"Boom!"
With a roar that resounded across the sky, a violent thunderstorm converged into a roaring thunder dragon. The Brontosaurus approached Aokiji at a terrifying speed.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!" Aokiji gathered freezing energy in his right arm and released a huge ice bird. The Brontosaurus and the ice bird collided instantly.
"Boom!" The terrifying impact caused the earth to crack. Countless giant trees turned to cinders in the aftermath, with thunder and lightning mingling with ice shards in the air.
"Bah!" Nami, her body crackling with astonishing lightning, held her weather stick and raised her pretty face with a confident smile. "Sixty million volts, Brontosaurus."
Aokiji exhaled a cold breath, looking at Nami with shock. "Logia, Thunder Fruit!" There was no trace of laziness on his face now. Thunder Fruit had not appeared in this sea for too long. It was one of the most powerful Logia Devil Fruits, second only to Akainu's Lava-Lava Fruit in attack power and Kizaru's Sparkling Fruit in speed. The comprehensive ability of Thunder Fruit was higher than both.
Unexpectedly, it had fallen into the hands of the Entei Pirates. Aokiji looked at Ace, holding Robin with a faint smile, and felt extremely solemn. The Entei Pirates had three Logia Devil Fruits: Sand-Sand Fruit, Thunder Fruit, and the Mera-Mera Fruit owned by Ace. Their combined abilities were as powerful as the Admirals'. Such potential was terrifying.
"I take back what I just said. Your potential is more terrifying than I imagined," Aokiji said coldly. "I originally thought the government had paid enough attention to you because of your involvement in the Mariejois incident, but now it seems far from enough. Portgas D. Ace, you may really make the sea completely violent in the future. You might as well die here."
"Boom!" With a gunshot, the right side of Aokiji's face instantly turned to ice and shattered.
"Is this what Ace calls the early elementalization of Logia ability users? Even Armament Haki's attacks cannot take effect," Nojiko said solemnly, holding her gun high.
"What a sharp shot," Aokiji said as his broken right cheek gradually recovered. "Another sniper who can wrap Armament Haki around bullets."
"Tempest Kick!" Kaya swung her long legs violently, kicking out sharp slashes.
"Ching!" Shigure was fully unsheathed, and Tashigi's beautiful eyes were full of determination as she slashed down with her sword. The flying slash, mixed with Kaya's Tempest Kick, struck Aokiji.
"Ice sword!" Aokiji quickly formed an ice blade in his hand and collided with the oncoming slashes. "Clang!" With a harsh collision sound, Tashigi and Kaya's slash was repelled. Aokiji's ice blade broke instantly.
"Ah la la, did you teach her the Tempest Kick of Marine Six Styles, Portgas D. Ace? Did you steal it from your grandfather?" Aokiji asked, throwing aside the broken ice weapon.
Ace smiled lightly. "He's in good health. He seems to have had a fight with Fleet Admiral Sengoku recently because of you."
Aokiji didn't seem to be talking to a pirate but chatting about everyday things. His eyes, however, grew heavier. "Your name should be Tashigi, right? Formerly under Smoker. It seems you have completely joined their group," he said solemnly.
Tashigi didn't say anything, just waved her sword, proving her determination.
"Everyone, come together!" Nami, her body filled with lightning, called out. A burst of harp sound resonated, a note seeming to materialize and jump in the atmosphere, enhancing the girls' spirits.
"Is this ability from Sky Island, a Paramecia Devil Fruit that can control music and tunes?" Aokiji observed the changes in the girls' status and exhaled a cold breath. "Thirty million volts, Thunder Beast!" Nami pointed her weather stick, her body filled with light. With a terrifying roar, a Thunder Wolf Beast made entirely of lightning rushed towards Aokiji.
"Desert Knife!" Vivi's right hand turned into a sand knife and slammed down, cutting open the earth and spreading towards Aokiji.
