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"I didn't think that far ahead, Zyhark. Besides, if it's you, you can definitely dodge it, right?"
Aqua, whose cheeks were being pinched, waved her hands in a futile attempt to argue.
"What do you mean, 'if it's me'? Do you know what kind of enemies we're facing, you idiot?!"
Seeing the clueless goddess's unrepentant look, Zyhark was grateful he had kept some of his Kenbunshoku Haki active for vigilance.
He had been tricked by this girl too many times!
"Is that so? But you seem to be handling things quite well, even having the time to argue amongst yourselves."
A cold, indifferent voice came from behind. The Marine justice cape fluttered as the suddenly appearing Kuzan, eyes cold, wielded a long ice blade.
Already on guard, Zyhark immediately drew his twin blades. As he turned, the blackened edges of Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri, coated with Busoshoku Haki, blocked in front of him.
Clang!
The ice blade clashed with the sword, sparking with tiny flashes.
"You don't seem like such an active man, Admiral candidate Aokiji."
Zyhark's arm veins bulged, straining to resist the icy blade up close.
Physical strength was currently one of his weaknesses. Facing Kuzan, who could leave huge fist imprints on Marine battleships, was quite strenuous.
"Justice is different for people with different perspectives and changes with those perspectives. If attacking a Celestial Dragon is your justice, I won't question it. However…"
Kuzan tightened his grip on the ice blade, his nearly three-meter height imposing on Zyhark.
"At least show me if you have the ability to match it!"
As his words fell, the cold currents behind Kuzan surged, forming two sharp ice spears hovering in the air.
"Ice Spears!"
However, just as Kuzan was about to control the spears to pierce Zyhark, a flash of red light appeared in Zyhark's indifferent eyes.
Before Kuzan could react, the ground beneath them suddenly lit up with fierce, fiery light.
"Cliff Breaker Sword!"
A massive magma-filled stone pillar erupted from the ground, its sudden force sending Kuzan, who was in an attacking stance, flying into the air!
With the enhancement of the Goro Goro no Mi, Zyhark's Kenbunshoku Haki had reached a level comparable to strong individuals. Having fought with Emperor Kaido before, he had the experience of battling admiral and emperor-level opponents.
Moreover, he was well-versed in Aokiji's moves, allowing him to attack preemptively!
Even after being hit directly by the Cliff Breaker Sword, Kuzan remained unfazed. Before the terrifying energy at the pillar's end could explode, he lightly touched it with his elemental hand.
Crack, crack.
Intense cold surged out, instantly freezing the powerful magma sword into a crystal-clear ice pillar!
"Lightning, magma, earth pillars… What kind of fruit did you eat…?"
Kuzan stood on the ice pillar, looking down at Zyhark.
The strong sea wind blew, flapping his Marine justice cape wildly.
As a Marine admiral candidate who had seen exaggerated Devil Fruits like the Pika Pika no Mi and the Magu Magu no Mi, he had to admit that this young man possessed terrifying abilities.
Given enough time to grow, he would definitely rival the Marine admirals and sea emperors!
With this realization, Kuzan's usually relaxed eyes turned serious and sharp.
Phew…
As cold breath escaped his mouth, realizing Zyhark's formidable strength, a bone-chilling ice storm arose around him.
The simple probing ended there. The man, who would later be dubbed "the closest to invincible," decided to get serious!
Buzz!
The ice storm quickly gathered, forming a giant ice bird that obscured the sky before Kuzan.
Under Kuzan's control, the ice bird soared.
The extreme cold even affected the surrounding space, emitting crisp sounds like bird calls.
At the same time, bright lightning spread across the shattered ground below.
At the center of the raging thunder, a fierce black lightning dragon coiled around Zyhark.
The dragon, constructed purely from lightning enhanced with Busoshoku Haki, faced the ice bird in the sky.
Lightning and frost claimed the earth and sky respectively.
"Ice Age: Ice Pheasant Beak!"
"100 Million Volts: Black Lightning Dragon!"
Zyhark and Kuzan roared simultaneously.
The dragon roared, spreading lightning everywhere; the bird screeched, bringing extreme cold.
