After a while, Kai fell back to the ground. Ace approached, looking surprised. "I didn't expect you to be this strong!"
When he saw Kai's 300 million bounty earlier, he thought Kai had some strength, but not this level.
Kai didn't respond to Ace's comment but instead asked, "Are you afraid to face an Admiral?"
"Are you kidding? I'm a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, the strongest crew in the world. I won't panic even if it's the Fleet Admiral, let alone an Admiral!" Ace retorted.
"Oh? Really? That's good, otherwise, I'd be worried you'd get scared and run away~"
"You are itching for a fight, aren't you?" Ace glared at him.
"If we can escape this time, we can fight!" Kai replied calmly.
"Hahaha… Well, it's settled then!" Ace laughed.
"You two are full of energy!"
Aokiji emerged from the smoke, his previous laziness replaced by a serious expression.
Aokiji glanced at the two of them, then focused on Kai, saying with a hint of solemnity, "Kid, your mastery of Haki is impressive. It's achieving internal destruction!"
"Internal destruction?" Ace looked at Kai in surprise. If Aokiji hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have known! Even he hadn't mastered this skill yet.
"And your Haki is stronger than most of our Marine Lieutenants. I'm very curious how you cultivated your Haki to this level at such a young age!"
TN/Does he mean rear or vice?
"Maybe it's talent?" Kai answered casually.
Unexpectedly, Aokiji nodded in agreement. "There's no other explanation except talent!"
"In that case, I'll have to take you down. A talented pirate like you will give us Marines sleepless nights!"
"If you can, then try it!" Kai said, instantly summoning his iron rod.
Aokiji raised his arms, which gradually turned into ice blocks as he lifted them.
"Ice Cube: Violent Pheasant Mouth!"
In an instant, a massive ice bird shot from Aokiji's hand, speeding toward them.
Kai grabbed the iron rod, ready to smash the ice bird, but Ace stepped in front of him. "Let me!"
"Fire Fist!"
A torrent of flames erupted from Ace's arms, clashing with Aokiji's ice bird.
After their attacks collided and dissipated, Aokiji looked at Ace and muttered, "Is he the captain of Whitebeard's second division? He's tough to handle too!"
Kai tightened his grip on the iron rod, his Haki wrapping around it.
"Ace, go!"
As soon as the words were out, Kai charged forward, with Ace following suit.
Aokiji's expression remained unchanged. He crossed one hand over his chest and opened his lips slightly.
"Ice Sword!"
Aokiji raised his ice sword to meet Kai's rod.
The moment they collided, a powerful shockwave spread outward, cracking nearby buildings.
Ace dashed in front of them, shouting, "Kai, move!"
Kai immediately stepped aside.
Ace then unleashed, "Sacred Fire Spears!"
Two massive flame spears shot toward Aokiji, pushing him back and demolishing several buildings along the way.
"What can I say? This move of mine packs quite a punch, doesn't it?" Ace said happily.
"It's impressive, but probably not enough!" Kai replied calmly.
Sure enough, in less than a second, Aokiji reappeared in front of them, unscathed.
Kai sighed. Fighting a top Logia user with such advanced skills was indeed troublesome. Even with Haki, hitting them when they're in elemental form is nearly impossible.
Just as Kai pondered his next move, Aokiji's voice echoed.
"Don't get distracted. Frozen Time Capsule!"
Two icy projectiles shot from Aokiji's hands, flying toward them at high speed.
Kai and Ace soared into the sky without hesitation.
"Bang!"
The moment the projectiles hit the ground, a frigid wave of cold spread out, freezing everything nearby.
"Meteor!"
"Fire Ring: Fire Pillar!"
The three continued their fierce battle.
...
After some time~
"Huh~"
Ace and Kai gasped for breath. They had unleashed their most powerful moves, leaving them both exhausted despite their formidable stamina.
Compared to Aokiji, who was slightly out of breath but otherwise unscathed, they were clearly at a disadvantage.
Aokiji stood calmly, his aura gathering. Realizing that Aokiji was preparing a major attack, Kai quickly assumed a defensive stance and focused intently on him.
Sure enough, as Aokiji's power reached its peak, he uttered a chilling phrase.
"Ice... Age!"
In an instant, Kai felt a tremendous sense of danger and tried to flee. But Aokiji's attack was not only extremely powerful but also incredibly fast. By the time Kai reacted, it was too late.
His lower body and Ace next to him had already been encased in ice.
Even though Ace tried to use his fire, he was gradually overwhelmed by the ice.
Soon, two lifelike ice sculptures stood before Aokiji.
Inside the ice, Kai found that while he couldn't move, his consciousness remained intact due to his own strength.
Despite his efforts, Kai realized that struggling was futile.
This ice wasn't the same as Aokiji's usual freezing; it was the result of his ultimate technique, Ice Age.
The intensity was far beyond what he had faced before, and the relentless cold continued to stiffen his body, rendering him immobile.
Aokiji approached the two ice sculptures and said softly, "Dealing with you two really takes some tricks!"
"But now, it's all over!"
Aokiji took out his Den Den Mushi, oddly undamaged from the battle.
Just as he was about to call Smoker to clean up, a faint voice echoed in his ears.
"Jiang Sanshi·Yinnaraku!"
TN/What could this be?
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you liked the story.