Chapter 205: Aoki VS Navy Admiral
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In Area 23 of the Sabaody Archipelago, a small boat lay anchored in a concealed bay.
Rayleigh, Hancock, and the other three waited in silence.
"I didn't expect the Navy to actually use the Buster Call against the Sabaody Archipelago," Shakky sighed, her tone heavy with disbelief.
Rayleigh sat with his hands clasped under his chin, his expression grave. "Aoki has touched the Celestial Dragons' reverse scale."
Even the so-called Pirate Emperors seldom posed a genuine threat to the Celestial Dragons or the World Government. For centuries, the Celestial Dragons remained unshaken at the pinnacle of power, their dominion untouched despite the rise of powerful pirates in every generation.
To some extent, pirates were mere tools, pawns used by the World Government to coerce allied nations into submission.
But what Aoki did went beyond the typical provocations. His actions tore away the Celestial Dragons' facade of invincibility and directly endangered their lives.
Shakky glanced at Hancock, whose expression remained unreadable, then lit a cigarette and exhaled a plume of smoke. "I wonder if Aoki will send us a signal."
Rayleigh's eyes flicked toward the horizon. "Signal or not, if the Buster Call begins, we leave immediately."
No sooner had he spoken than his gaze shifted sharply toward another direction.
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Suspended in mid-air was a fearsome and majestic black dragon-man figure.
"Is it him?" Akainu's cold, commanding voice broke the silence.
"That's right," Kizaru replied, nodding. Among the three admirals, he was the only one who had seen Aoki in person.
"Not on the island? Did he escape already?" Akainu's eyes burned with frustration, his tone brimming with anger.
Kizaru tilted his head, his voice casual yet curious. "What puzzles me more is… why did he bother showing up?"
Aokiji remained silent, his eyes fixed on the figure in the air.
"Akainu, the target has appeared. What are you waiting for?" A cold, commanding voice came from within the cabin.
Akainu frowned. "Alicia Palace, is he within your ability's range now?"
A brief pause followed before the voice replied, "Barely… on the edge."
All three admirals wore displeased expressions.
How were they supposed to fight an enemy who could escape at will? They had no choice but to engage, but failure would lead to harsh scrutiny from the Celestial Dragons.
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In the sky above, Aoki surveyed the scene below with a calm expression.
"Have you noticed me already? Then let's begin," he muttered.
Opening his mouth slightly, a spark of fire ignited, quickly swelling into a massive fireball nearly a meter in diameter. The orb pulsed with terrifying energy as it hurtled toward the warship where the three admirals stood.
Aokiji reacted instantly, leaping into the air as waves of frigid air spread outward, forming a colossal ice shield.
Boom!
The fireball exploded on impact, releasing an intense wave of heat and force. But the ice shield absorbed the brunt of the attack, leaving the warship unscathed.
At the same moment, Kizaru transformed into a stream of golden light, streaking toward the sky.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Golden beams pierced through the air, riddling Aoki's body with glowing holes. Yet he barely flinched, his focus unbroken as he locked eyes on the battlefield below. A dark gleam flickered in his pupils.
"Soul Shock!"
Invisible energy condensed into a spectral spear that shot downward with immense force.
The golden light around Kizaru flickered and shattered, revealing his true form. For a fleeting moment, his usual nonchalant demeanor gave way to confusion.
Aoki seized the moment, surging forward and delivering a devastating punch.
Dazed, Kizaru continued his upward trajectory, as though willingly throwing his face into Aoki's fist.
Boom!
Kizaru plummeted like a meteor, only to dissolve into golden particles just before hitting the ocean. His form reassembled on the warship moments later, hands casually tucked into his pockets.
"My, my, how terrifying," Kizaru remarked, his voice dripping with mockery.
"It's no use," Aoki muttered to himself, shaking his head.
The three admirals were far more troublesome than even Whitebeard, their coordination and strength presenting an overwhelming challenge.
Fortunately, today wasn't about defeating Kizaru or the others.
"Is it time to begin?"
Aoki's gaze swept over the Sabaody Archipelago.
From his altitude, the people on the island appeared as mere ants. Moments ago, these "ants" had been scattered haphazardly across the area. Now, they seemed to have received some kind of signal, converging and moving toward the edges of the island.
A large number of ships began to set sail, and the intensity of gunfire escalated abruptly.
"The timing is perfect," Aoki murmured, a tinge of emotion in his voice.
He had no prior agreement with these people, but it didn't matter. Their chaotic exodus served as an excellent distraction for Hancock and the others to make their escape.
At that moment, waves of heat surged upward from below.
A crimson glow illuminated the sea, and streams of magma erupted into the sky, resembling a volcanic explosion.
Aoki's eyes widened in awe.
The spectacle of Akainu in action offered a visceral experience of the terror associated with the most powerful Logia-type Devil Fruit users.
This was a true natural disaster.
It was no surprise that the legendary battle between Akainu and Aokiji had permanently altered the climate of an entire island.
Aoki opened his mouth, and a massive fireball shot forth.
With a thunderous explosion, the fireball collided with the rising magma. Flames and molten rock intertwined, creating a fiery inferno in the sky.
The magma erupted like fireworks, blossoming into a massive, terrifyingly beautiful flower.
Aoki, however, had no time to admire the spectacle.
While fire and magma raged below, an icy chill crept up behind him.
Without hesitation, he flicked his tail, but a sharp pain followed.
Half of his tail was gone, its severed end coated in frost.
Aoki didn't look back. He flapped his wings and darted away.
Suddenly, a blinding golden light exploded in front of him, filling his vision.
A figure wreathed in golden brilliance emerged faintly from the glow.
"Soul Shock!"
Invisible waves rippled outward from Aoki.
At the same time, two ice spears formed in mid-air, and a golden sword pierced through the light, all targeting Aoki.
The golden sword struck his chest, piercing through his heart. One ice spear impaled his neck, while the other lodged into the back of his head.
With a powerful flap of his bat-like wings, Aoki sent Kizaru and Aokiji hurtling backward. He took the opportunity to retreat.
The two admirals quickly recovered.
Frigid air spread outward from Aokiji, while golden particles began to coalesce around Kizaru.
Another spiritual spear swept across them, freezing their movements momentarily. The cold air stilled, and the golden light scattered.
Aoki flew a hundred meters away, then turned to look at his adversaries.
"Two old men in their 40s ganging up on a young guy like me? Aokiji, Kizaru, aren't you ashamed?"
Their response was swift and silent—actions, not words.
A freezing wave of cold air and a searing golden light converged on Aoki's position simultaneously.
But his figure vanished in an instant, reappearing hundreds of meters away.
Boom!
The combined attack struck the sea, freezing the surrounding water into solid land.
Aokiji exhaled deeply, releasing a mist of cold air. "Ah la la, he's still alive. What is his ability?"
Kizaru, one hand casually resting in his pocket, gazed upward with an inscrutable expression. "Looks like this operation has failed again."
High above, Aoki waved at them with a smirk.
"That's all for today, but we'll meet again someday!"
He glanced at the warship one last time before vanishing into thin air.
He had exhausted his Soul Shock ability for the day—his only skill capable of disrupting Aokiji and Kizaru. The cooldown on his Ultimate Form hadn't ended, leaving no room for delay.
With his mission completed, it was time to retreat.
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Aokiji and Kizaru returned to the warship, entering the cabin alongside Akainu.
Inside, a stunning woman in an ornate palace dress turned to face them.
"Useless fools!" she spat, flicking her sleeves in disdain before walking away.
The expressions on the three admirals' faces darkened as her footsteps echoed in the tense silence.
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