Under the watchful eyes of Garp, Smoker, Aqua, and the others, the two natural forces collided violently, creating a devastating energy storm!
Boom, boom, boom!
The aftermath of their clash spread outwards from the No. 1 Yarukiman Mangrove, affecting all nearby areas.
Residents living on the surrounding roots felt the bone-chilling cold and the deep-seated numbness.
"First, there was that terrifying aura, and now this extreme weather. What's happening in Sabaody? Is it the end of the world?!"
"What are you standing around for? Run! They say someone attacked and killed a Celestial Dragon at the slave auction house!"
"What did you say?! Killed a Celestial Dragon? Who could be so bold, an Emperor of the Sea?!"
Terrified, unaware passersby fled in panic. The original residents of the Sabaody Archipelago hurriedly returned home, shutting their doors and windows tightly, fearing being caught in this inexplicable disaster.
"What terrifying power, compared to them, our previous opponents are nothing…"
"No wonder they dared to kill a Celestial Dragon, they're incredibly strong."
"What should we do, captain? Should we still enter the New World?"
At the edge of the No. 1 Yarukiman Mangrove, on the gradually melting ice shards, the Supernova Roronoa, the Mad Scientist, and many other famous new pirate crews looked on in shock at Zyhark and Kuzan's battlefield.
Thanks to Garp's Galaxy Impact, those who were frozen managed to break free.
Of course, those with weaker strength and physique had long become part of the ground debris!
"Of course! Competing with these monsters and eventually claiming the Pirate King's throne is why we set sail!"
The Supernova Mad Scientist, with his entire face hidden behind a scientific mask, had fearless passion in his exposed eyes.
"But before that, let's get out of here. The Marine admiral is probably on his way, and we can't handle a battle of this level right now."
Roronoa, with a few beads of sweat on his forehead, stared intently at the battlefield of the strong.
There was no panic, after all, the senior he admired was an even more formidable existence than those two!
His words of self-awareness immediately garnered nods of agreement from the other pirate crews.
So, taking advantage of the distraction caused by the battle between Zyhark's crew and Garp and Kuzan, they quickly averted their gaze and fled to their pirate ships docked on the coast.
At the center of the natural storm, the lightning dragon and ice bird mutually obliterated each other.
Before the thick smoke and dust from the explosion could fully dissipate, Kuzan's figure, using Moonwalk, swiftly approached.
Dark red lightning erupted from his elemental ice fist, carrying unmatched power.
Realizing he couldn't easily win with his Devil Fruit ability, the battle-hardened Marine admiral candidate decisively chose to use Haki as his winning hand!
Zyhark raised his head, watching Kuzan rapidly enlarge in his pupils, a serious expression crossing his face.
As Kuzan predicted, in a pure power struggle, he was confident he could hold his own for a while.
But when it came to Haki, especially the advanced form used by top-tier fighters, he was at a disadvantage.
However…
His serious gaze gradually turned determined as Zyhark slowly sheathed his twin blades, his right fist encircled with black lightning.
At this stage, Kuzan's Haki certainly hadn't reached its peak ten years later.
Since he had already taken Kaido's Thunder Bagua, he wanted to see if he could withstand Kuzan's strike!
Zzz!
Instead of retreating, Zyhark advanced, leaping high into the air, charging straight towards Kuzan.
Both their eyes gleamed red, their fists meeting with unparalleled speed, colliding fiercely in mid-air!
Boom!!!
When the black lightning and Haki-imbued fists clashed, the violent energy erupted like a volcanic explosion.
After a mere two seconds of standoff, Zyhark, with Haki and strength far inferior to Kuzan, was unsurprisingly blasted away, crashing heavily into the trunk of the distant No. 1 Yarukiman Mangrove.
The impact broke the massive red tree in half, and it fell with a thunderous crash, shaking the entire Sabaody Archipelago.
"A newly awakened kingly power requires countless nights of training to unleash its full potential…"
Retracting his Haki, Kuzan landed gracefully, his Marine justice cape fluttering gently in the shockwave.
His tone, carrying a hint of instruction, revealed he bore no significant hostility towards the younger Zyhark.