"Tempest Kick!" "Cut!" Kaya and Tashigi shouted simultaneously, kicking and slashing at Aokiji. Nojiko held her rifle high, Observation Haki filling the air, searching for flaws in Aokiji.
Aokiji looked at the attacks surrounding him from all directions and raised his right hand suddenly. "Frozen-Time Capsule!" The terrifying freezing air released instantly, freezing everything around him. The freezing air collided with all attacks directed at Aokiji, neutralizing them.
"Boom!" With a terrifying storm, all attacks were instantly neutralized by Aokiji.
"As expected of an Admiral of Headquarters, but!" Nami's red lips curved into a strange smile.
"Um?" Aokiji suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
Next moment!
"Chirp!" A loud bird song echoed through the sky. A strange bird, engulfed in flames and massive enough to cover the sky and earth, hurtled towards Aokiji with terrifying speed. Aokiji immediately realized that the previous attacks were merely a setup for this one blow. He crossed his arms and braced himself.
"Bang! Bah!" The flaming bird collided with Aokiji. He tried to freeze it, but his pupils suddenly shrank. "This flame! Damn it!" he shouted as his Armament Haki rushed to his arms.
"Boom!" Aokiji struck hard, knocking back the strange flames. The flames receded, and Laki quickly transformed from Suzaku form to human form, landing next to Kaya. Though hit by Aokiji's Haki, Laki's flames continued to burn, purifying the damage.
Kaya's right hand emitted a warm yellow light, surrounding Laki. The dual blessings of the healing fruit and Suzaku form quickly dissipated Aokiji's damage.
"Thank you, Kaya," Laki smiled.
"We are companions," Kaya responded with a smile.
"Zoan? No a Mythical one?! This is it!" Aokiji's expression changed as he looked at the flames still burning his Armament Haki. "It can burn Haki directly. What kind of ability is this?!"
"Bird-Bird Fruit, Phantom Beast Species, Suzaku Form," Ace answered calmly.
Aokiji raised his head in disbelief. "God! The Bird-Bird Fruit, Phantom Beast Species, Suzaku Form? Isn't this as famous as Kaido's Fish-Fish Fruit, Phantom Beast Species, Azure Dragon Form?! It fell into the hands of the Entei Pirates!"
Aokiji's face grew more serious. He considered the other Devil Fruits possessed by the Entei Pirates: the Sand-Sand Fruit, Thunder Fruit, and Mera-Mera Fruit. Combined, these were comparable to the three Admirals and the Fleet Admiral's Human-Human Fruit, Phantom Beast Species, Giant Buddha Form.
Portgas D. Ace was even more daunting with his Conqueror's Haki, capable of causing substantial damage. Aokiji wondered how Ace had obtained so many precious Devil Fruits, especially the Sand-Sand Fruit from the dead Crocodile.
Moreover, all the members of the Entei Pirates knew how to use Armament Haki, an extraordinary feat in the first half of the Grand Line. This was typically a skill seen only in the New World. Additionally, Ace's crew consisted solely of women, who generally had more difficulty learning Haki due to physical differences. Yet, they exhibited incredible strength, both in fruit abilities and Haki.
Aokiji's face grew increasingly solemn as he realized the depth of the mystery surrounding the Entei Pirates. This mystery, created by Portgas D. Ace, even made him feel a bit suffocated.
"Portgas D. Ace," Aokiji said, his expression grave.
"Have you finally put away your laziness, Aokiji?" Ace released Robin's hand and stepped forward. He knew that although his crew couldn't yet defeat Aokiji, facing an Admiral would be a valuable experience for them.
A terrifying purple-black color loomed in Ace's pupils. Seeing Ace step forward, the girls obediently stepped back, knowing this was the time to rely on their captain. They smiled sweetly at Ace's back.
"Laki, take them back to the ship," Ace said calmly.
"Chirp!" As soon as Ace finished speaking, the girls didn't hesitate. They immediately sat on the back of Laki, who had transformed into Suzaku form, and flew towards the Merry.