconsciously.
"It's over"
Kuzan said softly, emanating freezing power.
"Oops,"
Tesla whispered, realizing his predicament. He tried to retreat, but before he could move, numerous ice thorns materialized around him.
Ice thorns materialized not just from the ground, but from all around Tesla, making a great threat to him.
Whitebeard observed the ongoing battle, his eyes narrowing. He noticed that Kuzan was using tactics against Tesla instead of relying on the straightforward approach he had used previously.
However, this tactic is also quite simple. The five ice birds released by Kuzan served as a feint to draw in the opponent. Once the ice birds were countered, the ensuing burst of cold air surrounded Tesla.
And Kuzan can use the cold air to quickly create many ice thorns around Tesla. These ice thorns are incredibly sharp, and getting stabbed by them could cause serious injury.
Therefore, Whitebeard has been closely observing Tesla's actions. If Tesla can't handle the current situation, Whitebeard will step in before the ice thorns reach him and help him out.
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TO BE CONTINUED
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