At least concerning the attack on the Celestial Dragons, this outwardly cold but internally warm man had nothing but admiration for Zyhark.
Attacking the Celestial Dragons to rescue auctioned slaves was far from an evil deed.
Moreover, it was an act he, striving for justice, dared not commit!
"It's truly surprising, Kuzan. I didn't expect you to be so passionate again after the Ohara incident."
Garp approached leisurely, picking his nose nonchalantly, reminding, "But if you keep lecturing, they'll escape Sabaody."
Upon hearing this, Kuzan snapped back to reality.
Activating his Kenbunshoku Haki to pierce through the thick smoke, he found no trace of Zyhark.
Looking around, the other directions were empty as well.
The Endless Dream crew had disappeared!
Kuzan: "…"
Meanwhile, on the vast grasslands away from the battlefield, a cool robot was flying low, speeding towards the coast.
King and Meowth sat in the cockpit, while Zyhark and Aqua were held in its gently cupped hands.
"Zyhark, this goddess hasn't settled the score with that smoke-faced guy yet. Running away so disgracefully is just too cowardly! As the goddess of the Axis Cult, I'm ashamed of you!"
Aqua complained incessantly, even as the strong winds from the robot's full-speed rush blew her blue hair wildly, her sharp voice remained clear.
Opposite, Zyhark, with fresh blood on his forehead and mouth, breathed heavily, his chest heaving.
Although Kuzan's current strength hadn't peaked, and his physical defense was strong, that Haki-infused attack was hard to endure unscathed.
Seeing the disgruntled Aqua, Zyhark took a deep breath, calming his erratic breathing, and said calmly, "When facing unpleasant things, you just need to run away. Running away isn't losing; it's winning."
Undoubtedly, Garp and Kuzan had no intention of capturing them all here.
But as Marines, they had to fulfill their duties to the World Government, meaning they had to at least make a show of it.
Understanding this, Zyhark had decided to fight Kuzan and create as much commotion as possible before finding a chance to escape.
It was an unspoken agreement between them.
However, he was surprised that the usually strict Smoker hadn't pursued them either.
It seemed that in the crime-ridden Sabaody Archipelago, Smoker had learned more than just Haki and combat techniques…
Aqua was momentarily speechless, her blue eyes wide in disbelief.
Clearly, she hadn't expected Zyhark to counter with her own teachings.
"What…"
The dumbfounded goddess's eyes darted around, about to retort, but Zyhark, predicting her response, cut her off.
"When you hesitate, you'll regret whatever you do. Since you'll regret it anyway, choose the easier path."
His calm voice floated out, "Aqua, I feel quite relaxed right now."
"You're… right, Zyhark. Ahaha, it seems you've mastered the teachings of the Axis Cult." Aqua forced a smile, her lips twitching.
As expected of the Water Goddess, she could even trick herself!
As they spoke, the vast coastline became visible ahead.
Despite the cold currents and white smoke closing in, the distance and speed suggested Garp and his team were unlikely to catch up.
I've unintentionally owed a huge favor…
Zyhark sighed inwardly.
Just as he thought they could leave Sabaody, the rookie pirates nearing the coast suddenly turned back, fleeing in terror.
Zyhark frowned, squinting against the rushing wind, looking further ahead.
A quick scan revealed the source of their panic.
A giant Buddha emitting golden light stood like a mountain at the border between land and sea.
That is…
The man alongside Garp as a Marine legend, the current highest-ranking Marine force—Admiral Sengoku the Buddha!
As Zyhark's gaze locked onto Sengoku, he witnessed the giant Buddha leap, striking Mad Scientist with a left palm, making him spit blood, and flattening the Mad Scientist with a right palm.
Continuing the tradition of admirals landing in Sabaody, Sengoku the Buddha, one palm per Supernova!
In seconds, the Dream Mk. I and the pursuing Garp's group encountered Sengoku head-on.
Due to his "Zoan" enhanced size, Sengoku's gaze skipped over the Dream Mk. I, landing directly on the leisurely Garp.
"Garp! What the hell are you doing?! Do you know how many calls I took on my way here?!"
Even his golden face couldn't hide Sengoku's exasperation as he scolded loudly.
(End of Chapter)